Serb political and institutional representatives on Kosovo have adopted a declaration highlighting the “unbearable living conditions” faced by the community, which, they warn, threaten their continued presence on the territory. The declaration calls for legal and administrative relief for citizens, protection of educational and healthcare institutions, and a stronger role for the international community in safeguarding Serb rights.
The meeting took place at the amphitheatre of the Faculty of Technical Sciences at the University of Pristina, with temporary headquarters in North Mitrovica. Attendees included mayors from northern and southern Serb-majority municipalities, councilors from ten Serb-majority municipal assemblies, representatives of the education and healthcare systems, Serbian List president Zlatan Elek with members of the party presidency, university rector Nebojša Arsić, and faculty deans.
Key Messages from the Declaration
The declaration, read by North Mitrovica municipal assembly president Ivan Zaporožac, emphasizes:
“We demand that all our citizens be provided with legal and administrative relief to ensure unhindered exercise of their fundamental human and civil rights. Existing laws endanger our people and must be amended.”
“Thousands of families would be affected, children separated from their parents, patients from their doctors, and students deprived of adequate education. Our churches and monasteries would be empty, and the multiethnic character of society would remain only on paper—a failure of the international community.”
The document also calls for unrestricted use of property and vehicles and condemns any measures that could disrupt the functioning of Serb educational and healthcare institutions.
Serb representatives stressed the need for reasonable deadlines to allow citizens to adapt to new legal requirements without jeopardizing their livelihoods or basic needs.
Crucially, the text of the declaration does not explicitly reject full enforcement of the relevant laws.Instead, points one and two emphasize facilitating relief in obtaining personal documents and securing the right to use vehicles.
Moreover, the declaration insists on sufficient time for citizens to adapt to new legal conditions without compromising their existence or fundamental needs.
Only one sentence explicitly notes that current laws are “absolutely against the interests of the Serb people and, as such, must be amended.”
The declaration asserts that all open issues must be resolved through dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, including the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, and underscores that unilateral measures threatening Serb rights will not be accepted.
Integration and Legal Pressure
In recent years, particularly over the past year, the issues of education and healthcare in Serb-majority areas have resurfaced. The Pristina government, led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, maintains that integration of education and healthcare into the Kosovo system is inevitable, taking over facilities previously managed by Serbia.
Serbian authorities and local representatives have opposed these measures, though less forcefully than the Kosovo government’s actions.
Western officials, including from the U.S., acknowledge the need for integration but stress it must proceed with local Serb consent and cooperation.
The situation is further complicated by the planned implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Motor Vehicles. If fully enforced, these 2017 laws would administratively restrict the stay of students, professors, and healthcare staff unless they are registered or licensed within the Kosovo system.
KoSSev has learned that staff in remaining Serbian-run institutions have been asked to declare whether they hold Kosovo-issued documents.
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