Radosavljevic: Punishing companies in the north aimed at putting additional pressure on the Serbs

The announcement by the Tax Administration of Kosovo that companies in the north that had not registered in the Kosovo system would be punished is another form of pressure on the Serbs, Jovana Radosavljevic from the New Social Initiative assessed for Kosovo Online.

Radosavljevic states that the deadline given for the registration of companies is in some way a consequence of the previous, unsuccessful action of the current local authorities in the north when inspectors tried to fine cafes and restaurants for not removing gardens.

"Since it did not bear fruit, that is, they are aware that it can cause a serious reaction from the local population if they start forcibly removing them, they came up with, let's say, some solution, which is related to business registration. This is very strange because I believe that the majority of the businesses in the north of Kosovo are registered. Only the Inter research from 2017 shows that there were 3,100 companies registered in the north then, and 3,800 in 2020. So it all looks like an attempt to find a way to put pressure on Kosovo Serbs," Radosavljevic says.

She pointed out that the citizens of the north of Kosovo saw the latest moves of the Pristina authorities as hostile.

"For the last year, we have been in a constant state of crisis, and from the perspective of the local community, they see Pristina's behavior and decisions exclusively as hostile. It is not surprising that the perception is that these decisions are directed against the Serbian community in Kosovo. So, if they saw some more affirmative decisions coming from Pristina, we might not be able to talk in that context, but it definitely seems that way," Radosavljevic concluded.

Speaking about the case of Mts, whose operating license the authorities in Pristina are trying to take away, Radosavljevic points out that the Kosovo Government is focused exclusively on punishment.

"I think that the decision related to Mts has more to do with the previous decision on Klan Kosova and the revocation of the license, because it is not in accordance with the Constitution, because the cities in Serbia are listed in the company registration itself. Out of about 600 companies, 40 are found that are registered in this way, including those from the Serbian community. This only says that the Government in Pristina is focused exclusively on punishment, and there are no solutions that are there to make life and functioning in Kosovo easier for citizens," Radosavljevic believes.