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Civil society in Kosovo worried about the inclusion after rejection of Serb candidates for new notaries

Mitrovica Bridge; Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The fact that there is not a single representative of the Serb community among one hundred newly-appointed notaries in Kosovo indicates that the Government is moving in a direction that does not imply either inclusion or building trust among the different communities, a representative of the Kosovo Serb NGO states for EWB. Aleksandar Šljuka, a researcher in the Mitrovica-based “New Social Initiative”, says that such a decision can be viewed as a clear message that Serbs are not welcomed in Kosovo’s institutions.

“Last week, Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu signed a decision on the appointment of 101 new notaries in Kosovo. Among the candidates were members of the Serb community, a total of five, but none of them were accepted. The Minister stated that a total of six candidates were rejected, only one of whom was not a Serb. As a reason for the refusal, the Minister cited non-fulfilment of conditions, even though all Serbian candidates passed notarial exams and were highly qualified and recognized in their job”, Aleksandar Šljuka explains.

Our interlocutor adds that exclusively ethnic Albanians were admitted in Serb-majority municipalities, although there were several applications from candidates from the Serb community, for example in Gračanica.

“Although it is not a public office, approval by state officials is required, making this procedure discriminatory and potentially a violation of Article 61 of the Constitution concerning representation in employment in public institutions”, Šljuka stresses.

Aleksandar Šljuka underlines that the Deputy Ombudsman in Kosovo, Srđan Sentić, called this decision “completely unacceptable”, stressing that the practical need for notaries within the Serb community had been neglected, and that he remarked that even if all Serbian candidates had been appointed, there would still have been a need for additional notaries.

Deputy Ombudsman in Kosovo: The decision is alarming as there were many qualified candidates

Srđan Sentić stated that the decision was alarming as there were many qualified candidates who passed the notarial exam and participated in the competition for appointment in municipalities with a Serb majority.

“In addition to the message that the Kosovo Government is sending to the Serb community, it is very worrying that the very need for notaries among the same community has been completely neglected. Therefore, it is necessary to revise the decision due to the fact that five candidates of Serbian nationality met the requirements of the competition and passed the necessary exams, but they were not appointed”, Sentić said for KoSSev.

On the other hand, Minister Haxhiu claims that the notarial examination process was “the most transparent and professional” so far, and that this institution has finally responded to the needs of citizens.

“It is interesting that this decision was made only a few days after the Government of Kosovo formed a Commission for the integration of non-majority communities, which should promote and encourage the inclusion of members of the Serb community in the socio-political life of Kosovo. Such cases do not in any way contribute to inclusivity and building trust among communities in Kosovo. On the contrary, they send a message to members of the Serbian community that they are not welcome in institutions. The OSCE mission responded only after media inquiries, pointing out that it was not directly involved in the process of hiring notaries”, Aleksandar Šljuka remarks for EWB.

Answering to the journalists’ question about the decision of the Ministry of Justice regarding the notaries, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo said that had not been directly involved in the notary hiring process or in monitoring the notary exam procedures.

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