The Academic Plenum warned on Monday that Kosovo’s new regulations — particularly the “Law on Foreigners” — are seriously undermining the rights of Serbs and other non-Albanian communities living in Kosovo.
According to the Plenum, the implementation of these measures could effectively prevent the remaining Serbian institutions in Kosovo, especially in education and healthcare, from functioning — making their formal closure unnecessary.
The group also called on the Serbian government to publicly and truthfully inform citizens about the obligations stemming from the Brussels and Ohrid agreements, particularly regarding educational and healthcare institutions in Kosovo.
This appeal follows a previous statement issued two weeks ago, after the closure of the Pensions and Disability Insurance Fund (PIO) and the Republic Health Insurance Fund (RFZO), in which they urged Belgrade to act through diplomatic channels. “No response came from Serbia,” they stressed.
The situation, they say, has since worsened with the publication of the “Guide for Entry, Movement, Residence and Employment of Foreigners in Kosovo,” issued by the Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs and based on the Law on Foreigners.
The Plenum warns that residents without Kosovo-issued documents cannot obtain work permits, which they argue strips them of the right to work and other basic rights “because they are not recognized within the Kosovo system.”
“Anyone holding Serbian documents and working or studying under the Republic of Serbia’s system is now classified as a foreigner,” the statement reads, adding that such individuals must apply for residence permits — which in turn require employment contracts with institutions registered under Kosovo’s legal framework. (The only exemption applies to foreigners who own their own businesses.)
They also caution that people born and living in Kosovo but without Kosovo-issued IDs will now be “treated as foreigners” under the new rules.
This, they say, means no access to basic rights such as healthcare, education, employment or even residence registration, alongside the risk of deportation and “severe humiliation and discrimination.”
Another major concern raised by the Plenum is the inability of students to enroll at the University of Pristina temporarily located in North Mitrovica, accredited by Serbia’s Ministry of Education. The academic community includes some 8,500 students and 1,200 staff, most of whom do not hold Kosovo IDs and thus cannot obtain required residence permits.
New rules issued by Kosovo Police also stipulate that anyone seeking to attend school must present “proof of enrollment in an accredited educational institution in the Republic of Kosovo.” Yet all schools and hospitals serving the Serbian population are established and accredited by Serbia and its ministries.
The Plenum warns of far-reaching consequences:
• Students losing the right to education;
• Serbs and other non-Albanians losing access to healthcare, employment and existing jobs;
• Potential tensions and incidents if Kosovo Police begin enforcing the new rules;
• Further deterioration of interethnic relations.
They argue that if these measures are implemented, the remaining Serbian institutions in Kosovo and Metohija will “quietly cease to function” without a formal shutdown.
Kosovo Police officials have claimed that the new regulations “formally abolish nothing,” but the Plenum insists their implementation “indirectly leads to the disappearance of all Serbian institutions outside the Kosovo system.”
The statement is signed by eight organizations including Proaktiv of the University in Pristina (temporarily based in North Mitrovica), Free State University of Novi Pazar, Rebel University in Belgrade, the University of Arts Forum in Belgrade, Free University Novi Sad, Academic Plenum Novi Sad, Free University Kragujevac and Free University Niš.
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