Community of Serb Municipalities
A Community of Serb Municipalities (Serbian: Заједница српских општина, ЗСО, romanized: Zajednica srpskih opština, ZSO), or Association of Serb Municipalities (Albanian: Asociacioni i Komunave Serbe, AKS), is a planned grouping of ethnic Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo.
Community of Serb Municipalities
Заједница српских општинаZajednica srpskih opština | |
|---|---|
Proposed Self-management association | |
Location of the Community of Serb Municipalities within Kosovo (in red) | |
| Country | Kosovo |
| Municipalities | 10 |
| Settlements | 258 |
| Brussels Agreement | 19 April 2013 |
| Formation | TBD |
| Administrative center | North Mitrovica |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,708 km2 (659 sq mi) |
| Population (2015)est. | |
| • Total | 123,979 |
| • Density | 73/km2 (190/sq mi) |
The proposal for the association came as a result of the 2013 Brussels Agreement negotiated and concluded by the governments of Kosovo and Serbia. In accordance with the competences given by the European Charter of Local Self-Government and Kosovo law, the participating municipalities would be entitled to cooperate in exercising their powers collectively through the association. The association would have full overview of the areas of economic development, education, health, urban and rural planning.
The Community was expected to be officially established within Kosovo's legal framework in 2015, but its formation was postponed over conflicts about extent of powers. As part of a European Union mediated normalisation agreement accepted by the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia in March 2023, Kosovo will immediately engage in dialogue with the EU to ensure a level of self-management for its ethnic Serb community.