Municipality of North Mitrovica: “MitroRun 2026” race planned without our consent

The Municipality of North Mitrovica said that it had neither been consulted nor participated in the organization of the “MitroRun 2026” race, which it says is partly planned to take place on the territory of that municipality. It stressed that it had not given consent for the event to be held and called on the leadership of the Municipality of South Mitrovica to remove from the race route and program all sections planned on the territory of North Mitrovica.

According to the statement, the Municipality of North Mitrovica learned about the announced event only after concerned citizens contacted the authorities after seeing information about the race on social media.

“To date, the Municipality has received no official notification regarding the organization of the event, the race route, the use of public areas and roads, or the security measures that are planned,” the statement said.

The Municipality of North Mitrovica said it was particularly unacceptable that, according to publicly available information, the Municipality of South Mitrovica appeared as the organizer even though some of the announced activities were planned on the territory of North Mitrovica, an area over which that local authority has no jurisdiction.

The statement pointed out that such conduct was questionable not only from a political perspective but also under the applicable legal framework.

“Law No. 03/L-040 on Local Self-Government defines the municipality as the basic unit of local self-government within a legally determined territory and establishes its own competences in matters of local interest, while Law No. 03/L-041 on the Administrative Boundaries of Municipalities clearly defines the territorial organization and administrative boundaries of municipalities, including the demarcation between North and South Mitrovica,” the statement said.

The Municipality of North Mitrovica believes that another municipality organizing activities on its territory without consulting or involving the competent local authorities constitutes a direct circumvention of North Mitrovica’s legally established competences.

The statement added that, given the way the activity had been organized, without the involvement of North Mitrovica’s institutions or timely notification to them, the event could not be viewed solely as a sporting event.

“We believe that it bears the characteristics of a political project by the institutions in Pristina, the effect of which is to diminish in practice the competences of North Mitrovica and relativize its existence as a separate unit of local self-government,” the statement said.

The Municipality of North Mitrovica stressed that sport and sporting events must not be used as a means of politically demonstrating jurisdiction over the territory of another municipality.

“Respect for local self-government cannot be selective. The competences and administrative boundaries of North Mitrovica must be respected in the same way as those of every other municipality,” the statement said.

The Municipality of North Mitrovica therefore issued a public call to the leadership of the Municipality of South Mitrovica to amend the planned event without delay and remove from the route and program of “MitroRun 2026” all sections planned on the territory of North Mitrovica.

“We expect the leadership of South Mitrovica to act in accordance with the administrative boundaries and competences of the two local governments and thereby prevent a sporting event from becoming a source of additional institutional disputes and tensions,” the statement said.

Finally, the Municipality of North Mitrovica said that it would continue to insist on respect for its legally established competences, administrative boundaries and institutional integrity, as well as the right of citizens to be informed in a timely manner and involved in decisions that directly affect their city and everyday lives.