WEEKLY INFOSHEET – Key Political, Institutional and Social Developments in Kosovo

31 August – 4 September 2026 | No. 01

The Week in Brief

The week was marked by several important political and institutional developments – from decisions concerning the return of Serbian judges and prosecutors to Kosovo’s judiciary and the debate over citizenship, to the renewed discussion on the future of Serbian-language education. At the same time, political uncertainty surrounding the election of the President of Kosovo continued despite an initial agreement between Vetëvendosje and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), while the new European Union Ambassador, Dirk Schübel, assumed his mandate in Kosovo.

Serbian Judges and Prosecutors: Return to the Judiciary Between Institutional Decisions and Dialogue Commitments

Acting President of Kosovo Albulena Haxhiu dismissed 18 judges from the Serbian community on 2 September who had submitted their resignations in 2022, although they withdrew them on 15 July this year and expressed their readiness to return to the judiciary¹. The decision came after the Kosovo Judicial Council accepted their previously submitted resignations despite their withdrawal². At the same time, no applications were received during the initial call for ten new prosecutorial positions intended for members of the Serbian community³, prompting the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council to extend the deadline until 15 September. A similar problem was recorded in 2024, when there were no candidates from the Serbian community for four available prosecutorial positions.

The issue of their return goes beyond the regular staffing policies of judicial institutions. The integration of Serbian judges, prosecutors and administrative staff stems from the 2015 Justice Agreement reached within the Belgrade–Pristina Dialogue and implemented in 2017.

During its implementation, the EU stressed that the integrated judiciary should be representative of all communities and ensure the uniform application of Kosovo law. Reacting to the Judicial Council’s decision in August 2026, the EU assessed that accepting resignations that had previously been withdrawn appeared incompatible with Kosovo law, prescribed procedures and rule-of-law requirements, as well as contrary to the principles of a multi-ethnic judiciary and efforts aimed at the sustainable return of Serbs to institutions.

Election of the President of Kosovo: Political Agreement Without a Secured Majority

After nearly two months of negotiations, Vetëvendosje and LDK leaders Albin Kurti and Lumir Abdixhiku reached an agreement on 31 August to nominate law professor and former Constitutional Court judge Bekim Sejdiu as their joint candidate for President of Kosovo.

The following day, however, six of LDK’s 18 MPs announced that they would not support his candidacy⁴, despite the party Presidency having endorsed the agreement. A new meeting between Kurti and Abdixhiku on 2 September did not change the balance of support, and the LDK leader said after the meeting that there were currently not enough votes to elect the President.

The political arithmetic is directly linked to Article 86 of the Constitution of Kosovo⁵. The President is elected by secret ballot in the Assembly. Election in the first or second round requires a two-thirds majority of all 120 MPs – at least 80 votes.

If no candidate receives the required support, a third-round vote is held between the two candidates who received the highest number of votes. In that round, a majority of all MPs – at least 61 votes – is required.

If the President is not elected in the third round, the Assembly is dissolved and new elections must be held within 45 days. Therefore, opposition from part of the LDK parliamentary group is not merely an internal party matter but could have direct consequences for further institutional stability⁶.

Citizenship: Political Debate Focused on Serbs, While the Law Makes No Ethnic Distinction

Representatives of the PDK and AAK reopened the issue of Article 31 of the new Law on Citizenship during the week, with the political debate largely focused on the Serbian community.

PDK MP Ganimete Musliu claimed that the provision poses a security risk because it allows Serbs who previously lived in Kosovo and their descendants to acquire citizenship, while AAK MP Time Kadrijaj also linked the issue to individuals who committed crimes during the war⁷. The German Embassy responded to the controversy by recalling that the Constitution defines Kosovo as a multi-ethnic society and calling on political actors to respect this principle and implement the relevant laws⁸.

Article 31 of Law No. 10/L-023 itself, however, contains no ethnic criterion and does not specifically refer to Serbs⁹. The provision applies to citizens of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia who were permanent residents of Kosovo on 1 January 1998, as well as their direct descendants, regardless of their current place of residence or other citizenship. This right was not introduced by the 2026 law. Corresponding provisions existed in the citizenship laws adopted in 2008 and 2013, while its constitutional basis has been present since the adoption of the Constitution in 2008. There is therefore a clear distinction between the legal scope of the provision, which is not ethnically defined, and the political debate, which during the week predominantly associated it with Serbs.

Serbian-Language Education: The Right Is Guaranteed, Institutional Status Remains the Key Issue

Research by the Center for Affirmative Social Actions (CASA), presented on 3 September, showed almost complete opposition among surveyed Serbs to integrating the existing education system into Kosovo’s education system. A total of 99.4 per cent of respondents opposed such a process, while 91.3 per cent considered the continuation of education within Serbia’s system to be the most acceptable solution¹⁰. Almost 40 per cent of surveyed parents said they would consider leaving Kosovo if their children were required to attend school within Kosovo’s education system.

The research included 300 respondents from the Serbian community from different parts of Kosovo.

Kosovo’s legal framework already contains specific guarantees for Serbian-language education. Article 12 of the Law on Education in the Municipalities allows schools providing instruction in Serbian to use curricula and textbooks issued by Serbia’s Ministry of Education, subject to prior notification of Kosovo’s Ministry of Education. If the Ministry raises an objection within three months, the matter is referred to an independent commission.

