“Yet another uncoordinated action”, EU reacts after the closure of Serbian health and pension insurance offices

“Yet another uncoordinated action”, EU reacts after the closure of Serbian health and pension insurance offices

The European Union has condemned the closure of the offices in Mitrovica of the Health Insurance Fund and the Disability and Pension Insurance Fund, which operate under the Serbian system.

“This constitutes yet another uncoordinated action by the acting Government of Kosovo against such structures and is contrary to Kosovo’s obligations and commitments towards the EU. The EU has consistently stated that their status should be resolved in line with the Brussels-mediated dialogue, the agreements reached and the laws of Kosovo,” an EU statement said.

The EU called on the acting Government of Kosovo and other relevant Kosovo institutions to “refrain from such provocations and harmful actions and to consult with the local Serb community and international partners.”

According to the European bloc, these actions have a negative impact on ordinary citizens, mainly from the Serbian community in Kosovo, but also on other communities.

A day ago, the Municipality of North Mitrovica confirmed to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that with the assistance of the Kosovo Police, the Inspectorate of this municipality conducted inspections in the areas where these Serbian institutions operated.

“During the inspection, it was found that the persons encountered at the facility did not have valid documentation for the exercise of the aforementioned activity. For this reason, the work has been temporarily suspended, while the further procedure will be carried out in a regular manner, in accordance with the laws and powers in force,” said the Municipality of North Mitrovica.

The Health Insurance Fund in North Mitrovica operates within the framework of the Republican Health Insurance Fund of Serbia and provides services in the field of healthcare – such as verifying health records, work related to medical commissions, calculating, controlling and paying financial compensations, as well as verifying requests for medical-technical assistance and the like.

In Serbian environments in Kosovo, all health and educational institutions operate according to the Serbian system.

In an interview given to Radio Free Europe in September 2024, Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, said that the functioning of health and education in Serb-majority environments is specific and that these institutions will be treated specifically – separately from the closure of other Serb institutions.

In 2024, Kosovo authorities began closing several Serbian institutions in Kosovo, including: the Post of Serbia, the Postal Savings Bank, temporary municipal bodies, social work centers, and others.

Meanwhile, days ago, facilities in Gracanica and Štrpce that were used by the Serbian Post were also taken under control by the Kosovo authorities.

The closure of Serbian institutions, which Kosovo considers illegal and parallel, has faced criticism from the EU and the United States, which have said that the Kosovo government is taking unilateral and uncoordinated actions.

The chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Pristina, Anu Prattipati, told a Serbian-language media group on September 4 that all parallel Serbian institutions, including education and healthcare, should be integrated into the Kosovo system.

However, she stressed that the way in which this integration will be carried out is essential and, according to her, should only be developed through consultations with the Serbian community. /REL/