“were honoured Banjska attackers, direct breach of deal”, Progress Report for Serbia with harsh rebukes

The most striking note given to Serbia by this senior EU institution is that the sharpness of ours is unprecedented during this one year and radically different from the daily statements of European spokespersons -- the delay and obligation of Serbs to leave Kosovo institutions in November 2022 -- as well as the call for boycotts of April elections in four Serb-run northern municipalities; things which it also calls a serious “back from” and with a plea address: Serbia.

These two “heavy returns behind” The Progress Report calls Serbia's <x2-stepping of obligations in the dialogue for normalisation of relations” and that “make a serious return to Serbia's compatibility with the first principle agreement regulating normalisation of the April 2013 relations and direct violation of the 2015” Justice Agreement.

As for the terrorist and paramilitary attack on Zvecan Banisk, the Progress Report is of particular importance to the event; where it even notes that Belgrade declared a national day of mourning for the attackers and that this thing in the EU “is viewed as a memorial honour to them” and that even for Milan Radojiciqicin says only that “was questioned and released”.

The deputy head of the Serbian List, through his lawyer, announced that he had prepared and co-ordinated the attack. He was questioned by Serbian authorities, stopped briefly, and released with his confiscated passport. The Serbian government declared a day of mourning for tragic events, which was largely seen as commemorating the honour of attackers”.

Among other things, speaking of implementing the Energy Agreement reached within the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, the Progress Report urges Serbia to fulfil its obligations and eventually become the situation for the “Serbs in the north to start paying for electricity consumed in the north”.

Serbia is also criticised for failing to meet the Integrated Border Management Agreement; while urging them to meet those obligations.

Only two of the six permanent border crossings have been established (Merdare and Mutioda/Mutioda). Serbia has not yet created The permanent KP to wait next to her (Jerinje/Rudnica, Končulj/Andy White and Depce/Muchiba), which led to a suspension of EU funds for the project in July 2018. In addition, Serbia must engage constructively to enable the construction of third KK expected from Kosovo to northern Kosovo in Tabavije/Brnjak - Taballije/Brnjak. From Serbia, additional efforts are required to close illegal roads and bypasses to ensure exclusive use of official crossing points for goods and people coming in or out of Kosovo”, the Progress Report states.

In the case of the attack on KFOR (93 troops) members of Zvecan on May 29th and Banjska's terrorist attack, the report notes that the Serbian prosecution has not treated them at all as cases. Meanwhile, notes that for handling war crimes cases “has exacerbated” even further their failure to be raised by Serbia's prosecution.

“Normising relations is an essential condition on the European path of both sides, and both risk losing significant opportunities in lack of progress. Despite the completion of the Road to Normalisation Agreement, dialogue has been hampered throughout the reporting period by a series of developments and negative crises in northern Kosovo caused by the actions of one or both sides. Kosovo has carried out a series of such actions in northern Kosovo, including the added presence of Kosovo special police and expropriation of land, which have created wide spread of”, the report said.

The discontent among the local Kosovo Serb population and negatively affected Dialog. The mass resignation of Kosovo Serbs from Kosovo's institutions -- police, judiciary and administration -- in November 2022, roadblocks in northern Kosovo in response to the arrest of Kosovo Serbs in December 2022, as well as the boycott of early local elections in April 2023 by Kosovo Serbs further damaged dialogue and exacerbated the negative atmosphere around it. As a result of the Kosovo Serbs' departure from all Kosovo institutions in November 2022, partial elections were held in the four Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo's north on 23 April 2023”, the report said./ Nationale/