Report of the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, to the OSCE Permanent Council 6 February 2014

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1 PC.FR/1/14 30 January 2014 OSCE+ ENGLISH only 1. Major developments in Kosovo 1 Report of the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, to the OSCE Permanent Council 6 February 2014 The dominant topic of the reporting period was the continued dialogue between Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade facilitated in Brussels by the European Union. On 8 September Prime Ministers Hashim Thaçi and Ivica Dačić reached an agreement on telecommunications and energy. The prime ministers met again in Brussels on 7 October, discussing modalities surrounding the 3 November local elections in Kosovo. As the facilitator for the conduct of the elections in northern Kosovo, the OSCE participated in the meeting to inform the prime ministers about the preparation process. On 5 and 13 December just ahead of the EU Ministerial Council of 17 December, where the Council was expected to announce its decision on the date for opening accession negotiations with Serbia, European Union High Representative (EUHR) Catherine Ashton hosted another meeting of the prime ministers in Brussels to discuss the further implementation of the 19 April 2013 First Agreement of principles governing normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Prishtinë/Priština. An agreement was reached on the modalities of integrating Kosovo Serb security personnel into Kosovo Police. On 13 December the Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that the first employment contracts were signed with former members of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP). On 14 December the Kosovo government announced the commencement of the implementation of the agreement on customs and the collection of VAT and excise taxes at the northern Kosovo crossing points in Jarinje (Gate 1, Leposavić/Leposaviq) and Brnjak (Gate 31, Zubin Potok), whose revenues, according to the implementation plan of the 19 April Agreement, are to be channelled into a development fund for northern Kosovo. Progress was also made in the implementation of the agreement on civil registry, reached on 2 July As of December 2013, EULEX has handed over 10,121 copies, out of a total of approximately 12,000 original civil registry books. 2 Technical working group meetings resumed in Brussels in early January 2014 to define procedural details with regard to the inauguration of the municipal assemblies of the four northern municipalities, as well as the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb municipalities in Kosovo. On 3 November mayoral and municipal assembly elections took place throughout Kosovo. No major incidents or irregularities were reported south of the river Ibar. On 1 December run-offs for mayoral elections were held in 25 municipalities. 3 No major irregularities were reported, except for in Parteš/Partesh municipality, where the second round of mayoral elections had to be repeated on 15 December in one polling centre, comprising three polling stations, in light of incidents on 1 December in which sensitive materials at these polling stations were severely damaged. The 19 April Agreement also stipulated that local elections in northern Kosovo are to be facilitated by the OSCE. The OSCE was thus entrusted with chairing the meetings of the Working Group on 1 All references to Kosovo institutions/leaders refer to the Provisional Institutions of Self Government. 2 The copies of civil registry books are produced and certified as part of an EU funded project based in Niš, involving EULEX, the EU Office in Kosovo/EUSR, the Danish Refugee Council as the implementing partner, and representatives from Belgrade and Prishtinë/Priština. Following the handover to the Kosovo Civil Registration Agency, the certified copies are hardcover bound in Prishtinë/Priština and subsequently handed over to the local municipal institutions for everyday use in the municipal civil status offices. 3 According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), the overall turnout throughout Kosovo in the first round was percent and in the second round percent /14nn

2 Elections, composed of relevant representatives of Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade, taking place in the framework of the EU-facilitated dialogue process in the period June-November In line with the 19 April Agreement and the subsequent conclusions of the Working Group on Elections, the OSCE conducted numerous activities within its facilitation role and in support to the Central Election Commission (CEC), including the local election management structures. The OSCE provided facilitation in the following areas: establishment of municipal election management bodies and provision of advice to these bodies on a daily basis, key activities related to voter services, by-mail voting for displaced persons residing in different areas of Serbia and Montenegro, political entity certification, and voter information, The first round of municipal and mayoral elections in northern Kosovo was also held on 3 November. On the day, the OSCE deployed 240 facilitators to 94 polling stations in the four northern Kosovo municipalities. Voting proceeded with no significant incidents reported until around hrs, when a group of around 30 masked men stormed into the polling centre Sveti Sava in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North and destroyed ballot boxes and other election materials, exhibiting hostility towards the OSCE and local election staff and throwing tear gas. A similar scenario happened at the Technical School polling centre in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North, with indications that it might be repeated at the polling centre Medical School in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North. The OSCE facilitators withdrew from the three schools. At hrs, the security situation further deteriorated when a group of extremists gathered outside the biggest polling centre in Zvečan/Zveçan municipality, throwing stones at OSCE and EULEX vehicles and also exhibiting hostility. At 18.30hrs, the OSCE closed the polling stations in all three remaining northern municipalities