On 11 December 2013, Group for Legal and Political Studies hosted a panel discussion entitled ‘Quo Vadis? Northern Kosovo municipalities after local elections and the 19^th April Kosovo-Serbia Agreement.’ The panel prompted discussion on the municipal elections in the north of Kosovo, their results, and the future of municipal leadership in the north in the context of the EU-facilitated agreement. In addition, the panel discussed and debated the orientation of the Association of Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo that was initiated via the April Agreement. Panelists offered differing perspectives on the somewhat ambiguous nature of the Association of Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo, some viewing it as a political cooperative and government related entity and others viewing it more closely to an NGO. Panelists debated whether this new EU-prescribed Association would serve to integrate Kosovo institutions into the formerly illegal ‘parallel’ Belgrade-supported structures or whether this agreement could serve as a platform to integrate pre-existing northern structures into Kosovo’s political fold.

At the beginning of the discussion, a policy note entitled ‘Association of Serbian Municipalities: From a tool of integration, to a disaster in the making’ was presented by its author Agron Bajrami. This policy note analyses the impact of local elections in the northern Kosovo and Belgrade’s influence on municipal elections in the North of Kosovo. In particular, this policy note details the effects and possible risks that the April Agreement has had and may have on Kosovo’s ability to guarantee a representative leadership in northern municipalities as well as other Serb-majority municipalities. The report can be downloaded by clicking here.

Panel Discussion: “Quo Vadis? Northern Kosovo municipalities after local elections and the 19^th April Kosovo-Serbia Agreement”

Panelists:

1. Mr. BelulBeqaj, Professor of Political Science and Analyst of Kosovo Serbian Relations;
2. Mr. AgronBajrami, Editor in Chief of KohaDitore Daily and Author of the Report;
3. H.E. Robert Bosch, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Kosovo;
4. Mr. FisnikKorenica, Group for Legal and Political Studies, Moderator.

Date: Wednesday, 11 December 2013

Venue: Swiss Diamond Hotel in Prishtina, Kosovo