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BIRN Conference Addresses Integration of South Serbia

BIRN Conference Addresses Integration of South Serbia

21 04 2011  

Over 100 people from Serbia and abroad have gathered in Belgrade at a high profile BIRN conference on the integration of minority communities from South Serbia into the country's wider society and institutions.

Under the name ’Integration: Combining Ethnic and Democratic Principles’, BIRN Serbia organised on Wednesday an international forum that aims to serve as a platform for the domestic and foreign public to gain insight into current developments in the region, and for those involved in initiatives in the area.

Mr. Ivica Dacic, Deputy Prime Minister in the Serbian Government, Mr. Bill Longhurst, Charge d'Affaires of the UK embassy in Serbia, Mr. Riza Haljimi, Member of the Serbian Parliament, Mr. Thomas Moore, Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Ms. Gordana Igric, BIRN Regional Director, opened the debate.

The forum, organised under the auspices of the British Embassy in Belgrade and the Balkan Fund for Democracy, features two panels. The first focuses on education as the cornerstone of successful integration. Participants in the second panel will discuss the effectiveness of international aid sent to the region.

The first international forum on the development of South Serbia and possibilities for the increased integration of ethnic Albanians into Serbian state institutions was organised by BIRN Serbia in April 2010 in Belgrade on the occasion of the first anniversary of the reinstatement of the Coordinating Body for South Serbia.

The conference was entitled 'South Serbia: From Frozen Conflict to Sustainable Solutions: Opportunities for Long-Term Integration and Development of the Region'.

The southern Serbia municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac, and Medvedja are home to the country's largest ethnic Albanian population and are among the least developed in Serbia. High unemployment rates and an average wage lower than the state average of about 350 euros are two of the many challenges facing the area.

In 2000 and 2001, the region was the scene of an armed conflict between state security forces and local ethnic Albanian militants in the Liberation Army of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.

Economic Development, Education Needed in South Serbia

A Serbian MP from South Serbia says that the region needs economic development and improvements to education, in a speech at a BIRN conference on the integration of the area.

Riza Halimi, the only ethnic Albanian MP in the Serbian Parliament, said that the economy and education are the most crucial areas in need of improvement in South Serbia, during a speech at a conference on the integration of minority communities in South Serbia into the country's wider society and institutions.

South Serbia is home to the country's largest ethnic Albanian population and is among the least developed regions in Serbia. Extremely high unemployment rates and an average wage lower than the state average of about 350 euros are two of the many challenges facing the area.

Halimi said that economic situation has worsened since 2001 and that the recognition of diplomas is one of several unresolved issues.

“There is no perspective for a future here, which is why the majority of asylum seekers are from here,” he said. "They are not political asylum seekers but those who failed to find a solution to their problems in their hometown and are now looking for it in EU member states," he added.

Thousands of Serbian citizens from south Serbia have attempted to seek asylum in EU states since Serbia was granted visa-free travel to the EU in December 2009.

Halimi was speaking at a conference in Belgrade that gathered more than 100 Serbian and foreign participants to address the pressing issues facing South Serbia.

Under the name ’Integration: Combining Ethnic and Democratic Principles’, BIRN Serbia organised on Wednesday an international forum that aims to serve as a platform for the domestic and foreign public to gain insight into current developments in the region, and for those involved in development initiatives in the area.

The forum, organised under the auspices of the British Embassy in Belgrade and the Balkan Fund for Democracy, was opened in Belgrade's Sava Centre by BIRN regional director Gordana Igric.

Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic also addressed the movement north over the past year as people escaped a difficult economic situation in south Serbia and sought asylum in the EU.

“They are seeking asylum, forgetting that it is a political category,” he said. Dacic went on to say that more than 95 per cent of those people have been rejected as they do not suffer political persecution.

In an effort to counter this, Dacic said, the government is investing greater efforts to integrate minorities into state institutions and improve their prospects for the future.

Milan Markovic, Serbia's minister of human and minority rights, public administration and local-self government, explained that the government is working hard to release books in the Albanian language.

“The national minority council has recently been established and this is the body which is supposed to take over the issue and try to resolve it,” Markovic said.

He went on to say that affirmative action takes place in employment in public institutions. Language is a barrier, he noted, but both Serbs and ethnic Albanians discriminate against each other in government bodies.

Education Minister Zarko Obradovic stressed his ministry’s willingness to improve the educational system in south Serbia and ensure that the communities in the region can access their rights.

“In order to reach this goal, we need to have professional educators as well as money, just wishing is not enough,” he said.

Members of the diplomatic corps and international organisations in Serbia also took part in Wednesday's conference. They commended goals which have been reached while encouraging the Serbian government to continue its efforts.

Bill Longhurst, chargé d’affaires in the British Embassy in Belgrade, noted several positive improvements which had been made. These include establishing a multi-ethnic government in Bujanovac, one of the municipalities in south Serbia, promising steps in the field of education and healthcare, and the formation of the national minority council.

Thomas Moore, acting head of the OSCE mission to Serbia, told forum participants that the climate has changed regarding the integration of ethnic Albanians in South Serbia.

He said that the Coordinating Body for South Serbia, which organises cooperation between local and state bodies, is working on several important issues, including a multi-ethnic university in Bujanovac, a maternity ward in Presevo and resolving issues surrounding the use of Albanian language.

“The OSCE remains committed to providing whatever support Serbia needs on its progress towards the EU,” he said.

Pace of Integration in South Serbia 'Not Satisfactory'

Representatives of ethnic Albanians from South Serbia are not satisfied with the pace of the region's integration into wider Serbian society and institutions.

Shaip Kamberi, mayor of Bujanovac, and Ragmi Mustafa, mayor of Presevo, said that they do not think that Belgrade is investing enough effort to resolve issues in South Serbia, including a strugging economy.

The mayors, who lead two of the main cities in South Serbia, spoke at a BIRN panel discussion entitled Integration - The Way Forward.

The panel is part of BIRN's second international forum on South Serbia entitled Integration: Combining Ethnic and Democratic Principles, held on Wednesday in Belgrade.

The southern Serbia municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac, and Medvedja are home to the country's largest ethnic Albanian population and are among the least developed in Serbia. High unemployment rates and an average wage lower than the state average of about 350 euros are two of the many challenges facing the area.

In 2000 and 2001, the region was the scene of an armed conflict between state security forces and local ethnic Albanian militants in the Liberation Army of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.

Representatives from Serbia's state government also participated in Wednesday's forum, along with international organisations and embassies.

Danijela Nenadic from Serbia's Coordination Body for the municipalities of Bujanovac, Presevo and Medvedja told conference participants that "we are facing the problem of donor assistance slowly drying up." She also pointed to the importance of listening to local stakeholders.

Beatrice Meyer, Country Director for the Swiss Cooperation Office, also said that donor aid is decreasing, which is not a positive sign.

"Sometimes we have the feeling that the state is reducing efforts when we are on the ground,” she added.

Graeme Tyndall, Programme Manager for the European Partnership with Municipalities, believes that the Serbian government needs to bring in the private industry to explore ways to improve integration in the region.