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The Trepča industrial complex is the largest lead and zinc mine in Europe. After its best moment during the Tito’s Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the complex progressively declined due to many factors, first of them the internal tension that lead to the war in 1999. After that forced stop, extractive and processing productions resumes again under the United Nations control, who lead the enterprise to the actual state.
Up to date, Trepča is a joint-stock company, and according to their statement, 80% owned by the Kosovo government, and the remaining 20% owned by the workers. Regulated by the London Metal Exchange, it sells concentrate product in the European market, and the revenue, plus the yearly Government economic support, are used to pay expenses, salaries and update machinery.
The surface seems shine and clear, but the underground situation is more complicated. 25 after the war, Kosovo is still internally divided, and the Trepča enterprise is a clear example of this division. The mining sites are split in Kosovar-Albanian and Kosovar-Serbian, both with manager and workers from their ethnicity. All report to the Kosovar government, but the Serbian side of the company has many complains about a double standard and the lack of economic support. The still unsolved dispute leaves the Trepča enterprise stuck in a political limbo that stops the company and its worker to benefit from its full potential.