Antonijevic: Registration in the Central Civil Status Register is important for exercising rights

Legal expert Milan Antonijevic tells Kosovo Online that it is extremely important for citizens in Kosovo who are not “recognized” within the Kosovo system to be able to register in Kosovo’s Central Civil Status Register based on documents from the Serbian system. This will help resolve issues they face and, he hopes, pave the way for addressing property rights for Serbs in Kosovo.

Antonijevic recalled a similar issue in Slovenia, where individuals had been effectively erased from the system, leading to ongoing legal proceedings.

“It is good to address these matters early on so that no one feels like a second-class citizen. This allows individuals to present documents issued in Serbia to legitimize their status and access certain rights. One set of problems is clearly being addressed here, while the other pertains to property rights, which remain unresolved in a quick and straightforward manner due to numerous open cases and proceedings. I hope that once the issues with documents, birth and death records, and similar matters are resolved, attention will shift to the equally, if not more, important issue of property rights for Serbs in Kosovo,” Antonijevic stated.

Kosovo’s Ministry of Internal Affairs announced it had adopted a decision allowing all Kosovo citizens registered within Serbian structures to apply for registration in Kosovo’s Central Civil Status Register.