Office for Kosovo and Metohija
Government of the Republic of Serbia

Đurić: Continue Legal Aid Projects for the Displaced

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Đurić stated today that the return of the internally displaced to the province is insufficiently stimulated by Priština, expressing hope that conditions for a more substantial return will be created when Serbian judges take office and when usurped and destroyed property is restituted. Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport believes that each successful instance of providing assistance to the internally displaced is a step towards normalising relations.

Speaking at a round table to mark the completion of the project entitled Support to the Implementation of Strategies for the Internally Displaced, Refugees and Returnees – Legal Aid, Đurić said the project is being wrapped up after two and a half years, having been financed from the EU IPA funds and having provided legal aid in 5,587 cases – 1,856 closed and 3,731 still being processed.

Đurić stressed the importance of continuing to fund this legal aid project in order to help the displaced from Kosovo and Metohija to whom 90 per cent of the cases covered by the project are directly related.

Đurić stated that the legal aid provided to the IDPs primarily involved cases concerning compensation for destroyed or unlawfully usurped property, but also unpaid salaries for working in privatised firms in Kosovo and Metohija.

“The number of cases which are processed owing to the EU IPA fund and the number of people provided with legal aid is really huge and allows us to be satisfied. However, very few internally displaced people have found a remedy and justice before the Kosovo judiciary,” Đurić stated.

He stressed that the internally displaced from Kosovo and Metohija reported a full or partial destruction of more than 34,000 residential buildings, adding that an effective compensation system has still not been put in place and that unpunished property destruction persists in Kosovo and Metohija thus preventing return, while paralegal court proceedings also obstruct return and legalise property usurpation.

As Đurić said, the experience from Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrates that the problems encountered by the displaced may be resolved with good will and greater commitment of the international community.

Đurić emphasised that the international community must not allow the unhindered legalisation of usurped property, at the same time stimulating the integration of the displaced in central Serbia.

He pointed out that Serbia is going to be an ally to the international community and the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Priština, which he expects to invest great effort in creating multiculturalism, tolerance and inclusion in Kosovo and Metohija in the upcoming period.