Systematic (Non)Compliance with the Law on the Use of Languages: Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure

04/06/2025
07:50
Reading time: 8 min

The violation of the Law on the Use of Languages in nearly every instance is the shortest, yet most accurate, conclusion following the analysis of the official website and social media accounts of the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure of Kosovo. The absence of the Serbian language is not merely a result of technical oversights or occasional translation gaps, it is systematic and widespread. Key documents related to employment, tenders, legislation, and internal organization are available exclusively in Albanian, while the Serbian version of the website often contains empty or incomplete categories. This same practice extends to video content, which is consistently published only in Albanian. As a result, users who rely on the Serbian language are not granted even the minimum conditions for equal access to public information.

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 the equal use of Serbian and Albanian. As a result, non-majority communities, particularly those who communicate in Serbian, remain deprived of access to essential information. Moreover, this concern was explicitly acknowledged in the European Commission’s 2023 Kosovo Report[2], which highlights the problem in multiple sections.

Therefore, NGO Aktiv, Radio Kim, New Social Initiative (NSI), Radio Goraždevac, and the Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC) are continuing their public advocacy campaign aimed at urging institutions to address this long-standing issue. This week’s focus is the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, and the analysis of its website and social media channels reveals that Serbian is used only sporadically and symbolically.

As one of the key bodies of executive authority, the Ministry has a particular responsibility to ensure equal access to information for all citizens, regardless of language background. Respecting the Law on the Use of Languages in this case is not merely a formality, it is a tangible demonstration of institutional equality and inclusiveness. When a segment of the population is unable to access basic information about job vacancies, tenders, legislation, or ministry activities, it fosters a sense of exclusion and marginalization. This not only undermines the Law on the Use of Languages but also violates the core principles of transparency and equality that should serve as the foundation of any society aspiring toward democracy.

What Did We Find on the Website of the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure?

Official name: Already at the very beginning of the Serbian language version of the website of this ministry, it is noticed that the official name of the institution has not been fully translated. Instead of the full name “Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure”, the abbreviated form “Ministry of Infrastructure” is attached.

Minister: In the Serbian version of the website[3], the section designated for information about the Minister lacks any actual content, including the Minister’s photograph, whereas the Albanian version[4] provides all the relevant details.

Deputy Ministers[5]: The same situation is observed in this segment. Apart from the category title in Serbian, there is no accompanying content. In contrast, all information is duly presented in the Albanian version of the website[6].

Minister’s Cabinet: Another inconsistency has been identified between the Serbian[7] and Albanian[8] versions of the content. While the Albanian version offers detailed information about cabinet staff, the Serbian version contains only the title, without any additional data. A similar issue is evident in the category titled “General Secretary”[9], which not only lacks a description but also contains a grammatical error in the title itself.

Organizational Chart: An empty category (except for the title) was also observed in this segment. Namely, while in the Albanian[10] version of the site a detailed scheme is attached, in the Serbian version,[11] apart from the title, there is no information about the structure of this ministry.

News[12]: This category also displays linguistic inconsistency, in the Serbian version of the website, the links related to the Ministry’s activities are missing, and the category title itself is written in Albanian. By contrast, the Albanian version provides clearly presented and complete information.

Photo Gallery[13]: violation of the Law on the Use of Languages is also observed in this section, as both the information and the accompanying captions of the photos on the Serbian version of the site are titled in Albanian.

Video Gallery[14]: An even more concerning situation is noted in this category. In the Serbian section of the website, there is only one video, and it is in Albanian. In contrast, the Albanian version offers several dozen video materials related to general information, awareness campaigns, and other updates about the Ministry’s activities.

Departments[15]: This section illustrates the most serious degree of inconsistency and a direct violation of the Law on the Use of Languages. In the Serbian version of the website, all category titles are written in Albanian, while the content of those categories, which should cover topics such as road infrastructure, traffic, and administration is entirely missing, leaving the pages blank. Furthermore, while 11 categories are available in the Albanian version, only eight are listed in the Serbian one. Users accessing the website in Serbian are also deprived of information about the work of individual departments of the Ministry, which are clearly presented and accessible in the Albanian version.

Recruitment[16]: A drastic imbalance in the availability of information between the two language versions is also evident in this category. While over a hundred employment-related documents are accessible in the Albanian version[17] only four are available in the Serbian version. This disproportion effectively prevents members of the community who rely on the Serbian language from having equal access to information about recruitment procedures and job openings at the Ministry.

Legislation[18]: This section also clearly illustrates a one-sided approach to information dissemination. While users of the Albanian version of the website have access to a broad range of legal and administrative documents across 13 clearly labeled categories, users of the Serbian version are limited to only eight, many of which are untranslated and completely devoid of content. Moreover, the absence of essential information, such as laws, by-laws, licenses, strategies, regulations, application forms, and details on intercity and international transport in Serbian, creates the impression that this part of the website is more of a legal formality than a thoughtfully developed, functional resource.

