Friday, 17 December 2021

11th Sitting of the Committee on Kosovo-Metohija

At the sitting held on 17 December 2021, the Committee on Kosovo-Metohija considered the Office for Kosovo-Metohija Activity Report for the period January – December 2021, submitted by the Office for Kosovo-Metohija. The Committee was also informed about the course of the EU-mediated Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.


The Office for Kosovo-Metohija Activity Report for the period January – December 2021 was presented by Igor Popovic, Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo-Metohija, saying that the total funds allocated for the Office for Kosovo-Metohija in the Republic of Serbia 2021 Budget Law - 11,978,397,000.00 RSD, are significant funds without which the survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo-Metohija would not be possible.

He went on to say that the Office has continued to provide free legal aid, which mitigates the position of the users who are most often in a difficult financial situation. In order to provide regular, expert, legal protection of people’s property rights, the Office is actively cooperating with the Free Legal Aid Project funded by EU-IPA 2016, in the amount of 2,951,630.00 EUR.

In the reporting period, for the purposes of financing the legal service of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren, in 2021 the Office channelled a total of 1,600,000.00 RSD in two tranches in the amount of 800,000.00 RSD, paid in June and December.

The Report states that the Office has continued to provide assistance to economic entities, representatives of the Serbian community in the Assembly of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government on the territory of AP Kosovo-Metohija, as well as special financial assistance to Serbs and non-Albanians in AP Kosovo-Metohija. In accordance with the Government Conclusion of 25 March 2021, cooperation was organised and implemented with all local self-government units on the territory of AP Kosovo-Metohija in April and May 2021 to provide one-time assistance to all citizens of Serbia, Serbs and non-Albanians living on the territory of AP Kosovo-Metohija, to mitigate the negative impact of the coronavirus. Minors, employed persons, pensioners and users of cash benefits received 100 EUR each from the budget, while the unemployed received 200 EUR.

Committee Chairman Milovan Drecun praised the exhaustive report and asked the representatives of the Office to communicate as much as possible with the Serbian people in Kosovo-Metohija. He stressed that he got the impression that there are citizens who either do not know, or are not sufficiently informed or do not have the technical ability to contact the Office.

Following a discussion, the Committee adopted the presented Report.

Miloje Zdravkovic, Director of the Office for the Coordination of Affairs in the Process of Negotiation with the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Pristina, informed the Committee about the course of the EU-mediated Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

He stressed that the quantitatively speaking, the dialogue went well, with nine meetings in 2021, however he had to note that no qualitative progress had been made due to Pristina's refusal to discuss any technical issue with the Serbian side. He said that this refusal creates a crisis in the field and critical periods may follow due to possible unilateral actions by Pristina.

"The main problem we are facing is the issue of energy. Namely, Pristina refused to register and license company "EPS Trade", while company "Elektrosever" is registered only for trade in electrical power and is waiting to get a license for electricity supply", said Zdravkovic. He went on to say that Pristina could unilaterally cut electrical supply in the north of Kosovo-Metohija, which would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. According to him, crisis could also occur by the Provisional Institutions in Pristina preventing the upcoming referendum on the Constitutional amendment, and what inevitably comes as a conclusion is that the sequence of events coincides with the upcoming elections in the Republic of Serbia.

The Committee Chairman expressed concern over the possible destabilisation of the security situation in Kosovo-Metohija urging for a synchronised state action at the international level, to warn of the risks posed by these situations. He believes that it is necessary to acquaint the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic, who has the most international contacts, with the possible crisis situations.

In the course of the sitting, the participants also discussed the issues of private property, freedom of movement and license plates.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Milovan Drecun and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Milorad Linta, Natasa Mitrovic, Danijela Vujicic, Rajko Kapelan, Slavisa Bulatovic, Ljubomir Maric, Srboslav Filipovic, Djordje Kosanic, Danijela Veljovic and Ilija Zivotic.



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thursday, 28 march
  • 9.00 - consultations of representatives of the parliamentary groups about the election of deputy chairpersons of the National Assembly working bodies (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 1)

  • 10.00 - visit of the students of Stevan Dukic Elementary School to the National Assembly House (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square)

  • 11.00 - visit of the students of Drinka Pavlovic Elementary School Student Parliament to the National Assembly House (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square)

  • 11.00 - press conference of the Green-Left Front – Don’t Let Belgrade D(r)оwn Parliamentary Group (National Assembly House 13, Nikola Pasic Square. Central Hall)

  • 13.00 - the National Assembly Speaker meets with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Serbia (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Speaker’s Cabinet)

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