EU requests additional information on revocation of license for MTS

2023-08-18 14:28:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The spokesperson of the European Union, Peter Stano, has told Radio Free Europe that the European bloc is reviewing the decision of the Government of Kosovo to revoke the license of the company MTS doo, due to the disputed documentation during the business registration.

"The European Union is seeking more information from both sides to understand the implications of the decision in the 2013 Agreement and the 2016 conclusions on telecommunications," he said.

MTS doo is a company founded on the basis of the Brussels Agreement for the Telecommunications of Kosovo and Serbia from 2015.

At the end of 2016, this company received the license to operate according to the laws of Kosovo. The founder with 100 percent of the shares is "Telekom Serbia".

The company is headquartered in North Mitrovica, although it has several branches in other parts of Kosovo. In addition to TV packages, MTS also offers Internet and other telephone services to its customers.

However, at the beginning of August, the Government of Kosovo made a decision to revoke the license, due to "unconstitutional documents" in the registers.

Dozens of other companies have had their business licenses revoked for the same reason. In the case of MTS, the reason for revocation is that one of the responsible persons, during the registration period, attached a passport issued by the Serbian authorities, in which the place of birth reads "Mitrovica e Kosova, Republic of Serbia" .

The Agency for Registration of Businesses in Kosovo has said in the explanation for the decision that, "such content is not allowed for use in the Republic of Kosovo, because it constitutes a violation of the constitutional norm and is something that constitutes a serious threat to public security".

Serbia issues identification documents for all cities in Kosovo, but official Pristina does not accept them.

"Telekom Serbia" does not accept the decision of the Government of Kosovo, saying that "the legal team is preparing a long appeal, which will be submitted within the legal deadlines".

The deadline for submitting the appeal is 30 days.

Previously, the American ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, warned that Kosovo should be careful when revoking work licenses, and said that they are negotiating with the EU envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, on how to this issue is resolved.

When asked about this issue in a conversation with journalists in Pristina, on August 16, Hovenier said that he encourages the Government of Kosovo to take careful steps when it comes to revoking work permits./ Rel