Kosovo authorities called on the international community on Tuesday to respond after the Serbian government adopted a draft law declaring Kosovo an “area of ​​special social protection”.

“I urge the international community – who have helped Kosovo a lot and should continue to support it – to sharply and rightfully respond because Kosovo as a republic is being attacked by our northern neighbour,” Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, said in Prishtine/Pristina.

Kurti’s comments came one day after Serbia’s government penned a set of measures that President Aleksandar Vucic announced in his address on national television on September 13, at the peak of Kosovo authorities’ actions targeting Serbia-run institutions in the four Serb-majority municipalities in the north.

“This is another hostile action towards Kosovo’s constitution, legality, territorial integrity, sovereignty, peace and security,” Kurti said, referring to the draft law, which is subject to a parliamentary vote that has yet to be scheduled.

“This is, at the same time, an attack on the basic agreement [of March 2023] from which Serbia has withdrawn … because they say they do not respect Kosovo’s territorial integrity,” he added.

Approving the draft law, Serbia’s government said on Monday that “the declaration … provides financial support to categories of the population [in Kosovo] provided for by law, with the aim of their survival in that territory and encourages the preservation of cultural and historical heritage with a focus on demographic, economic and cultural development.

“The goal of adopting these legal solutions is to support the unemployed, that is, those older than 65 who have not exercised their right to a pension, in order to provide them with support for a productive life and eliminate the consequences of social exclusion,” it added.

The Serbian government also adopted a draft law on the organisation and jurisdiction of judicial authorities in the prosecution of crimes committed in Kosovo.

“The proposed law enables the specialization of courts that try cases for criminal acts committed on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija and … their jurisdiction, so that trials in these criminal proceedings are more efficient and gain importance,” a press release said.