Kosovo and Metohija | |
|---|---|
| Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija Аутономна Покрајина Косово и Метохиja (Serbian) Krahina Autonome e Kosovës dhe Metohisë (Albanian) | |
 Location of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia | |
| Coordinates:42°40′N21°10′E / 42.667°N 21.167°E /42.667; 21.167 | |
| Country |  Serbia |
| Treaty of London | 30 May 1913 |
| Autonomous Province | 31 January 1946 |
| Autonomy increased | 21 February 1974 |
| Autonomy decreased | 28 March 1989 |
| Kosovo War | 28 February 1998 to 11 June 1999 |
| UN Administration | 10 June 1999 |
| Brussels Agreement | 19 April 2013 |
| Administrative center | Pristina |
| Government | |
| • Type | Autonomous province (disputed)
|
| • Body | Office for Kosovo and Metohija (Government of Serbia) |
| • Director | Petar Petković |
| Area | |
• Total | 10,887 km2 (4,203 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,586,659 |
| • Density | 145.74/km2 (377.46/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official languages | |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | RS-KM |
TheAutonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (Serbian:Косово и Метохиja,romanized: Kosovo i Metohija;Albanian:Kosova dhe Metohia), commonly known asKosovo (Serbian:Косово;Albanian:Kosova) and abbreviated toKosmet (fromKosovo andMetohija;Serbian:Космет) orKiM (Serbian:КиМ), is anautonomous province that occupies the southernmost corner ofSerbia. However, the territory is the subject of an ongoingpolitical and territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the partially recognisedGovernment of Kosovo, with the APKM being viewed as thede jure interpretation of the territory under Serbian law; however, the Serbian government currently does not control the territories because they are administered by the Republic of Kosovo. Its claimed administrative capital and largest city isPristina.
The territory of the province, as defined by Serbian laws, lies in the southern part of Serbia and covers the regions ofKosovo andMetohija. The territory was previously anautonomous province ofSerbia duringSocialist Yugoslavia (1946–1990), and acquired its current status in 1990. The province was governed as part of Serbia until theKosovo War (1998–99), when it came under United Nations (UN)administration in accordance withUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, but still remained internationally recognized as part of the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On 17 February 2008, representatives of the people of Kosovo (Albanian:Udhëheqësit e popullit tonë, të zgjedhur në mënyrë demokratike) unilaterally and extra-institutionally declared Kosovo's independence,[3] which isinternationally recognized by 108 UN members. While it isde facto independent from Serbia, Serbia still regards it as its province.[4]
In 1990, theSocialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, an autonomous province ofSerbia withinYugoslavia, had undergone theanti-bureaucratic revolution bySlobodan Milošević's government which resulted in the reduction of its powers, effectively returning it to its constitutional status of 1971–74. The same year, itsAlbanian majority—as well as theRepublic of Albania—supported the proclamation of an independentRepublic of Kosova. Following the end of theKosovo War 1999, and as a result ofNATO intervention,[5][6]Serbia and thefederal government no longer exercisedde facto control over the territory.
In February 2008, theRepublic of Kosovo declared independence.[7][8] While Serbia has not recognised Kosovo's independence, in the2013 Brussels Agreement, it abolished all its institutions in the Autonomous Province. As of 29 October 2025[update], Kosovo's independence is currently recognized by 109 UN member states.[5][9] In 2013, the Serbian government announced it was dissolving the Serb minority assemblies it had created in northern Kosovo, in order to allow the integration of the Kosovo Serb minority into the general population of Kosovo.[10]
Constitutional changes were made in Yugoslavia in 1990. The parliaments of all Yugoslavian republics and provinces, which until then had MPs only from theLeague of Communists of Yugoslavia, were dissolved and multi-party elections were held within them. Kosovar Albanians refused to participate in the elections so they held their own unsanctioned elections instead. As election laws required (and still require) turnout higher than 50%, a parliament in Kosovo could not be established.[11]
The new constitution abolished the individual provinces' official media, integrating them within the official media of Serbia while still retaining some programs in theAlbanian language. The Albanian-language media in Kosovo were suppressed. Funding was withdrawn from state-owned media, including those in the Albanian language in Kosovo. The constitution made the creation of privately owned media possible, however their operation was very difficult because of high rents and restrictive laws. State-owned Albanian language television or radio was also banned from broadcasting from Kosovo.[12] However, privately owned Albanian media outlets appeared; of these, probably the most famous is "Koha Ditore", which was allowed to operate until late 1998 when it was closed after publishing a calendar glorifying ethnic Albanian separatists.[13]
The constitution also transferred control over state-owned companies to the Yugoslav central government. In September 1990, up to 123,000 Albanian workers were dismissed from their positions in government and media, as were teachers, doctors, and civil servants,[14] provoking ageneral strike and mass unrest. Some of those who were not sacked quit in sympathy, refusing to work for the Serbian government. Although the sackings were widely seen as a purge of ethnic Albanians, the government maintained that it was removing former communist directors.
