Osman hands over to Thaci today the pandemic law: Will it be signed?

Chief Prime Minister Vjosa Osmani has signed the Law on Pandemia, which days ago has also been voted in second reading in the Kosovo Assembly.

This news has been confirmed by one of Mrs. Osman, Artan Murati.

Osman's cabinet has told the paper that the law will be handed over from the Parliament to the Presidency today.

“The Speaker of the Parliament has signed the law in question and the same will be handed over to the presidency today by the Parliament's administration”, Murati said, adding that there has been no delay in signing the law.

There is no delay in signing. Friday's session ended in the late hours of the night, therefore the administration has failed to complete the work in the amendments and prepare it for signing that night. Today, the administration's work has been completed, and the president has signed the law”, say from the chief parliament's office, adding that once the translation of the material is completed, it will be forwarded to the president for the signing.

“There is no delay, because not even a full day's work has been passed by Friday's” session, the chief adviser said.

That at the presidency it has not yet reached for signing the Law on pandemics has confirmed today even by the cabinet of the first state. However, they have not clarified their attitude toward this law, and if there is a possibility of returning it back to the Assembly.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci may not sign the law, thus deciding to return to MPs again.

From KDI they say Thaci after surrendering from the Parliament has eight days to decide whether to announce it or not.

After the second-hand adoption of the draft law on prevention and fighting pandemic last week, the flow of legal deadlines for entry into force of this law has begun. Since Friday, when this bill was voted in, the Speaker of the Parliament has 10 days to sign the unified version of the law, which includes about 30 amendments approved during the second reading. After the signing, the law is sent to the president of the country, who will have 8 days to declare it, or eventually to return the re-evaluate”, told Gazeta Express, Eugen Calcoli from KDI.

“Anyway, considering the importance of the quickest access to this law, as well as that the bill's vote has been made reflecting broad political consensus and no objections to its content have appeared, I expect maximum deadlines not to be consumed for the declaration of this law, nor the Speaker of the Parliament, nor the president of the country”, Cakoli says.

Under the law, the president of Kosovo has a right only once to return the law to the Parliament, unless, by law, they sign it the second time, it is declared in the Official Journal and becomes valid fifteen days after publication unless otherwise defined. The President has yet to clarify whether he will announce the same.

MPs from the Kosovo Assembly on Friday have adopted the law on prevention and fighting of COVID 19 pandemic, which was proposed by a group of six MPs, at the helm with Parliament Speaker Vjosa Osmani.

The law has only eight articles, until it states that the law aims to create the necessary legal space for authorities in order to combat and prevent pandemic”.

This law, which has passed 77 votes in favour of the Parliament, regulates the legal side for preventing and fighting pandemic. According to him, all persons who do not wear masks and do not keep distance are sentenced to 35 euros in fines. Those who do not respect the ban on circulation are sentenced to 200 euros until infected or suspected persons who do not remain in isolation are punished with 500 euros in fines.

In Kosovo currently in terms of the pandemic situation is carried out on the basis of the Law to prevent and fight infectious diseases. The law also provides penalties for disrespecting decisions.