An informal group of professors and associates of the „University of Priština with a temporary seat in Kosovska Mitrovica“ (UPKM) has sent an open letter to representatives of the international community in Kosovo, warning of the consequences of the announced strict enforcement of the Law on Foreigners as of March 15.
In the letter, they caution that enforcing the law without first resolving the institutional status of the University and without transitional mechanisms could lead to the de facto shutdown of UPKM, widespread violations of the right to education and work for staff and students, and the interruption of studies for a large number of young people.
The authors call on international representatives to urge the introduction of an urgent moratorium and to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of educational and healthcare institutions. They also warn of serious legal, institutional, and social consequences for non-Albanian communities and for overall multi-ethnic stability.
Below, we publish the open letter of Proaktiv UPKM in full:
Open Letter to Representatives of Western Countries in Kosovo and Metohija Regarding the Announced Strict Enforcement of the Law on Foreigners as of March 15, 2026, and Its Consequences for the Survival of the University of Priština with a Temporary Seat in Kosovska Mitrovica (UPKM)
Dear Sir or Madam,
We are addressing you as an informal group of professors and associates of the University of Priština with a temporary seat in Kosovska Mitrovica (UPKM), deeply concerned about the consequences that the enforcement of the Law on Foreigners would have on the survival of the University and on the right to education of thousands of students.
Although the Law is formally presented as an administrative measure, its implementation under the current circumstances would produce far-reaching and destabilizing consequences.
Given international obligations regarding the protection of minority rights and education, including the European Convention on Human Rights and generally accepted international standards of higher education, the announced enforcement of the Law at this moment represents a legally questionable and practically unsustainable measure.
Its foreseeable consequences include: mass violations of the right to education and access to public services; discrimination against employees and students based on documentation and place of issuance; administrative paralysis and the obstruction of the teaching process; the de facto closure of the University; the prevention of studies for a large number of young people; and serious social and humanitarian instability in Serbian communities and beyond.
Our University — the University of Priština with a temporary seat in Kosovska Mitrovica, founded in 1970 — enjoys full academic legitimacy and maintains relevant international academic ties, including membership in the European University Association (EUA).
The majority of employees hold documentation issued by the Republic of Serbia, while the prescribed requirements for residence and work are, in practice, linked exclusively to institutions accredited within the Priština system — which UPKM is not (nor has the status of this issue been resolved).
According to information available from the University, a significant number of employees (approximately 40%) do not possess documentation that could realistically be required for continued employment, while the situation of students (more than 50%) is even more complex due to their origin and residence status.
Students from central Serbia, Montenegro, and other parts of the region would be treated as foreigners, leading to mass withdrawal from studies and, consequently, the closure of entire study programs.
Such a development would result in intensified youth migration and the departure of professional staff, further reduction of the presence of non-Albanian communities, and additional erosion of multi-ethnic trust and institutional stability — outcomes that are incompatible with the modern, democratic, and pro-European values to which we all refer.
UPKM is a pillar of survival not only for the Serbian community, but also for Bosniaks, Roma, Gorani, and Montenegrins. The administrative suffocation of this institution would constitute a form of pressure exercised through formal procedures and a direct infringement on the right to education in one’s mother tongue.
We therefore call upon you, within the scope of your authority and mandate, to influence the competent institutions in Priština to:
Introduce an urgent moratorium on the enforcement of the Law on Foreigners in Serbian communities and with regard to UPKM employees and students;
Ensure the uninterrupted operation of educational and healthcare institutions, without conditioning their work on documentation that is inaccessible to a significant number of people under the given circumstances and whose imposition would lead to institutional paralysis.
We believe in your commitment to the rule of law and the protection of human rights for all citizens, regardless of ethnic affiliation. Precisely because of that belief, we feel a responsibility to publicly point out the serious risks posed by current administrative measures if implemented without prior, substantive, and legally grounded solutions.
The principle of sequencing clearly dictates that administrative measures cannot and must not replace substantive (political and) legal solutions.
Their premature and unilateral implementation not only fails to contribute to stability, but directly undermines the foundations of multi-ethnic coexistence and citizens’ trust in institutions.
Instead of reducing tensions, such measures deepen mistrust and the sense of legal insecurity among affected communities.
Attached to this letter is an overview of specific consequences, documenting the legal, administrative, and social dimensions of the existing risks and providing a clear and well-argued basis for urgent action by the competent authorities.
Further disregard of these warnings would amount to a conscious departure from the principles of the rule of law.
Overview of Concrete Problems Faced by UPKM Employees and Students, as well as the Population in Kosovo*
I. Legal Consequences for UPKM Employees
The announced strict enforcement of the Law on Foreigners, in the absence of a previously resolved institutional status of the University of Priština with a temporary seat in Kosovska Mitrovica (UPKM), produces direct and disproportionate legal consequences for a significant number of employees.
The majority of teaching, associate, and administrative staff do not possess documentation recognized by institutions in Priština due to objective and long-standing administrative obstacles. They would be subjected to the regime envisaged by the Law on Foreigners, including measures denying the right to residence and work.
This includes the following categories:
Persons born in Kosovo* who lived in the territory until 1999 but are unable to obtain a Kosovo ID card;
Persons born outside Kosovo* who lived in Kosovo* until 1999 but are excluded from acquiring Kosovo citizenship based on place of birth;
Persons who studied at UPKM, later became employed at the University, and previously had residence outside Kosovo*;
Persons married to UPKM employees who do not have regulated residence status;
Persons who are citizens of other states in the region and long-term University employees.
Applying the Law to these categories would result in mass denial of the right to work and residence, thereby violating the principles of legal certainty, proportionality, and legitimate expectations.
II. Legal Consequences for Students
The announced enforcement would also jeopardize students, particularly:
Students born in Kosovo* without recognized documentation;
Students born outside Kosovo* who study at UPKM;
Students who are citizens of other states in the region.
For these groups, there is no sustainable, predictable, and proportionate administrative mechanism that would allow lawful residence and continuation of studies, leading to mass interruption of education and violation of the right to continuity of education.
III. Additional Legal and Institutional Consequences
Academic autonomy and institutional freedom: Serious interference with university autonomy and freedom of teaching and research, threatening international cooperation and projects.
Continuity of education: Students would be forced to discontinue studies through no fault of their own, jeopardizing the validity of completed exams and degrees.
Legal uncertainty and arbitrariness: The absence of transitional mechanisms and clear criteria opens space for selective and arbitrary application of the Law.
Impact on the healthcare system: The lack of teaching staff at the Faculty of Medicine would directly affect local healthcare provision.
International responsibility and reputational risk: Implementation may expose institutions in Priština to international responsibility for systemic human rights violations.
Obligations under international projects: International projects involving UPKM would be fundamentally endangered due to disruption of activities, reporting, and delivery of results.
IV. Legal Analysis and Conclusion
The enforcement of the Law on Foreigners produces disproportionate, discriminatory, and legally unsustainable consequences, including the de facto denial of the right to education, the right to work, and the institutional shutdown of the University.
Such an approach fails to meet the standards of legitimate aim, necessity, and proportionality; violates the principles of equality and non-discrimination; undermines academic autonomy and multi-ethnic coexistence; and constitutes a foreseeable breach of international human rights standards.
Any application of the Law on Foreigners represents a disproportionate, discriminatory, and legally unsustainable measure whose foreseeable consequence is the de facto abolition of the right to education and the institutional closure of the University.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
