Kosovo

Dozens of Kosovo Serbs protested on Monday in North Mitrovica after Kosovo authorities closed five Serbia-run 'parallel institutions' in the Serb-majority north, part of continuing efforts to extend government authority.

Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani said on August 15 the country must ensure that the main bridge in Mitrovica, which divides the northern city into an Albanian-majority southern side and a Serb-majority northern side, is opened in a way that does not provoke conflict with Kosovo's international partners.

The U.S. ambassador to Pristina has expressed concerns about the partnership between the United States and Kosovo, especially regarding the government's handling of issues related to the country's Serb minority.

Fears of ethnically charged strife have flared up in the Balkans this week as Kosovo dramatically intensified its pressure on tens of thousands of local Serbs to abandon aspects of daily life tied to Serbia, shutting post offices used by Serbs and preparing a controversial reopening of a bridge separating ethnic Serb and Albanian communities. 

Hundreds of Serbs protested on Wednesday against the Kosovo government’s move to open the main bridge in Mitrovica, which divides the Serb-dominated north and Albanian south of the city. The planned reopening of the bridge for vehicle traffic has sparked a new row between the government and its Western allies, who want the issue resolved as part of the EU-mediated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in Brussels rather than in a unilateral move by Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s government.

Journalists and media advocates are concerned that a new law in Kosovo could give the government greater control. The new law seeks to license online media, give the Independent Media Commission, or IMC, power to monitor news websites, and increase the number of politically appointed members of the body, … .

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague on Tuesday found former Kosovo Liberation Army member Pjeter Shala guilty of three war crimes charges, including the arbitrary detention and torture of at least 18 detainees at the Kukes Metal Factory in Kukes, Albania and the murder of one prisoner.

Germany's armed forces are to continue their deployments in Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and off the coast of Lebanon as part of international missions, lawmakers in Berlin agreed on June 27.

A scheduled meeting between the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo aimed at renewing of the process of talks on the normalization of relations between the two countries failed to take place in Brussels on June 26 amid continued signs of animosity on both sides.

To restore its credibility, particularly in its pursuit of EU and NATO membership, Kosovo needs to demonstrate full alignment with Western policies. Sustained Western diplomatic engagement with both Kosovo and Serbia is essential in the coming months to prevent the already precarious security situation from deteriorating further.