The head of EULEX, Giovanni Pietro Barbano, has reiterated the European Union’s strong condemnation of the Banjska attack while stressing the need for swift justice.
In an interview with the Swiss portal Le Canton27.ch, Barbano emphasized that the EU remains committed to ensuring accountability for those responsible for the September 2023 attack in northern Kosovo.
“EULEX and the international community are taking this incident extremely seriously. The EU has consistently condemned the attacks in the strongest terms and has urged for the investigations to conclude swiftly so that all perpetrators are held accountable,” Barbano stated.
However, he clarified that since EULEX’s mandate was revised in 2018, the mission does not conduct criminal investigations. Instead, it plays a crucial role in monitoring how Kosovo’s judicial institutions handle the case.
The Banjska attack, in which heavily armed Serb paramilitaries launched an assault against Kosovo Police officers, remains a key issue in EU-Kosovo relations, with ongoing calls for Serbia to cooperate fully in the investigation.
