Radosavljevic: Until the obstacles are overcome, it would be ideal to postpone the implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles

Representatives of Serbian civil society, including Jovana Radosavljevic from the New Social Initiative, warn that the implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles in Kosovo, announced for 15 March, could significantly complicate the everyday life of citizens of Serbian nationality, while there is still no official information about a possible postponement of these measures, Radio KIM reports.

“It would be ideal for the implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles to be postponed until ways are found to overcome all the obstacles,” said Jovana Radosavljevic of the New Social Initiative.
Radosavljevic notes that the announced measures will affect several categories of the Serbian population, including those who live in Kosovo but do not possess Kosovo-issued documents, as well as owners of Serbian license plates. Particular concern is caused by the application of the law in educational institutions, where employees and students who are not from Kosovo are required to register their residence, which could lead to difficulties in obtaining permits.
“The largest category consists of those who live in Kosovo but do not have Kosovo documents. From 15 March, they will most likely be treated as foreigners, which will significantly affect their lives. In addition, owners of Serbian license plates or other license plates in Kosovo will also be treated as foreigners, that is, their vehicles will be treated as such, and their mobility is called into question. Finally, perhaps the most serious issue, which will consequently have far more serious implications, concerns the future of the university and the educational centre…,” said Radosavljevic.
She stresses that the implementation of the law in the manner envisaged could be problematic and discriminatory, particularly due to limited access to documents, healthcare and education.
“We still have a serious problem affecting thousands of people, namely access to documents and, consequently, access to basic rights. At the same time, the future of the education and healthcare systems is also at stake…,” Radosavljevic stated, adding that the processes must be separated in order to avoid serious consequences for the Serbian community in Kosovo.
Representatives of Serbian civil society in northern Kosovo did not participate in the recent meeting with the Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs, noting that they had previously attempted to point out the problems and had expressed readiness for consultations.
“We unanimously decided, that is, the five organizations from northern Kosovo, that we would not participate in this event… The Ministry of Internal Affairs, that is, the Government of Kosovo, ignored our requests,” said Radosavljevic.
She added that the only contacts regarding this issue have been through the international community, but that information for citizens is lacking, and that the expert group formed for the implementation of the law does not include representatives of the Serbian community.
“What we know is that a certain expert group exists… As far as I am aware, there are no other actors involved, so, once again, we can say that this is a very closed process and there is simply not much information available to the public on this issue, so I do not have an answer to that question,” Radosavljevic concluded.