The main events of 2019 in Kosovo: Special, Tax Strikes

The first months of 2019 were marked by many US and EU calls to authorities in Kosovo to suspend the 100 per cent tax Kosovo government had imposed on imports from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but these calls were ignored by the government in Pristina.

Following the invitation to appear for an interview in The Hague before the Special Court, Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj resigned, later leaving Kosovo for the next half of the year with a government in office.

The year 2019 was also the year of elections, which resulted in a change, putting the former winning position in relation to parties in power. However, the two former opposition parties -- the Vetevendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo -- have yet to reach agreement on the new government, leaving uncertainty to continue even in 2020.

Radio Free Europe brings you a summary of the main events of 2019 in Kosovo.

IN THE HAGUE WINS OF SUFFECTS SOME ISH- KLA PEOPLE

The Special Prosecutor in The Hague began interviewing some of the former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders. Rrustem Mustafa, Sami Lushtaku, Sokol Dobruna and Nazif Mehmeti, were the first to be invited by this prosecutor to be interviewed about allegations of involvement of former KLA members in war crimes and postwar Kosovo.

The interviews continued throughout 2019. It is estimated that, so far, over 200 people have been interviewed, including some of the former high KLA figures, which were part of the Kosovo political scene after the war.

The Specialised Chambers and the Special Prosecutor's Office are responsible for investigating crimes against humanity, war crimes and other criminal crimes related to charges filed in a Council of Europe report in 2011. This report speaks of alleged crimes by former Kosovo Liberation Army members between 1998 and 2000.

GREVING

All education institutions in Kosovo began strike at the main requirement, raising salaries for all teachers.

This increase, according to the United Trade Union for Education, Science and Culture (SBASHK), could be realised through the wage cofficiency, which was expected to be adjusted to the Law on Salaries. As a result of the strike, the learning process was interrupted at all levels, ranging from pre-school institutions to university education institutions. The Council of Parents of Kosovo demanded that the strike cease. The country's number of teachers is estimated to be around 23 thousand.

The strike lasted until February 1st when the agreement between the Education Union and representatives of Kosovo institutions was reached for the realisation of teaching requirements. Disagreements then continued, for several weeks, between the Ministry of Education and the SBASK, over the compensation of classes lost during the strike.

COSOVA LEDERS HELPING POSSULING TAKESA

Representatives of Kosovo institutions presented the basic platform principles for talks with Serbia, but have not provided a clear vision of how to deal with the customs tax measure on imports from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, without whose suspension Serbia has refused to continue the dialogue, which is eased by the European Union.

The platform for the talks, drafted by the negotiating team, also presented before the president, prime minister and Speaker of the Parliament, was later approved by the Assembly of Kosovo. But, despite that, the question of continuing political dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia remained unclear due to the tax. Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, and Parliament Speaker Kadri Veseline proposed that Kosovo suspend the tax, however, this possibility has opposed Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, who continues to remain faithful to the tax despite calls for suspension from Washington and Brussels.

On 27 June, Kosovo's Negotiator team for talks with Serbia has been declared unconstitutional on the part of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo.

KT HOME 110 COSOWERS FROM SIRIA

Kosovo institutions have indicated that 110 Kosovars who were in conflict areas in Syria have returned to Kosovo. Kosovo Police Director Rashit Qalaj, at a joint conference with Justice Minister Abelard Tahiri, has indicated that among the returnees there are four other fighters. “From the conflict zone in Syria, 110 Kosovo citizens have returned to Kosovo, out of them four fighters, 32 women and 74 children, including nine children who have lost parents to war”, Qalaj said. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Abelard Tahiri said it has been working several months for the return of Kosovars who were in the conflict zone in Syria.

SAMITI BERLIN TO BALLKANIA MEDIAN Simplify AND HOPE

The Berlin Summit, which was organised by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's president, Emmanuel Macron, in an effort to promote reconciliation processes and integration into the Western Balkans, did not achieve results. Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, at his conclusion, said the common denominator of all discussions was the fact that “we agreed not to reconcile”. Thaci said the meeting has not been easy and that it has stressed during the talks that the international factor, specifically the states of Quint, has not witnessed unity and support for efforts for Kosovo-Serbia comprehensive agreements. On the other hand, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has rejected calls for tax removal in order to enable continued dialogue. At the conclusion of the summit, a joint declaration of all participants was meant to be issued, but this did not happen. Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, had stressed that there are no high expectations from the meeting.

KU COUNTRY THE MIRACO GENOCID'S RESOLIL

Kosovo's Assembly has approved the Resolution for <x0-genocide, crimes against humanity and the war crimes of the former Serbian state regime in Kosovo”. Representatives of all political parties, besides the Serb List group, have worked for the drafting of this resolution. In the resolution, besides, all countries where massacres, killings, sexual assaults, as well as the expulsion of more than 1 million Albanians from Kosovo are mentioned. It requires that perpetrators of humanity's crime, war crime, and genocide and violence be brought to justice.

