Series:Security Research Forum: Belgrade-Prishtina- Tirana

The Future of Civil Protection in North Kosovo

The Future of Civil Protection in North Kosovo

Author(s): Isidora Stakic,Maja Bjeloš / Language(s): English

This paper presents an independent analysis of the current state of the Civil Protection (CP) units in the four municipalities which consti¬tute North Kosovo, and suggests possible solutions for their future. This project has been developed jointly by two think tanks: the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy and the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies in Prishtinë/Prishtina.1 Civil Protection units in North Kosovo operate outside Kosovo’s legal framework, despite the fact that the Brussels Agreement implicitly envisages the dissolu¬tion of all parallel Serbian security structures existing in Kosovo. While the Serbian com¬munity in North Kosovo sees CP as a civilian structure with the sole purpose of providing assistance to civilians in emergency situa¬tions, the Kosovo government, as well as the international institutions which operate in Kosovo, perceive CP as an illegal paramilitary structure that must be dissolved.

Integrated Border Management, Best Practices and Applicability – The Case of Kosovo and Albania

Integrated Border Management, Best Practices and Applicability – The Case of Kosovo and Albania

Author(s): Abit Hoxha / Language(s): English

This policy brief intends to examine the Integrated Border Management situation in Kosovo, looking at good practice with par¬ticular focus on the ‘one stop shop’ at a Kosovo-Albania border crossing point (Vermicë / Morinë), which by agreement between the two governments (Albania and Kosovo) operates in a unique manner. Its methodology aims to decrease queues of travellers, especially during the flux of holiday travellers to Alba¬nia and during the flux of Kosovar diaspora visits to Kosovo. This practice works on the basis of border checking on only one side of the border (usually the country receiving the individuals or goods) and also mutual ex¬change of information. In short, this practice has been very creative in aiming to more effectively avoid queues and manage borders. With this policy brief, we intend to examine these practices from a functional perspective and determine whether it is appropriate to apply similar arrangements at other borders (e.g. Kosovo-Serbia) and what practical implications would follow such an arrangement.

Police Cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia

Police Cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia

Author(s): Shpend Kursani / Language(s): English

Keywords: Balkan drug-trafficking;

Both Kosovo and Serbia are situated in a region susceptible to various organized crime activities. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Balkan region is one of the main heroin trafficking corridors linking Afghanistan to the huge markets of Western Europe.1 “The Balkan route traverses the Islamic Republic of Iran (often via Pakistan), Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria across South-East Europe to the Western European market, with an annual market value of some $20 billion.2” Despite the large market value of the drugs passing through the Balkans, only 24 per cent of the 73.7 metric tons of heroin seized worldwide was intercepted in the region,4 while 39 per cent is seized in the Near- and Middle East and South-West Asia and 10 per cent in Western and Central Europe respectively.

Serbia – NATO Defence Cooperation

Serbia – NATO Defence Cooperation

Author(s): Foto Duro / Language(s): English

Keywords: Serbian Defense Policy;

Serbia has entirely ruled out joining NATO thus far, but it has joined the PfP initiative and established permanent relations with the alliance. This study analyses the “exceptionality” of Serbia’s relations with NATO, both from a broad perspective concerning Serbia’s society and political landscape, and from a more specific perspective related to defence. // Serbia’s political set-up remains highly influenced by public aversion to NATO, caused by memories of the 1999 bombing campaign, as well as by NATO’s support for the independence of Kosovo. This has inhibited the build¬ing of a national consensus on key security issues and the development of adequate strategies, meaning that defence cooperation between Serbia and NATO has remained at an underdeveloped stage. Nevertheless, there are several areas of Serbia’s defence sector which have benefited to various degrees from cooperation with NATO, such as defence-reform, defence-planning, personnel management, military education and training and the disposal of excessive and obsolete ammunition and weapons. While this cooperation has been somewhat overstated by both sides, a more pragmatic approach should be applied to further progress, better supported by cost-benefit analysis. In addition, it should be better presented to Serbian society.

Towards more effective Police Cooperation between Serbia and Kosovo

Towards more effective Police Cooperation between Serbia and Kosovo

Author(s): Bojan Elek / Language(s): English

Keywords: Police; Police-Cooperation;

This policy brief analyses the existing institutional and procedural landscape for exchange of operational information and police cooperation between Serbia and Kosovo, with a view to proposing a model for establishing more effective direct cooperation between the two police forces. Based on the analysis of the Serbian Government’s strategic approach to the transposition and implementation of the best EU standards and prac¬tices in the area of police cooperation and also taking into account agreements already reached and mechanisms put in place, a set of recommendations is proposed to Belgrade and Pristina, as well as to the EU institutions. These are as follows: (1) Effective mechanisms for police cooperation that are already in place (such as ILECUs) should be formalised and further enhanced. (2) An Agreement on Police Cooperation, modelled after similar arrangements in the region and focusing on fighting organised crime and human security issues, needs to be reached. (3) Police Contact Points should be established to facilitate police cooperation. (4) An independent oversight body needs to be established to ensure the implementation of this Agreement. (5) The EU should set the agenda and facilitate dialogue on police cooperation.

