Northern Kosovo

Today my article is not about a nation which proclaimed the independence, todays article is about a region of a self-proclaimed independent country. Everyone knows about Kosovo and about the political issue that surrounds that country. Well, Kosovo seceded from Serbia, but now North Kosovo wants to secede from Kosovo.

North Kosovo is a region in the northern part of Kosovo, composed of four municipalities with ethnic Kosovo Serbs majority: North Mitrovica, Leposavić, Zvečan and Zubin Potok.

Prior to the 2013 Brussels Agreement, the region functioned independently from the institutions in Kosovo, as they refused to acknowledge and recognize the independence of Kosovo, declared in 2008. The Government of Kosovo opposed any kind of parallel government for Serbs in this region.

However, the parallel structures were all abolished by the Brussels Agreement, signed between the governments of Kosovo and Serbia. Both governments agreed upon creating a Community of Serb Municipalities. The association was expected to be officially formed in 2016. According to the agreement, its assembly will have no legislative authority and the judicial authorities will be integrated and operate within the Kosovo legal framework.

POLITICS

Since 1999, the Serb-inhabited north of Kosovo had been governed as de facto independent from the Albanian-dominated government in Pristina. It used Serbian national symbols and participated in Serbian national elections, which are boycotted in the rest of Kosovo; and in turn, it boycotted Kosovo's elections. The municipalities of Leposavić, Zvečan and Zubin Potok are run by local Serbs, while the Mitrovica municipality had rival Serb and Albanian governments until a compromise was agreed in November 2002, whereby the city has one mayor. Serbs were active participants in the Kosovo Elections of 2013.

The region united into a community, the Union of Serbian Districts and District Units of Kosovo and Metohija established in February 2008 by Serbian delegates meeting in Mitrovica, which has since served as North Kosovo's capital.[citation needed] The Union's President is Dragan Velić. This union is not recognised by the Republic of Kosovo, or by UNMIK.[17] And was abolished in 2013 as a result of the Brussels Agreement.

There is also a central governing body, the Serbian National Council for Kosovo and Metohija (SNV). The President of the SNV in North Kosovo is Dr. Milan Ivanović, while the head of its Executive Council is Rada Trajković. Local politics are dominated by the Serbian List for Kosovo. The Serbian List is led by Oliver Ivanović, an engineer from Mitrovica.

North Kosovo is by far the largest of the Serb-dominated areas within Kosovo, and unlike the others, directly borders Central Serbia. This had facilitated its ability to govern itself almost completely independently of the Kosovo institutions in a de facto state of partition; the authorities in turn chose to observe Belgrade's direct rule which they believe to be the legal authority over Kosovo as a whole. However, despite the region being contiguous with Central Serbia, its location within Kosovo and the subsequent conditions of the Kumanovo Treaty in 1999 mean that UNMIK officials have freedom of movement in North Kosovo whereby they assume supervisory status whilst no institution (e.g. police) is in place to enforce Serbian central directives which apply to the rest of Serbia. Before the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, it had been speculated that Kosovo might be partitioned with North Kosovo remaining part of Serbia. The complexity of the region has been on the agenda of the 2011 Pristina-Belgrade Talks. In November 2012, Prime Minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi stated that autonomy for Northern Kosovo will never be granted, and the region will always remain a part of the Republic of Kosovo.

RULE OF LAW

Law enforcement and green border checkpoints are carried out by KFOR, EULEX and Kosovo Police. According to an International Crisis Group report, covert agents of Serbian police also operate in the area. North Mitrovica in particular continues to remain a hot spot for organized crime.

SPORT

Due to Serbian refusal of Kosovo institutions, Serbs in this part of Kosovo act independently in sport. For example, the Football First League of North Kosovo is primarily formed of Serbian clubs from four of North Kosovo's municipalities.

NOTABLE PEOPLE

- MILAN BISEVAC

Milan Biševac (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Бишевац; born 31 August 1983) is a Serbian footballer who plays as centre-back for French Ligue 1 club Metz. In international competition, he has represented the Serbia national team.

- MILOS KRASIC

Miloš Krasić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милош Красић; born 1 November 1984) is a football player who plays for Lechia Gdańsk as a winger. He represented the Serbia national team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and at one point in his career, he was named by FourFourTwo as one of the 100 best players in the world.

- NIKOLA LAZETIC

Nikola Lazetić (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Лазетић; born 9 February 1978) is a retired Serbian football midfielder.

Honours

Club

Fenerbahçe

Süper Lig (1): 2000–01

Red Star Belgrade

Serbian Cup (1): 2009–10

Individual

Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season (1): 2009–10 (with Red Star)

- STEVAN STOJANOVIC

Stevan Stojanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Cтeвaн Cтojaнoвић; born 29 October 1964) is a retired Serbian football goalkeeper best known for captaining Red Star Belgrade side which won the 1991 European Cup Final.

International career

He was called up several times for Yugoslavia national football team, but was not chosen for a competitive A team game. He played for Under 21 and Olympic teams.

Honours

- Red Star Belgrade

- Yugoslav First League: 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91

- Yugoslav Cup: 1989–90

- European Cup: 1990–91

- Royal Antwerp

- Belgian Cup: 1991–92

- NEVENA BOZOVIC

Nevena Božović is a Serbian singer. She represented Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö with the song "Ljubav je svuda", together with Mirna Radulović and Sara Jovanović. She is the first ever singer to enter both Junior Eurovision Song Contest, and the Eurovision Song Contest as a main artist.

- ANDELKA TOMASEVIC

Anđelka Tomašević (Serbian Cyrillic: Aнђeлка Томашевић; born 6 July 1993) is a Serbian model and beauty pageant titleholder. She represented Serbia in Miss Earth 2013 pageant in Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila, Philippines and also she represented her country at the Miss Universe 2014 pageant but Unplaced.