LE STA SERBE FITO WRITER IN COMUNT V ERIORA

Given the results of the Central Election Commission, Serbian List candidates have won the first round in extraordinary elections for mayors of four northern Kosovo municipalities. The elections are held in northern Mitrovica, Leposaviq, Zvecan and Zubin Potok. The process was estimated to have gone smoothly and unregulatedly. And voters' exit, according to the Central Election Commission, was higher than 42 percent. The elections were held after the mayors of the northern municipalities, on November 26th last year, resigned, as a sign of dissatisfaction with the 100 per cent customs duty imposed by the Kosovo Government for imports from Serbia.

ANCIENT CHALLENGE AR IN NORTH

Kosovo police have developed in northern and southern Mitrovica, which has resulted in the ban on 19 police officials and some citizens. As Kosovo Special Prosecutor and Kosovo Police officials have announced, police action was aimed at combating crime and smuggling. During the police action, a police official has been wounded by gunfire. Meanwhile, four other police officials have received slight injuries during the implementation of duties. The police operation has included several different regions, including Zvecan municipalities, Zubin Potok, Leposavic, North Mitrovica, Mitrovica South Mitrovica, Skenderaj and Drenas.

LIRIA'S DEPER

Kosovo marked the 20th anniversary of NATO's military entry, respectively, KFOR's multinational troops. This day is also marked as the Day of Freedom or Liberation of Kosovo. A number of citizens gathered at Skenderbeu Square in Pristina to closely convey the 20th anniversary of Kosovo's liberation ceremony. As a landmark date, authorities in Pristina invited to participate in this jubilee, including former US President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, US General Wesley Clark and many other personalities that helped free Kosovo. Clinton said he was proud to be president of the US at the time was making the decision on military intervention in Kosovo. Meanwhile, former US State Secretary Albright said the international community would look closely at Kosovo's progress.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer, confirmed that the US will continue to be a supportive partner of Kosovo, but urged Kosovo institutions to engage in empowering and empowering the rule and law. He also called for the quick achievement of a normalisation of reports with Serbia.

The deployment of KFOR's peacekeeping troops on 12 June 1999 followed the North Atlantic Alliance's air attacks campaign against Serb targets in Kosovo and Serbia, which lasted 78 days.

KAS: CONCRUPTION THE EXOMIC DEVELOPMENT COSOVA

The U.S. State Department has published the report on the world's business climate. In the play for Kosovo, it is stressed that local and international businesses regularly cite corruption as one of Kosovo's biggest obstacles to attracting investments. “Kosovo has passed tough laws to fight corruption, but the government so far has been unsuccessful in efforts to investigate, prosecute, detain and seize assets of corrupt individuals”, the report said.

♪ FROM JUDKAT SPECIAL

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, while wrapping up the government's regular meeting, announced the government cabinet and the opinion that he has decided to resign. The reason for the resignation, as Haradinaj said, is the invitation he had received from the Special Court in The Hague to interview the suspect's quality.

The reason for this decision is that I have been called to report for questioning by the Specialised Chambers in The Hague as suspect”, Haradinaj said.

He said the honour of the prime minister's post should be preserved and that he will be submitted to The Hague for interview. Haradinaj stressed that the Kosovo government should function in resignations until the appointment of free elections.

HOPE KOSOVA KUVEN

With 89 votes for, 1 against and 2 abstentions Kosovo Assembly MPs have voted for the distribution of the sixth legislature, leading the country to early parliamentary elections. The MP's proposal for the distribution of the Parliament follows Ramush Haradinaj's resignation from the position of Kosovo prime minister on July 19th, as he had received an invitation from the Kosovo Special Court with headquarters in The Hague to interview the quality of the war crimes suspect. Following the distribution of the Parliament, Kosovo President Hashim Thaci made the decision to declare early elections for the Kosovo Republic Assembly on 6 October, 2019.

RI CHARD GREENEL, I U.S.A. FOR DYALOGUN COSOVE-SERB

United States President Donald Trump chose US Ambassador to Germany Richard Green, sent to his administration in dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Grenelli, who will remain ambassador to Germany, will lead US efforts to help Kosovo and Serbia reach an official peace agreement that could result in the recognition of Kosovo on the part of Serbia, the White House announced. This decision, however, was viewed as surprising, as the US administration, in late August, had named diplomat Matthew. Palmer, a special envoy for the Balkans who was thought to be dealing with dialogue, among other things.

SUFFECTIONS E PARLAMENTAR

Kosovo citizens voted in early parliamentary elections. Local and international monitoring organisations said the process of early parliamentary elections in Kosovo has gone well, with several minor incidents. On the basis of the certificate of election results on November 27th, on the part of the CEC, it became known that the Vetevendosje Movement has received 26.27 per cent of the vote, the Democratic League of Kosovo 24.54 per cent, the Democratic Party of Kosovo 21.23 per cent, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo in coalition with the Social Democrat Party has received 11.51 per cent, Serbian List 6.40 per cent of the vote, and the Social Democrat Initiative, the New Kosovo Alliance and the Party of Justice has 5.002 per cent. Given the number of votes won, the Vetevendosje Movement will have 29 deputies in the Kosovo Assembly, LDK 28, PDK, 24 deputies, AAK coalition- The PSD, 13, Social Democrat Initiative, New Kosovo Alliance and Justice Party 6 MPs. Meanwhile, from non-US communities, the Serbian List 10 deputies, as well as 10 countries, have jointly won all parties of non-Serb minorities.