and took custody of election materials. The OSCE facilitators, escorted by EULEX and KFOR, made their way safely to the hubs south of the river Ibar. Election materials from the municipalities of Leposavić/Leposaviq, Zubin Potok, Zvečan/Zveçan, and from the non-attacked centres in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North were subsequently delivered to the CEC. The CEC called for a re-vote in the three attacked centres in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North, which was held on 17 November with the facilitation of 60 OSCE staff deployed to the locations. Kosovo Police, EULEX and KFOR significantly enhanced their presence at the voting locations and the re-vote was held without significant incident. On 1 December run-off mayoral elections were held in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North and a re-vote was held at the polling centre in Zvečan/Zveçan which had been attacked on 3 November, following a complaint by a political entity leading the CEC to call for a re-vote. The OSCE deployed 110 facilitators and the three security responders maintained an enhanced security presence near all voting locations. Voting on 1 December was also conducted without incident. The overall turnout for the four northern Kosovo municipalities was above 25 percent. Candidates from Citizen Initiative Srpska (GIS) won the mayoral positions in all four municipalities: Leposavić/Leposaviq (Dragan Jablanović), Zubin Potok (Stevan Vulović), Zvečan/Zveçan (Vučina Janković) and Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North (Krstimir Pantić). On 12 December the CEC certified the final results of the second round of mayoral elections on 1 December, as well as the results of the elections for municipal assemblies, which took place on 3 November along with the first round of mayoral elections. On 16 December it also certified final results for mayoral elections in Parteš/Partesh municipality. According to the final certified results the overall turnout in the 3 November local elections was percent, representing a slight increase in participation in comparison to the 2009 elections (with a turnout of percent). According to a preliminary statement of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), the elections were a positive step forward for democracy in Kosovo. In most of Kosovo, Election Day passed calmly and peacefully, with people expressing their democratic right to vote, including in most areas of northern Kosovo, despite attempts by opponents of the elections to dissuade people from voting there. The EU EOM further stated that the OSCE Mission played a crucial role in facilitating the elections in the north, as well as out-of-kosovo postal voting from different areas of Serbia and Montenegro. 2

3 The elections brought changes in the leadership of several municipalities. Isa Mustafa, President of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and incumbent mayor of Prishtinë/Priština, lost the run-off to Shpend Ahmeti from the Vetëvendosje ( Self-Determination ) Movement. The leading government coalition member, Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), and the third largest party in Kosovo, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), also lost the leading position in several municipalities they previously held. For the first time, a woman has been elected mayor, with Mimoza Kuzari-Lila of the Alliance for New Kosovo (AKR), who is a former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry, winning elections in Gjakovë/Đakovica. The breakdown in terms of mayoral positions per party is the following: Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) - 10 municipalities (down from 14 won in 2009 elections), LDK - nine municipalities (up from seven won in 2009 elections), Citizen Initiative Srpska (GIS) - nine municipalities, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) - three municipalities (down from six in 2009 elections), AKR - two municipalities (none won in 2009), SLS (the Kosovo Serb Autonomous Liberal Party) - one municipality (down from three in 2009 elections), and Vetëvendosje - one municipality, with other municipalities being won by local-level civic initiatives. On 11 January, following a wide consultation process, inaugural sessions were held by the four northern Kosovo municipalities, in line with existing legal procedures. Mayors and municipal assembly members took the oath of office and the municipal bodies were thus formally established, except in the case of the mayor-elect of Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North, Krstimir Pantić, who refused to sign an oath of office under a notion that Kosovo symbols were featured on the document under a white band that reportedly covered a portion of the paper. As a consequence, on 20 January, President Atifete Jahjaga called a repeat mayoral election for the municipality, to be held on 23 February. The election will be held under OSCE facilitation and generally under the same arrangements as the previous rounds of elections in the four northern Kosovo municipalities. In terms of other developments during the reporting period, the Assembly of Kosovo was brought to a stalemate on several occasions, with the main issue of discontent being the privatisation of 75 percent of shares of the Post and Telekom of Kosovo (PTK), a publicly-owned enterprise. A series of Assembly attempts to approve the Report of the government commission on PTK privatization, i.e. to approve the sale of 75 percent of PTK shares, was not successful. On 26 December a final attempt to approve the PTK privatization by including it in the Kosovo budget for 2014 as an amendment to the draft law on budget was attempted, but was also unsuccessful. Thus, on 31 December, the Ministry of Economic Development issued a press release announcing that due to the failure of the Assembly of Kosovo to approve the Report, and since the deadline for the signing of the contract with the best bidder expired on 30 December, the government commission decided to terminate the process of the privatization. It is notable that, in the course of PTK privatization discussions, opposition to the motion also came from Assembly members representing the leading governing coalition member, PDK. Indeed, the