The Parents’ Council of the Municipality of Prishtina has reacted to the statement of Minister Arben Vitia, about the possibility of postponing the start of the teaching process again.

According to the Parents’ Council of the Municipality of Prishtina, this decision is in complete contradiction with the Guideline of the Ministry of Education for 2021-2022. That Guide provides for four scenarios of the learning process and not just one, as claimed by Mr. Vitia.

Moreover, the ease with which the possible postponement of the teaching process is being declared is sounding to us both unreasonable and irresponsible – especially when the opening of restaurants in the interior was expected on Monday (!). At the same time, these (preventive) actions are completely different from what has been said and done for more than a month by the Ministry of Education and the municipal directorates of education, that preparations have been made to start the teaching process, but also with all previous measures. the development of the learning process in times of pandemics “, it is said in the reaction.

The Parents’ Council of the Municipality of Prishtina warns Vitina that if the start of the new school year is postponed again, they will consider the further engagement of parents in the schools of Prishtina, therefore it has called on all decision-making institutions to be serious and responsible. for the statements and decisions they make about the learning process.

“If we continue with these non-serious decisions to postpone the start of the teaching process, as well as to condition its start with unnecessarily invented scenarios, we as the Parents’ Council in Prishtina will seriously consider the option to suspend the engagement of parents in Prishtina schools. , both in Governing Councils and in the School Task Force. The call for a boycott of parent meetings in the classroom is not excluded. We call on all decision-making institutions to be serious and responsible for the statements and decisions they make about the learning process and to start the learning process on September 27 – with an acceptable and appropriate scenario. The further postponement will be absolutely unacceptable for us ‘, concludes the reaction of the Parents’ Council of the Municipality of Prishtina.

The President of Serbia, Alesandar Vuiqi., Has called an urgent session of the National Security Council for Tuesday at 10 am.

According to Serbian media, Telegrafi reports, the main topic of the session will be “recent events in Kosovo”.

As further stated, the final decision on the removal of license plates from Serbian cars by the authorities in Kosovo will be discussed there.

A reaction about the latest developments has also come from the leaders of the Serbian List who came this morning at the Jarinje border crossing “to give support to the gathered Serbs”.

And the leader of the Serbian List, Goran Rakic, called on the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, “to help the people and to react according to the possibilities.”

Otherwise, the Government of Kosovo has decided today to establish reciprocity with Serbia in terms of vehicle license plates.

The document was signed today by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla.

The decision made public by Minister Sveçla states that “it is obligatory to provide temporary license plates for all vehicles that have Serbian license plates and enter the territory of the Republic of Kosovo.

Equipping with temporary license plates is done at all border crossing points of the Republic of Kosovo ”.

The decision further states that the validity of these temporary license plates is 60 days.

In addition, police forces were added to the border crossings with Serbia this morning to oversee the implementation of this decision. / Telegraphy /

Today during the day it was reported about the postponement of the start of the lesson which was expected to start on September 1st.

For this reason, the Parents’ Council in the Municipality of Prishtina has requested that the start of the school year be postponed.

“We, the presidency of the Parents’ Council of Prishtina, based on the degree of spread of the pandemic, the worst in the country from the beginning; In terms of the number of infections and daily deaths, but also the expansion of the virus from all ages without exception, taking into account the additional risk of the Delta variant, we consider that the start of classes on September 1 with full presence in schools is extremely dangerous and with high potential for consequences on the health and lives of our children but also entire families. “The damage could be even more severe if the already limited treatment capacity in the hospitals is exhausted”, it is said in the reaction of the Council.

They are asking that if the situation does not improve the lesson be postponed for 1 week.

” Therefore, we request that, if the situation does not improve significantly, the start of physical presence teaching in schools be postponed. The postponement can be 1 + 1 week, depending on the situation with pandemics’ ‘, say from the Parents’ Council in the Municipality of Prishtina.

The Presidency of the Parents’ Council of Prishtina have requested the postponement of the beginning of the new school year with a physical presence in schools, if the situation with the pandemic does not improve.

According to the press release, they have requested that the start of classes be postponed for two weeks.

Full response:

Feedback for the start of the lesson on September 1st

We, the presidency of the Parents’ Council of Prishtina, based on the degree of spread of the pandemic, the most severe in the country from the beginning; In terms of the number of infections and daily deaths, but also the expansion of the virus from all ages without exception, taking into account the additional risk of the Delta variant, we consider that the start of classes on September 1 with full presence in schools is extremely dangerous and with high potential for consequences on the health and lives of our children but also entire families. The damage can be even more severe if the already limited treatment capacity in hospitals is exhausted.

