Serbs in North Mitrovica protested on February 12 against the decision of the Kosovo authorities to only allow the euro as the currency for payments, excluding the Serbian dinar.<\/p>\n
The regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) for payments only in euros came into force on February 1, despite opposition from local Serbs and the international community.<\/p>\n
The protest, supported by the union of Serbian workers who work in Serbia\u2019s parallel system in Kosovo, was held near the main bridge over the Ibar River.<\/p>\n
Protest participants came from all municipalities where members of the Serbian community in Kosovo live.<\/p>\n
Present at the bridge over the Ibar were members of the Kosovo Police and members of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR.<\/p>\n
Representatives of the Serb List, the main party of Serbs in Kosovo enjoying the support of official Belgrade, also took part in the protest.<\/p>\n
At the beginning of the protest, organizers said it was raising \u201cthe voice against injustice and persecution from Pristina to remove the hard-earned dinar\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision to remove the dinar, to prevent us from withdrawing our deserved pensions, means that we are losing our means of survival, our lives are being interrupted,\u201d said pensioner Dusanka Corovic.<\/p>\n
She added that it is a lie that Serbs can open accounts in banks in Kosovo because, according to her, they \u201cdo not accept the Serbian pension fund\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Kosovo Government has said that Serbs will be able to open accounts, free of charge, to carry their money in dinars, which will then be converted into euros for payments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis decision must be revoked and the sending of dinars to our post offices, to our banks, must be made possible,\u201d said Dusanka Corovic.<\/p>\n
Speaking on behalf of healthcare workers, Dragisa Milovic from the Clinical Hospital Center, also vice president of the Serb List, said, \u201cThis direct decision targets our Serbian people and threatens their survival and existence if it remains in force. This decision aims to dismantle Serbian institutions in these areas\u201d.<\/p>\n
Milovic invited international representatives and ambassadors of the QUINT countries to stop the decision of the CBK and to be repealed, adding that \u201c[Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin] Kurti has no right to stop the dinar\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cSerbia has the right to finance its citizens, as agreed under the Brussels Agreement in 2013 and 2015, which states that schools, kindergartens, hospitals, local authorities, which are actually the foundations of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, are financed. But, unfortunately, the association that was supposed to be formed 11 years ago, we see that Pristina still does not want to form it, and Brussels, which is the guarantor of implementation, is silent,\u201d emphasized Milovic.<\/p>\n
On behalf of the education workers, Vesna Martinovic, who leads the elementary school in Uglare, demanded that \u201cthe right to earn not be denied\u201d, emphasizing that Pristina\u2019s decision implies that \u201call Serbian schools will be closed\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is being demanded of us? To listen, to respect every decision made by Pristina? To look at administrative crossings to get paid? Is this possible?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey say you have to open an account, and I ask on the basis of which contracts, which will be acceptable to banks operating in the Kosovo system. We all know very well that it is impossible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
According to the CBK, to open an account in one of the banks in Kosovo, several documents are needed, and the most important are: an identification document [ID card or passport], a municipal bill not older than three months, and proof of address, which may be a residence certificate or a municipal bill with the address.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, one of the protesters from Zubin Potok told Radio Free Europe that he came out to protest \u201cagainst everything, even against those in Belgrade and those in Pristina\u201d, adding that \u201cI don\u2019t trust anyone anymore\u201d.<\/p>\n
Before the protest, which lasted for less than an hour, the union representing workers who work under the Serbian system invited everyone to protest, namely workers in the education, health, postal workers, and those working in the Trep\u00e7a mine. The announcement said they oppose \u201cunfair escalatory movements aimed at deporting the Serbian population from Kosovo\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Serbian state allocates millions of euros to Serbs in Kosovo after paying them \u2013 through a parallel system \u2013 salaries, pensions, and additional assistance.<\/p>\n
The CBK regulation for cash operations has been criticized by the international community, arguing that the decision was made without prior consultation.<\/p>\n
Internationals have asked Kosovo to postpone the implementation of the regulation, saying more time is needed for the Serbian community to adapt to the decision.<\/p>\n
The Kosovo Government has said that during February there will be a transitional phase for this decision, and Serbs will be better informed about it.<\/p>\n
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti insists that the decision does not prevent Serbs from holding dinars, but they must be converted into euros if they are to be used for payments. According to Kurti, the CBK also does not prevent Serbia from continuing to help Serbs.<\/p>\n
For years, the National Bank of Serbia has been sending dinars to a vault in the municipality of Leposavic, in north Kosovo, and they are then transported by the international company Henderson.<\/p>\n
The CBK has said that such a practice is illegal, as only it can export and import currencies and banknotes within the territory of Kosovo.<\/p>\n
Kosovo authorities demand that Serbs in Kosovo open accounts in one of the licensed commercial banks.<\/p>\n
The Serbian state can then send funds in dinars, but they are automatically converted into euros along the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Serbs in North Mitrovica protested on February 12 against the decision of the Kosovo authorities to only allow the euro as the currency for payments, excluding the Serbian dinar. The regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) for payments only in euros came into force on February 1, despite opposition from local Serbs and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":65921,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163],"tags":[5351,1851,300,2785,1098,150,243,151,383,2203,992,336,301,5926],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n