Jovana Radosavljević, once a prominent civil society activist in northern Kosovo widely known for her international projects on inter-ethnic dialogue and integration, has fully transitioned into a political figure and executive within Serbia’s parallel institutional framework in Kosovo.
According to a profile report by VeritasInfo, Radosavljević’s career path represents a complete shift from an independent, EU-backed community mediator to a direct instrument of Belgrade’s institutional influence in the region.
The Civil Society Background: Accessing Integration Funds
For years, Radosavljević was a highly visible figure in the non-governmental sector in northern Mitrovica, serving as the Executive Director of the New Social Initiative (NSI).
- Dialogue Projects: In this capacity, she managed substantial international funds dedicated to bridging ethnic divides, focusing heavily on projects involving the Pristina-Belgrade Dialogue and the defense of non-majority community rights.
- EU Accession Ties: Through her leadership at NSI, she secured a position as an active member of the National Convention on the European Union in Serbia, specifically operating within the working group for Chapter 35 (which deals directly with Serbia’s normalization of relations with Kosovo).
The 2024 Checkpoint Arrest: Originally from Leposavić, Radosavljević made headlines in 2024 when she was arrested by Kosovo Police at the Bistrica checkpoint for unauthorized filming and illegal photography of a police security post.
The Political Pivot: Srpska Lista and Parallel Leadership
Radosavljević’s career underwent a fundamental transformation upon her entry into formal politics, aligning herself with Srpska Lista (Serbian List)—the dominant political party representing Kosovo Serbs, which is widely recognized as being directly controlled by the regime in Belgrade.
She successfully secured a mandate as an MP in the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo representing Srpska Lista. However, her political involvement has rapidly expanded past her legislative role into the gray zone of unsanctioned administrative entities.
Heading Belgrade’s Unsanctioned Health Insurance Fund
Radosavljević has recently been appointed to a major executive position within the shadow administrative network funded by Serbia: Director of the Health Insurance Fund for the so-called “Kosovo-Mitrovica District.”
The Institutional Conflict
This appointment highlights a direct clash between her overlapping public roles:
| Public / Institutional Role | Legal and Territorial Status |
| MP in the Assembly of Kosovo | Operates within the official, constitutional system of the Republic of Kosovo. |
| Director of the Health Insurance Fund | Operates strictly within the parallel institutional system of Serbia, completely outside Kosovo’s legal jurisdiction. |
Belgrade’s Counter-Strategy Against Kosovo’s Sovereignty
Radosavljević’s trajectory underscores a broader geopolitical tug-of-war. Over the last few years, Pristina has aggressively executed security and administrative operations to shut down nearly all parallel Serbian institutions, systematically extending state sovereignty across the northern municipalities.
In this context, the decision by Belgrade to appoint a sitting Kosovo MP and former prominent civil society activist to lead a shadow health fund is viewed by Pristina as a deliberate, calculated move by Serbia to retain institutional leverage and deep-seated political control over the local Serb population.
