The Kosovo Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship, and Trade (MINT) announced that the Business Registration Agency of Kosovo (ARBK) formed a Commission for the re-evaluation of registered business entities in Kosovo. They point out that special focus will be on those subjects with „suspicious“ documents and „unconstitutional markings“, particularly those that state that „Kosovo is part of Serbia“.
This decision comes amid the suspension of the business license of the largest Kosovo television, „Klan Kosova“.
On June 14th, the Kosovo Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade filed a criminal complaint against this media ouylry claiming that the cities of Pec and Djakovica are listed in the company’s documents as being in Serbia.
Moreover, the Commission for Review of Complaints for Business Registration decided on Friday, July 28, that the Business Registration Agency of Kosovo (ARBK) acted in accordance with the law when it suspended Klan Kosova’s business license. They thus rejected the appeal of the largest television station in Kosovo, which will now seek justice in court.
After the Commission reviewed the cases, MINT confirmed that some companies have similar business documentation.
„Among the 660 reviewed files, 48 of them have an unconstitutional designation, representing Kosovo as part of Serbia,“ the MINT stated.
The ministry pointed out that the Commission is now taking administrative steps by issuing a decision on the suspension of licenses for five companies.
„These five entities, in the owners’ documentation or documentation of authorized representatives, have unconstitutional content, namely: ‘Gnjilane-Serbia’, ‘Priština-Serbia’, ‘Đakovica-Serbia’, ‘Kosovska Mitrovica-Serbia’, and they are engaged in buying and selling real estate, customs retail trade, construction of residential and non-residential buildings and cable telecommunications,“ the ministry stated.
At the same time, they failed to specify the companies they were talking about, as well as other details from their registration, such as the date.
The Kosovo Agency for the Registration of Enterprises (ARBK), which functions under this ministry, is in charge for the registration of business entities in Kosovo.
At the same time, MINT emphasized that ARBK will continue issuing decisions against other companies, which committed „the same violation of the Kosovo constitution“.
„I thank the Re-evaluation Commission for the swift and professional work on reviewing hundreds of files during the last weeks, as well as the ARBK for taking urgent measures to enforce the law,“ the MINT said.
Kurti stands firm
The fact that the media in Kosovo, associations, individuals, intellectuals, professional media organizations in the region, and ambassadors reacted on several occasions with a message that an attack on the freedom of the media is unacceptable, and nothing similar had ever happened in Kosovo before, proved fruitless, at least for now.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti responded last week to the calls by maintaining his position that he supports the decision to suspend Klan Kosova’s license.
While agreeing that an attack on the media „is an attack on democracy“, he immediately added that „democracy is also assaulted when powerful businessmen break the law for financial gain“.
The Kosovo Journalists Association held a protest on Monday under the motto „Democracy dies in the dark“.
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