President of the Assembly, Jakup Krasniqi, and Fatmir Limaj, a senior party official and former minister, were vocal against PTK privatization, as well as other PDK-run initiatives in the Assembly. Mr Krasniqi and Mr Limaj also supported the newly-established Citizen Initiative for Drenas (Gllogovc/Gllogovac) and Citizen Initiative for Malishevë, both seceding from local PDK structures in the two municipalities. The latter initiative even won the mayoral elections in Malishevë/Mališevo, taking the municipal leadership away from PDK for the first time since On 26 December the Assembly dismissed the chairperson (Kosovo Albanian) and a member (Kosovo Serb) of the Independent Media Commission (IMC) on grounds of continued unlawful involvement in politics while serving as board members of an independent executive institution. The Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, issued a public statement welcoming the decision and hoping that it will help improve the situation of the broadcast media regulator, as well as that the Assembly will act swiftly by appointing eligible, independent, and professional members to the IMC Board. 3

4 On 11 January members of the Kosovo and Albanian government cabinets met in Prizren for a joint meeting to discuss important topics with the aim of deepening the cross-state cooperation. 4 The meeting covered the situation of ethnic Albanians in southern Serbia, cooperation in several sectors, facilitation of trade and joining efforts in the translation of the EU acquis communautaire into the Albanian language. After the meeting, the two prime ministers signed a document on strategic cooperation and partnership. In subsequent days, Prime Minister Thaçi stated that preparations had started for a joint meeting with the government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and that there will be such meetings with other governments from the region in the future. On 16 October the European Commission (EC) published its 2013 Enlargement Package and the 2013 Progress Report on Kosovo. The report lists progress regarding some political criteria and on the implementation of EU legislation, and reflects a comprehensive reform agenda which Kosovo institutions should address. The report underlined the necessity to keep normalising relations with Serbia and to continue building an inclusive Kosovo. It also stated that further efforts are needed to meet the challenges of the European reform agenda and lists as priority areas the rule of law, judiciary, public administration, electoral reform, human and fundamental rights, protection of communities, trade and internal market issues. On 23 December the EC approved additional funds to support the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. 5 Following its announcement at the end of October to allocate at least 15 million under the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) to address the needs of Serb majority municipalities throughout Kosovo, in particular the northern municipalities, the EC adopted a package totalling 38.5 million. This fund will focus on the municipal infrastructure, public administration, rural and regional development, employment, education and environmental protection. It comes in an addition to the 70 million available under the 2013 IPA programme for Kosovo. The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) continued its activities, including those related to the prosecution of organized crime, war crimes and corruption. With a view to the expiry of its current mandate on 14 June 2014, the Kosovo government on 18 September forwarded to the Assembly of Kosovo a strategy for the gradual transfer of EULEX competencies to Kosovo institutions. At the time of reporting, the draft was still under discussion. On 8 January 2014, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Hajredin Kuçi (PDK) stated that, after June 2014, EULEX should have a monitoring and advisory role only. On 17 September a panel of two EULEX judges and one Kosovo judge at the Basic Court in Prishtinë/Priština acquitted the former minister and senior PDK member, Fatmir Limaj, and nine codefendants of war crime charges in the so-called Klecka case, 6 after the trial panel considered that the prosecution s case rested substantially on the evidence of the deceased witness Agim Zogaj, which was found inconsistent and contradicted by other evidence. The court found, however, in regard to a Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) operated detention centre in the village of Kleçkë/Klečka in 1999, that some detainees were mistreated during their detention, that a number of detainees were unlawfully killed in the detention centre and that one victim remained missing. In another war crimes case the so-called Drenica group case the Special Prosecution of Kosovo held the initial hearing on 27 November against four defendants charged with criminal offences of war crimes against the civilian population, including torture and rape of two Kosovo Albanian civilians, allegedly committed in Vaganica and Likoc/Likovac in 1998/1999. The accused include Sylejman Selimi, Prishtinë/Priština s ambassador in Tirana and a former KLA commander, and three 4 See [in Albanian] 5 See 6 The defendants were charged with, inter alia, war crimes allegedly committed in 1999 at an improvised Kosovo Liberation Army detention centre located in Kleçkë/Klečka village in Malishevë/Mališevo municipality. Already in May 2012 the Basic Court in Prishtinë/Priština had acquitted Fatmir Limaj and three co-defendants due to a lack of evidence, declaring the testimony of a key witness of the prosecution inadmissible. In November 2012, the Kosovo Supreme Court ordered a retrial of the case, annulled the first verdict of the Basic Court and declared the testimony of the key witness admissible. 4

