The Serbian community in Kosovo demands the suspension of the implementation of the Law on Foreigners

2025-10-01 16:30:25, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Serbian community in Kosovo demands the suspension of the implementation of

Over 30 representatives of Serbian civil society in Kosovo and members of the academic community from Serbian environments throughout Kosovo have called on the international community to take "concrete measures" to prevent the "further collapse" of the Serbian education and healthcare system in Kosovo.

They asked the QUINT countries, the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to exert pressure for the temporary suspension of the implementation of the Law on Foreigners.

According to them, Serbian health and education services in Kosovo are now being "put at risk" by the implementation of legal choices that, "in an unregulated legal framework, produce harmful consequences."

This reaction comes after the warning from the Kosovo authorities for all those who do not have Kosovo documents.

According to this law, those who come to Kosovo for studies or work are also entitled to a residence permit, but proof must be presented from an accredited educational institution where they will attend school, or proof that the designated institution is registered in Kosovo in the case of exercising the right to work.

The implementation of this law may affect the status of doctors, professors or students from Serbia, because all health and educational institutions in Serbian environments in Kosovo, including the University of North Mitrovica, operate in the Serbian system and are not accredited, meaning they do not have a work license.

In the call to the international community to react, it is emphasized that many displaced persons from Kosovo also face administrative obstacles when obtaining Kosovo documents.

Also, a number of Serbs in Kosovo still do not have Kosovo documents, although Kosovo authorities last year enabled the acquisition of "additional" citizenship on the basis of documents issued by Serbian authorities.

"Such a development would constitute a serious violation of the human rights of an ethnic community and would make impossible any real perspective of building a multi-ethnic Kosovo and maintaining stability in the entire region," the call is further assessed, which was signed, among others, by the Center for Affirmative Social Action - CASA, the New Social Initiative, the Informal Group of Professors from the University of North Mitrovica, Proaktiv, Aktiv, the Forum for Development and Interethnic Cooperation, as well as Communication for Social Development.

Representatives of civil society and the academic community refer to the principles contained in the Agreement on the Path to Normalization of Relations between Kosovo and Serbia, "as the only internationally recognized framework for resolving this problem", as well as the constitutional and legal rights of the Serbian community in Kosovo, which guarantee equality before the law, the right to education in their own language, the right to access healthcare and social services without discrimination.

They have called on the ambassadors of QUINT countries, the EU and the OSCE in Kosovo to request "a temporary moratorium on the implementation of the Law on Foreigners, pending the completion of the review of compliance with the standards set by international human rights conventions."

The Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, on September 18, described the warning of the Kosovo authorities for the strict implementation of the Law on Foreigners as "new threats from Pristina aimed at a new wave of persecution and expulsion of Serbs."

This Office also stressed that, if the EU and QUINT do not react, Belgrade "will be forced to consider an adequate political and legal response to this drastic violation of the fundamental rights of the Serbian people through new unilateral and violent actions."/ REL