Systematic non-compliance with the Law on the Use of Languages: Agency for Agricultural Development

23/04/2025
11:23
Reading time: 8 min

Key documents intended to inform citizens, articularly farmers who communicate in the Serbian language, are largely inaccessible. This includes materials related to public calls, grants, subsidies, application procedures, and reporting on project implementation, which are either entirely missing or available only in limited quantity and of poor translation quality. This is the conclusion reached after analyzing the official website and social media channels of the Kosovo Agricultural Development Agency. While these documents are regularly updated and widely available in Albanian, the Serbian version of the website and other communication channels gives the impression of a merely formal fulfillment of legal obligations, without a genuine intention to provide equal access to information for all citizens.

The issue of systematic violations of the Law on the Use of Languages in Kosovo has been raised for years, yet it persists despite the legal framework[1] that guarantees equal use of the Serbian and Albanian languages. As a result, non-majority communities, particularly those who communicate in Serbian, are left without access to key information. Moreover, this issue was acknowledged in the European Commission’s 2023 Kosovo Report[2], which highlighted the problem in several instances.

Therefore, NGO Aktiv, Radio Kim, the New Social Initiative (NSI), and Radio Goraždevac are continuing their public advocacy campaign aimed at urging institutions to address this long-standing issue. This week, the focus is on the Agricultural Development Agency, and after reviewing their official website and social media channels, we found that an almost identical practice is being applied, one we had previously warned about when analyzing earlier cases: the Central Election Commission (CEC), Ministry of Internal Affairs, Police Inspectorate, Kosovo Police, and the Ministry of Agriculture.

The lack of information in the Serbian language about projects, grants, and subsidies implemented by the Kosovo Agricultural Development Agency has direct and serious consequences for citizens, particularly for farmers who are denied access to content in the Serbian language. Such practices significantly limit their ability to participate equally in support programs implemented by the Agency in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development. When essential information, such as public calls, eligibility criteria, application deadlines, and procedures, is not available in a language they understand, Serbian-speaking community members are systematically excluded from a process that should be inclusive and transparent. This not only undermines the principle of equal opportunity, but also deepens existing disparities between communities in access to economic resources and support for rural development.

What did we find on the website of the Agricultural Development Agency?

“About Us”: There is a significant inconsistency between the language versions. The Serbian[3] version is entirely empty, while the Albanian version[4] provides detailed information about the institution’s mandate and legal framework.

Organizational Chart[5]: On the Serbian version of the site, the entire organizational chart is presented in Albanian.

Executive Director: The Serbian-language version of the Agency’s website lacks both information and a designated section about the executive director. In contrast, the Albanian version[6] includes complete and updated content.

Video Gallery: This section appears outdated, with only a few materials available, two in the Albanian section and one in the Serbian. Moreover, the video accessible via the Serbian version is entirely in Albanian, including the title and the content.

Privacy Policy: Users who wish to access information in this category in the Serbian language will not be able to do so, as the content is entirely missing from that version of the website. In contrast, the Albanian version[7] provides a detailed document containing all relevant information.

Reports and Publications: Although the category for annual reports and publications exists on the Serbian version of the website, the content is missing, aside from section titles, there are no accompanying documents. In contrast, the Albanian version[8] provides complete and detailed documentation covering the period from 2013 to 2025.

Contact: This represents one of the most evident examples of the violation of the Law on the Use of Languages. On the Serbian version[9] of the website, there is not a single contact available that would allow Serbian-speaking users to access basic information. In contrast, the Albanian version[10] clearly displays all relevant contact details, including information about grants, projects, subsidies, and the addresses of all regional offices in Kosovo.

News Section: The “News” category on the website shows a stark disparity in content availability, over 80 articles in Albanian[11] cover project applications, deadline announcements, and available programs, while the Serbian version[12] contains only three news items.

Departments: The “Departments” category is yet another example of selective information availability. In Serbian[13] this section contains no data at all, whereas the Albanian version[14] offers comprehensive information about relevant directorates, their roles and responsibilities in approving and financing projects, along with all relevant contact details.