5 other former KLA members. On 13 December EULEX issued a press release stating that human remains were discovered during the site assessment at the Rudnica quarry in the municipality of Raška, Serbia. According to EULEX, the remains of at least four victims were found buried at the site. The operation is being conducted by Serbian authorities, the EULEX Department of Forensic Medicine and forensic experts from the Kosovo Department of Forensic Medicine, and in the presence of the EULEX War Crimes Investigation Unit, the Serbian Government Commission for Missing Persons, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. In terms of the international military presence, on 6 September, in a ceremony held at KFOR headquarters, KFOR changed command with Major General Salvatore Farina (Italian Army) taking over from Major General Volker R. Halbauer (German Army), who was serving since 7 September The number of KFOR troops in Kosovo is just under 5,000. There are no immediate plans for the redeployment of the Operational Reserve Force (ORF) Battalion, which departed Kosovo in mid- January On 19 November the UN Security Council held its regular quarterly session on Kosovo, where the UN Secretary General Special Representative for Kosovo presented the latest report on the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK). The report noted that the implementation of the 19 April Agreement between Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade had passed an important milestone through the successful conduct of municipal elections on 3 November. The report also noted that the priorities of the UN Mission in Kosovo remain to promote security, stability and respect for human rights in Kosovo and in the region, as well as the continuation of its constructive and intensive engagements with Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade, the communities in Kosovo, and regional and international actors. On September the Heads of Delegation of 23 OSCE participating States 7 and the head of the EU Delegation to the OSCE travelled to Kosovo as part of a visit to a number of field operations in the region. The delegation met with representatives of institutions, the Serbian Orthodox Church and local communities, and the heads of international organizations in Kosovo. Also, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Astrid Thors, visited Kosovo from 22 until 24 October. Ambassador Thors met with the President of the Assembly of Kosovo, the Minister of Communities and Returns and other municipal, government and international officials, non-albanian community representatives and civil society, and visited a language training programme supported by her institution for municipal officials in Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje. 8 On January the Special Representative of the Chairperson in Office for the Western Balkans, Ambassador Gérard Stoudmann, visited Kosovo as part of his visit to the region. Ambassador Stoudmann met with senior management of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, including the Regional Centre in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, as well as with President Atifete Jahjaga, and representatives of the Kosovo government, municipal institutions, international organizations and the civil society. In a press statement issued by President Jahjaga on the occasion of the visit, she praised the cooperation that Kosovo institutions have had with the OSCE Mission and at the same time thanked Ambassador Stoudmann for the contribution this organization has extended in the past in terms of strengthening democratic institutions in all of South-eastern Europe 9 7 Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, UK. 8 The HCNM has been funding language training in ten Kosovo municipalities since 2011 with the aim of improving the provision of municipal services in both the Albanian and Serbian languages. Ambassador Thors noted that this programme is a good example that should be followed by all municipalities so that communities can communicate with institutions and between each other more easily. 9 See [in Albanian] 5

6 2. Mission Activities Human Rights and Communities The OSCE Mission in Kosovo (Mission) worked to increase the compliance of central and local level legislation and of public officials with international human rights, community rights and rule of law principles. The Mission commented on a wide range of laws, including those on cultural heritage protection and on data protection, and the majority of these comments resulted in changes to the law during the drafting process. The Mission organized workshops for legal officers from various ministries to increase their capacity to monitor the implementation of legislation at the executive level and to improve internal administrative appeals processes at the executive level. To increase the participation of the legal community in the law-making process, the Mission supported the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates (KCA) by funding the placement of a local consultant to work with the KCA for six months. This activity sought to increase the KCA s ability to effectively engage in the lawmaking process, primarily through establishing a system whereby the institution could regularly receive and comment on draft legislation. To increase the compliance of law enforcement bodies with international human rights standards, the Mission advised Kosovo Police on human rights issues related to hate crimes, freedom of expression, the rights of arrested persons, and the use of force. The Mission continued to implement a comprehensive programme on combating hate crimes, maintaining its focus on the Kosovo Police as first responder. Following extensive advocacy efforts by the Mission, Kosovo Police decided to include a module on combating hate crimes into the advanced training course for its officers at the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety, starting in 2014, thus ensuring the sustainability of the Mission s programme. The Mission trained specialised police units on human rights and police ethics, providing advanced training for commanding staff and basic training for police officers. It continued to build the capacities of the Local Detention Monitoring Task Force. The Mission supported the integration of Kosovo Roma, Kosovo Ashkali and Kosovo Egyptian communities by assisting a platform of civil society actors in proposing recommendations to the Kosovo government for improving current integration policies. Two municipalities were supported in adopting local action plans to facilitate the integration of these communities. 