Law Change of the Law on Holidays Holds in Hold

On Saturday, April 9th, Kosovo Constitutional Day was marked, but the holiday is today Monday.

On Sunday, April 17, Catholic Easter is celebrated as it is rested on Monday.

On Sunday, April 24, Orthodox Easter is the following Monday's day of rest.

On Sunday, May 1st, it is International Labor Day; on Monday, May 2nd, it is a day off.

On Monday, May 2nd, it is also the first day of the Great Bayram, while it is still May 3rd.

On Monday, May 9th, it is also a holiday, as Europe Day is marked.

Under the law, “when official holiday days fall on Saturday or Sunday, holiday breaks are the next working days ) Monday's”

The law for official holidays in Kosovo, adopted in 2008, covers 11 holidays and is respected by public institutions, but not all private sector businesses.

Some citizens, surveyed in Pristina, say this law should be changed in such a way as to ban the practice of having holidays from weekends to working days.

Isaac Reka, owner of a food store in the capital, says the private sector does not carry the holidays. He says neither himself nor his workers rest at all parties.

We [in the private sector] don't tie the holidays, work constantly. You don't have an account to stop having a lot of parties. Why should Europe Day be celebrated in Kosovo?”, Reka says.

Zade Kamberi, a nurse at the Kosovo University Clinic of Hematology, likewise thinks.

She says that from partying to working days, students will mostly suffer.

There's a lot of parties. I work, but I don't need all these days off. There are caregivers at the clinic and there are no obstacles. But what happens to the children? Six Monday! They won't have schedules Monday”, Kamber says.

The amendment and completion of the Law for Official Holidays -- respectively, the removal of several official holidays and the ban on holiday-making from weekend to day -- have asked for deputies of the biggest political parties in the Kosovo Assembly, but so far, without success.

The law has entered the process of change and has been passed to the Commission for Public Administration, Local Powers, Media and Regional Development, but the only difference it contains is the inclusion of another holiday: The Egyptian Community Day, marked on June 24th.

The demand for this holiday was made two years ago, at the time by Egyptian Community MP Elbert Krasniqi, now Minister of Management Local Power.

Valon Ramadani, a member of the Commission for Public Administration, Local Powers, Media and Regional Development, from the ranks of the ruling Vetevendosje Movement, says that when the bill arrives for review in the Assembly, the parliamentary group of Vetevendosje Movement will require that with a special amendment, party bearing and leaving 9 May Day of Europe { from the official holiday list.

On 9 May, nearly all European Union countries are working days.

Ramadani says changes to the official holiday Law have been blocked on political issues.

Kosovo's constitution names this law of vital interest. And, for approval, changing or abolishing laws of vital interest is needed by two-thirds of the Parliament's vote, which has 120 deputies, as well as two-thirds of the 20 deputies of non-communal communities.

“On the Commission [for Public Administration] has passed, the Commission has forwarded it to the Assembly, but in the session it cannot be addressed unless MPs from the Serb community participate. Whenever this law has been in order of days, MPs from the Serb community have not participated in”, Ramadani says, and adds that he does not know their reasons.

REL has failed to get in touch with Serb MPs.

Officials from the Kosovo government say they will support any initiative to prevent the wear of holidays.

“As far as the issue raised on changing the provision, which currently stipulates that there will be days of vacation even when the official holiday falls over the weekend, we like the Government support in principle the change of this disposition”, Kosovo Government's Free House spokesman for Radio Europe, Kryeziu, told Radio.

The law for official holidays in Kosovo is also criticised by civil society.

Albana Rexha, from the Democracy Plus Institute, considers it necessary to change Article four, which envisions the carrying of holidays from weekends to working days.

“... and on May 9th, we suggest that there is no day off”, she tells Radio Free Europe.

Earlier, Kosovo's Oda of Afarism has also called on the Government to urgently change and complete the Law for Official Holidays, saying that having holidays from weekends to working, “damages the country financially”.

Official holidays in Kosovo, As defined by law, they are: New Year's Day, Independence Day of the Republic of Kosovo, Constitutional Day of the Republic of Kosovo, International Labour Day, Day of Europe, Bajrami the Great, Bajrami the Little, Catholic Christmas, Orthodox Christmas, Catholic Easter and Orthodox Easter.

Besides these festivals, the law stipulates eight memorial days, but there is no rest for them.

Like Kosovo, Albania, which has 14 official holidays, postpones them on working days if they fall Saturday or Sunday.

The holidays are also held in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, while in Montenegro and Northern Macedonia they are held on Monday only if they fall Sunday.