Municipalities with a Serb majority in northern Kosovo North Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zvecan, and Zubin Potok voted on Thursday to withdraw from the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, seeking to join a separate association of Serb-majority municipalities.
Elbert Krasniqi, the acting minister, reacted to the decision, stating that all decisions and participation in Kosovo’s institutions must follow clear rules and procedures in accordance with the Constitution and applicable laws.
Krasniqi emphasized that monitoring reports from municipal assembly sessions showed that the mayors illegally proposed additional agenda items during assembly meetings with the aim of exiting the Association.
This practice violates the Law on Local Self-Government (Article 47.2), which states that only assembly members may request additional agenda items, and only for urgent matters of public importance. Such requests must be approved by a majority of assembly members (Article 47.3). At no point does the law give mayors the right to propose extra agenda items themselves.
As a result, the items proposed in this manner did not follow legal procedure and are considered illegal, putting the legitimacy of decisions based on them into question.
Krasniqi stressed that following legal procedures is not a mere formality but a guarantee for democratic functioning, transparency, and rule of law at the local level.
Beyond the procedural aspect, the initiative by the Serb List is seen as a deliberate attempt to create division, mistrust, and tension between communities, demonstrating a lack of willingness to cooperate with other municipalities within the Association.
Kosovo’s communities have a shared interest in integration, cooperation, economic development, security, peaceful living, and mutual trust, in line with democratic values and EU integration processes.
According to Krasniqi, the Serb List’s actions aim to advance Serbian interests in Kosovo by fostering division and mistrust, rather than representing the interests, integration, and well-being of Kosovo Serbs.