10 The Mission implemented a public information campaign throughout Kosovo on language rights, through which it also promoted the role of the Office of the Language Commissioner (OLC). A report was released on the implementation of the legal and policy framework for the reintegration of repatriated persons, 11 and the Mission conducted capacity-building activities with municipal officials to increase compliance with that framework. The Mission organized meetings to improve relations between Kosovo Albanian receiving communities and Kosovo Serb returnees. The Mission assisted the Office of Community Affairs in drafting a document providing measures to improve co-ordination and communication among officials responsible for protecting communities rights. The Mission monitored the compliance of the judiciary with human rights standards in light of new legislation on courts and on prosecution that reformed the justice system. The Mission supported the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC) in organizing a consultative process on the implementation of justice reforms, through regional workshops held throughout Kosovo for justice system actors. This activity aimed to strengthen the capacity of the KJC, based on the objectives of equal access to justice for all communities, fair trial rights and multi-ethnic composition of the judiciary. The Mission supported the KJC in organizing the Third Annual Judicial Conference, which discussed the Mission s findings on the implementation of the above-mentioned legislation by the judicial system. The conference focused on four human rights concerns that arose from these findings: the rules on free legal aid in criminal cases; the procedures for issuing and delivering summons; the system of appointing temporary representatives for absent parties in inter-ethnic property disputes; and the failure of the judiciary to hear and record evidence in criminal cases per international human rights and rule of law standards. 10 Shtime/Štimlje and Obiliq/Obilić municipalities. 11 See the report at 6

7 The Mission promoted inter-faith dialogue through a conference that gathered religious leaders of the Islamic, Serbian Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Jewish communities from throughout Kosovo. It also supported the implementation of the legal and policy framework on equality and nondiscrimination by organizing training for municipal officials and civil society on that framework. The Mission conducted awareness-raising activities in schools to promote diversity and nondiscrimination amongst youth. The Mission trained civil society organizations to effectively identify and respond to violations of freedom of expression and hate speech. Workshops were organized on the rights of women with disabilities, in particular from rural areas. Through individual meetings and other outreach work, the Mission also sought to address the low secondary school enrolment rate of girls in rural areas. It also organized prevention and outreach activities in secondary schools to raise awareness on human trafficking, including trafficking for the purposes of forced child begging. To strengthen institutional compliance with human rights standards, the Mission trained municipal officials on budgeting based on the right to adequate housing, and lawyers on applying the right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions under Protocol 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights. 12 In its efforts to protect the property rights of all communities in Kosovo, the Mission held a roundtable on the enforcement of tenure rights for occupiers of publicly-owned housing, and supported the Property Rights Co-ordinator in drafting the strategy on property rights issues. The Mission launched a report on the provision of social housing 13 and discussed its recommendations with municipal officials to improve compliance with applicable legislation. The Mission supported community participation in the regularization of informal settlements by drafting a manual on the topic. 14 Standards established in the manual were subsequently promoted at a workshop for central- and local-level representatives and inhabitants of informal settlements. To strengthen judicial capacity in adjudicating expropriation disputes, the Mission produced a compilation of expropriation cases for judges in the Basic, Appeal and Supreme Courts. The Mission continued to advocate for and promote non-albanian communities cultural heritage rights by supporting a government conference on the protection of movable cultural heritage, organizing a visit for school children to the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate of Peć, and Visoki Dečani and Gračanica monasteries. Democratization In support of civic engagement in local decision making processes, the Mission organized an evaluation workshop with civil society organizations on public participation mechanisms. The workshop solicited the opinions of civil society organizations on how to improve public participation in decision making processes. In the last quarter of the year, the Mission also concluded a series of municipal workshops on the role and responsibilities of the village council leaders and their cooperation with municipal institutions. Additionally, the Mission conducted capacity building activities for civil society organizations in Leposavić/Leposaviq on project cycle management, while also discussing with international organizations present in northern Kosovo the legal requirements, applicable procedures, lessons learnt and best practices for the development and implementation of projects. In September, the Mission, in cooperation with the Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLGA) and the Office of Prime Minister, organized a workshop on implementation of the law on access to public documents at the local level. The Mission also conducted a training session on administrative law and procedures for local civil society representatives from a number of municipalities, targeting organizations active at the local level. In addition, the Mission, in cooperation with the Kosovo Institute for Public Administration, organized a series of training sessions on the principles of administrative justice for civil servants across 25 targeted municipalities. 12 Training took place in the Prishtinë/Priština, Pejë/Peć and Gjilan/Gnjilane regions. 13 OSCE Report Assessment of the Provision of Social Housing by Municipalities in Kosovo (December 2013), at 14 Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, Manual on Regularization of Informal Settlements, 26 November