Albanian educational curriculum textbooks were withdrawn and replaced by new ones. The curriculum was (and still is, as this is the curriculum used for Albanians in Serbia outside Kosovo) identical to its Serbian counterpart and that of all other nationalities in Serbia except that it had education on and in the Albanian language. Education in Albanian was withdrawn in 1992 and re-established in 1994.[15] At theUniversity of Pristina, which was seen as a centre of Kosovo Albanian cultural identity, education in the Albanian language was abolished and Albanian teachers were also dismissed in large numbers. Albanians responded by boycotting state schools and setting up an unofficial parallel system of Albanian-language education.[16]
Kosovo Albanians were outraged by what they saw as an attack on their rights. Following mass rioting and unrest from Albanians as well as outbreaks of inter-communal violence, in February 1990, a state of emergency was declared and the presence of the Yugoslav Army and police was significantly increased to quell the unrest.[17]
Unsanctioned elections were held in 1992, which overwhelmingly electedIbrahim Rugova as "president" of a self-declaredRepublic of Kosova; Serb authorities rejected the election results, and tried to capture and prosecute those who had voted.[18] In 1995, thousands of Serb refugees fromCroatia were settled in Kosovo, which further worsened relations between the two communities.[19]
Albanian opposition to the sovereignty of Yugoslavia and especially Serbia had previously surfaced in rioting (1968 andMarch 1981) in the capitalPristina.[dubious –discuss] Rugova initially advocated non-violent resistance, but later opposition took the form of separatist agitation by opposition political groups and armed action from 1995 by the "Kosovo Liberation Army" (Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës, or UÇK) whose activities led to theInsurgency in Kosovo which led to theKosovo War in 1998 ending with the1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and establishment of theUnited Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).[20]
In 2003, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was renamed the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro left the federation in 2006 and recognised Kosovo's independence in 2008.[21]
Since 1999, the Serb-inhabited areas of Kosovo have been governed as ade facto independent region from the Albanian-dominated government inPristina. They continue to use Serbian national symbols and participate in Serbian national elections, which are boycotted in the rest of Kosovo; in turn, they boycott Kosovo's elections. The municipalities ofLeposavić,Zvečan andZubin Potok are run by local Serbs, while theKosovska Mitrovica municipality had rival Serbian and Albanian governments until a compromise was agreed in November 2002.[22]
The Serb areas have united into a community, theUnion of Serbian Districts and District Units of Kosovo and Metohija established in February 2003 by Serbian delegates meeting inNorth Mitrovica, which has since served as thede facto "capital." The Union's president isDragan Velić. There is also a central governing body, theSerbian National Council for Kosovo and Metohija (SNV). The President of SNV inNorth Kosovo is DrMilan Ivanović, while the head of its Executive Council isRada Trajković.[23]
Local politics are dominated by theSerbian List for Kosovo and Metohija. The Serbian List was led byOliver Ivanović, an engineer from Kosovska Mitrovica.[24]
In February 2007 the Union of Serbian Districts and District Units of Kosovo and Metohija has transformed into theSerbian Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija presided by Marko Jakšić. The Assembly strongly criticised the secessionist movements of the Albanian-dominated PISG Assembly of Kosovo and demanded unity of the Serb people in Kosovo, boycott ofEULEX and announced massive protests in support of Serbia's sovereignty over Kosovo. On 18 February 2008, day after Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, the Assembly declared it "null and void".[25][26]
Also, there was aMinistry for Kosovo and Metohija within the Serbian government, withGoran Bogdanović as Minister for Kosovo and Metohija. In 2012, that ministry was downgraded to theOffice for Kosovo and Metohija, withAleksandar Vulin as the head of the new office.[27] However, in 2013, the post was raised to that of a Minister without portfolio in charge of Kosovo and Metohija.
Under the Serbian system of administration, Kosovo is divided into fivedistricts comprising 28 municipalities and 1 city. In 2000,UNMIK established a system with 7districts[citation needed] and 30municipalities. Serbia has not exercised effective control over Kosovo since 1999. For the UNMIK created districts of Kosovo, seeDistricts of Kosovo.
| District | Seat | Population in 2016 (rank) | Municipalities and cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kosovo District (Kosovski okrug)  | Pristina | 672,292 | |
| Kosovo-Pomoravlje District (Kosovsko-Pomoravski okrug)  | Gnjilane | 166,212 | |
| Kosovska Mitrovica District (Kosovskomitrovički okrug)  | Kosovska Mitrovica | 225,212 | |
| Peć District (Pećki okrug)  | Peć | 178,326 | |
| Prizren District (Prizrenski okrug)  | Prizren | 376,085 |
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