Haradinaj tells the mayors: You are finally homeowners in your municipalities

At a consultative meeting between the Government of Kosovo and the municipalities, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said a legal situation has already been created, where the mayors have finally mastered household in their municipalities.

“I as the new head of government at work taught him we have two themes in common. One has the back and has to do with property. With the possibilities that then municipalities in possession of opera ownership for public interest and the interest of public projects, as well as for the interest of economic development, economic areas, industrial zones. It was assured from that meeting to this very first starting point on the agenda that we don't want to be told that it's never been enough and it has to do much more. But what's good is we're creating a situation and a legal, not just government decisions where you're finally the master of the house in your municipalities. What it means is you're going to have it as property, but then you're going to have surgery on those properties as regular and manageable procedures so that you don't have a legal character barrier”, he said.

National Co-ordinator for state reform Besnik Tahiri said it is a long-awaited news.

“What is good news for the local government for the 38 municipalities of Kosovo, and in particular for Kosovo that today the government has adopted this law, which is the law that after many years enables municipalities to give in to exploitation and exchange real estate in the municipality. It's been a huge obstacle to economic development, for opportunities there are municipalities. My request as the national co-ordinator for state reform is for this law to pass as soon as possible in parliament in order to unblock this process”, he said.

Meanwhile, Scytheright Mayor Bekim Jashar said that this law is delayed but very hit.

While appealing to political parties, they will pass this law in the Assembly.

We welcome this bill, which is delayed but very shot. Because municipalities have many problems towards economic development. I also appealed to and within all the mayors, to appeal to all political parties, represented in the Kosovo Assembly, that they pass the law on those requirements, that have come out of all municipal heads, with those minor changes, that he 20 percent and 5 per cent, should not run municipalities with budget”, he said.

Meanwhile, Shtime municipality chairman Naim Ismaili said a good opportunity for economic development has opened up.

I believe this law has been an obstacle to economic development, not only to municipalities, because the country's economic development occurs in municipalities, and in this case we can very logically say that this law has been an obstacle to Kosovo's overall economic development, and this has opened up the possibility of economic development”, he said.

Prizren Mayor Mytaher Haskuka said that one of the key problems of municipalities has been the non-existence of real estate.

“One of the key problems of municipalities is a lack of real estate, especially when investments are required from both the different ministries and the private sector and civil society organisations. I as chairman are mostly facing this problem where municipalities are actually being stripped of real estate”, he said.

After the first meeting, where the challenges and concerns facing mayors were identified, this was the second advisory meeting between the central and local levels, with the aim of continuing efforts to further strengthen communication and co-operation in the service of strengthening the role of municipalities.