North Mitrovica professors fear penalties for refusing Kosovo laws

A group of professors and associates at the University of Pristina, temporarily based in North Mitrovica, have expressed serious concerns about the future legal and professional status of the institution. Their worries stem from the impending application of Kosovo's Law on Foreigners, which mandates residence permits for university employees.

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After the arrival of Mr. Sorensen in Pristina and the meeting with Kurti, without any participation from the Belgrade representatives, we received information that the university employees... will receive certain residence permits and will be able to work at the University for the next year.

The informal group, known as "Proaktiv," has been attempting to postpone the law's implementation since March 14. However, their efforts have been unsuccessful. Following a meeting between EU envoy Miroslav Lajčák and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, information emerged that university employees, particularly those without regulated residency in Kosovo, would receive temporary permits allowing them to work for another year.

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We reacted that according to the Data Protection Law, they do not have the right to forward this data to other institutions.

However, complications quickly arose. Initially, data collection for these permits was to be handled by external bodies, but concerns over data protection laws led to the responsibility being shifted to individual employees. This has created a division among the teaching staff. Some already possess the necessary documents, others have recently applied for residence permits, and a third group refuses to comply, viewing it as a violation of the laws of the Republic of Serbia.

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Personal ID of a foreign country, such as Serbia.

Adding to the confusion, some university faculties within the Serbian system have used phrasing like "personal ID of a foreign country, such as Serbia." Furthermore, the location for submitting documents was misrepresented in some communications, leading individuals to believe they were dealing with Serbian officials when they encountered Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs staff. Emails from university deans have warned that those who do not apply for a residence permit will bear the consequences, creating further pressure on the staff.

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People went thinking they would be met by someone from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, but they were met by officials from the Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs who gave them documents with the Republic of Kosovo memorandum that they needed to sign.