Radojkovic: The petition is a clear message from the people, the EU is tolerant of institutional violence against Serbs

Historian Stefan Radojkovic stated that the petition launched today to prevent the construction of two new bridges between South and North Mitrovica is a clear message from the people, but that it has a "limited reach" because the EU is tolerant of the institutional violence that the authorities in Pristina are carrying out against the Serbian community, and said that the dialogue is no longer high on the EU’s agenda.

The Serb List today launched a petition against the construction of two new bridges between South and North Mitrovica. However, Radojkovic is pessimistic that the petition can stop the construction.

"Unfortunately, the petition cannot. It has already been shown that even more serious and stronger actors like foreign embassies and the EU with its punitive measures cannot correct the behavior of the Pristina administration, especially Albin Kurti, who is using this so-called start of bridge construction as another part of his political campaign ahead of local elections," Radojkovic told Kosovo Online.

He stated that the petition still holds significance because it draws the international community’s attention to the problems the Serbian community, particularly in northern Kosovo, is facing.

He warned that the real question is whether the international community "cannot, does not want to, or has no interest" in opposing Pristina’s unilateral decisions.

"This initiative is commendable in the sense that people should be mobilized to sign and express their views on this issue. But, considering that the Serbian community is relatively small, that its representatives are generally not consulted on many issues, and that they currently don’t hold local power, its reach is very limited. I don’t expect it to be decisive, other than possibly serving as an attempt to draw international attention. But if the international community cannot influence Kurti’s behavior, or doesn't want to, or perhaps has no interest in challenging Kurti’s political campaign, then the reach of this petition is minimal," Radojkovic said.

He sees the causes in the fact that, due to the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, the issues between Belgrade and Pristina are no longer a priority for the EU.

He also emphasized internal turmoil within the EU as an additional factor.

"Each member state has its own internal problems, again, directly or indirectly caused by the Ukraine crisis, which makes the situation in Kosovo practically irrelevant. In other words, it is very low on their list of priorities. As a result, they won’t pay much attention unless it leads to open violence. They will tolerate, or simply be blind to, institutional violence, the creation of a lynch atmosphere, a kind of 'safari' in northern Kosovo regarding the Serbian community. But until physical violence or open conflict occurs, likely nothing will happen, nor will there be any change in the behavior of the Pristina administration," Radojkovic stated.

He doubts that Pristina would abandon the bridge construction project even after the local elections.

"It will likely continue, simply because it has been shown that this caretaker government of Albin Kurti does not hesitate to use all resources available to the Pristina administration to promote its agenda or implement decisions, many of which are not in accordance with Pristina’s own laws and constitution," Radojkovic said.

He believes that KFOR’s behavior will be crucial regarding the construction of the two new bridges.

"If they blocked the passage of motorized vehicles over the main bridge on the Ibar, it is possible they will do the same with any newly constructed bridges. We should monitor their reactions to see whether they are prepared to use their presence to deter any attempt by Albin Kurti and Albanians from the southern part of Mitrovica, should the bridges be built, from using them for motorized traffic," Radojkovic concluded.