In addition to all this, we still do not have vaccinations for children under the age of 16, as this category is unprotected.

We want to remember here that (for preventive purposes) learning has been pushed into much easier pandemic circumstances.

Therefore, we request that, if the situation does not improve significantly, the start of physical presence teaching in schools be postponed. The postponement can be 1 + 1 week, depending on the pandemic situation.

Justice Minister Albulena Haxhiu says she is very concerned about the judicial system in Kosovo.

Haxhiu in a phone call to “Debat Plus” said that for the case of the murder of 18-year-old from Ferizaj will seek responsibility from the Kosovo Judicial Council.

“Apart from this case that ended in murder, we see another scandal in the judicial system as we see that the main suspect had an indictment filed since 2013. So the question is how is it possible for such a person to be free or why until now there has been no judicial review. The Judicial Council should speak to us about this case and I hope that they will not consider this statement of mine as an interference in justice “, said Haxhiu.

The Minister of Justice says that the state will take measures to protect women and girls in Kosovo.

“We will hire free lawyers for victims of domestic violence.”

Haxhiu says that it does not matter how good the laws are if they are not implemented in practice.

“It should be included in the codes of ethics so that persons who have committed domestic violence in the past have no place in public institutions.”
The Minister of Justice says that the approach that men own women and can act with them as they want should change./Telegrafi/

Ambassadors of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) spoke on the occasion of yesterday’s session of the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska, which adopted the conclusion that the decision to ban genocide denial does not apply.

“Rhetoric and actions that undermine the functioning of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including boycotting state-level institutions and blocking vital decisions, destabilize the country and run counter to the Dayton Peace Accords. Such moves do not serve Bosnia and Herzegovina’s interests and hamper European integration and progress in 14 key priority “, it is stated in the statement of the ambassador of the Peace Implementation Council, reports Kliks.

The statement also states that “revisionism, glorification of convicted war criminals and denial of well-documented and established facts about war events, including genocide, are unacceptable.”

The statement estimates that this is in contradiction with the basic European values ​​and that it undermines the stability of the country and the well-being and prosperity of the citizens of BiH.

Ambassadors of the PIC Steering Board call on the authorities to “refrain from destabilizing behavior”.

They call on all political leaders in BiH to focus on “supporting peace, stability and prosperity for the citizens of this country and promoting reconciliation, built on mutual recognition, empathy and respect for all victims,” ​​the PIC said.

The ambassador also emphasized his “continuous support for the authority and mandate of the High Representative” and his role until, as they say, the goals and conditions for BiH’s exit from the regime of international supervision are met.

Russia refused to join the statement

The Embassy of the Russian Federation in BiH announced that it refused to join the statement of the ambassador and stated the reasons for such a move, RTRS reports.

The Russian Embassy points out that High Representative Valentin Inzko ended his term on May 27 and that he did not have any authority to introduce amendments to the Criminal Code.

The statement states that Russia has always opposed the use of “Bonn powers”, whose even the broadest interpretation does not give it the right to interfere in the activities of the legislative power.

The embassy also reminds that the decision of the National Assembly was made by a legally elected democratic body of government.

“It turns out that our partners consider BiH a negligent student who fails to pass ‘exams’ and get rid of international supervision. For more than a quarter of a century, a sovereign state that has held the position of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council must ‘repeat the year’ … “For these reasons, we consider the Office of the High Representative to be a brake on BiH’s development path and insist on its unconditional closure. This is the case when the advantages have long since turned into irreparable shortcomings. Therefore – it must be closed!”

The members of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council are: France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Germany, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Presidency of the European Union, the European Commission and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) represented by Turkey.

The Peace Implementation Council consists of 55 countries and organizations. It was established in 1995 in London, after the conclusion of the Dayton Peace Agreement.

Vetëvendosje Movement MP, Arbër Rexhaj spoke about the divisions within VV, which he says that due to numerous memberships in this party, there may be disagreements.

Rexhaj says that Lëvizje Vetëvendosje has grown a lot and as a result there may be disagreements within the organizations of this party in the municipalities of Kosovo.

“I see it more as a big increase of VV, in fact when our officials declared that VV is growing big at that time someone took it with a kind of skepticism. When you have such a large membership with such a large number that join directly every day, of course different opinions arise that may have so I am not saying conflict or accident, but of course from different opinions there may still be disagreements in the meaning of different areas to be social in Kosovo “, said Rexha, reports Express.

Rexhaj even spoke about Kurti’s speech at the General Council of VV that was held a few days ago, where he called on them to avoid internal conflicts and negative campaigns.

