Environment ministry does not issue environmental and water permits, businesses complain

As a result, inspectors from the same ministry, during field visits, in the absence of environmental permission -- water permits, respectively -- provide ultimatums to work-stop businesses, while this ministry itself is not equipping them with the same ones, even though business application has been made over time to continue these permits.

This challenge, I am putting businesses in a unfavourable position, with the result of bureaucratic procedures in MMPHI, without their blame being forced to stop work and fire workers.

It turns out that about 700 requests from businesses for environmental and water permits are in the drawer of this ministry.

The company from Ferizaj with three units for the production of concrete, stone and construction is failing to receive environmental and water permits from the ministry.

Bujar Avdyli from the company “Toni Company” says about KosovaPress, that as a company with three entities, they are facing difficulties in getting environmental consents and other consents given by the Ministry of Environment, as he points out due to projections in making decisions by this minister.

Avdyli businessman also says it has been a long time since there is no MMPHI location, and so these pending issues, according to him, negatively affect business and all other companies.

He says their reserves are limited, and if this continues indefinitely, they are obliged to stop business.

Our concern is that we have no answers. By all means, if it is that we are not in line with the legislation in force, we are open and our goal is to meet all the legal requirements, which we believe we have done, but we currently have no answers, and the issue has not been put on hold, nor has it been refused as a bid”, he says.

He has said that unless they can get the permits, they are being fined by the Ministry's Inspectorate.

“Application we have made during the months of January, and within three months the answer should be given. But we still have no answers regarding our request for environmental permission. For water permits, the issue is longer than that, we've been applying for the past year, but despite that we've been in constant contact with representatives of the Ministry of Environment, but we still don't have the decision, where is the reason we don't know. Our aunt that except we got permission, we're forced to face the potential fines the Ministry Inspectorate pronounces. As we have presented evidence that we have applied in time and have met all legal requirements”, he points out.

In addition, Avdyli adds that if this prolongation continues around 100 workers remain unemployed.

Hoping we don't get there, if it goes on for a longer time if we don't have answers, we're going to finish our mining reserves, which is the first material for our activity exercise, and therefore we're going to have to stop our activity and stop our work. Our company has over 100 employees who operate in our three entities and in case we come up to this point, that means that about 100 families will be left without monthly income due to neglect by officials in question”, he says.

The businessman from Ferizaj has said among other things that hundreds of other companies dealing with the event are of the same concern.

Another company in the Gjilan region that has this kind of activity applied 11 months ago for environmental permission and has not yet received answers.

According to the directors of this company who refused to speak to the camera, due to the environmental ministry's neglect, the same ministry's inspectorate orders the halting of stonebreakers.

Business in question is ahead of the decision to shut down the business and fire the workers, even though the company has work licenses until 2037.

Kosovo's Afarism Oda has also reacted to the issue, that hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs have been blocked.

OAK has addressed Prime Minister Kurti, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi, Minister Peci, KPM Minister Aliu and Minister to express deep concern for the non-co-ordination of Kosovo institutions, as a result of which hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs have been blocked.

“Beyond this OAK letter has asked the current prime minister and ministers to urgently unlock these businesses so that they do not come to a chain collapse and cause tremendous losses for businesses, employees and revenues for the country. This response comes as a result of Kosovo institutions' failure to respond, respectively. The BPZHR, MMPHI and KPM, which Oda has long been demanding separate or even joint meetings so that hundreds of demands which have been deposited now and a long time to address and allow the continued work on these businesses”, are said in response.

According to the OAK, the main problem lies in the failure to follow the consents and contracts from the Kosovo Forests Agency and environmental consents and permits from the MMPHI, as a result of which the KPM has been blocked.