8 In light of the Mission s support to enhanced participatory budgeting and greater accountability and transparency at the municipal level, a series of workshops on the 2014 municipal budget development process were organised in twenty-six municipalities across Kosovo. The workshops attracted the participation of approximately 500 municipal practitioners and representatives from legislative and executive branches involved in the budget development process. In support of gender responsive budgeting, the Mission organized a workshop with municipal officials from targeted municipalities 15. During the event, it was noted that, as a result of the implementation of OSCE activities, there is a significant increase in understanding among municipal senior officials, and an increased effort to support activities that promote gender equality. From September to December the Local Youth Action Councils (LYACs) implemented projects to conduct outreach to rural areas, establish youth clubs and take part in volunteer activities. A conference in December brought together central and local institutions with the LYACs to discuss successes, challenges and best practices over the year. The conference presented the OSCE LYAC participatory handbook, which will be used as a tool to train new LYAC members. During the reporting period, local women caucuses 16 across Kosovo organized outreach events in respective municipalities to raise awareness among residents about topics such as property rights and education for children with disabilities. Additionally, women caucuses were featured on TV and radio debates to further promote awareness about challenges faced by women in accessing public life and domestic violence. The caucuses also implemented small projects to address concerns identified by women activists in their respective regions. These projects were drafted by women caucuses following earlier OSCE trainings on project cycle drafting and management. Finally, in early October 2013, more than 90 women caucuses from across Kosovo met in Prishtinë/Priština to discuss best practices and lessons learned from 2013 OSCE-sponsored activities. The Mission supported the production of an audio-visual presentation to increase the understanding of the role and importance of the newly established public broadcast channel in the Serbian language, RTK2. In addition, the Mission supported RTK2 with in-house training courses on newsroom and TV presentation skills for editors, journalists and TV presenters. The Mission also held a roundtable on RTK2 outreach and viewership offering a platform for discussion among Assembly of Kosovo members, the RTK Board and management, civil society, and journalists on the current situation of RTK2 programme development and the fulfilment of audience expectations. The Mission organized a meeting on the impact of the media on women s public participation. The meeting was attended by members of Kosovo media institutions, politicians/public officials, members of the women caucus of the Assembly of Kosovo, gender equality experts, media representatives and journalists, as well as representatives of international and civil society organizations from across Kosovo. The event provided a platform for an informal discussion on the impact of the media in promoting women s public participation, focusing particularly on the issue of women s access to the media and media treatment of women. The Mission supported a workshop on enhancing the capacity for conflict-sensitive reporting by Mitrovicë/Mitrovica journalists. The workshop was attended by 20 Kosovo Albanian and Kosovo Serb journalists from southern Mitrovicë/Mitrovica and Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North, including three Kosovo Serb journalists from other areas. The Mission supported five Assembly of Kosovo partner committees on human rights, rights of communities, education, legislation and internal affairs in oversight of implementation of legislation. The Committee on Internal Affairs concluded an inquiry into the budget performance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Kosovo Police using a Mission-developed methodology. This was the first time an Assembly Committee has overseen the financial performance of its line ministry. With 15 Prizren, Pejë/Peć, Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, Kamenicë/Kamenica, Lipjan/Lipljan. 16 The Mission supported the establishment of women caucuses in municipalities across Kosovo, mirroring the women caucus in the Assembly of Kosovo and serving as a platform for the promotion of the rights and interests of women. Female municipal assembly members, municipal officials and civil society representatives participate in these caucuses. 8

9 Mission support, members of the Assembly and civil society representatives drafted a parliamentary declaration on cooperation between the Assembly and civil society. The declaration is pending adoption by the Assembly. The Mission has supported the Women Caucus of the Assembly of Kosovo to oversee the implementation of the law on labour from the gender perspective. This has resulted in the preparation of a set of recommendations related to the gender aspect of this law. In addition, the Mission has facilitated a number of outreach visits of the Assembly s Women Caucus to women caucuses on local level, with special focus on outreach to non-albanian communities. These visits have resulted in joint activities between the central and local level women caucuses. Public Safety As part of the continued effort to enhance co-operation between community safety forums and Kosovo Police, the Mission organized five more regional seminars, bringing the total for 2013 to twelve. The aim was to provide relevant interlocutors with the opportunity to share their best practices, exchange experiences and discuss possible improvements in communications and cooperation in order to improve the safety of all communities in their respective municipalities. At the same time, the Mission concluded a series of regional