He says that Prime Minister Kurti has not only addressed the officials within VV, but also the activists.

“Rivalry has always been and is, but in the democratic sense of the word. But, what I am saying is this, VV has grown a lot. Too much growth also has claims within the organization who think they can lead a project a municipality, or a candidate for assembly, and of course in this outlet there can be a kind of positive rivalry to lead a sector, or to take on a task . Prime Minister Kurti has not only addressed the officials within VV, but it is seen as a philosophy beyond the organization, which also goes to activists where we now have to get used to our new home, which this political house is very large “, Added Rexhaj.

The PDK steering council will meet tonight to discuss the election convention on July 3, where the new chairman will be elected.

Before the meeting of the steering council, Enver Hoxhaj addressed the media to reveal the details of the discussions they will have.

He said the purpose of the election convention is to return the PDK as the first party in the country.

“Today we have the meeting of the Steering Council of PDK, which aims to prepare as well as possible for the election convention of PDK on July 3, and the main purpose of the convention is for PDK to return as the first party in the level and gain weight in our political life and the debate is about what structure we should offer and what is being discussed in the PDK Steering Council and what PDK members have told me, who want the PDK to win change their message is for profit jonë Our main expectation is our return to many municipalities in Kosovo and the convention is in function of preparing for the local elections and you will see that on October 17 PDK will return most of the municipalities starting from Mitrovica and to Prizren with the best candidates “, said Hoxhaj.

He also talked about his possible candidacy for leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo

“It is not a race between us, because PDK needs power at the central level, as the current government of Mr. Kurti, which is authoritarian and is hurting the country every day. Where have you heard in Europe in the last 70 years who when asked about a US administration document says I have not read it yet, let me read it, you can see what they think. Therefore, for me it is a crucial week and from Monday to think about the candidacy “, said Hoxhaj.

Furthermore, Hoxhaj said that all members of this party can run for the post of PDK chairman, while he did not want to reveal whether these candidacies will be unveiled at today’s meeting of the party’s Steering Council.

“What I did while I was acting president, I invited publicly, but it was not just a farce that I am a democrat, but I publicly invited colleagues in the structures of PDK, every devoted member to consider the candidacy of his candidacy, but the candidacy of everyone who can compete, should be measured by the power of the vote on July 3, but it should be measured by the national elections or will it make PDK the first national party in the country “, said Hoxhaj

Hoxhaj has announced that all possible candidacies for president will be submitted in writing to the working group of the party, which he said has the most potential to lead Kosovo.

Otherwise, the Presidency of the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the acting chairman, Enver Hoxhaj have resigned long ago from their current positions due to the holding of the Party Convention on July 3.

The comment by Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of the Office of the Council of Europe in Belgrade, appeared in the daily newspaper “Politika”

For more than 20 years, since the opening of our office in Belgrade in March 2001, and to this day, the Council of Europe has been accompanying the constitutional developments in Serbia.

The process initiated by the government last December aims for the first time to amend the Serbian constitution in 2006. This requires a holistic approach. The Venice Commission published an in-depth analysis of the Constitution in 2007, which still raises points of relevance today.

The areas covered by the government’s constitutional reform initiative concern the judiciary. The Venice Commission provided comprehensive guidance in the form of an opinion and a memorandum from the Secretariat, which were published in June and October 2018.

Since then, the judicial and rule of law situation in Serbia and Europe has evolved, but the wide range of all materials available from the Council of Europe’s standard-setting and monitoring bodies remains relevant and should be given due consideration as they make an essential contribution to the constitutional reform process.

Recently the Office of the Council of Europe in Belgrade and the Institute for Comparative Law published the package of standardizing documents in the field of rule of law and justice. As part of the work of the National Assembly, these documents have been made available online. The documents come from various bodies of the Council of Europe: the Committee of Ministers, the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), the Advisory Board of European Judges, the Advisory Board of European Public Prosecutors, the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO); they also contain the relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is contributing to this process: In February 2021, its Monitoring Committee asked the Venice Commission for an opinion on the constitutional and legal framework for the functioning of democratic institutions in Serbia. The draft opinion is expected to be adopted at the plenary session of the Venice Commission in October 2021.

Compliance with the standards of the Council of Europe is essential for ensuring the rule of law in Serbia. This is equally important in connection with the further development of the relations of the Republic of Serbia with the EU and its accession to the European Union. As part of the joint action “Strengthening the independence and accountability of the judiciary in Serbia”, the Council of Europe and the EU are supporting Serbia on its way. The benchmarking role of the Council of Europe for human rights, rule of law and democracy in Europe has been confirmed several times by the European Union and most recently by all 27 EU member states at the last meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the European Union on May 21, 2021 in Hamburg.

