Kurti and Nikçi review protection of Kosovo’s properties in Serbia

The prime minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, met today with Hekuran Nikçi, chair of the Board of Directors of the Privatization Agency of Kosovo (PAK). Discussions focused on managing and safeguarding the assets of socially owned enterprises, unresolved property issues and the steps needed to complete the agency’s mandate.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, a significant part of the discussion concerned properties belonging to Kosovo’s socially owned enterprises that are located in Serbia. The meeting highlighted the need to identify and document these assets and protect the associated property rights.

The two sides also discussed the incomplete implementation of the Agreement on Cadastre, signed in Brussels on September 2, 2011. Under this agreement, Serbia had pledged to return to Kosovo the cadastral records it had taken from there. Although the European Union has provided financial support, including a project worth approximately €2 million to implement the agreement, Serbia has yet to fulfill all its obligations. According to the statement, this situation complicates efforts to resolve property issues and ensure legal certainty over these properties.

The meeting also examined the legal and institutional changes needed to conclude PAK’s work and transfer the relevant assets to the Sovereign Fund of the Republic of Kosovo. This process aims to improve the management of public assets and use them to support the country’s economic development.

In this context, the participants also discussed the Law on the Sovereign Fund, adopted by the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo in December 2023, which has been awaiting a Constitutional Court ruling for almost three years. In the absence of a final decision, the law has not entered into force, and the reform intended to change how state assets are managed and developed has not been implemented.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Albin Kurti stressed the need for continued institutional efforts to protect the assets of the Republic of Kosovo, address outstanding property issues and advance reforms to ensure responsible, transparent management in the public interest.