Kosovo gets another facility under control in Leposaviq

Local authorities in Leposaviq, with the help of the Kosovo Police, have taken over the sports hall in this town, which functioned according to Serbia's system.

Leposaviqi Deputy Mayor Marina Bogojevic said that the goal of the sports hall will not change and that everyone will be able to use it for the same goals as before.

This is one of a series of shares undertaken for taking over objects or for closing Serbia's institutions in Kosovo cities, which Pristina considers illegal and parallel.

Earlier in May, local authorities in northern Mitrovica also took over the city's sports hall, after which it was announced that the hall will remain functional and that those who want to use it must address persons responsible for appointment of terminators.

Kosovo began closing Serbian institutions early in 2024. At first, provisional municipal organs, Post Savings Bank, Post of Serbia, Fund for Pension and Health Insurance, social work centres, public enterprises and similar institutions were closed.

In the last wave of closure of institutions operating in Serbia's system, in addition to sports halls, city libraries, the city museum in northern Mitrovica, the Institute for Culture, Youth, Sports and specialised services, as well as the Kulturo-Artistic Society “Kosovski Bozhur”.

The Serbian List, the largest party of Serbs in Kosovo to enjoy Belgrade's support, reacting to the action for the control of the facility operating the sports hall in Leposaviq, said it became “with the support of some Serbs serving the interests of [Kosovo's incumbent prime minister] Albin Kurti”

Otherwise, at the top of four municipalities in northern Kosovo are Albanian mayors, as Serbs with the Serbian List initiative had boycotted local elections. However, several members of the Serb community also participate in local government, mainly from Nenad Rashiqi's party, the acting minister for the Communists and Kthim.

The Serbian list said taking control of the sports hall in Leposaviq is a “serious violation of citizens' daily lives, especially of young people who are leaving without room for sports events, socialisation and healthy psychophysic development”.

We want to make it clear that we do not agree with the regime's unilateral and violent actions in Pristina, and we will not agree with the new reality that Kurti is trying to create in Serbian municipalities through force and weapons”, it was said in the reaction of this party.

The Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government has reacted to this case. This office stressed that the sports hall object was built exclusively by means of the Government of Serbia, and that hundreds of children have used it for school sports and extra-school activities, recreation, sports clubs, as well as the Faculty of Fiscik Education.

Tests and parts of lectures from the field of physical education have also been held in this facility, so the hall has had a multifunctional significance for this municipality”, the announcement said.

In mid-May, the European Union said Kosovo authorities' actions risk increasing tensions on the ground and negatively affecting the daily life of local communities, as well as Kosovo's international image.

Similarly, the EU has called on Kosovo and Serbia to implement the Agreement on the road to normalisation of relations, which the parties agreed on in 2023 and to implement without delay and preconditions all agreements reached in the dialogue on normalisation of reports, mediated by Brussels.

This includes the establishment of the Association of Serb majority municipalities. The normalisation of relations is an essential condition on the European road for both sides”, the EU said.

For this association, the parties have agreed during the dialogue, and it was said to be meant, among other things, to regulate the functioning of Serbian institutions, revenues and financing from Serbia's budget./Periscopi/