What is happening to Kosovo's properties in the former Yugoslavia?

In the Law for the Kosovo Privatisation Agency (AKP), it is said that the Agency's administrative “authority applies to all enterprise properties, including properties outside Kosovo”.

Property issue must be negotiated in Brussels

In properties located on Serbia's territory, The AKP has no access at all, as they say in response, given general reports with Serbia.

Solving this problem should be sought in talks between Kosovo and Serbia in negotiations that are under way in Brussels with the European Union's mediation, say economic professors Muhamet Sadiku and Musa Limani, just as Serbia is claiming to have property on Kosovo territory.

In view of that, in that world many social companies have opened up their representations by financing those properties, which are already completely stuck in Serbia. Serbia's rejection stance has become problematic because Serbia always had claims that it is the owner of social companies in Kosovo, and that is by no means true”, Sadiku said.

Even other economics professor, Musa Limani, in a conversation for Radio Free Europe, stresses that Kosovo must establish a separate expert commission so that in talks between Pristina and Belgrade, it can present arguments for property ownership found in Serbia.

He doubts Serbia has already illegally adopted some of the assets of Kosovo social companies.

Serbia has adopted our departments (of Kosovo) as its own. Some sold them. The company Jetex has had property in Serbia, but the latter has sold it and not awarded any accounts. Kosovo should form a separate expert commission, as Serbia in negotiations is taking along entire teams of experts, and with false things trying to convince the international property factor in Kosovo”, Limani points out.

The social company “Jatex” from Gjakova has 31 business objects in the former Yugoslavia republics. Only on Serbia's territory are 24 sales objects found.

Muhamet Sadiku, meanwhile, considers the situation appropriate to focus on this issue in Brussels.

Kosovo has a clear provision even in discussions on the dialogue under way with Serbia, Kosovo has the right to seek its property. In reality there is a great and international injustice, which Kosovo has been excluded from the success process. The success, however, must happen between Kosovo and Serbia to definitely clarify bills that are claimed and not clear”, Sadiku points out.

At the Kosovo and Serbian experts' and summit, which has been held since mid-September in Brussels, the joint financial and property claims “have been discussed.

Borko Stefanovic, who has been chief of Serbia's government's previous negotiating team, in dialogue with Kosovo and currently deputy head of the Serbian opposition Party of Freedom and Justice, has earlier told Radio Free Europe, that Serbia's “pal could insist on some alleged” properties.

“Belgrade, may insist on major companies, for mining, factories, in which the Republic of Serbia has invested either through loans which the Republic of Serbia has returned or is still returning to Kosovo”, Stefanovic has said.

In addition to property in Serbia, Kosovo estimates there are another 64 assets in the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

According to data that has the Kosovar Privatisation Agency, Kosovo has 163 properties in its evidence through states emerging from the former Yugoslavia, the wealth of the Republic of Kosovo's social enterprises, AKP officials say. The agency has difficulty identifying all assets of Kosovo social companies outside Kosovo's territory in the former Yugoslavia.

35 Property in Montenegro

In the Republic of Montenegro, there is transformation and exchange of the legal property title in illegal ways, they say in the AKP. The latest case, according to this Agency, is the property of the social company “Recreaturs Pristina” replaced with “Recreaturs Budva”, and most of these properties are out of control of the AKP's fact and the authority to liquidate Kosovo companies.

A small portion of them, on behalf of social enterprises in the property registers, is identified, while for a certain category, the AKP is following judicial procedures in courts and administrative bodies.

15 Property in Bosnia and Herzegovina

In this state the Kosovo Privatisation Agency has no access, due reportedly, to the restrictions on freedom of circulation there.

However, The AKP for some properties that have testimony and information has hired a lawyer who carries out limited actions and specific authorisations for three assets of social companies. It is noteworthy that in Bosnia and Herzegovina's town of Zenica, it is an asset to the social company “Jatex” in exploitation, but most are out of AKP administrative control.

In northern Macedonia a service provider for identification and obtaining administrative and property documentation of the assets of Kosovo social companies has been authorized.

Five Property in Croatia

There is no specific action in Croatia about these properties.

A Property in Slovenia

There is no information on status and property in this country.

The privatisation process was launched about 17 years ago by the former Kosovo Trust Agency (AKM), which was later followed by the Kosovo Privatisation Agency (AKP).

So far, no companies outside Kosovo's territory have been privatised, but Kosovo Kosovo Privatisation Agency officials say the AKP, along with government representatives and other representatives of Kosovo state institutions, are engaged in direct talks and visits to neighbouring states. And for that, working groups have been created to record the remaining assets and find the solution, which is their return to the real owner-state of Kosovo, as defined in the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo.