“No one's anybody informed”: Population census of uninformed minorities

But truth is different. With Serbia's flags in front of houses, several members of the village's dozens of families are willing to participate in the upcoming population census.

However, they initially appear surprised when asked about participating in this census, which will last from April 5th to May 17th.

No one... nobody came to inform us. Now I'm hearing for the first time from you”, Spaso Karajlic says about Free Europe Radio.

Despite lack of information, Karajlic and one of his neighbors are willing to participate in the census.

I'll register. I've lived here for 70 years and I'll stay here if I can, says one resident, seeking to remain anonymous.

During the last census in Kosovo, held in 2011, the process had not been held in four Serb majority municipalities in the north and was partially boycotted in other Serb-run municipalities in Kosovo.

Boykot had happened after authorities from Belgrade had asked Serb residents in Kosovo to participate only if the census is conducted by the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK.

Besides the Serb community, not even a part of Kosovo's residents had been registered in that process by the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.

And the current process of census was scheduled to take place in 2021, but the cause of pandemic was postponed. Then last year was postponed twice again. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti had said the process “was not managed well” by the Kosovo Statistics Agency (ASK).

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation Mission in Europe (OSBE) in Kosovo says that, even though it does not assist in preparations for the registration process in Kosovo, it has urged Kosovo institutions to take into account minority rights during this process.

We note that, just a few weeks before the start date, there has been missing any comprehensive information campaign aimed at raising awareness among non-Major communities”, say the O mission. The SEU in Kosovo for REL.

According to them, this lack of information could lead to low minority participation in population registration.

The low turnout “could bring further consequences to communities, including budgetary consequences, and even setting fines for non-participation”, the OSCE response is said to be further.

Under the Law on Population Recording, Family Economics and Homes, each person can be fined between 30 and 2,000 euros if he refuses to provide information requested by the recorder. Fines are even bigger, up to 20,000 euros, for businesses.

But neither is the information about fines known for residents like Vitomirka Petrovic, a fellow resident of Spasos.

Standing alone on the balcony of her home, she first expresses skeptical about the process. But when she learns of fines, she says she will participate in the census.

I can't make that money [for fine]. Why not? I'm a Serb, I want to sign up as Serbian”, she says of REL.

However, the AKS say about REL has made all necessary preparations for launching this process and for informing all minorities.

We've had several organised meetings, laborers, along with minorities. We've had several meetings with municipal assemblies, as well as meetings in schools and universities, including minority communities”, says Hazbije Qariqi, official at the AKs.

It shows there will be recorders in all municipalities in Kosovo, including those inhabited by Serb majority.

But, Boban Simi, from the nongovernmental organisation Centre for Affirmative Social Action (CASA), says the Kosovo Statistics Agency is not developing any campaign to raise awareness of the importance of registering minority communities.

The census already begins next week, and non-communication communities are not only unaware of that process, but are not even informed that the process will be carried out”, Singhi says.

In his opinion, the Serb community's participation is especially uncertain due to “lack of confidence in Kosovo institutions” due to recent events, such as the Kosovo Central Bank's decision (BQK) to stop using the dinar for payment. He adds that the census process's match with voting for the dismissal of mayors in Serb majority municipalities in the north could also affect the decline in turnout.

Sceptic for the population registration process is also expressed by Sebastian Sheriffovic, of the Gracanica-based Opra Roma organisation.

“To be honest, I am not happy with what they [Kosovo institutions] have managed to understand culturally the Roma community”, says Sheriffovic of REL.

For example, he says the number of Roma recorders is too small for the true number of Roma in Kosovo.

The AKS says the number of recorders has been selected in proportion to the number of that minority in the population, but Sheriffovic argues that the Roma minority is much larger than it was declared in the 2011 census.

He says that, in 2011, this community felt threatened not to participate in the census and had faced much dezination regarding the process.

The AKS adds that there are also a number of reserve recorders to fill spaces, but Sheriffovic stresses that even this is not the right solution.

“Romes speak very different dialects of Roma language and everyone has the right to conduct the census in their native language. Can't register a Roma from Gracanica a Roma from Prizren”, he says.

However, he hopes the Roma community in Kosovo will participate in the census because of the importance of registering all minorities.

I really expect that the Roma community, despite poor campaign from the institutes, will participate in the record”, he concludes.

Under the Law on Local Government Finances, the separation of government grants to municipalities is based on the total population, minority population and geographical size.

This makes the census of minorities play an important role in sharing the budget for municipalities. The Kosovo government has not answered REL questions on the subject.

According to the census made in 2011, the total number of residents in Kosovo is estimated to be nearly 1.8 million.

Of them, more than 1.6 million had been declared Albanians, about 25 thousand Serbs, 19 thousand Turks, 27 thousand Bosniaks, nine thousand Roma, 15 thousand Ashkali, 11 thousand Egyptians and 10,000 Gorani.