As a result of the penalties enforced by Brussels against Kosovo, numerous projects supported by the European Union (EU) have been paused. According to Reuters, these sanctions could also influence the results of today’s Kosovo parliamentary elections. The electoral outcome may further be swayed by the explicit criticism from the envoy of the new Donald Trump administration towards the Pristina authorities.

The EU sanctions have impacted all residents of Kosovo irrespective of their ethnicity. The British agency highlights the case of Lumbardi Cinema in Prizren, operational for decades, which has served as a cultural bridge by screening films from Japan, China, and the USA, and hosting an annual documentary film festival with international artists.

Struggling with financial difficulties, the cinema was counting on a €1.5 million EU grant intended for renovations of its heating and plumbing systems. However, on October 7 of last year, EU officials notified the cinema’s director, Ares Športu, via email that the grant had been revoked due to “measures imposed by the EU on the Kosovo government,” referencing sanctions implemented in 2023 over the bloc’s perceived role in heightening ethnic tensions in northern Kosovo.

“This has shaken the community’s trust in us, as well as in the EU, which claims to advocate for cultural diversity,” Športa told Reuters.

While the EU has not published a list of affected initiatives, two sources, including a senior diplomat, informed Reuters that over a dozen projects worth at least 150 million euros have been suspended due to the sanctions. This list includes a 70-million-euro wastewater treatment facility and the refurbishment of a concert hall.

Pristina has attempted to minimize the significance of these measures, but the plight of the Lumbardi Cinema and other projects highlights the “impact on one of the poorest European nations.”

As Kosovo gears up for today’s elections, the ramifications of European sanctions have resurfaced, potentially endangering Kurti’s chances for re-election, analysts suggest.

Two private opinion polls reviewed by Reuters indicate that support for Kurti’s Self-Determination party and its coalition allies has dropped to approximately 40 percent, down from the 50.2 percent they secured in the 2021 elections.

Political analyst Agon Maliqi argues that a segment of the populace is worried about Kosovo’s isolation.

“While many voters might feel pleased with Kosovo’s increased control over the north, there is skepticism about the sustainability of this without international backing,” Maliqi stated.

Some EU members advocate for lifting the sanctions, arguing that they have not prompted Kurti to amend his policies and primarily harm ordinary citizens, according to a senior diplomat and another unnamed official who spoke to Reuters.

However, this stance is contested by certain countries, including France and Hungary, which, as per the British agency, align themselves with Serbia.

The diplomat remarked that the sanctions disproportionately target Kosovo while leaving Serbia, which also contributes to the tensions, unaffected. They noted that there is no mechanism in place for lifting the punitive measures despite their lack of effectiveness.

An EU spokesman characterized the measures as “temporary and reversible,” but did not specify which projects have been impacted. Brussels has stated that the sanctions will be lifted if Kosovo eases tensions in the north. “The actions taken by the Kosovo government thus far have not been favorable to this goal,” the spokesperson commented.

Reuters reported that the EU had urged Pristina to establish a Union of Serb Municipalities to grant greater autonomy to Serbs. Kurti, fearing secession, rejected this proposal and has instead attempted to diminish Serbian autonomy in the north.

In defense of his policies, Kurti asserts that they have curbed crime, created jobs, fostered peace, and confronted a more formidable aggressor in Serbia. He proclaimed at a campaign rally last month that his administration’s actions should not be interpreted as “against Serbs, but against Serbia, as it opposes Kosovo and our nation.”

Nevertheless, his decision to appoint ethnic Albanians as mayors in Serb-majority municipalities and to compel ethnic Serbs to utilize Kosovo license plates on their vehicles has led to the most severe violence in a decade in 2023.

Despite the EU sanctions, Kurti has persisted. His administration has outlawed the utilization of the Serbian dinar, shut down Serb-operated post offices, and restricted trade between the two nations.

“The international community has isolated and penalized Kosovo. Every significant achievement we’ve realized in the past two decades — liberation, independence — has been accomplished through close collaboration with our allies,” stated Vlora Citaku of the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo, formerly Kosovo’s ambassador to the US.

How the new administration under US President Donald Trump will respond remains uncertain, as a recent statement from his special envoy for missions, Richard Grenell, underscores.

“Both Republicans and Democrats have routinely criticized Kurti for engaging in unilateral actions that destabilize the region. The EU and NATO have echoed similar sentiments. The international community stands united against Kurti,” Grenell expressed on the X network.

Grenell, as reported by the German newspaper “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung,” has openly called for Kurti’s ouster. The newspaper reminds that in January, Grenell accused Kurti of bringing Kosovo-US relations to a “low point,” asserting that Kurti has consistently opposed every American initiative, regardless of past administrations, since the Kosovo conflict in 1999.

Ahead of today’s elections, Grenell advised Kosovo Albanians: “Do not be misled,” as noted by the German publication, emphasizing that this message was directed towards the Kosovar populace, which typically responds more sensitively to American communications than citizens in most other nations.

“It remains unclear whether his message will yield the desired results. He explicitly opposed Kurti before the previous Kosovo parliamentary elections in February 2021, yet Kurti’s Self-Determination party triumphed then with a historic result exceeding fifty percent of the vote. His aim is to replicate or surpass that success,” the article concludes.

Polling indicates that Kurti’s party could again emerge as the strongest, although achieving an absolute majority is uncertain. “Should he be compelled to form a coalition or if the opposition ascends to power, Grenell would accomplish his objective: Kurti would either be in opposition or part of a coalition. Kurti’s initial government, formed in February 2020, collapsed after merely two months, partly due to Grenell exerting pressure on Kurti’s coalition partners to withdraw, which they ultimately did,” the German paper elaborates.

Kurti, an advocate for leftist and Albanian nationalist policies, has recorded several successes since assuming office in 2021. Unemployment has declined from 30% to approximately 10%, the minimum wage has risen, and the economy experienced growth that outpaced the Western Balkans average last year.

Nonetheless, northern Kosovo remains starkly divided. Education, healthcare, retail, and dining establishments function separately. Bills in Serbian businesses continue to be quoted in dinars rather than euros. Communities reside apart — even the architectural styles differ across ethnic groups, Reuters points out.

Serbian pensioner Dragoljub Ivić (65), residing in Gračanica, a Serbian municipality close to Pristina, must travel to Serbia each month to collect his 500 euro pension, spending 50 euros on the journey.

“In Kosovo, the people are suffering due to politics,” observed Ivić, noting that tensions have significantly escalated. “They want to push the Serbs out of Kosovo.”

EU sanctions affect all residents across the board.

The EU had committed 70 million euros for constructing the first wastewater treatment facility to address Pristina’s overcrowded sewage system. However, this initiative is now on hold, stated Pristina Deputy Mayor Alban Zogaj.

“After decades, we finally tackled the issue of treating wastewater that contaminates the Sitnica River, one of Europe’s most polluted rivers.”

Raw sewage is released directly into the canals, flowing past the residence of local inhabitant Sanija Thaci, who cannot open her windows due to the awful odor. “I am at a loss for words to express our ordeal,” Thaci remarked, standing next to a canal with a murky, polluted stream.

“Clearly, there is no viable solution on the horizon.”

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