Kosovo institutions silence Serbia's investments in Serb majority municipalities

Branimir Stojanovic, who in the local elections organised by Kosovo institutions in October, ran as an independent candidate for mayor of Gracanica, one of the six Serb majority municipalities south of Ibri.

Stojanovic says neither the Kosovo government's investments in Serb majority settlements share equally, but neither the financial means from European funds.

The “because it could be the political impact, the Serbian List, which was once more balanced in terms of the influence of Serbian representatives south of Ibrit and representatives in the north. Now there is absolute dominance of people who come from the north, so I am not surprised that these people work harder for their own areas and countries of origin”, Stojanovic estimates, who was one of the founders of the Serbian List in 2013.

Meanwhile, he left the Serbian List party and one of the reasons why in the recent local elections he ran as an independent candidate was exactly “the uneven investment in Serb-run majority-run areas”.

The Serbian list is one of the main Kosovo Serb parties, which is supported by official Belgrade.

The chairman of this party, Goran Rakic, who comes from Northern Mitrovica, was not available for statements or comments about “infertile investments” in Serb-run areas in Kosovo. Otherwise, Rakiq is also at the head of the Ministry for Communities and Kthim, in the Government of Kosovo led by Albin Kurtin.

The Serbian list belongs to all ten MPs in the Kosovo Assembly in seats reserved for the Serb community, but only two are from municipalities south of Ibër: Ljubinko Karadzic from Gracanica and Branislav Nikolic from Shrpca.

How many Serbian citizens are south and north of Ibri?
The exact number of Serbian citizens living in Kosovo is not known because they boycotted the 2011 census by official Pristina, but according to some estimates by local authorities, about 70 thousand Serb citizens live in northern municipalities.

Also, based on the assessments of local authorities, just as many Serb citizens live in six other municipalities south of Ibrit Gracanica, Shtrpce, Novoberda, Klokot, Ranibulga and Partesh, as well as in some areas of returnees to the Pec region.

The municipalities in northern Kosovo, which work within the Kosovo system, were formed after the signing of the Brussels Agreement between Kosovo and Serbia in 2013, until those south of Ibri were created after the 2009 decentralisation process based on the Martti Ahtisaari Plan.

Kosovo, based on this document, declared independence in 2008.

How much is invested in northern Kosovo municipalities?
Works for the renovation of the Clinical Hospital Centre in Northern Mitrovica, which works under Serbia's system, officially began on 23 November.

“This will be a contemporary object that will meet all citizens' needs and treatment conditions will not distinguish from those in Nis, Kragujevc or Belgrade”, says Jelena Stojkovq, assistant director of the Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government, who participated in launching these works.

The educational and health institutions in areas inhabited by the Serb population in Kosovo all function according to Serbia's system.

Thus, on August 20th in northern Mitrovica, foundationstone was laid for the construction of the “University object of Pristina with temporary headquarters in North Mitrovica”, where learning continues to develop according to Serbia's plan.

This university moved from Pristina after the war in Kosovo in 1999.

As announced by the Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government, the new modern version of the university facility will extend to around 10,575 square metres and within four floors will be placed: Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, Law Faculty, Economic Faculty and Rectorate. The value of this project, as announced, will be 6,122,190 euros (720m Serb dinars), while the money through the Office for Kosovo has divided the Government of Serbia.

These include millions of projects like “Sun Valley” and “The Bay of Paradise” in Zvecan.

Project “The Valley of the Sun” is the settlement built for persons of Kosovo's displaced Serb community, which has cost about 14m euros. On a surface of about 15 hectares, works on the construction of about 300 residential units are at the bottom.

Also, very close to the Banjska monastery in Zvecan, where thermal and sulfur water resources exist, the new tourist health centre “The Garden base” has been built. Serbia's government in the project has invested around 2,551,896m euros (300m Serb dinars).

According to data from the Office for Kosovo in Serbia Government, by 2014 over onem euros have been invested for 645 residential units within the facilities, which are built on public surface. In the territory of Zubin Potok's municipality alone, over 60 residential units have been built.

