Houses demolished without a court order. That is the sentence around which the whole story from Kosovo revolves, and now the European Union too has had to speak up. The EU Office in Pristina expressed concern over the demolished houses near Lake Gazivode, where, according to the mayor of Zubin Potok, the demolition took place on 21 July - without a municipal permit and without a court ruling.

The EU did not choose soft words. It expressed „regret” over the demolition and warned about the failure to respect the legally prescribed procedures - not only in this case, but in several others since February this year. When Brussels says that something is repeating, that is no casual remark. It is a pattern.

The demands are concrete: an immediate halt to all further demolitions, forced evictions and seizures of property; for the authorities to contact the affected residents and the municipalities for legal solutions; for the role of the Kosovo police to stay strictly within the bounds of its mandate. The EU also demands greater transparency and accountability, as well as the prevention of similar actions in the future.

At the core of all this stands a principle that does not depend on whose house was demolished - the rule of law. That is exactly what the EU emphasises: a state governed by law, proportionality, the right to property, human rights and effective legal remedies. When the institution that exists to protect these things stays silent or looks away, the question is not ethnic - the question is whether the law applies at all.

And that is a question the Balkans have been asking for decades. How many times have we watched the bulldozer arrive before the judge? How many times has a „state of emergency” been used as an excuse to skip the procedure? When the state can demolish without paper, then no paper protects you any more - not even yours.

It remains to be seen whether Brussels's concern will grow into something more than a statement. The region's experience so far with European „regrets” does not raise great hopes. But the very fact that the demolitions have been repeating since February, and are only now getting a loud reaction, shows how slowly the mechanism moves when it is the rule of law that is being trampled.