Article 14 of the same law defines the University in North Mitrovica as an autonomous public higher education institution, provides for enhanced competencies of the Municipality of North Mitrovica and allows funding from Serbia, provided that such funding is transparent and publicly disclosed.

The central issue surrounding any potential integration is therefore not merely the right to Serbian-language education – which is legally recognised – but the institutional status of the existing institutions: their governance, financing, employment, licensing and accreditation, recognition of diplomas and relationship with Kosovo institutions.

At the same time, the existence of these legal provisions does not mean that all mechanisms envisaged by the law have been fully established or implemented in practice¹¹.

Start of the School Year: Fewer First-Grade Pupils in Some Serbian Communities

The new school year began on 1 September in educational institutions operating within Serbia’s education system. At the “Miladin Mitić” Primary School in Laplje Selo, 24 pupils enrolled in the first grade, six in the satellite class in Preoce, while only three first-graders enrolled in Čaglavica. Radio KiM also recorded a decrease in the number of first-grade pupils in Gračanica and Laplje Selo compared with the previous year¹².

This year’s figures from several schools are not, in themselves, sufficient to draw conclusions about the overall demographic trends within the Serbian community, but they represent an indicator worth monitoring. In smaller communities, particularly south of the Ibar River, the number of children directly affects the sustainability of school classes, staffing levels and the long-term availability of education within local communities. A more reliable assessment of broader demographic trends would require monitoring multi-year data on both pupil numbers and the population.

Dirk Schübel Assumes Office: New EU Representative Amid Unresolved Institutional Issues

Dirk Schübel assumed office on 2 September as European Union Ambassador to Kosovo, Head of the EU Office and EU Special Representative¹³. n his first message, he announced cooperation with Kosovo institutions, political actors, civil society, the media and all communities, identifying the advancement of a multi-ethnic Kosovo on its path towards European integration as a key objective. A day later, he held his first meeting with the Heads of Mission of EU Member States, discussing the political situation, recent developments and Kosovo’s alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy¹⁴.

Schübel’s mandate begins at a time when several issues of direct importance to the Serbian community have once again come to the fore – including the participation of Serbs in the judiciary, the functioning of multi-ethnic institutions and the status of Serbian-language education.

As Head of the EU Office and EU Special Representative, his role includes the Union’s political representation and engagement in Kosovo’s European integration, while the EU simultaneously remains the facilitator of the process of normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

The approach of the new EU Office leadership towards the implementation of existing legal guarantees and commitments undertaken within the Dialogue will therefore be particularly relevant to the Serbian community.

What to follow

Serbs in the judiciary: The deadline for applications for ten prosecutorial positions intended for members of the Serbian community has been extended until 15 September. The outcome of the recruitment process will indicate whether there is interest among new candidates in joining the system after prosecutors who resigned in 2022 were not allowed to return.

Election of the President: It remains unclear whether Vetëvendosje and LDK can secure enough MPs to proceed with the election of Bekim Sejdiu. Given the constitutional possibility of dissolving the Assembly if the President is not elected even in the third round, this issue could directly shape the next phase of political developments.

Education: CASA’s research indicates a significant gap between the prospect of institutional changes and the views of respondents from the Serbian community. Further debate should distinguish between two separate issues: preserving legal guarantees for Serbian-language education and finding an institutional model for the existing educational institutions

About the Weekly Infosheet

The Weekly Infosheet provides a concise overview and context of key political, institutional and social developments relevant to all communities in Kosovo.

Topics are selected based on their significance for community rights, institutional participation and everyday life, while providing the relevant legal, political and institutional context.

1. Radio KiM – Hadžiju razrešila dužnosti 18 srpskih sudija koji su ostavke podneli 2022. ↩
2. KosSev – Kako je i najavila: Hadžiju razrešila 18 srpskih sudija uprkos povučenim ostavkama i kritikama EU ↩
3. Medija Centar – Nijedan Srbin se nije prijavio za deset tužilačkih mesta, TSK produžio konkurs do 15. septembra ↩
4. KosSev – Dan posle dogovora sa Kurtijem, šest poslanika LDK-a protiv Sejdiua ↩
5. Ustav Republike Kosovo sa amandmanima I–XXV ↩
6. KosSev – Sporazum Samoopredeljenja i LDK ne garantuje izbor predsednika Kosova ↩
7. KosSev – Srbi u fokusu spora oko državljanstva: PDK i AAK vide bezbednosni rizik ↩
8. KosSev – Nemačka ambasada za KosSev o sporu oko državljanstva ↩
9. Gazeta Zyrtare e Republikës së Kosovës – Zakon br. 10/L-023 ↩
10. Radio KiM – istraživanje CASA ↩
11. Skupština Republike Kosovo – Zakon o obrazovanju u opštinama ↩
12. Radio KiM – početak školske godine ↩
13. Radio KiM – Dirk Šubel preuzeo dužnost ambasadora EU na Kosovu ↩
14. Radio KiM – Šubel sa šefovima misija EU o političkoj situaciji ↩

NGO Aktiv | September 2026