February 28-March 13, 2013 l #129 l Price 1€. Going commando: Privatisations: Prishtina Newborn’s Board freeze creator explains halts worker Insight repaint. PAGE 4 payments. PAGE 2 ALL EYES ON THE PLAYMAKER His NBA dreams long gone, Kendrick Jones makes peace with his life as a Kosovo basketball star. PAGE 7 Culture: Intimate l Region: Bosnia’s leaders evoke war rhetoric against protesters. PAGES 10 photos tell Albania’s l PI Guide: Chowing down on burgers story. PAGE 16 and burek in Dardania. PAGE 14 22 n Febr Februaryuary 28-Ma 28 -r chMarch 13, 2013 13, 2014 Prishtina n Prishtina Insight Insight PSTAaRT HERE geTwo What happened: In May 2013, Bernadette Roberts, Elez Haxhiolli, of Suhareke, spent 34 years working at the Ballkan rubber INTERNATIONAL BOARD a representative from the 20% factory, which was privatised in 2005. Haxhiolli, 59, says that he has yet to OF PRIVATIZATION AGENCY OF KOSOVO US Embassy, resigned from receive any of the proceeds from the sale along with more than 1,400 other board. Roberts was one of former employees. “It’s not a privilege, it’s my right” Haxhiolli says, who three international members still remains as deputy president of union of Ballkan workers. He blames BERNADETTE ROBERTS on the board. The vacancy the Privatisation Agency of Kosovo and Special Chamber of Supreme hasn’t been filled since. Court for delaying the payment of 20 per cent of the proceeds from privatisation.“Each of us will be paid by 304.75 cents. You can imagine at what price they sold the factory,” Haxhiolli says. The Ballkan factory was The Privatization Agency sold to a Turkish company, the Ozerler Group, for 1.4 million euro. of Kosovo is an independent R institution that has full PRIVATOIRZDAETION autonomy. It was established 45.7 million euro: Designated for UT OF O by the Assembly of Republic 1,400 former employees of state-owned AGENCY of Kosovo. The Special enterprises. This money cannot be Chamber holds jurisdiction distributed without a functional board. OF KOSOVO EX-WORKERS over the agency. In order to the agency to function, there DEMANDING 80.8 million euro have been THEIR 20% FROM must be 5 Kosovar directors distributed to date. PRIVATISATION and 3 internationals. The agency sells or transfer Ex-workers have enterprises or assets to yet to see millions private buyers. Those who 45.7 MILLION 80.8 MILLION they’re due from the qualify as workers are also sale of former state- entitled to 20 percent. owned enterprises. According to the website: “a The reason: the 126.5 MILLION IN TOTAL DEDICATED TO WORKERS worker is entitled to 20% of Privatization sale proceeds provided he/ Agency of Kosovo, she has been evidenced as which oversees a worker of aforementioned these sales, SOE in privatisation or does not have a liquidation (whichever occurs from the editor functional board. earlier) and to have been on SOE pay-roll for at least three years.” COURT BACKLOG A thirst that hurts 6MILLI0ON EU0ROS FROM PRIVATISATION 231 Last year Kosovo imported 13 million than Dea. Naturally, people should employee lists from litres of water worth 3 million euro, be able to drink whatever what they former state-owned please. But perhaps more of us would enterprises that relatively small drop in the proverbial opt out of the Pellegrino if we consid- need to be review Special Chamber of bucket, but I’m willing to bet that much ered what we’re doing economically. the Supreme Court in of this money could have been better We’re depriving a domestic order for those people spent in the to be compensated. country. which can lead to things like addi- Water has tional hiring. Furthermore, we’re also been a big issue needless spending additional money since the ongoing that could be spent in other areas of the shortage, thanks local economy. And for those who care 14 Nate lists of employees to the dry winter. Tabak about the environment, transporting have been approved For the most part, Editor-in-Chief water generates plenty of greenhouse by the Special however, there’s gases. Chamber of the been plenty of Ideally, people change their behav- Left in Supreme Court. bottled water available, including ior through things like Buy Local cam- plenty of the Kosovo standbys Dea and paigns. Or there’s the more aggressive Rugova. approach: protectionist measures such - of people are buying imports. Many ucts while subsidizing local producers, restaurants in Prishtina, especially which unfortunately can start trade the lurch those that cater to the well-heeled wars. Kosovars and foreigners, either only Regardless, all of us can do a better job of drinking local, especially those Prishtina Balkan Investigative Reporting Network • Mensa e fortunate enough to be able to wash Insight PHONE: The practice however also extends to down those restaurant meals with a +381 (0) 38 24 33 58 • EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Nate Tabak • STAFF: plenty of regular cafes, as well. bottle of Acqua Panna. Heck, for the Jeta Xharra, Marcus Tanner, Petrit Collaku, Parim Olluri, Flutura Kusari and Arijeta The reasoning is you can get away same price you can get two or three Lajka • DESIGN: Trembelat • Prishtina Insight is supported by the Norwegian Embassy, with a higher markup on Pellegrino bottles of Rugova. Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. Prishtina Insight n February 28 - March 13, 2014 n 3 • Copy / Print / Scan / Fax • Shpejtësia : 55 / 65 / 75 ppm • ARDF • Duplex • Finisher • High Capacity Tray • Garancioni 60000 print. 4 n February 28 - March 13, 2014 n Prishtina Insight Nation Whose € 76,300 Newborn The price paid by the municipality of Prishtina for NEWBORN an Audi Q7 is under the administration of former FACTS is it Mayor Isa Mustafa. On Wednesday, the Munici- Inaugurated pal Assembly approved a request of the current Feb 17, 2008, Mayor, Shpend Ahmeti, to sell the car, one of his the day Kosovo election promises. “I don’t want that car. I receive declared independence anyway? daily up to 20 letters from citizens telling me to from Serbia sell the car because they say it is a shame if a mayor is driven in such an expensive car, First two As Kosovo’s independence monument is while we don’t have anything to eat,” signatories Then-President repainted in military camouflage colors, said Ahmeti, adding that proceeds Fatmir Sejdu and from the sale will help social welfare. PM Hashim Thaci some say it’s a misappropriation of the Original design: Bright yellow, symbol of the young nation. tagged in black Creator FIsnik Ismaili and his advertising By Valerie Hopkins dependence in 2008, the sculpture Russians to agency, was for years painted yellow and Ogilvy|Karrota Kosovo On the eve of the sixth anniversary covered with signatures and mes- repair aging “I wanted of Kosovo’s independence, citizens sages from Kosovo citizens. something in organized via Facebook joined in The yellow color evoked the English that could a paint-by-the-numbers event flags of Kosovo and of the Euro- power plant be understood even by people to change the look of Newborn, pean Union – but never pleased who didn’t speak the independence monument in Ismaili. Is the involvement of a Russian good English,” says Prishtina. “I originally wanted to paint firm in the revamp of the Kosovo Ismaili. Each letter of the word now it red, like the Albanian national Dimensions bears the military camouflage of colors,” explained Ismaili. “Had I A plant a sign that the Kremlin is 25m long, 3m tall, some of the countries that sup- known I had to paint it yellow be- softening its line on Kosovo? 1 m thick ported Kosovo in the 1998-99 war, cause of the new flag, I never would Material: 9 tons of which came to an end following a have done it, because I hate this steel, each piece By Parim Olluri and Eronida Mataj made from 5mm 78-day NATO bombing campaign. flag.” thick steel sheets “In a way, it is a message of Ismaili originally intended to Kosovo’s state power company, KEK, is turning to peace,” Fisnik Ismaili, Newborn’s repaint Newborn each year, but he Russia to repair its aging Soviet-designed power plant, Awards creator and the organizer of the was denied permission to do so by Six international Kosovo A. design awards, repaint, said. the local authorities, he says. This week, a consortium of Russia’s Power Ma- including a Cannes “We wouldn’t have peace with- Last year, after the government chines and a Macedonian and a Bulgarian firm was Golden Lion, a out NATO and the Kosovo Lib- put on a new coat of yellow paint, slated to sign a 5.5-million-euro contract to repair tur- silver Clio award eration Army, KLA, and this is the Ismaili decided to invite people to and Eurobest bines and generators at the lignite-powered Kosovo A. European time we to pay tribute to them,” he cover it with the flags of the coun- Power Machines owns Leningradsky Metallich- Advertising Award, added. tries that had recognized Kosovo’s esky, which built the existing turbines, and which date Golden Drum Ismaili, a KLA veteran and a independence. back to the 1970s. Grand Prix. The member of the opposition Self-De- As Kosovo matures from a 2013 re-paint was The owner of Power Machines, billionaire Alexey named a finalist termination Movement party - who newborn state, Ismaili said he also Mordashov, is an oligarch with reported links to Rus- for a Clio Award. was recently elected to Prishtina’s wanted to draw attention to the fact sian President Vladimir Putin.