US expresses concern over closure of Serbian Social Work Centers in the north

2025-02-23 10:58:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The US Embassy in Kosovo has expressed concern about the sudden and uncoordinated closure of the Serbian-run Social Work Centers in northern Kosovo.

"These and similar actions negatively affect thousands of Kosovo citizens and risk creating harmful consequences for Kosovo's future in Europe and for our bilateral relations ," the Embassy said in a response to "X".

Kosovo authorities closed four facilities of the Center for Social Work - which operated within the parallel Serbian system - on Friday due to suspicion that "illegal acts related to the electoral process" were carried out there.

Kosovo Police said in a statement that they had requested permission from the Basic Prosecution Office in Mitrovica to search the premises of the Social Work Centers after four employees of this Center in Zubin Potok were arrested on February 8 for "violating the will of voters."

According to the statement, these officials of parallel and illegal institutions are suspected of having called citizens and threatened them, or shown them how to vote, making them conditional on the payment of social assistance.

The European Union has also called on Kosovo not to close these structures and for their status to be discussed in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, which is mediated by the European bloc.

Parliamentary elections in Kosovo were held on February 9, and according to preliminary results from the Central Election Commission (CEC), the Vetëvendosje Movement of the current Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, won the most votes, while among the Serb community, the Serbian List, supported by Belgrade, won convincingly.

On February 21, the Serbian List reacted to the raids on the facilities of these Centers, claiming that Prime Minister Kurti is using the last few days to once again attack everything Serbian.

The Director of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, said that the employees of these Centers will not be left without salaries, just as no social assistance beneficiary will be left without the benefits paid to them by the Serbian state.

Members of the Serbian community in Kosovo receive various incomes from the Serbian budget, such as salaries, pensions, social assistance, child and parental allowances, and the like.

Kosovo authorities have closed most of the institutions operating within the Serbian system over the past year, arguing that their work is illegal, but official Belgrade has continued to pay them salaries.

On February 18, the German ambassador to Pristina, Jorn Rohde, said that Serbia had interfered in the elections in Kosovo, seeking votes for the Serbian List.

Nathalie Loiseau, head of the European Union election monitoring mission in Kosovo, also said on February 11 that Serbia had interfered in the elections through pressure on Serbian voters in Kosovo./ REL