Legislation: This category also reflects a linguistic disparity, as the number of documents provided in Serbian is significantly lower than in Albanian. Specifically, the Albanian section[15] features 38 documents, while the Serbian[16] section contains only 19.

Application Guidelines[17]: This section highlights another instance of unequal treatment and legal non-compliance. In the Serbian version of the website, key documents for 2021 and 2016 are missing. Additionally, the number of guidelines in Serbian is significantly lower compared to the Albanian version. The latest available instructions in Serbian date back to 2023, while the Albanian version includes updated documents for 2024.

Application Forms[18]: The same disparity is found in the section dedicated to application forms. Serbian-language users are missing documents for 2024 and 2015. Similarly, the document list[19] is incomplete, reports for 2024, 2016, and 2015 are unavailable in Serbian.

Special Programs: his category is another striking example of the absence of key documents[20] in Serbian. While the section title exists in Serbian, there is no accompanying content or documentation. On the other hand, the Albanian version[21], provides well-organized and detailed documents spanning from 2015 to 2025. The same issue is present in the “List[22]“ category.

Grants and Subsidies: This category clearly reveals a disproportion in the number of documents available in Serbian[23], and Albanian[24] highlighting unequal access to information for citizens who use either of the official languages. For the year 2025, only one document is available in Serbian, while three have been published in Albanian. In 2024, six documents were published in Albanian, compared to four in Serbian. In 2022, three documents are accessible on the Albanian version of the site, while only one appears in Serbian. For 2020, there is a complete lack of content in Serbian, whereas two documents are available in Albanian. The same discrepancy is observed in 2017. In 2018, two documents were published in Albanian and only one in Serbian.

Payment List: A significant lack of documentation is also evident in this category. Specifically, only documents for the year 2018 are available in Serbian[25] while the Albanian[26] section of the site provides documentation consistently for the period from 2018 to 2022.

Subsidy Application[27]: In the section containing documents for applying for specific subsidies, the 2022 application document is missing from the Serbian version of the site. The same applies to the years 2018 and 2016.

Application Documentation: This category also demonstrates a pronounced imbalance in the availability of information in Serbian[28] and Albanian[29]. While the Albanian version of the website provides documents for every year from 2016 to 2025, the Serbian version includes documents for only four years – 2025, 2024, 2023, and 2018. In addition to this quantitative disparity, the quality of language in the Serbian documents presents an additional issue. The translations are noticeably poor, which further hinders understanding and practical use of the information for Serbian-speaking users.

List of Beneficiaries: his category represents yet another stark example of the unequal availability of information in the official languages. On the Albanian version[30] of the website, documents have been regularly published from 2019 to 2024, while on the Serbian version[31] side from the category title itself, not a single document is available.

Job Competitions: The most pronounced lack of Serbian-language documents is observed in the category related to employment competitions. For the year 2025, only one document is available on the Serbian version of the website, whereas dozens of competitions are accessible in Albanian. Moreover, an analysis of the overall availability reveals a concerning disparity—there are hundreds more documents in Albanian[32] than in Serbian[33]. In addition to this quantitative imbalance, the quality of the existing Serbian-language documents is extremely poor. The translations[34] are often unreadable, with numerous spelling and linguistic errors, further diminishing their usability. Furthermore, while job competitions in Albanian are available for the past ten years, the Serbian version provides access to only six years’ worth of documents.

Social Media

Facebook[35]: An analysis of the official Facebook page of the Kosovo Agriculture Development Agency reveals serious deficiencies in bilingual communication. The name of the institution and the introductory page description are available exclusively in Albanian, immediately excluding users who seek information in Serbian. Further analysis of published content[36] shows that key information—including public calls for subsidies and support for farmers—is consistently posted only in Albanian, without any translation or accompanying text in Serbian. This practice also applies[37] to photo captions within posts. Regarding video content, the only materials available in Serbian are two videos from 2020: “Call for applications for farmers and agricultural holdings of the Republic of Kosovo[38]“ and “Call for applicants for direct payment program 2020[39].“ All other video materials are published exclusively in Albanian.

