Sljuka: An institutional vacuum has been created in northern Kosovo, I don't believe in a return to the status quo ante

Aleksandar Sljuka, an associate of the NGO "New Social Initiative," commented on the situation a month after the takeover of Serbian municipalities in northern Kosovo, saying that he does not believe that the situation would revert to the status quo ante, despite the closure of institutions outside of all Brussels agreements, which created an institutional vacuum.

"I don't believe there will be changes in the sense that the Kosovo police or administrative personnel who have moved in will now leave those premises, freeing them up and returning the situation to the status quo ante, to use the president's words. We have seen that this hasn't happened in previous cases, and I don't see why this one would be any different. Similarly, I haven't seen a decisive response from the international community. We have seen a few statements like in the past, but essentially, there hasn't been a strong enough response to compel the Kosovo government to reconsider its actions and possibly reverse them," Sljuka said for Kosovo Online.

He emphasizes that the authorities in Pristina claim they have shut down "parallel and illegal institutions" in northern Kosovo, which is only partially accurate from their perspective but does not reflect the true nature or importance of these institutions.

"For some time now, two misconceptions have been circulating that need to be debunked for the broader public about the importance and nature of the institutions that were shut down. The actions taken are inappropriate, unilateral, not in line with dialogue agreements, and ultimately detrimental to Serbian citizens in Kosovo," Sljuka emphasized.

He reminds that the mechanism of the Community of Serb Municipalities was supposed to integrate these institutions into the Kosovo system, but this process was meant to proceed through "a peaceful and smooth transition."

He stresses that the problem could be resolved by forming a mediation body, which would serve as a transitional solution.

"There is a legal way to incorporate these allegedly illegal institutions into the Kosovo system, meaning this cannot be seen as a mere and complete establishment of law and order, as the authorities in Pristina want to suggest," Sljuka said.

He adds that the second misconception is that citizens in the north have not lost anything with the closure of these institutions.

He points out that their shutdown has, in fact, created an institutional vacuum.

"We now have an institutional vacuum since these institutions have been shut down. Citizens simply have no alternative within the Kosovo system for the services that these institutions provided. This means that these institutions cannot be considered parallel, as they have no equivalent in the Kosovo system," Sljuka emphasized.

He believes that Prime Minister Albin Kurti wanted to send a message that he has control on the ground that no one can dispute.

He emphasizes that the problem is that now, no one from the international community wants to challenge him on this.

"Okay, Belgrade simply has no means to do so, which is clear. The international community has ways. We have seen some of those ways. Last year, some measures were introduced that are still in effect, but as we've also seen, these measures haven't prevented the authorities in Pristina from continuing their unilateral and escalating actions here in the north, so they simply were not enough," Sljuka said.

He adds that if the international community wants to stop these unilateral actions, first and foremost the EU, and then the US, must take a more decisive approach.

Sljuka reminded that the problem is that the US is currently embroiled in turbulence due to the presidential elections, and no one expects them to deal with these issues. The same goes for the EU, which is why he believes that resolving Pristina's unilateral moves will be left for after the elections in Kosovo, in the spring of next year.

He also highlights another important point — the paradox that the international community, particularly the Quint countries, has fallen into.

On the one hand, he explains, there is the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, while on the other hand, most participants in that dialogue are from Quint countries that have recognized Kosovo's independence, and they cannot tell Pristina they are wrong for establishing "law and order in the north," including the shutdown of institutions.

"But they also have to take into account that they are engaged in the framework of dialogue, and there are mechanisms, for instance, the Community of Serb Municipalities, through which this could be done. So, they are caught in this paradox. I think the approach has been wrong from the start, and now they are paying the price because they can't satisfy all sides. As we can see, the situation on the ground is worsening," Sljuka concluded.