awareness-raising workshops on the current status of the implementation of Community Policing Strategy and Action Plan More than 400 high ranking police officers took part in eleven regional workshops designed to inform them about the requirements, obligations and the implementation status of the Community Policing Strategy. The Mission assisted in the establishment of five more Local Public Safety Committees, bringing the total number to 38, providing their members with a series of orientation sessions in different regions throughout Kosovo, as well as with modules on community policing training. The training was conducted in close co-operation with the Community Safety Co-ordination Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is supposed to take over all activities pertaining to community safety in the future. In addition, the Mission facilitated a five-day training course for 15 new community safety trainers from five new safety committees, in order to equip them with specific training techniques including the principles and tools of community safety and community policing. In order to enhance the visibility of community safety related activities, the Mission organized a workshop for finalizing the Action Plan for Public Awareness about Community Safety Forums. The Mission also supported the printing of 3,000 copies of two community safety booklets on Community Safety Related Legislation in Kosovo and the Guide for Municipal Community Safety Councils for Developing Annual Working Plans. The booklets aimed to inform stakeholders at the central, municipal and local levels about the concept of community safety in Kosovo and were delivered to all concerned communities. In the area of specialized and advanced training, the Mission supported Kosovo Police in developing its first Training Strategy and Action Plan , which focuses on enhancing current capacities, developing new training modalities, and strengthening co-operation with local and international organizations. The Mission also provided its expert support in drafting the Strategy and Development Plan and the Training Plan 2014 for the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety. Furthermore, the Mission assisted the Academy for Public Safety in drafting the occupational standards for Kosovo law enforcement agencies. During the reporting period the Mission delivered various training programmes to Kosovo Police and other law enforcement agencies to strengthen their abilities to combat organized crime and tackle all forms of transnational threats. More than 300 officers of various ranks took part in these specialized and advanced training courses, focused on strategic/tactical assessments, tactical tasking, money laundering, anti-corruption, computerized evidence analysis, management and security of criminal evidence rooms, audio voice and visual forensic analysis, arrest and control techniques in high risk situations, crime scene analysis and extradition procedures. In accordance with the needs identified in the Intelligence-led Policing Strategy and Action Plan, more than 35 officers and analysts of the Kosovo Police were additionally trained by the Mission on Criminal Intelligence Analysis, Strategic 9

10 Analysis and Design I-Base for Criminal Intelligence Analysis. Having assisted in the establishment of the Kosovo Police Environmental Crime Unit and its work over the last two years, the Mission further supported this Unit with the printing of 5,000 leaflets in three languages on combating environmental crime. The purpose of the leaflet was to increase the public s awareness about environmental crimes occurring in Kosovo and encourage the public to report on and contribute to preventing such crimes. 3. Overview of situation pertaining to non-albanian communities The Mission continued its intensive outreach to non-albanian communities. The number of security incidents affecting non-albanian communities south of the river Ibar has decreased compared to the same months in the previous year, though increased somewhat from the previous period. The frequency and large number of incidents affecting property belonging to Kosovo Serb and other non- Albanian communities remains a cause for concern. These incidents include cases of vandalism and numerous burglaries from properties, mainly uninhabited houses belonging to Kosovo Serb returnees, as well as a few incidents of property and land usurpation and fires with unknown causes. No widespread violence was observed. The Mission has repeatedly called for appropriate responses by all relevant institutions to incidents affecting non-albanian communities and has noted some positive examples during the reporting period. On 30 August two Kosovo Albanians were arrested for illegally cutting wood from the property of a Kosovo Serb in Tuçep/Tučep village in Istog/Istok municipality. The wood that had been cut and the tractor used were seized. On 31 August a Kosovo Albanian was arrested for illegally cutting wood from property belonging to a Kosovo Serb in Osojan/Osojane village in Istog/Istok municipality. On 5 September the Ministry for Communities and Returns donated a tractor to a Kosovo Serb returnee family in Sinajë/Sinaje village, following a request made by the beneficiary after the theft of his tractor on 8 April. On 16 September a Kosovo Police patrol attempted to stop a tractor that had been reported stolen by a Kosovo Serb returnee in Bërkove/Berkovo village in Klinë/Klina municipality. Shots were fired and the suspects fled the scene. The tractor was later returned to the owner. In Cërnicë/Crnica village in Gjilan/Gnjilane municipality, Kosovo Police arrested a Kosovo Albanian who was caught in the act stealing electric cables from a Kosovo Serb property. On 26 November Klinë/Klina municipality replaced the window of a Kosovo Serb property that had been broken on 23 November when unknown person(s) threw stones at the house. Nonetheless, the rate of arrest and prosecution of perpetrators for incidents affecting non-albanian communities continues to be low and institutional responses could improve. In terms of the policy framework on communities, the Ministry of Communities and Returns has drafted a new Strategy for Communities and Returns , which is expected to be adopted in early In