EU's million-euro project hostage to Rakiqi

The EU has invested in two projects in Mitrovica in parallel for the revising of the main 1.45m-euro bridge of Ibrit and for the construction of the pedestrian zone north of the bridge, on the “King Peter I”, 2.13m euros. While the first project is ahead of completion, works on the second project have been completely suspended due to the construction of North Mitrovica Chairman Goran Rakic.

The European Union (BE) has invested a series of projects in Mitrovica, north and south, but two projects -- which are existentially important for the citizens of Mitrovica, the southern and northern part -- aimed at uniting the divided town from post-war, restoring the main bridge of Ibrit, and converting “to the north bridge in the pedestrian area -- continue to remain hostage to the reconstruction of municipal authorities in the north, in particular of the mayor of North Mitrovica, Goran Rakiq.

The EU has in parallel invested in two projects in Mitrovica, the revising of the main bridge of Ibrit 1.45m euros, and the construction of the pedestrian zone north of the bridge, on “King Peter I”, 2.13m euros.

European diplomacy chief Federica Moghrini, the bridge over the Iber River, has called it a symbol of the union of both communities -- Albanian and Serbian.

While the first project (the bridge's revitive) is ahead of completion, works on the second project (revillation of the “King Peter”) are completely interrupted by a command of North Mitrovica Chairman Goran Rakic, with the argument that there is no security to work.

His order to interrupt the work of revising the “road, King Peter I” to transform it into a foot zone, has based it on several incidents that have occurred, in which it has largely suffered young Albanians and at the same time has assured that jobs will not resume without guarantees for citizens' safety.

At the EU Office in Pristina, Natalia Apostova, EU special representative to Kosovo, has said a few days before the EU expects those two projects to be completed soon.

The EU's project on revitamination of the bridge, worth 1.45m euros, initiated in 2016, has progressed. Another project that has emerged from the Brussels Agreement is also the project for the pedestrian area on the route of King Peter50 in northern Mitrovica. The EU expects both projects to be completed and opened soon”, Apostova said, which has determined that the project for building the pedestrian zone has cost 2.13m euros and is funded by the EU. /zeri/