Radojevic: Adoption of new Law on Public Property would effectively abolish Serbian-majority municipalities

The adoption of the Law on Public Property, which, although still in draft form, provides that municipalities would no longer own municipal property but would merely be its users or administrators, would effectively mean the end of Serbian-majority municipalities, North Mitrovica Mayor Milan Radojevic warned.

Radojevic explained that transferring municipal property to the central level would mean that, for every infrastructure project or any planned investment, a municipality would have to seek approval from the central authorities as to whether it could implement a particular project on a specific parcel of land.

"Albin Kurti is already implementing some of his plans in the territory of North Mitrovica from the central level, completely bypassing the Municipality, its leadership, and the Law on Local Self-Government. He is implementing infrastructure projects without consulting the Municipality or seeking permits. You can imagine what would happen if such a law were adopted and entered into force," Radojevic told Kosovo Online.

He therefore had no doubt that the adoption of such a law would mean that Serbian-majority municipalities would effectively cease to exist.

"And that is the reality. Through all his actions, Albin Kurti is trying to diminish the importance of municipalities, particularly Serbian-majority municipalities, above all those in the north," Radojevic said.

He noted that even before this Draft Law on Public Property, socially owned enterprises such as Trepca South and the Ibar-Lepenac company had suddenly begun claiming certain parcels of land without a legal basis, a court decision, or the consent of the municipalities, relying solely on police force.

"They use excavators to demolish structures and seize land. The adoption of such a law would therefore be the crowning achievement for Albin Kurti, enabling him to transfer even the little property that municipalities still own to the central level, leaving municipalities entirely unable to manage their own property," Radojevic said.

He also pointed out that adopting the law in its current form would be in direct contradiction with the Law on Local Self-Government, as well as the European Convention.

"But the intention is more than clear—to completely strip municipalities of their competences, particularly Serbian-majority municipalities, which would effectively cease to exist," Radojevic concluded.