BELGRADE / PRISTINA – “We support the efforts of Kosovo’s Government to ensure that all persons residing in Kosovo are duly registered in accordance with Kosovo law and are provided with Kosovo documents, either as citizens or as persons with a valid residence permit”, the European Union Office in Kosovo states for EWB, commenting on the Law on Foreigners, which is expected to come into force in Kosovo on 15 March.
This step, announced by the Government of Kosovo, is viewed as the “discriminatory legislation, directly threatening more than 10,000 Serbs living and working there” by Serbian officials.
Kosovo’s Law on Foreigners regulates the entry, movement, and residence of foreign nationals, enforcing strict, formal compliance with Kosovo documents for stay, employment, and border crossings. It requires all foreign citizens, including individuals working in institutions not registered within the Kosovo system, to hold valid residency and work documentation.
It is feared that such an obligation would affect Serbian citizens employed in the education or health sectors in northern Kosovo.
“The Law on Foreigners was adopted back in 2013, but its provisions on entry, exit, and residence in Kosovo will soon begin to be enforced strictly. In practice, Serbs without Kosovo documents will be the first to feel the effects”, Kosovo Online reported.
The article noted that in practice, Serbs living in Kosovo who do not hold Kosovo citizenship will have to register with the police and, in administrative terms, enter further procedure in order to obtain a permit for a stay longer than three days, adding that the same procedure will apply to the individuals coming from central Serbia for work or study, provided that they wish to remain in Kosovo for more than three days.
The EU Office in Kosovo states for EWB that “it is the responsibility of the public authorities to create the conditions for such registration to take place in an orderly manner for all”.
“As partners of the Kosovo authorities, we are making our expertise available to assist all those whose registration has yet to be completed. We also welcomed the decision by the Kosovo Government to launch a related information campaign”, the EU Office stresses.
On the other hand, Marko Savković, a Senior Advisor of the International and Security Affairs Centre (ISAC Fund), remarks for EWB that the Law on Foreigners “will put the Serbian community in Kosovo under great pressure, and complicate their everyday life”.
“Once again, this step is aimed at abolishing one more factor of Serbia’s presence in Kosovo, under the veil of the establishment of the rule of law. There are only the remnants (of Serbian institutions), and Kosovo will not be stronger or more successful after this law is implemented, but from the point of view of those who support the Government of Prime Minister Kurti, it will be a success. In the end, it is all that counts”, Savković notes.