What happened to investments in municipalities south of Ibër?
The Serbian government also invests money in Serb settlements south of Ibër, but the word is mainly smaller investments compared to those in the north.

As for example, in mid-November, the Office for Kosovo of the Serbian Government announced that the bell was set for the construction of the new nest in Gorazdevc near Pec.

This pre-school institution is being built on church soil and will span an area of 460 square meters until 60 children will be admitted. His conclusion is expected in the spring of next year”, it is said without providing much details about the amount of this project.

Although the government of Serbia has announced since 2018 that it will share tools for building the hospital in Gracanica, this has not yet been done.

Gracanica, after the war in Kosovo, became the main administrative centre for the Serb community living in municipalities south of Ibër, considered that almost all institutions from Pristina, but operating under the Belgrade system were moved there after the war.

Also, after the war in Kosovo in 1999, the Clinical Hospital Centre from Pristina moved to Gracanica in the container, even located there. Serbian citizens from municipalities south of Ibër are instructed in this health healing institution. Doctors themselves from the Clinical Hospital Centre in Gracanica also warned in the past what an alarming situation exists in the institution.

Does lack of investments affect the survival of Serbs south of Ibri?
Branimir Stojanovic considers that the survival of the Serb community in the Serb-run majority areas south of Ibri will be jeopardised if the overall investment proposal” continues.

“Life and this report is the most traumatic part. Serbs here survived with more or less money, but with more or less respect and the possibility of influencing things around themselves has been crucial for people whether they would stay here or not. In the current situation, where those very few or no influence in processes and decisions as well as in their lives, people are leaving here”, Stojanovic says.

He stresses that “is creating the atmosphere that the most humble are favouring, not those who can advance the lives of Serbian citizens in Kosovo”.

However, according to him, Serbs living south of Ibri are increasingly imposing their dissatisfaction in the elections, despite the Serbian List even in the recent local elections won in ten Serb-run municipalities in Kosovo.

“This victory is less and less convincing”, Stojanovic says, expressing conviction that the people are becoming more bold when it comes to voting and voting from obedience, not on promises or pressure.

In the recent local elections organised by Kosovo institutions, Branimir Stojanovic won over 1,800 votes, or about 22 per cent.

Caring for Serbs in Kosovo or territory?
Dusan Janjic of the Forum for Ethnic Relations in Belgrade estimates that the Serbian Government's <x0-investments in Kosovo were always part of the daily policy and strategy”, and recalls that in most cases it is not exactly known how much any of the projects cost.

“) There is no doubt that the north has been given more than 2009 since 2016, since (Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq) played the letter of border change, has greatly increased financing for north”, says Janjiq, and estimates that Vucik's predecessor, Boris Tadic, accountled at “austaustonomi special north of Kosovo”.

Ynjiq considers that Belgrade does not care about Serbs living in Kosovo, but about the territory of northern Kosovo, as part which would eventually be associated with Serbia.

If we look at political life, the Serbian List in the north also passes, but in the central part, there are always opposition. For politicians in Belgrade, this is an undesirable environment. But, in reality, Belgrade has given up on Serbs in the central part of Kosovo in terms of state investments and treats them as a Serb minority, for example in Slovenia”, Janjic points out.

Institutions Hold for Investments in Dwelling Parts of Serbs
Free Europe has been addressed to the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Kosovo with the question of how much money this year has been split for the realisation of capital projects in Serb majority countries south of Ibri, but no response was received.

Neither have the Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government provided answers to how much money is invested in Serb-run populated areas in Kosovo and why almost all projects are realised in northern Kosovo municipalities.

Otherwise for the four municipalities in northern Kosovo, there is also the Development Fund, founded in 2013 under the Brussels Agreement from 2013.

The funds from the tax collected at border points 1 and 31 (Brnjak Jarinje in northern Kosovo) are collected and dedicated to development in four municipalities in northern Kosovo: Northern Mitrovica, Leposaviq, Zubin Potok and Zvecan.

The European Union Office in Kosovo has not answered the question of what the value of this fund is so far and how much money has been spent on projects in northern Kosovo municipalities.