EK KTHPERTIZA EN IN THE JOY BE RELIGION V DEATH ASTRI DEHAR

The Constitutional Prosecutor in Prizren has published the conclusions of the expertise of the Swiss Institute of Legal Medicine in Lozanne, in the case of Astrit Deharit, who had died on November 5, 2016, while being held at the Prizren Centre of Paraburg.

As stated in our expertise, we have doubts related to the circumstances of Astrit Deharit”'s death, highlighted among other things in the conclusions of expertise.

Based on the findings of this report, the Kosovo Prosecutor confirmed that he will continue investigating this case and will take all necessary actions.

Several days later, State Chief Prosecutor Aleksander Lumezi has made the decision that the Astrit Dehar case be passed by the Constitutional Prosecutor in Prizren to the Special Prosecutor's jurisdiction of the Republic of Kosovo (PSRK).

RELIGION ACTACUS FOR OLIVE WAR OF IVANOVICE

Kosovo's Special Prosecutor established an indictment Monday at the Constitutional Court in Pristina, the Special Department, against six people identified with initials: N.S., M.R., S.A., D.M., Mr.J. and R.B. Their alleged criminal acts include: participation or organisation of the organised criminal group, misuse of official position or authority, assistance in carrying out the criminal offence, possession of property, control or unauthorized possession of weapons, and revealing official secrecy. Three of the defendants are in custody, while three others are on the run. To these last three, the competent court has issued arrest warrants and international orders, on the basis of the Special Prosecutor's request. The Prosecutor's Community reportedly has resulted in the murder of late Oliver Ivanov. Ivanovic has been the leader of the Serbian civic initiative “Freedom, Democracy, Justice”. He was shot dead near his North Mitrovica office in January 2018.

P I HOW TO RAD HOUSE COMMON TAKE SEA IN 2015

Students' international evaluation programme, known with a cut “PISA”, ranked Kosovo 77th this year among the 79 states that have submitted to this assessment. Kosovo, on this list, leaves only the Dominican Republic and the Philippines behind. “PISA”, the world's largest international education study, has praised the knowledge of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics and science. The assessment in Kosovo schools was realised in April last year.

Kosovo has for the first time been part of this assessment in 2015, when even then it has shown poor results.

At that world, Kosovo is ranked 68th, among the 72 countries that have participated in the test.

KU PEZULLON LIGIN STATES FOR PAGA

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kosovo has decided to suspend implementation of the Law on Salaries in the public sector. In a media communiqué of the Constitutional Court, it is said to apply the temporary time extension “until March 30, 2020, from the date of the extraction of this decision” and “immediately results in the implementation of this law in the same length of”. The Law on Salaries, on December 6th this year at the Constitutional Court, has sent the ombudsman institution, reportedly “the assessment of the compliance” of this law with the Constitution.
This law regulates the increase in salaries of 70 percent of public sector workers, while 30 percent remain abroad. The suspension of this law sparked mixed reactions. Unions of workers benefiting pay hikes from this law called for its immediate implementation, while workers who do not benefit welcomed the decision.

COSOVA FUNDI METET UNITED CENTE

The outgoing Kosovo government has already spent more than 6m euros from this year's reserve budget fund. This Fund, by law, can only be spent on emergency and unforeseen cases. Aware of economic issues, they consider spending resources from budgetary reserves for unnecessary purposes is abuse of public money. The Fund's “The name of the Fund indicates that this money should not be affected, must remain as reserve. So any touch of that budget is illegal, non-human and not fair”, said former director of the Kosovo Anti-Corruption Agency, Hasan Preteni. Kosovo's outgoing Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj, has said Kosovo reserve Fund means are spent in accordance with the law.

V V And the LDK WITHOUT MARRIEVE FOR THE CENTURY

Vetevendosje Movement Chairman Albin Kurti has confirmed that his party and the Democratic League of Kosovo have failed to reach agreement on the ruling coalition. He has not announced final negotiations for the new government, but has said that at the Kosovo Assembly Constituent session, Vetevendosje and the LDK go without agreement.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, has also reacted. He said through a post on the social network, Facebook that negotiations have not failed. “has failed Vetevendosje's strategy to secure the principle and genomic approach to public and to blame LDK”, he has said, among other things.

CONSTITUTION GLAK KONJUFCA, KEYETAR

Vetevendosje Movement MP Glauk Konjufca has been elected chairman of the Kosovo Assembly. He has been elected to this position at the constitutional session by 75 votes, 27 against and 6 abstentions. After the constitution, the next procedure follows, that of forming the Government of Kosovo. Article 95 of the Constitution envisions the form of government selection. It says that after the elections, the president of the Republic of Kosovo proposes to the assembly the candidate for prime minister, in consultation with the political party or the coalition that has won the necessary majority in the Assembly to form Government. On the basis of the Constitution, the candidate for prime minister -- not later than fifteen days after the appointment -- represents the composition of the government before the Kosovo Assembly and requires approval on the part of the legislature.