Is licensing based on the MTS and Elektrosever model a viable alternative to the shutdown of Serbian institutions in Kosovo?

Despite clear condemnations from the international community, the authorities in Pristina continue to shut down Serbian institutions, especially in the north. Not only are communal enterprises and social work centers being closed, but even sports facilities. Yesterday, the Red Cross was next. Interlocutors of Kosovo Online warn that in this way, all the "pillars" intended to form the Community of Serb-Majority Municipalities (CSM) are gradually disappearing. As a possible solution to preserve these institutions and companies, they propose licensing them in a manner similar to what was done with MTS and Elektrosever.

Written by: Djordje Barovic

There is no embassy or international organization that has not condemned the forcible raids and closures of Serbian institutions in northern Kosovo. Yet these criticisms have had no effect. The authorities in Kosovo remain resolute, leaving Serbs in Kosovo wondering what will be targeted next—many fear it could be education and healthcare.

Licensing Serbian institutions might be a solution, with MTS and Elektrosever as precedents.

MTS d.o.o. has operated in Kosovo since 2016 as a result of the Brussels Agreement between Belgrade and Pristina. However, Pristina has repeatedly attempted to hinder its operations. The most significant blow came in July 2023, when Kosovo’s Business Registration Agency (ARBK) issued a decision to shut down the company. That decision was later overturned.

“We will not only remain present—we have ambitious plans to expand our operations in this territory, just as we have over the past three years. Rest assured, our goal is to become the number one operator in every territory we serve, including here,” said CEO Vladimir Lucic at the time.

During a recent visit to North Mitrovica, Lucic reiterated that MTS will push for a third license and assured employees that the company stands firmly behind them, despite growing pressure from the Kurti administration, which, he said, seeks to obstruct the work of Serbian institutions, including MTS d.o.o.

Another Serbian entity, Elektrosever, a company owned by Serbia, was established on June 22, 2022, to supply electricity to consumers in the four northern Serb-majority municipalities. According to the European External Action Service (EEAS), negotiators from Belgrade and Pristina reached agreement in Brussels on a roadmap for implementing energy agreements from 2013 and 2015—agreements which have only been partially implemented to date.

A Political Process

The Mayor of Strpce, Dalibor Jevtic, remarked bitterly that Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti is deliberately closing Serbian institutions to eliminate the need for the creation of the CSM.

“Kurti is shutting down all Serbian institutions in Kosovo and Metohija so that one day he can say in Brussels that there is no longer a need for the CSM, because Serbian institutions no longer exist,” Jevtic told Kosovo Online. However, he emphasized that institutions are made up of people—and “they are still here.”

“The physical closure of facilities might shut down institutions in a formal sense, but they will effectively continue to exist as long as the people working in them remain employed. In that context, the CSM remains a crucial issue, as it provides a framework for resolving the status of these institutions Kurti is trying to dismantle.”

He added that the closure of Serbian institutions is a political act by “ethno-nationalist Kurti and his regime,” which creates problems rather than solutions.

For the Serbian community, licensing may be a practical solution—at least until the CSM is formally established.

Jevtic said licensing institutions could allow them to function in the interim, just as Elektrosever and MTS were established through negotiated solutions. “These are practical responses to the current situation. We must avoid leaving citizens without telecom services, electricity, and other essential services.”

However, he is skeptical that Kurti would ever accept such licensing.

“If you ask him, you can be sure he’ll oppose it. He opposed Elektrosever, MTS, and anything with a Serbian prefix,” Jevtic explained.

He added that the citizens of Strpce are victims of this process: “For more than three years, Strpce has been requesting a license to form a local public enterprise, which clearly shows Kurti has no intention of issuing such licenses.”

Undermining the CSM

Marko Milenkovic of the NGO New Social Initiative agrees that Pristina’s actions are aimed at creating a “new reality” in the north—dismantling the rationale for Serb integration and the existence of the CSM.

“By unilaterally taking over and shutting down institutions that function in the Serbian system, the integration process is being nullified,” Milenkovic said. “Citizens are being deprived of basic services. A genuine alternative must be provided—like with MTS and Elektrosever—before shutting down any institution.”

He emphasized that continued functioning of Serbian institutions depends on a political agreement.

“This isn’t a technical matter. It’s political—just as with MTS and Elektrosever. Both sides must agree on principles and engage in dialogue, as was previously done.”

At present, there is little political cooperation, and the fate of closed institutions and their employees remains unclear.

Milenkovic warned that unilateral steps by Pristina aim to reshape the situation on the ground, eliminating institutions linked to the Republic of Serbia and weakening the foundation for a future CSM.

Brussels Holds the Answers

Political analyst Shkëlzen Maliqi from Pristina offered a pragmatic perspective, saying that the answers to the fate of Serbian institutions lie in Brussels.

“Most agreements have already been reached there,” he said. “It’s now a matter of political will to finalize the normalization process.”

He stated that the process cannot be concluded until it is determined whether Serbia will recognize Kosovo de jure, de facto, or not at all.

He also believes that further dialogue depends on broader geopolitical developments, particularly the resolution of the war in Ukraine, which he expects to unlock other global impasses—including Kosovo.

Maliqi affirmed that the CSM should be established as it was part of the agreement, adding that Serbs in northern Kosovo must have local self-government, however it is named.

Populism from Pristina

Political analyst Ognjen Gogic believes the closures are driven by populist politics in Pristina, making a deal on preserving Serbian institutions unlikely under current conditions. Still, he sees a small window through integration or licensing.

“Recognition within the Kosovo system may offer some protection,” he said, citing how institutions like the University in Mitrovica and some schools and clinics have been informally acknowledged. But with police-led closures and theatrical measures, agreement is increasingly difficult.

He believes Kosovo missed the opportunity to license Serbian institutions during more cooperative periods.

“There were times when licensing was possible—for example, the post office in Gracanica had a license,” he said.

Gogic identified communal services as the most viable for licensing today, particularly where even Albanians benefit, like the public utility in Strpce.

He cited the recent dinar-payment negotiations, where Serbia proposed licensing Postanska stedionica—a proposal Kosovo rejected, despite mutual interest.

He concluded that where Kosovo sees benefit, it may allow licensing or integration. Where it sees none, institutions will be blocked.

In practice, he explained, institutions could gain legal recognition as part of Kosovo’s system or operate as private entities under license. This would legalize their operations under Kosovo’s legal framework.

Using the example of water supply, he said staff could be integrated into the Kosovo system or a private licensed provider.

“Serbia’s system is invisible to Kosovo,” Gogic said. “Kosovo doesn’t recognize Serbian institutions—they do not legally exist in its framework. Yet in practice, many still operate, even within companies like Trepca.”