Vujovic: Non-selection of Serbian notaries a form of institutional discrimination

Oliver Vujovic from the Forum for Development and Multiethnic Cooperation (FDMC) in Gracanica states that at least 10 percent of selected notaries in Kosovo should be from minority communities and that the non-selection of Serbian public notaries constitutes institutional discrimination.

"This is a form of institutional discrimination, not only in this regard but in many other areas as well. No justification is sufficient to explain the absence of even a single notary who should work normally with the Serbian community. And not just with the Serbian community, but with all other minority communities as well. My suggestion is to review this decision and, according to the law and constitution, ensure that at least 10 percent of notaries come from minority communities, which we do not have in this case," Vujovic says.

He indicates that the non-selection of Serbian notaries is essentially a problem that Serbs, unfortunately, will have to get used to.

"This may be a problem at some point, people will protest, but like everything else, if it continues, it will eventually be forgotten, and it will continue at its own pace. We will be left without notaries, and that's it," our interlocutor states.

He assesses that there must be political will for any change.

"Without that political will, no matter how much the civil sector and all other interested parties protest and complain, without political will, I think it will remain as it is," Vujovic concludes.