Mayors from Serbian-majority municipalities in Kosovo travelled to Pristina on Friday morning for talks with Elbert Krasniqi, the Minister of Local Government Administration. The invitation for the meeting was reportedly sent before the new cabinet was formed. The visit had not been publicly confirmed in advance by Serbian representatives, although Kosovo’s chief negotiator in the Brussels dialogue, Besnik Bislimi, announced two days earlier that the mayors had been invited.
Foreigners and vehicles law on the table
According to Kosovo Online, which published photographs from the scene, the meeting was expected to focus on the implementation of the Law on Foreigners and Vehicles, set to enter into force on March 15.
Milan Radojević, the mayor of North Mitrovica, told Kosovo Online that healthcare and education would not be discussed.
“Today we responded to the invitation of the Ministry of Local Government Administration, where we will present the problems faced by the municipalities we lead. Healthcare and education are not topics of this meeting. These issues will be addressed by negotiating teams in Brussels between Belgrade and Pristina, through the formation of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities,” Radojević said.
His remarks sought to draw a clear line between local administrative matters and the politically sensitive question of institutional integration.
Conflicting signals from Pristina
Bislimi, however, signalled a broader agenda last week.
He said that “five or six very important weeks” were ahead and called for a “constructive approach” to “launch the process of integrating” educational and healthcare institutions that continue to operate within Serbia’s system.
He added that it would be “good for the mayors at this stage to show as much responsibility as possible,” arguing that the “well-being of their citizens” would largely depend on the approach taken in the coming weeks.
The apparent discrepancy between the mayors’ statements and Bislimi’s earlier comments has fuelled uncertainty over whether Friday’s meeting is part of a wider push to advance integration of parallel Serbian-funded institutions.
University staff warn against “unauthorised negotiations”
The meeting also triggered a strong reaction from an informal group of professors and associates known as “Proaktiv,” together with employees of the University, who issued a public statement and open letter to the Government and citizens of Serbia.
They condemned what they described as a planned meeting of university, healthcare and northern Kosovo municipal representatives aimed at “unauthorised negotiations on the status of the University, education and healthcare.”
“We most strongly distance ourselves from the announced talks and any potential agreements that directly affect the status, legal position and institutional integrity of our University,” the statement said.
The group criticised what it called a lack of transparency, saying they had learned about possible involvement of local representatives from media reports rather than through official institutional channels. Such practice, they argued, reflects “a lack of responsibility and institutional legitimacy.”
Proaktiv listed three key objections:
That such involvement would amount to a “degradation” of an institution of state importance and a bearer of academic autonomy;
That mayors have neither legal authority nor academic mandate to negotiate the status of higher education institutions;
and that participation in such talks could serve to legitimise “unilateral processes of institutional integration.”
“The status of the University can be considered exclusively by its founder, the Republic of Serbia, in accordance with the applicable legal framework,” the statement stressed.
The group further noted that some mayors have taken oaths before Kosovo institutions, raising additional questions, in their view, about their legitimacy to represent an institution founded by Serbia.
“You cannot negotiate in our name,” the letter concluded.
As of Thursday morning, the Serbian List had not responded to KoSSev’s inquiry on whether its representatives would attend the meeting in Pristina.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
