The government of Kosovo is increasingly arguing in favour of fully opening, with no further EU-mediated negotiations, the bridge between the adjacent municipalities of North Mitrovica and Mitrovica which are populated by Serbs and Albanians respectively.

The bridge is used by pedestrian and commercial vehicles at this moment, being placed under the control of the Nato-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, KFOR. The Kosovan government says it plans to open the bridge to road traffic. 

“There is no room for discussions,” Prime Minister Albin Kurti said, adding that the discussions on this topic ended in 2016 when the opening of the bridge was included in the EU-mediated Serbia-Kosovo agreement.

Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, quoted by KosovaPress, added that the EU's implementation plan of August 5, 2016 envisages the opening of the bridge as a "symbol of the normalization of relations between Kosovo Serbs, Albanians and other communities".

President Vjosa Osmani, quoted by Koha, agreed that no further negotiations would be needed before the opening of the bridge.

No specific calendar has been announced by the government in Pristina but a technical evaluation of the bridge was completed at the recommendation of the European Union and the prime minister’s rhetoric gives a sense of imminence.

The plans prompted criticism from the European Union, which insisted on prior negotiations on this topic, citing past agreements. Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo, backed by Belgrade, say they fear ethnic cleansing following the opening of the bridge.

The government’s rhetoric may be rather a political strategy that equally suits Serbia, rather than a political cleansing plan pursued by the government of Kosovo against the Serbs in North Kosovo. And it is certainly not an attempt to improve the interethnic relationship, as the symbolism of the bridge may suggest.

Political expert Arbnor Sadiku, quoted by Kosovo Online, argued that Kurti’s ruling Vetevendosje movement is following an electoral strategy when preparing the ground for ethnic tensions.

“The Self-Determination Movement [Vetevendosje] is a party that particularly uses these situations, especially the poor relationship between Albanians and Serbs,” Sadiku said.

Serbs in Northern Kosovo seek to first establish the association of municipalities with a Serbian majority envisaged under the 2013 Brussels Agreement, and only after that open the bridge, according to the political expert. On the contrary, Vetevendosje seeks to defer the formation of the association of municipalities for after the general elections in February 2025.

Serbia and its political vehicle in Kosovo, Serbian List, are happy to present themselves as victims (of a hypothetical imminent ethnic cleansing in Mitrovica) and will not rush with the formation of the association of municipalities, according to Arbnor Sadiku and former general consul of Kosovo in Canada, Donat Sila, quoted by Kosovo Online. Similarly, they didn’t rush to elect Serb mayors in the four municipalities in Northern Kosovo earlier this year.

A spokeswoman of the European Union, Nabila Massrali, speaking to journalists on August 14 said that “the issue of the bridge … is part of the issue of [the Kosovo-Serbia] dialogue, even though the government of Kosovo acts to the contrary.”

The European Union’s spokeswoman, quoted by CNA.al, said it plans to decide the status of the bridge over the Ibar River at the next dialogue meeting between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels (not scheduled yet).

The State Department on August 14 warned Kosovo not to go ahead with opening the bridge, according to Kosovo Online.

“Opening the bridge to vehicle traffic now increases the potential for violence and puts at risk the local population as well as KFOR soldiers, including Americans, who are working to support peace and security in Kosovo," a State Department spokesperson said.

The Nato-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, KFOR, said that “any decision regarding the opening of the main bridge over the Ibar River should be made within the framework of the EU-mediated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina”.