We encourage the members of the National Assembly, the professional organizations of the judiciary, civil society, academia and the media, the knowledge and experience of the standardization, monitoring and cooperation bodies of the Council of Europe to make full use of the reform of the Serbian constitution for the benefit of the people of the Landes and the region as a whole.

The Council of Europe’s bodies, conventions and monitoring mechanisms provide excellent support to Member States by facilitating international cooperation and the exchange of best practices in promoting equality and diversity. The Council of Europe office in Belgrade is an excellent example and can proudly look back on 20 years of dedicated work.

This was highlighted in today’s event on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Council of Europe office in Belgrade.

Nadia Ćuk, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of the holistic approach to achieve equality: “Building a tolerant, inclusive and resilient society based on the principle of non-discrimination requires a holistic approach. In its numerous and varied cooperation programs implemented in Serbia over the past 20 years, the Council of Europe has continued to focus on promoting diversity and equality to help the country advance its reform agenda in the areas of human rights, rule of law and Democracy in line with European standards. “

Ivica Dačić, spokesman for the National Assembly of Serbia, congratulated the office on two decades of successful work. “The office of the Council of Europe in Belgrade is one of the institutions without whose support we could not have achieved the democratic development of our country. Serbia is a much better country today than it was 20 years ago. Numerous judicial and parliamentary support projects, implemented in collaboration with civil society, helped create an atmosphere of tolerance and respect for diversity, ”said the spokesman.

In the video message, Michael Roth, Minister of State for Europe in the Foreign Office and Special Representative of the Federal Government for the German Presidency in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, emphasized that the organs of the Council of Europe, its conventions and monitoring mechanisms offer the member states excellent support by promoting international cooperation and facilitate the exchange of best practices in promoting equality and diversity. May 2021 is European Diversity Month – let’s work together to create equitable and inclusive environments. Right now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, where diversity and inclusion are at risk, ”concluded Mr Roth.

Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of the Office of the Council of Europe in Belgrade, emphasized: “The strategic goal of the Council of Europe in the area of ​​anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion is to guarantee real equality and unrestricted access to rights and opportunities for everyone and everywhere”. to Serbia, at any time and under all circumstances, as an individual and as a member of a certain group. Our Belgrade office will continue to support the government, parliament, civil society, social and economic actors, the education sector, the media and everyone else in achieving this goal together. There can be no real European unity without human and minority rights, democracy and the rule of law. “

“20 years of work by the Council of Europe office in Belgrade will also be shaped by a coincidence that shows our commitment to the values ​​of the Council of Europe of all of us – in the small hall of the Serbian National Assembly we are celebrating this anniversary, while at the same time in the main hall of the assembly we are celebrating the anti-discrimination laws discussed ”, said Gordana Čomić, Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue. She also stated that “People are different and are legally required to treat people equally and to accept diversity as we all have human rights”.

In addition to the lecture “Human and Minority Rights Protection: Perspectives and Challenges to Multiple Diversity Governance in Europe and the Balkans” by Prof. Dr and Equal Rights in Serbia. Members of the Serbian National Assembly, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, representatives of civil society organizations and the National Council of Roma in Serbia exchanged views on how to proceed in the field of equality and diversity in Serbia.

In addition to the 20th anniversary of the office, this event also marked the end of the German presidency in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. HEMr Thomas Schieb, Germany’s ambassador to Serbia, emphasized that non-discrimination and the fight against hate speech were among the priorities during the German presidency of the Committee of Ministers. “We chose this focus because minorities are often confronted with exclusion and discrimination because of their nationality, skin color, religion, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, social status or disability. That is not acceptable. We must work together to change that, ”he concluded.

HEMr Attila Pinter, Ambassador of Hungary to Serbia, outlined the focus of the upcoming Hungarian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (May-November 2021) on the topics of minorities, youth policy, cybercrime and artificial intelligence, environmental protection and dialogue between the regions.

The symposium “Promoting Equality and Diversity in Serbia: 20 years of Cooperation for multiple Diversity Governance” was organized by the Office of the Council of Europe in Belgrade in cooperation with the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, supported by the National Assembly of Serbia and the Embassy the Federal Republic of Germany.

It highlighted Serbia’s efforts to promote equality and diversity based on the standards of the Council of Europe and sensitized Serbian authorities and civil society as well as international community partners to the governance of diversity in Europe.

Symposium agenda

For more information, please contact:

Mona Alghaith, email: mona.alghaith@coe.int; Mob. +381 63 365 751