Whose responsibility is to open the Ibër Bridge?

For one, its opening is both symbolic and entirely political, as citizens find alternative ways to move from one area to another.

Discussions about the bridge have been currentised in recent weeks, following calls to the Northern Mitrovica Municipal Assembly for the bridge to be fully opened for circulation.

The ruling Vetevendosje Movement leads this municipality in northern Kosovo.

Northern Mitrovica Municipal Assembly Chairman Nedzad Uglanin had said that implementing the decision on the bridge issue belongs to the central authorities and security institutions.

Officials of this Parliament had even said that the opening of the bridge was also under the jurisdiction of South Mitrovica and the peacekeeping mission of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Kosovo, KFOR.

Even the deputy director of the Kosovo Police for the north region, Veton Elshani, had warned in May that the “bridge would open soon”, and that it is discussing with the superiors how to do so.

The international factor, on the other hand, is constantly seeking to have co-ordination between all sides affected so that the situation does not escalate.

Former Kosovo Police Director, MP in the Kosovo Assembly simultaneously Rashit Qalaj, tells Radio Free Europe the decision to open the bridge belongs to the Government of Kosovo, but does not believe it can act without co-ordination with the international factor, especially with KFOR.

If the Government of Kosovo makes the decision, I fear it will not be implemented by KFOR”, he says.

The Kosovo government believes freedom of movement should be secured throughout the territory, but Serbia considers opening the bridge as “provocation”.

The Chronology of Developments About the Bridge
After the 1998/99 war, this bridge divided the town of Mitrovica into the southern Albanian majority and the Serb majority north.

Ahtisaari's plan ʹ bases on which Kosovo declared its independence in 2008 predicted the partition of Mitrovica into two separate municipalities.

In 2011, local Serbs placed the first barricades there to oppose the extension of Kosovo authorities.

In 2013 the North Mitrovica municipality was formed, according to Kosovo laws.

In 2014 the barricades were replaced with concrete and tree pieces. The new view was called “Peace Park”. That same year, Kosovo and Serbia reached agreement in Brussels on removing barricades and restoring the bridge.

In 2015 the Peace Park was removed, with the idea of opening the bridge for circulation.

In 2016, the parties in Brussels agreed on a plan to implement the bridge agreement.

The reconstruction of the bridge was completed by the European Union in 2018 and cost around 1.5m euros.

Currently, the bridge remains open for pedestrians, but not for vehicles.

Another problem with opening the bridge has been the context for municipal borders.

“Bridge closed because of Serbia, not Kosovo Serbs”
Rashit Qalaj sees the opening of the bridge as a political problem between Kosovo and Serbia, which has the potential to turn into a security problem. According to him, escalation of the situation depends on Serbia's position, not Kosovo Serbs.

“The best way would be for the bridge to open in co-ordination with international security mechanisms, especially KFOR. Perhaps for a short period of time, traffic there is monitored by the Kosovo Police, while close to standing KFOR units”.

Qalaj believes that co-ordination is key and should be in line with the agreement reached in Bratislava between Kosovo and the EU a year ago, for stressing the situation in northern Kosovo, after Albanian mayors took the lead of four municipalities.

The July 2023 agreement stipulates that the Kosovo government “will not take any action that could escalate the situation in northern Kosovo”.

Kosovo government has not responded if it has asked KFOR to open the bridge.

In the same question, the NATO Media Office has only referred to the communiqué issued after the June 18th meeting between KFOR Commander Ozkan Ulutas, and EU envoy for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Miroslav Lajcak. It has called for any decision on the bridge to be discussed in Brussels.

But, Qalaj, who himself was a member of Kosovo's negotiating team when the bridge was discussed, estimates that if it is discussed on this topic within the dialogue, the opening of the bridge will be postponed.

Albanians in South Mitrovica, Serbs in northern Mitrovica, whom he has talked to REL is divided if the bridge should be opened.

For Albanians, opening the bridge would be the wise “ ”, while for Serbs the decision that increases tensions.