Radovanovic: Central authorities do not want to leave any decision-making autonomy to local governments in the North

Milica Radovanovic, Project Manager at the NGO New Social Initiative, told Kosovo Online that developments over the past several months, following the conclusion of Kosovo's local elections, indicate that power in the north has effectively been transferred—not to the new municipal administrations, but to the central institutions and the Kosovo Police.

According to Radovanovic, the situation on the ground shows that the Kosovo Police have gone beyond their ordinary scope of authority and are increasingly assuming powers that do not legally belong to them.

"In many cases, the police act simultaneously as an administrative authority, an enforcement body, and even a judicial authority. They make decisions that fall outside their jurisdiction, implement enforcement measures without a legal basis, and in some instances even de facto restrict citizens' rights without issuing any written decision, thereby depriving them of the right to an effective legal remedy," Radovanovic said.

In her assessment, such conduct demonstrates that the central authorities have no intention of allowing local governments any real autonomy in decision-making, and that municipalities in the four northern municipalities must first obtain approval from the central authorities for virtually every decision taken on the ground.

As examples illustrating this pattern, she cited the ban on Leposavic municipal assembly member Vladimir Radosavljevic entering Kosovo, the takeover of the Rezala camp at Gazivode, the demolition of holiday homes and residential buildings in Cecevo, the demolition of garages in North Mitrovica, and the prevention of the painting of a mural depicting Patriarch Pavle in that municipality.

According to Radovanovic, the common thread linking all of these cases is the role of the Kosovo Police, who act authoritatively as though they possess the legal powers to undertake such actions.

"The municipal assembly member was verbally denied entry without being provided with any formal decision or explanation, effectively depriving him of the right to appeal. Formally, it is as though the incident never occurred because there is no written record. In the cases involving the seizure and demolition of property, the Kosovo Police allegedly assisted a public enterprise that had no legal basis for compulsory enforcement, thereby assuming the role of an enforcement authority. In the case of preventing the mural from being painted, the police effectively declared the local government's decision invalid on the spot. These are therefore not isolated incidents or the actions of an individual police officer—we are witnessing a pattern of systematic and unlawful conduct by the Kosovo Police," Radovanovic said.

According to our interlocutor, all of this sends a clear message to citizens that the existence of local self-government and its role on the ground are effectively being rendered meaningless, and that local municipalities are no longer the authorities responsible for decision-making. Instead, that authority rests with the police and ministries in Pristina.