The government insists on the Tavan Awards Law, Oda Economics requires clarification of several points, the sceptical opposition that works with it

This law has been pushed forward by the Vetvendosje Movement Government at the helm with Albin Kurti believing such a law would fix the problem of inflation in the country.

According to the Kosovo Statistics Agency (ASK), in March inflation was 6.7, a rate considered too high in the economy.

For curbing this inflation, power believes a legal regulation is needed, but this effort has a history.

In October 2022, Kosovo had approved the Law to set ceiling prices for basic products, including products such as cereals, bread, flour, rice, food oils, eggs, and personal hygiene products.

But, then, the law was sent to the Constitutional Court by the Democratic League of Kosovo, with the tribunal's case, in November 2023, ruled that the law was unconstitutional, arguing it violated Article 10 where Kosovo is defined as free competition market economy.

After that, the Vetevendosje Movement had begun to accuse the opposition of having prevented the curbing of price hikes. It was also applied during the December 2025 election campaign.

Albin Kurti has promised the adoption of this law, which according to him restrains “the abuse of businessmen”.

Rafuna calls for completing the law on ceiling prices, warns interpretation uncertainty and market risks

The chairman of the Kosovo Economic Ode, Lulzim Rafuna, has said that the ceiling price bill has serious shortcomings and requires substantial improvements before approval.

In a proposal for the Express, he said the law allows for a lot of interpretation and misuse, Periscopi broadcasts.

Our position is that the law needs to be worked and fulfilled much more, as it contains uncertainty and leaves room for suspicion and speculation. It is a very sensitive law that requires clear writing. When market destabilisation is mentioned, precisely when it occurs. Also, the way of setting ceiling prices should be clarified and for which products they will apply”, Rafuna has declared.

“What is not envisioned is a support package after setting ceiling prices. A lower price could not be set for a more expensive product, for in that case the product may not be imported at all. This risks offering citizens products with lower quality and affecting their health. We demand that the law be met according to the practices of the most developed countries of the European Union”.

Rafuna has also demanded that the decision-making body for ceiling prices be independent and based on detailed analysis, including private sector representatives.

“As far as the board is going to make decisions, we have asked it to be fully independent and to conduct a detailed study to determine which products, goods and at which times ceiling prices should be placed. Also, part of this board should be the Economic Oda, as the private sector's legal representative, as it is not a nongovernmental organisation, but is founded by law. ”

On the other hand, he has stressed that the intervention of the state into the market should be careful and justified only under extraordinary circumstances, recalling experience from the pandemic.

With the Constitutions we have the free market defined and the state cannot interfere with it. However, the pandemic has shown that in certain cases state intervention is needed to support citizens, and we are not against it. Our concern lies in the fact that the law is flawed and allows space for misuse”, he said.

Mustafa: ceiling prices bill does not guarantee price cuts, risks creating uncertainty in the market

Democratic Party of Kosovo MP (PDK), Arben Mustafa, has raised dilemmas concerning the real effect of the ceiling price bill, seeking concrete clarifications for its influence on citizens.

When price hikes have started, it is argued that prices are rising in the absence of a ceiling price law. Now, with the conduct of this law in the Assembly, it must be clarified clearly whether price cuts are expected and to what extent this law will affect the ease of the burden on citizens. ”

He has stressed that previous experiences with market intervention, especially in the price of oil, show that such measures have not produced the expected results.

“The bill also envisions restricting trade margins, but experience with oil price intervention has shown that these measures have failed to prevent oil prices from rising, and thus are not expected to take effect either in preventing other products' prices. In cases where import prices rise, the limit of the margin loses its real impact on the market, but it must intervene with other relief measures, such as tax reliefs. ”

Mustafa has also expressed concern about the lack of clarity in determining criteria for measuring price hikes.

Also, it remains unclear how reasonable increases will be assessed and price unreasonable, as this competence is left to a five-member board without a methodology defined in the law. Such an approach leaves room for subjective interpretation and vague decision making, creating uncertainty for businesses and discouraging investments in Kosovo”.

According to him, even addressing price differences in relation to the region remains unclear and uncertain about the market.

“on the same line, as well as the response to price differences between Kosovo and the region has been placed in the discretion of this board, which creates uncertainty for businesses and does not guarantee effective protection for consumers”, Mustafa has declared.

Mustafa has questioned the independence of the proposed board, stressing political influence on its composition.

The “Bord being proposed, is essentially not independent. It is appointed by the Government and only formalised by the Parliament, which makes it a mechanism of direct political influence. Under these circumstances, his independence is more declarative than real”, he said.