Subject: Formal Request for the Inclusion of Europe/Pristina in the IANA Time Zone Database
Dear IANA Time Zone Database Coordinators, I am writing to respectfully raise an issue concerning the representation of Kosovo in the IANA Time Zone Database and to request that you consider adding a dedicated "Europe/Pristina" time zone identifier. At present, Kosovo and its capital, Pristina, are not represented by a dedicated time zone identifier, while the local time is associated with "Europe/Belgrade". Although the actual UTC offset and daylight-saving rules may be identical, the name displayed to users is not a neutral or accurate representation of the location in which they live. This issue has practical consequences. Modern operating systems, smartphones, computers, applications and other technologies rely on the IANA Time Zone Database. As a result, users in Kosovo can encounter situations where their devices require them to select “Belgrade” instead of “Pristina” when configuring their local time zone. This is particularly noticeable on mobile devices and can create repeated confusion for ordinary users. We respectfully note that this is not a new concern. A proposal concerning "Europe/Pristina" was publicly raised on the IANA time zone mailing list in January 2014, specifically noting the absence of a matching time zone for Kosovo. A further request regarding the inclusion of Kosovo and Pristina was raised in 2021. This demonstrates that the issue has been recognized by users for many years. We fully understand that the IANA Time Zone Database is a technical project and that its identifiers are not intended to make political statements. Nevertheless, technical naming can have a significant impact on how countries and communities are represented in everyday technology. Kosovo is located in the Balkans, alongside Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece and other European countries, each of which has geographic locations represented through appropriate time-zone identifiers. We therefore respectfully ask why Kosovo, despite having its own capital city and a distinct contemporary administrative and geographic reality, should continue to be represented solely through the name of another capital. We are not asking IANA to alter the UTC offset, daylight-saving rules or any technical calculation. We are asking for an accurate and geographically appropriate identifier, such as: "Europe/Pristina" with the same time-zone rules currently applicable to Kosovo. We also wish to emphasize that our request is made with respect for the technical principles and independence of the IANA Time Zone Database. We do not intend to politicize a technical standard. On the contrary, we believe that a neutral technical system should avoid creating the impression that it takes a political position through the naming of a location. For many people in Kosovo, seeing “Belgrade” as the only available location for their own local time can reasonably be perceived as political or as taking sides in a sensitive regional issue. Regardless of the political views of individual users, a technical database used globally should, where technically appropriate, strive to represent geographical locations in a manner that is clear, neutral and respectful. We therefore kindly request that the IANA Time Zone Database maintainers review this matter and consider the creation of a "Europe/Pristina" identifier, or another technically appropriate solution that allows Kosovo and Pristina to be represented by their own geographic name without changing the underlying timekeeping rules. We would be grateful if you could inform us whether such a change is technically possible, what criteria would need to be satisfied, and whether additional documentation or an official request from a relevant authority in Kosovo would be useful for consideration of this proposal. Thank you very much for your time, consideration and continued work maintaining one of the world's most important open technical standards. We submit this request in a spirit of respect, cooperation and goodwill, with the hope that Kosovo and Pristina can be represented accurately and neutrally in future versions of the IANA Time Zone Database. Yours faithfully, iNet City, Kosovo