September and October the Prime Minister approved a new regulation on management of the reintegration programme and a new strategy on reintegration of repatriated persons According to UNHCR, from September to December 2013, 63 displaced persons voluntarily returned to Kosovo compared to 279 reported for the same period in Sites of religious and cultural significance have continued to be affected by security incidents, in particular Serbian Orthodox religious sites and graveyards. On 1 September unknown person(s) removed two crosses from the Serbian Orthodox Church in Brod village in Štrpce/Shtërpcë municipality. On 21 September unknown person(s) broke into the Orthodox Church in Zherovnicë/Žerovnica village in Zveçan/Zvečan municipality, causing damage and stealing some money donated to the church. On 28 September unknown person(s) damaged two windows of the Serbian Orthodox church in the village of Bardhosh/Devet Jugovića in Prishtinë/Priština municipality. The doors of the Orthodox Church in Vushtrri/Vučitrn town were damaged on 1 November. On 5 November three people broke into the Orthodox Church in Gjilan/Gnjilane town and stole some money that had been donated. On 10 November unknown perpetrator(s) forcibly entered the Holy Father Church in Zupče/Zupç village in Zubin Potok municipality and stole some food items. On 14 November two youths threw stones in the direction of the Orthodox Church in Vushtrri/Vučitrn town 10

11 causing some damage. A Kosovo Albanian youth was interviewed by police and released upon the order of the prosecutor. On 23 November unknown person(s) stole copper pipes from the walls of the Orthodox church in Laplje Selo/Llapllasellё village in Gračanica/Graçanicё. On 8 January a copper bust was stolen from the Serbian Orthodox graveyard in Gornje Selo/Gornjasellë village in Prizren municipality. The Islamic community representative in Prizren also reported in September that numerous (13-15) donation boxes had been stolen from local mosques in the preceding months. In addition, a representative of the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Zočište in Rahovec/Orahovac municipality was reportedly verbally assaulted by a group of Kosovo Albanian youths while he was working within the monastery s estate on 2 October. The incident was reported to Kosovo Police. The Implementation and Monitoring Council (IMC) continues to hold regular meetings addressing issues of concern regarding the protection of Serbian Orthodox heritage in Kosovo. The meetings have been held in a constructive atmosphere, discussing concrete measures that facilitate better protection of Serbian Orthodox sites and their special protective zones. Results have been noted, namely resolution of the issue of illegal construction of a warehouse in the Special Protective Zone of Gazimestan in Obiliq/Obilić municipality and demolition of an illegal construction in the Special Protective Zone of the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin in Lipjan/Lipljane municipality. In October the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports approved an updated list of cultural heritage sites under temporary protection. The list includes 1,428 cultural heritage sites, which will be under temporary protection for one year. The new list of cultural heritage sites contains for the first time 200 movable cultural heritage assets. On 21 October the construction of a wall around Zočište Monastery commenced. The construction of the wall was part of an agreement reached between the monastery and Rahovec/Orahovac municipality to clearly demarcate and protect the monastery s land, after the municipality illegally usurped part of its land during the construction of a local road in May Between 13 and 16 December thirty-one out of the thirty-five Kosovo Roma and Kosovo Ashkali families residing in the displaced persons camp in Leposavić/Leposaviq were relocated to new housing. Twenty-eight families moved to the Roma Mahalla neighbourhood in southern Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, two families moved to Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje and one family moved to Malishevë/Mališevo. Three of the remaining families have expressed interest in staying in Leposavić/Leposaviq, while the other remaining family plans to move to Novi Sad. Closure of this camp is part of an EU project implemented by international NGO Mercy Corps. On the morning of 6 January protesters prevented buses carrying some 70 Serb pilgrims from reaching the local Serbian Orthodox church in Gjakovë/Ðakovica for celebrations marking Orthodox Christmas. Kosovo Police estimated that the number of protesters reached 3,500 at the peak. 17 The protesters also threw stones at the buses and several persons were reportedly arrested. According to police reports, the buses were rerouted to Visoki Dečani Monastery. Kosovo Police also reported that stones were thrown at a bus carrying Serb pilgrims in Deçan/Dečani. This followed an earlier announcement by Serbian Minister and Director of the Serbian Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Aleksandar Vulin, that he would include Gjakovë/Ðakovica among his visits for Orthodox Christmas. Kosovo Minister of Internal Affairs Bajram Rexhepi, in a response letter to EU Special Representative Samuel Žbogar, stated that Mr. Vulin was not allowed to visit the Orthodox monasteries in Gjakovë/Ðakovica. The Mayor of Gjakovë/Ðakovica, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, published an open letter on 5 January in which she appealed to the Kosovo government, the EU Office, EULEX and KFOR not to allow Mr. Vulin s visit to Gjakovë/Ðakovica and discouraged him from visiting. In December 2013 eight Kosovo Serb families, who have been residing in the recently privatised socially owned enterprise Refrigeration Plant in the Kosovo Serb village of Šilovo/Shillovë in Gjilan/Gnjilane municipality since the March 2004 riots, were given notification by the new owner that they should leave the premises by 8 January After the owner prevented the residents from 17 The protest was initiated by local Kosovo Albanian associations of family members of persons missing since the 1999 conflict. Similar protests are regularly organized around the Serbian Orthodox Christmas celebrations. 11