Representatives of the Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo have adopted a joint declaration outlining several demands. Among their requests is that Serbs living in Kosovo “be provided with legal, administrative, and other facilitation in procedures such as obtaining personal documents.”
They also stated that the continued refusal to establish the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities “is proof that the international community must become more actively engaged in protecting the rights of the Serb population.”
The declaration also emphasizes the unified position of political representatives and serves as a call for legal security, dialogue, and full respect for the rights of Serbs.
Additionally, in the adopted declaration, the Serb representatives refer to Kosovo as “Kosovo and Metohija.”
Full Declaration Highlights:
- They demand all citizens living in these areas be granted appropriate legal and administrative facilitation, including in obtaining personal documents, to ensure their fundamental rights as equal citizens. Existing laws are deemed incompatible with the interests of the Serb population and need to be amended. They also request that workers and students participating in the education and healthcare system be granted unhindered access and stay for the duration of their work or study, verified by proper documentation from competent institutions.
- They request guarantees for the peaceful and unobstructed enjoyment of movable and immovable property, as well as the right to use vehicles, with appropriate legal facilitation and without discrimination or legal uncertainty.
- They firmly reject any actions that could endanger the functioning of Serb healthcare and education institutions, insisting that all open issues be resolved exclusively through dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, and via the establishment of the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities. They oppose unilateral or violent actions that threaten these sectors.
- They insist on a reasonable and sufficient timeline for implementing the first two points, allowing citizens to adapt to new legal circumstances without jeopardizing their survival and basic needs.
- They commend the continuous efforts of the Quint countries to find a fair and sustainable solution and reaffirm their commitment to constructive dialogue and stability through their legitimately elected representatives.
- The ongoing refusal to form the Association and repeated violations of the Brussels agreements and existing legal frameworks are proof that the international community must engage more actively to protect Serb rights, as Kosovo’s mechanisms alone are insufficient.
The declaration underlines the unique position of Serb political and institutional representatives and calls for legal security, dialogue, and respect for the rights of the Serb population in Kosovo and Metohija.
It warns the international community and Kosovo authorities that unilateral actions against educational and healthcare institutions, enforcement of foreigner laws, vehicle regulations without adaptation to local realities, and lack of legal facilitation could lead to the administrative and ethnic cleansing of Serbs from areas where they have lived for centuries, threatening fundamental human rights and the multiethnic character of society.
