Eleven residential buildings constructed without permits on land administered by the Ibër-Lepenci company were demolished several days ago along the shore of Ujman Lake.
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Following the action, the European Union Office in Kosovo expressed regret and raised concerns over the failure to follow legal procedures.
The EU called for the demolitions and any subsequent measures to be halted immediately until issues concerning ownership, the rule of law and ongoing judicial proceedings had been addressed.
In its response, the European Union called for no further demolitions, forced evictions or other seizures of property to take place until concerns regarding due process, proportionality, property and human rights, and access to effective legal remedies had been properly addressed.
Speaking to “Bota sot,” Guxo party official Agim Rexhepi objected to the fact that several demolished buildings were receiving more attention than respect for Kosovo’s legal and constitutional order.
According to him, it is unacceptable for the European Union Office in Pristina and the German Embassy to attach greater importance to several demolished structures than to upholding the law and the sovereignty of the Republic of Kosovo.
Rexhepi said the Government of Kosovo has a constitutional duty to protect the country’s territory, public property and legal order. He stressed that no one, regardless of ethnicity or political support, can be above the law. If the buildings were constructed in violation of the law or within protected areas, he said, the institutions have the right and the obligation to deal with them in accordance with the laws in force.
He also called on international partners to support the equal enforcement of the law for everyone and not create the impression that double standards are being applied.
Rexhepi recalled that the international community has supported the rule of law in Kosovo for years. For this reason, he said, it is expected to support the equal enforcement of the law in this case as well and avoid creating the perception that one side is subject to one rule while different rules apply to others.
Describing the Republic of Kosovo as a democratic and sovereign state, he said institutional decisions must be respected when they are based on the law and made by the competent authorities. Rexhepi emphasized that the rule of law cannot be a matter for negotiation, nor can it be applied selectively.
In conclusion, the Guxo official expressed support for the actions of the Government of Kosovo aimed at safeguarding the public interest and strengthening the state through the law.
He said the Government deserves support whenever it takes measures to protect the general interest, state property and the constitutional order, adding that the state is strengthened through law enforcement, not by tolerating violations.
Rexhepi concluded his remarks to “Bota sot” by saying that Kosovo’s progress depends on protecting sovereignty, the law and the equality of all citizens before the institutions—a path that, according to him, befits a serious European state.
