Celic: Unilateral implementation of the Cadastral Agreement endangers Serbian property in Kosovo

Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of North Mitrovica, Dusko Celic, warns that the Cadastral Agreement is one of the most drastic examples of the failure to implement what was agreed in Brussels, and it could have catastrophic consequences for property, especially for displaced Serbs from Kosovo.

"Pristina signed the agreement and then unilaterally implemented it by forming a so-called verification commission made up solely of representatives from Pristina, although this body was supposed to be tripartite: formed with representatives from Pristina, Belgrade, and the European Union. Pristina unilaterally makes decisions in this commission, and these decisions could have catastrophic effects on property rights, primarily for Serbs, concerning real estate," Celic warns.

He explains that the failure to implement this agreement could cause enormous damage, particularly regarding the property of displaced Serbs from Kosovo.

"The verification commission could, so to speak, ‘re-register,’ let’s say in layman's terms, the property of Kosovo Serbs in the name of any Albanian, and I fear this could happen in the future. We have warned about this before, especially when it comes to the property of displaced persons because they do not have access to the records in the so-called Kosovo cadastre, nor to the changes made in that cadastre. And changes can be made – this verification commission can carry them out without the owners' knowledge and, of course, to the detriment of the owners," Celic says.

Commenting on the announcement that Belgrade will contest all of Pristina's decisions that are not in line with the agreements, Celic, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law in North Mitrovica, believes that this is primarily a political message.

"I see this measure primarily as a political message from Belgrade that there will be no deviation from the agreed terms. Pristina, on the ground and in practice, has rendered many agreements from the Brussels process meaningless through its unilateral actions. The fact that Belgrade considers such acts non-existent, that there are no factual or legal consequences from those acts, and that it will not regard them as valid, represents a kind of political message," Celic says.

When asked how Belgrade could specifically contest such decisions, Celic says it is difficult to say at this moment.

"The question is what practical measures and steps Belgrade could take in that regard to rectify the situation on the ground. That is the question. However, I believe this is primarily a declarative measure," Celic concludes.