Albanian Minority Representation at the Serbian Ministry of Interior: Progress and Remaining Challenges

Albanian Minority Representation at the Serbian Ministry of Interior: Progress and Remaining Challenges

Author(s): Sofije Kryeziu / Language(s): English

Keywords: Serbian Police;

There are three sets of challenges to Albanian representation in the police. The first is related to the lack of political will by the Serbian authorities to work towards full integration of the Albanian minority at all levels of the public structure. This is evidenced by the slow progress made towards recognising diplomas issued by Kosovo’s universities (where most Albanian police officers are educated) and practical limitations on the use of the Albanian language in the predominantly Albanian inhabited municipalities. The second set of challenges is related to inadequate internalisation of diversity policy by the police, evidenced by inadequate access to police education and difficulties in integration with the environment. Full and consistent integration of Albanian ethnic minorities into the police in the three southern Serbia municipalities is further challenged by the third set of challenges, related to the prejudice against the Albanian ethnic minority which is encountered in Serbia. One of the main recommendations, therefore, is to ensure sustainable inclusion of the Albanian minority into the Serbian police by ensuring that they are represented at a level which reflects their proportion of the population.

Police Integration in North Kosovo: Progress and Remaining Challenges in Implementation of the Brussels Agreement

Police Integration in North Kosovo: Progress and Remaining Challenges in Implementation of the Brussels Agreement

Author(s): Maja Bjeloš,Bojan Elek / Language(s): English

Keywords: Northern Kosovo;

This paper presents an alternative analysis of implementation of the Agreement reached in Brussels in April 2013 between the Prime Ministers of Serbia and Kosovo. A key part of the Agreement explicitly stated that local Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) units would be disbanded and integrated into the Kosovo Police (KP). The Brussels Agreement also set an obligation to establish a KP Regional Command North, mandated to cover the four northern municipalities with a Serbian majority. // The findings of this analysis show that by the end of March 2014, 285 former MUP employees had started the integration process. This marked a significant step forward in implementing the Agreement. There were uncertainties and challenges regarding the establishment of the KP Regional Command North, in particular whether the Command should include the four Serbian municipalities in the North alone, or South Mitrovica and Vushtrri / Vučitrn as well. In addition, there were disagreements on the appointment of the Head of the Command, a post currently occupied by acting head Nenad Djurić. Apart from these organizational issues, the main area of dispute concerned the vetting process, which faced criticism due to the limited time available for it and difficulties in applying the generic vetting cycle.

Albania–Kosova Defence-Cooperation

Albania–Kosova Defence-Cooperation

Author(s): Foto Duro / Language(s): English

Ethnic commonalities and affiliations between the Albanians of Albania and Kosovo, along with the two governments’ commitment to cooperation in general, are both conducive to intense defence cooperation between the two countries. Defence cooperation between Albania and Kosovo, which began in the early 1990s, can be characterized as falling into three distinct periods: first from 1991 until the end of Kosovo war in June 1999; second from June 1999 to Kosovo’s declaration of independence in February 2008; and third post-independence, when cooperation between the countries began running normally. However, various countries in the region and the international community have shown some uneasiness, both implicitly and explicitly, about such cooperation between Albania and Kosovo. Furthermore, the depth and quality of this cooperation remains short of expectations due to overlap with similar cooperation with other countries, sometimes combined with Albania’s inability to provide the necessary expertise. // The areas in which defence cooperation between Albania and Kosovo is most developed are military education and training (E&T) and Euro-Atlantic integration. The removal of constitutional limitations on Kosovo’s defence sector, which is expected to take place in the near future, would allow a true armed force to be built, and would in turn provide a new opportunity for defence cooperation between Albania and Kosovo. While this cooperation should be widely developed, it must also be done carefully to ensure that all such activities are carried out to a high standard. In particular, certain high-visibility areas such as ‘operations’ should be given priority for cooperation due to the mutual benefits they can provide in helping to resolve security situations which might arise and their positive effect on public opinion and on the general climate of cooperation and security between the two countries and beyond.