Serb prosecutors can reapply after being dismissed

Kosovo will advertise seven prosecutor jobs after the ethnic Serb prosecutors who held them were dismissed this week.

The prosecutors resigned in 2022 during a mass walkout by Serb officials from Kosovo’s institutions. Five later asked to take back their resignations, but Kosovo’s prosecutorial council refused. Acting President Albulena Haxhiu then dismissed all seven.

The former prosecutors may now apply for the same jobs through an open competition. Kosovo has not said when it will begin.

The European Union said the dismissals may not comply with the law and could make it harder to bring Serb judges and prosecutors back into Kosovo’s justice system.

The 2022 walkout followed a dispute over Serbian-issued vehicle plates and was encouraged by the Serb List, the main Kosovo Serb party backed by Belgrade.

Serb judges who have also asked to return are still waiting for a decision.

The jobs can now be filled, but it remains unclear whether the former prosecutors or other Serb lawyers will apply.