19.08.2026. » 21:16 | ACDC
Civil society organizations’ statement on the different treatment in the removal of structures at Lakes Gazivode and Radonjić
Today's statement by the Regional Water Supply Company "Đakovica," which provides a detailed account of the years-long judicial procedure for establishing property rights that preceded today's removal of illegal structures at Lake Radonjić, provides yet another indication of the selective application of the law and the different legal standards applied by institutions in the case of Serb owners of structures at Lake Gazivode.
Of particular concern is the fact that, in the case of Lake Radonjić, the competent institutions respected judicial procedures and enabled the owners of the structures to exercise the available legal remedies, while in the case of Lake Gazivode, the company "Ibar-Lepenac" and the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure gave the owners a mere 15-day deadline to vacate the properties, without a prior court decision establishing their obligation to leave the structures.
According to the chronology published today, the Regional Water Supply Company "Đakovica" initiated proceedings concerning its property claims as early as 2019. The proceedings before the Basic Court lasted almost a year, after which the owners of the structures had the opportunity to exercise legal remedies through appellate proceedings before the same court, as well as to seek judicial protection before the Supreme Court.
By contrast, in the case of Lake Gazivode, the owners of the structures, who are Serbs, were given a 15-day deadline to vacate the properties in 2026, without their rights and obligations first being determined through judicial proceedings and without being afforded equal access to judicial protection and legal remedies.
This comparison demonstrates that the competent institutions are familiar with the procedures applicable to the removal of structures and are aware of their obligation to protect the rights of interested parties through appropriate legal procedures. Precisely for this reason, the different treatment in the case of Lake Gazivode raises serious questions concerning the selective application of the law and equality before the law.
Today's statement by the Regional Water Supply Company "Đakovica" also points to another serious issue. According to the chronology presented in the statement, the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure received a request as early as November 2021 to remove structures which had previously been determined, through judicial proceedings, to have been illegally constructed. However, according to the statement, the Ministry only considered that request yesterday, on 18 August 2026.
Such institutional neglect in the case of Lake Radonjić stands in stark contrast to the urgency and unlawful manner in which the removal of structures at Lake Gazivode was carried out. It raises concerns that the sole reason why the Minister of Environment ordered the removal of the structures at Lake Radonjić today may have been an attempt to simulate a legally compliant process and equal treatment under the law.
The detailed statement and chronology presented by the Regional Water Supply Company "Đakovica," however, demonstrate precisely the opposite. At Lake Gazivode, the actions of "Ibar-Lepenac" and the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure amounted to legal abuse, carried out with the assistance of the Kosovo Police, while, unlike the owners of illegal structures at Lake Radonjić, the owners of structures at Lake Gazivode, who are Serbs, were denied judicial protection and the right to an effective legal remedy.
On behalf of,
- New Social Initiative (NSI)
- Center for Affirmative Social Actions (CASA)
- Center for Advocacy of Democratic Culture (ACDC)
- Aktiv
- Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER)
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