Government forms Intermanagement Force for Air Pollution

At the Government's meeting, Environment and Spatial Planning Minister Albena Resiti, presenting the concern of Kosovo citizens, particularly Pristina, said how the minister has demanded commitment of the dictatorships responsible for the issue, so he asked the Government to support the decisions and activities based on the plan adopted months ago.

We need a mobilization to find a lasting solution, we should not rise and express concern only when faced with the situation. I demand that we come out of today's Government meeting with a decision to create an inter-management site to take special air protection measures, make decisions, and strengthen the administrative guidelines we have in force. It also requires you for this period to consider the possibility of our ministry's support to cover the public transport expenses of Pristina citizens, in real time at times, when pollution levels exceed” measures, she said.

She added that they are in co-ordination with the Pristina municipality to make the reduction of vehicles in parts of the capital, where the pollution level is higher.

The “once again requires the Ministry of Education to make a decision to cut coal use from all Kosovo schools and other fuels that increase the risk of student health but also increase air pollution levels. The Ministry of Infrastructure requires strengthening administrative guidance on gas emissions from vehicles that increase air pollution levels, the Ministry of Commerce, control of derivatives, quality of them, from the Ministry of Economic Development to make a decision to cut off free coal from over 800 KEK workers and report on the level of downloads from KEC. Also, the Ministry of Health supports health institutions to do precise research and to come up with health statistics on the problems and impact they have on the health of citizens as a result of air pollution issues”, she said.

However, from its demands, Prime Minister Haradinaj decided only for Task Force.

We can dine today on this task of strength, I believe you should lead the minister, and we can be approved, engagement among institutionals if public agencies or companies, such as the KEK, are all involved with its responsibilities“, he said.

The meeting continued with Finance Minister Bedri Hamza, who presented the programme for economic reform for 2018-2020, has said Kosovo as a potential candidate is obliged to develop dialogue with the European Commission on the country's policies as part of approaching European market conditions and standards.

According to him, the programme for reform in the economy is based on this dialogue and now is the fourth time Kosovo is sending to the European Commission.

The document's first <x0.0 share contains 20 structural reforms which the dictatorships responsible for economic governance have identified as top priority for reforming the Kosovo economy. There are nine areas of reforms that are being assigned to the European Commission's guidance that we group into the identified measures, public finance management, energy and transport fields, strategic sectors such as agriculture, industry and services, business environment and lowering the informal economy, innovation and the digital economy, trade, education, labour market and social care “, Hamza said.

He said this is behind a micro-economic analysis, which draws attention that reform is Kosovo's only way. This programme of economic reform has finally been approved by the government cabinet.

Meanwhile, the initiative for negotiating the loan agreement for funding the project for building a water supply scheme in Kosovo's municipality has also been adopted, where Haradinaj demanded that institutions be more active in obtaining soft loans.

“The government and the country's institutions should be very active to contract money that is a soft loan for many projects dealing with sewage plants in Kosovo, we already have some programmes and drinking water supply”, he said.

During this meeting, the decision was adopted to establish the commission to draft the draft law on financing political subjects, the initiative to start negotiations with the German Bank for Development, the grant agreement worth 10,000 euros for selecting the capital's heating network, and draft the concept of the document for ownership and other key rights.

The government cabinet has also approved the regulation for internal organisation and systematisation of jobs in the Ministry of Public Administration, the concept of promotion and wages of creators and cultural performers and professional cultural heritage workers.

The decision to fulfil and amend the Government's decision to establish the National Council for Security and Health at Work has been adopted at today's meeting. The decision complements empty seats by officials from the Ministry of Labour and Social Management and the Health Ministry.

The government has named Burim Rreci in the position of secretary-general in the Ministry of Trade and Industry for a three-year term.

With the decision adopted by the Government of Kosovo, the finance minister is authorised to approve transfers from under the “programme. Unforeseen expenditures” under other programmes for individual sums required up to 400,000 euros, in budgetary divisions for 2018.

The prime minister has informed the government cabinet of the difficult situation in the Kosovo Archives Agency and the need for an inter-institutional co-ordination for overcoming the situation in this important institution of the Republic of Kosovo.

The prime minister has also called on the government cabinet to consider also the demand for resolving the request of the “ClubPrestina” for a space where it can exercise its sports activity.