Agreement on the Integration of Civil Protection

Agreement within the framework of technical dialogue
Date of signing: March 26, 2015

Agreement status:
The agreement has been fully implemented (Until the beginning of 2016)

Parties / delegations

Marko Đurić
Head of the negotiating team of the Government of Serbia

Federica Mogherini
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

Edita Tahiri
Minister of Dialogue and head of the Kosovo * negotiating team

Officials

Tomislav Nikolic
President of Serbia

Aleksandar Vucic
Prime Minister of Serbia

Atifete Jahjaga
President of Kosovo *

Isa Mustafa
Prime Minister of Kosovo *

Background:

The Civil Protection units in North Kosovo were operating outside Kosovo’s legal framework despite the fact that the Brussels Agreement implicitly envisaged disbanding all Serbian parallel security structures in Kosovo. The very perception of Civil Protection’s existence was different – while the Serbian community in Kosovo observed Civil Protection as a structure with a sole purpose of providing assistance to civilians in emergency situations, Kosovo’s Government and international institutions saw it as an illegal paramilitary structure that had to be disbanded.

Part of the Brussels Agreement envisaged the integration of civil protection into Kosovo’s equivalent institutions.

The agreement on Civil Protection’s integration envisaged abolition of Civil Protection units in North Kosovo, their integration with the “civic” institutions of Kosovo and closing down of all facilities, offices and warehouses used by its former members in the North and their handover to Kosovo’s institutions.

In April 2015, Civil Protection was disbanded and its members got retired. Until early 2016, 479 members got integrated with 24 Kosovo’s institutions.

The essential points of the agreement

Implemented

Civil protection members shall be offered positions in equivalent Kosovo’s structures. The integration of Civil Protection members shall be carried out in accordance with Kosovo’s Law on Civil Service.

Implemented

Removal of three invigilator points in the North and handover of former Civil Protection premises.