Municipalities in the north withdraw from the Association of Kosovo Municipalities

2025-12-18 13:52:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Municipalities in the north withdraw from the Association of Kosovo

The Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo – North Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok – withdrew from the Association of Kosovo Municipalities on Thursday, as they want to be part of a separate association of Serb-majority municipalities in the country.

This decision comes after the Serbian List – the largest Kosovo Serb party supported by Serbia – regained power in these four municipalities following the October local elections.

The new mayors from this party had announced in early December that they would review the decisions taken by the previous Albanian mayors. They announced a “detailed review of the inherited legal and financial situation, so that in the coming period decisions can be made in accordance with the law and in the best interest of the citizens.”

The Mayor of North Mitrovica, Milan Radojevic, justifying the request to withdraw from the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, said that this has never been the wish of the Serb population in this municipality and that it was a "political decision".

North Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok were led by Albanian mayors from May 2023 until the October 2025 elections, after the representatives of the Serbian List resigned in November 2022, as part of the joint initiative of Serbs to abandon Kosovo institutions in protest against the decisions of the Kosovo Government.

Under the leadership of Albanian mayors, these municipalities joined the Association of Kosovo Municipalities in the summer of 2023. This association operates as a non-governmental organization with the aim of exchanging experiences and protecting the interests of its members.

The Serbian List had at that time opposed the membership of municipalities with a Serb majority in it, assessing that the decision was not made "in the interest of the citizens and was illegal."

At that time, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu?i?, also reacted, assessing that municipalities with a Serb majority should be part of an association of municipalities with a Serb majority, the establishment of which Kosovo and Serbia agreed several times during their dialogue under the mediation of the European Union.

Kosovo has not taken steps to establish this association, despite pressure from the international community. During their rule in Serb-majority municipalities, Albanian mayors also took over the administration of buildings owned by them where Serbian institutions operated, banned what they called illegal construction financed by Serbia, and warned of the demolition of settlements built without permits.

Also, the municipality of North Mitrovica, in the summer of this year, signed a memorandum of understanding with the municipality of South Mitrovica, which envisaged the construction of bridges over the Ibar River for pedestrians and vehicles, which was supported by the Government of Kosovo.

The Serbian List has warned that it will request a review of all these decisions. The Law on Local Self-Government provides that, for a decision or other act of the municipality that is not in accordance with the Constitution and laws, a review may be requested by the supervisory body – in this case the Ministry of Local Government Administration or other responsible institutions of the Government of Kosovo. /REL