Celic: Kurti centralized power, all important decisions in the north will require Pristina's consent

Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law in North Mitrovica, Dusko Celic, stated that the return of Serbs to local self-government in the north is good news but expressed concern that every major decision will require the approval of the central government, in line with the law introduced three years ago by the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.

“The return of Serbs to local self-government in the north is indeed good news, but I don’t think there’s any reason for euphoria. The damage caused by the illegitimate Albanian majority and Albanian mayors in the northern Serb municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija is, I’m afraid, irreversible. What’s positive is that we can no longer expect local self-government in the north to make decisions harmful to Serbs or to exercise local power in a discriminatory way toward them. However, to expect that the damage already done can be corrected – I think that is unrealistic,” Celic said.

He believes that acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti was prepared for the arrival of the new local administration from the Serbian community.

“It seems to me that Kurti expected this and prepared for it in advance. Three years ago, a law was passed that further centralized power in favor of Pristina, so every important decision will require the consent of one of their ministries, primarily the Ministry of Local Government. In that regard, I’m not optimistic,” Celic emphasized.

He stressed the importance of annulling all decisions that were harmful to Serbs, noting that there are many of them.

“There were many such decisions. In my opinion, the most important thing is to examine whether it is possible to reverse the decisions on granting municipal land to central institutions in Pristina – the Ministry of the Interior or other ministries. It is also important to restore the previous street names, as they reflected the will of the majority Serb population and the Serbian community throughout the north. It would also be good to allow the return of local and national symbols to which Serbs are entitled, even under that quasi-legal framework imposed by Pristina,” Celic concluded.