YouTube[40]: The Kosovo Agriculture Development Agency maintains an official YouTube channel, established in 2015. However, no video content has ever been uploaded to the platform.

X (Ex Twitter) and Instagram: On the official website of the Kosovo Agriculture Development Agency, there are icons and active links to the social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, suggesting that the institution uses these platforms for public communication. However, clicking on these links leads to non-existent pages, indicating that the profiles in question do not actually exist.

Why is this important?

As highlighted in our previous analyses, this continuation of our campaign once again confirms that the systematic neglect of the Serbian language in Kosovo’s institutions remains a serious and persistent issue. Such practice prevents equal access to information for non-majority communities and constitutes a direct violation of the Law on the Use of Languages[41].

This law clearly stipulates that both Albanian and Serbian are official and equal languages in Kosovo. However, the longstanding practice of ignoring this obligation—and the silence in the face of continuous violations of language rights—effectively deprives Serbian-speaking citizens and other non-majority communities of their constitutionally and legally guaranteed right to equal access to public information.

That is why it is essential to replace the current practice of relying on unqualified translators or automated tools like Google Translate with professional, qualified translators who can ensure accurate and unambiguous translations into the Serbian language. Establishing a functional translation system would enable unhindered access to public information and, more importantly, demonstrate in practice the institutions’ commitment to upholding not only linguistic rights but also fundamental human rights — including the rights of non-majority communities as guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights[42].

While civil society organizations, despite limited resources, regularly provide trilingual presentations of their activities, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, under which the Agency for Agricultural Development operates, had a budget of €35,968,168[43] in 2022. It is therefore evident that the Ministry had sufficient financial means to ensure adequate translation into Serbian.

Therefore, we call on the Agency for Agricultural Development to urgently begin the process of harmonizing the language versions of the information published on its official website and social media channels, and to ensure equal access to key information in both official languages.

Once again, we urge the Office of the Prime Minister to move away from political rhetoric without tangible results, to abandon the practice of declarative commitment to the rights of non-majority communities, and to instruct institutions to comply with language standards at all levels prescribed by law.

At the same time, we once again appeal to the Office of the Language Commissioner to begin implementing legal provisions within its competencies. This includes creating an institutional environment that respects constitutional and legal obligations, as well as the protection, promotion, preservation, and implementation of the language rights of all citizens of Kosovo.

We also encourage all citizens to actively participate in this process and report any observed language irregularities to the responsible institutions, such as the Office of the Language Commissioner (zkgj.kpj@gmail.com) and the Ombudsperson Institution (info.oik@oik-rks.org). Likewise, we invite citizens to contact NGO Aktiv (office@ngoaktiv.org) if they come across any language-related anomalies, and in doing so, join us in calling on institutions to uphold legally prescribed standards.

[1] https://kryeministri.rks-gov.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ZAKON_BR._02_L-37_O_UPOTREBI_JEZIKA1346.pdf

[2] https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/c790738e-4cf6-4a43-a8a9-43c1b6f01e10_en?filename=Kosovo%20Report%202024.pdf

[3] https://azhb-rks.net/sr/misija-i-vizija

[4] https://azhb-rks.net/sq/misioni-dhe-vizioni

[5] https://azhb-rks.net/sr/organogram

[6] https://azhb-rks.net/sq/drejtor-ekzekutiv

[7] https://azhb-rks.net/repository/docs/2024_02_08_080722_Politikat_e_Privatesise_per_AZHB-ne.pdf

[8] https://azhb-rks.net/sq/raporte-dhe-publikime

[9] https://azhb-rks.net/sr/kontakt

[10] https://azhb-rks.net/sq/kontakti

[11] https://azhb-rks.net/sq/lajme

[12] https://azhb-rks.net/sr/vesti