Summary of the Week 60

Another week filled with attempts—attempts to establish institutions, to update agendas, and to achieve results. Judging by the outcomes, new attempts will begin as early as next week.

Repeatedly flagged as a global risk, it no longer waits on the local level. This week marked the beginning of a war over water.

“Until yesterday, the water was ours—Serbian,” explained a resident of Zubin Potok. “Today, who knows anymore. We’ll see.”

For too long, they say, it was tolerated that other services—and even paintings, artworks, balls, and jump ropes—end up in someone else’s hands. Hence this week’s actions in museums, sports halls...

“They gave the workers three minutes to vacate their posts,” said Zoran Vučinić, director of the public utility company Vodovod Ibar.

Parliamentarians in the Kosovo Assembly have a bit more time between sessions to reach an agreement—but still not enough.

Additional meetings, intermediaries, and the president are investing added effort. Still, it’s all in vain. Analysts believe that stalling doesn't bother everyone.

“Kurti is deliberately pursuing a strategy of exhaustion,” said political analyst Predrag Rajic. “And all the while, he remains in power.”

And when power doesn’t change for a long time, voters—at least judging by the Albanian elections—are not tired of offering support. The results satisfied voters, and also pleased European partners. Immediate neighbors, on the other hand, remained mostly indifferent.

“This time, Kurti didn’t even try to meddle there,” commented analyst Shkëlzen Maliqi. “He assessed he had no chance—because every time he did get involved, it ended in disaster.”

Despite months of effort, Kosovo’s chances of making it onto the Council of Europe’s agenda failed again this week. Still, officials insist this temporary setback must not affect either motivation or strategy.

“Pristina has a strategy of gradual accession—a sliding approach, step by step, toward Council of Europe membership. For them, joining the Council would be a quantum leap,” former Serbian ambassador to the Council of Europe, Dragana Filipović, told Kosovo Online.

A leap toward justice, however, remains unrealistic. Even the accused don’t expect that. They’re used to delays—but not to courtroom narratives that few can follow.

Defense attorney Ljubomir Pantovic sums up the tactic as follows:

“The prosecution is digging with both hands and feet, so to speak, trying to squeeze water from a stone. They’re attempting to fabricate and invent evidence against the accused.”

In the Pristina courtroom, a grueling process and confusing signals. But much clearer messages—this time accompanied by black smoke—were sent this week to The Hague chambers, their proceedings, and their judges.