Acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, while meeting the EU’s special envoy for the dialogue with Serbia, Peter Sorensen, among other things, discussed the issue of about 130 prosecutors and judges of the Serbian community, who are seeking to return to office.
In November 2022, they resigned from Kosovo’s institutions in the north collectively in retaliation to the government’s decision to replace license plates from Serbia with those of Kosovo in the Serbian-majority municipalities of North Mitrovica, Leposavič, Zveçan and Zubin Potok. Focusing on this point, which has caused criticism of Pristina from the international factor, Kurti said that he is open to the inclusion of Serbs in the justice system, but is against their automatic return to office, insisting that every decision must be in compliance with the Constitution and laws of Kosovo.
“The collective resignations of four years ago in the north of the Ibar River had as their aim the destruction of the multi-ethnic composition of our democratic system. Now, the way forward is what is defined by the Constitution and the laws of Kosovo, which in the case of the judicial system means preserving the multi-ethnicity, but at the same time also guaranteeing the independence and quality of justice” – said in the announcement published by Kurti.
Earlier, the President and the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo urged the Judicial Council, which failed to meet on Friday, due to lack of quorum, to request the dismissal of the resigned Serbian judges, although the EU called for no pressure to be exerted on that independent judicial institution.
