United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 allowed for the "[deployment] in Kosovo, under United Nations auspices, [an] international civil and security [presence]". The first regulation passed by the Special Representative of the Secretary General, on 25 July 1999, established that UNMIK was responsible for all legislative and executive authority in Kosovo. That regulation also stated that all laws applicable in Kosovo prior to 24 March 1999 would continue to apply in Kosovo insofar as they do not conflict with "internationally recognized human rights standards and shall not discriminate against any person on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, association with a national community, property, birth or other status".[3] This was later amended to state that the law applicable would be that as it stood on 22 March 1989.[4]
Initial arrangements
A twelve-member Kosovo Transitional Council was formed on 16 July 1999. Chaired by the SRSG, the KTC was the described as being the highest political consultative body within the United Nations administration. Its purpose was to offer the main political parties and ethnic communities in Kosovo an opportunity for direct input into the decision-making process of UNMIK.[5]
A more formal system of administration was put in place on 30 January 2000 when a Joint Interim Administrative Structure was established.[6] The membership of the Kosovo Transitional Council was expanded and it assumed the role of a deliberative assembly. A transitional cabinet, known as the Interim Administrative Council, was established with eight members, four of which were appointed by UNMIK and four by political parties in Kosovo.[7][6]
The districts of Kosovo are divided into municipalities. In 2000, UNMIK merged the municipalities of Gora and Opolje to form the new the new municipality of Dragash and created a new municipality, Malisheva in Prizren district. New Serb majority municipalities were subsequently created along with the Turkish majority municipality of Mamusha. By 2008, the number of municipalities stood at 38 of which 27 had an Albanian ethnic majority, 10 Serb and 1 Turkish.
Initially, municipalities were administered by Municipal Administrative Boards headed by Municipal Administrators appointed by UNMIK. Local elections were first held on 28 October 2000 to elect Municipal Assemblies for each municipality. Each Municipal Assembly was headed by an Assembly President elected by the members of its Municipal Assembly from within its membership. Further local elections were held on 26 October 2002 under the same model.[12] At the final set of local elections held under United Nations administration on 17 November 2007, each municipality directly elected a Mayor in addition to its Municipal Assembly.[13]
Security and law enforcement
The Kumanovo Agreement, which ended the Kosovo War, and Resolution 1244 required that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia withdrew its military, paramilitary forces and police from Kosovo. The resolution also required that the Kosovo Liberation Army and other armed Kosovo Albanian armed groups be disbanded. Security in Kosovo was to be provided by a NATO-led international peacekeeping force known as the Kosovo Force (KFOR).
On 21 September 1999, UNMIK established a civil defence service known as the Kosovo Protection Corps to assist in emergency situations such as major fires, industrial accidents, search and rescue operations, humanitarian assistance and demining. The KPC could have up to 3000 full time officers and 2000 reservists of which 10 percent should be from ethnic minority groups. The KPC would not have any role in law enforcement.[14][15]
Initially law and order in Kosovo was maintained by a United Nations International Police Force. On 6 September 1999, UNMIK established a police school in Vushtrri to train officers for the new Kosovo Police Service which would gradually take over policing duties as it expanded in size and developed further capabilities.[16][17]
UNMIK signed free trade agreements on behalf of Kosovo with Albania in July 2003[27] and with North Macedonia in 2005.[28]
Travel documents
UNMIK travel document
Between 2000 and 2008, UNMIK issued passport-sized travel documents to habitual residents of Kosovo for the purpose of foreign travel.[29][30]
The document carried UNMIK travel document/titre de voyage on the cover, contained 32 pages and was valid for two years. The document contained a machine readable strip with the three-letter code "UNK" in place of a country code.[31][32]
Kosovo had operated its own postal service within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia since 1959. At that time Yugoslav postage stamps were in use. After Kosovo came under United Nations administration, UNMIK became responsible for issuing postage stamps for Kosovo. The first UNMIK issued stamps were released on 15 March 2002 based on the theme of "peace".[40][41] Further sets were issued by UNMIK up until Kosovo unilaterally declared independence after which stamps were issued in the name of the Republic of Kosovo.[42]
Telecommunications
The Post, Telephone and Telegraph of Kosovo (PTK) was established in 1959. During the Kosovo conflict, assets of the company were either stolen or destroyed, leading to the interruption of telecommunication services.[43] After the conflict, PTK launched Vala, the largest mobile operator in the territory, with the assistance of Monaco Telecom.
Following the breakup of the SFR Yugoslavia in 1992, which had +38 as country code, Kosovo used the code +381, which was granted to FR Yugoslavia and later used by Serbia for fixed line telephone services. For mobile phone networks, Kosovo based providers used either the Monaco code +377 or the Slovenia code +386.[44] Kosovo would gain its own calling code, +383 in 2017.
^"Përfaqësuesja e Kosovës në futboll" [Kosovo national team in football]. Forumi Shqiptar (in Albanian). 22 April 2006. Përfaqësuesja e Kosovës mposhti atë të Monacos me rezultat 7:1
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![First emblem of the Kosovo Police Service[18]](/en/File:Kosovo_Police_Service_patch_1999.png)
![First cap badge of the Kosovo Police Service[19]](/en/File:Kosovo_Police_Service_cap_badge_1999.png){kind=icon}
