Kurti says Serb judges must return under Kosovo law

Kosovo’s acting prime minister, Albin Kurti, has told the European Union that Serb judges and prosecutors who resigned from state institutions cannot return outside Kosovo’s legal system.

Kurti raised the issue during talks with EU envoy Peter Sorensen, saying any solution must protect both the multi-ethnic character and independence of the judiciary.

The officials resigned in November 2022, when Serbs withdrew from Kosovo institutions in protest over government policy in the Serb-majority north. Their departure left courts and prosecution offices there without much of their Serb staff.

The EU has pressed for their return as part of efforts to restore public institutions and revive the stalled Kosovo–Serbia dialogue.

Kurti and Sorensen also discussed the Brussels agreement and its implementation plan agreed in Ohrid.