Tenders[19]: This category represents another example of a complete information void in the Serbian version of the site. Aside from a translated title, the entire section contains no content, not a single document, notice, or detail on published tenders is available in Serbian. In contrast, the Albanian version[20] includes more than ten relevant documents, clearly demonstrating unequal access to information and a serious breach of legal obligations regarding bilingual communication by public institutions.

Public Information[21]: A stark disparity in the quantity of public notices and documents, ranging from general announcements and contract notifications to road asphalting updates, is also evident in this section. While the Albanian version of the site contains over 100 documents, only 15 are available in Serbian.

Social Media

Facebook[22]: The Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure’s presence on the social network Facebook reflects the same pattern of one-sided communication, the Serbian language is entirely absent. The page title, as well as nearly all posts related to ministry activities, meetings, press releases, and other information, whether in text or video format, are available exclusively in Albanian.

YouTube[23]: The same applies to this platform, there is a complete absence of Serbian-language content. All available materials are published solely in Albanian, without any attempt at language synchronization. In this digital space, the Serbian language remains entirely invisible.

Why is this important?

As we have emphasized in previous analyses, this latest stage of our campaign once again confirms that the systematic neglect of the Serbian language by Kosovo institutions represents a serious issue. This practice undermines equal access to information for non-majority communities and constitutes a direct violation of the Law on the Use of Languages.

This law clearly stipulates that Albanian and Serbian are equal official languages in Kosovo. Therefore, the longstanding institutional disregard for the problem and the continued silence regarding repeated violations of language rights result in the denial of constitutionally and legally guaranteed rights to equal access to public information for Kosovo Serbs and other communities relying on information in Serbian.

In light of the analyses presented so far, several legitimate questions arise. First of all, what, exactly, are Kosovo taxpayers funding, including those from non-majority communities such as the Serbian one? How is it possible that public resources, to which even those without access to this information contribute, are used to fund a system that discriminates against them in terms of information? The silence of the Office of the Language Commissioner further deepens concerns, and the lack of response from political and institutional representatives of the Serbian-speaking community raises questions about accountability and whether those representatives genuinely advocate for the interests the citizens they represent.

We also pose a question to many representatives of the international community, what exactly is being supported and financed in Kosovo when such systemic violations of the law are evident yet ignored, with no meaningful reaction?

Ultimately, it is fair to ask: what is the purpose of the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure’s official trilingual website when the content in one of the official languages is nearly entirely absent, superficial, or symbolic, giving the impression of neglect or, at times, outright institutional arrogance? Silence in the face of such examples is no longer a technical oversight, it sends a message that equal access to information is not a priority, but rather a mere formality.

This is why it is crucial to replace the current practice of using unqualified translators or Google Translate with professional translators who can ensure high-quality and accurate Serbian-language content. Establishing a functional translation system would guarantee unhindered access to public information and, more importantly, demonstrate the institutions’ practical commitment to respecting not only language rights but also the fundamental human rights of non-majority communities, rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Right[24].

While civil society organizations, working with limited resources, regularly provide trilingual communication[25] the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, which has a budget of €260 million for 2025[26] certainly has the means to ensure appropriate Serbian-language translation.

We therefore call on the Ministry to immediately begin the process of harmonizing the language versions of the information published on its website and social media platforms, enabling equal access to key information in both official languages.

Once again, we urge the Office of the Prime Minister to move beyond political rhetoric and take concrete steps by instructing institutions to harmonize language standards at all legally mandated levels, rather than making symbolic gestures of support for minority rights.

At the same time, we once again appeal to the Office of the Language Commissioner to begin implementing its legal obligations. This includes building an institutional environment that respects constitutional and legal requirements and ensures the protection, promotion, preservation, and implementation of language rights for all citizens of Kosovo.

Finally, we encourage all citizens to take part in this process and report any observed language violations to the relevant institutions, such as the Office of the Language Commissioner (zkgj.kpj@gmail.com) and the Ombudsperson Institution (info.oik@oik-rks.org). We also invite citizens who encounter specific language-related anomalies to contact NGO Aktiv (office@ngoaktiv.org) and join us in calling on the authorities to uphold the legal standards on language use.

[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://www.mit-ks.net/sr/ministar

[4] https://www.mit-ks.net/sq/ministri

[5] https://www.mit-ks.net/sr/zamenici-ministara

[6] https://www.mit-ks.net/sq/zevendesministrat

[7] https://www.mit-ks.net/sr/kabinet-ministara

[8] https://www.mit-ks.net/sq/kabineti-i-ministrit

[9] https://www.mit-ks.net/sr/generlani-sekretar

[10] https://www.mit-ks.net/sq/organogrami

[11] https://www.mit-ks.net/sr/organogram

[12] https://www.mit-ks.net/sr/aktivitetet-e-zevendesministrave