EULEX engages team specialising for north

The European Union's Mission for Rule of Law in Kosovo (EULEX) sent six police advisers who will work at the four Kosovo Police stations in the country's north.

Disloding was made Thursday, aimed at reinforceing the mission's advisory and monitoring capacity, announced EULEX.

The dialogue will initially last for two months, with the possibility of continuing “until the Mission has created a long-term police advisory capacity in northern Kosovo”.

EULEX's “specifically, EULEX ES will advise the Kosovo Police on how to better perform regular police activities during the prevention and combating of crime and providing security, also monitoring their obligations on human rights, to serve communities they protect and to increase population confidence through community-oriented police work”, announced EULEX.

Three of these are from the Netherlands and three others from Sweden.

“ ...based on their experience and police expertise in the community, they will work in the northern municipalities in close co-ordination with their Kosovo Police colleagues and EULEX High Police Advisers, who advise the North Mitrovica Regional Directorate and four police stations under its command”, announced EULEX.

According to EULEX, the defeat of specialised teams with different expertise and capabilities is an instrument offered by the Joint Civil Security and Protection Policy Compact (CSDP), adopted in May 2023 to quickly dislodge experts on CSDP Civil Missions to respond quickly to operational needs and security developments on the ground.

As of late May, in Kosovo's Serb-run north, tensions are high, as local Serbs oppose young Albanian mayors of municipalities.

Tensions rose markedly on 24 September, when Kosovo Police were attacked by an armed group of Serbs in the village of Banjska in Zvecan in the north of the country, where Sergeant Africa Bulnjak was killed. Three Serb attackers were killed in the subsequent fighting.