Prishtina, 13 October 2026
Dear Mr Kushtrim Kaloshi, Executive Director of ATRC,
Dear Ms Jane Millicent Sprouster, World Bank Deputy Country Manager for Kosovo,
Dear Ms Odeta Näks, PIAKOS Project Manager at ATRC,
Dear representatives of the World Bank,
Dear representatives of local and international institutions,
Dear ambassadors and other diplomats accredited to the Republic of Kosovo,
Dear partners,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to be here with you today for the closing event of the PIAKOS project, an initiative that has highlighted the importance of the right to property. This right must not remain merely a guarantee on paper; it must be exercised and upheld in practice and made a reality for every citizen without distinction.
Naturally, this issue is also closely linked to our government portfolio, specifically the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning. I believe we were right to separate it from Infrastructure and Transport during this mandate. In this way, property, cadaster and housing—areas in which social equality is central to sustainable development and to our government programme—receive more focused attention. Documentation provides legal certainty, which is a prerequisite for the security of a house or apartment, as well as for a family’s well-being and dignity. Housing is a human right, and a good quality of life cannot be conceived without secure housing.
Our government’s cooperation with the Advocacy Training and Resource Center (ATRC) through the PIAKOS programme has truly added value, because the initiative went beyond an information campaign and was implemented on the ground, providing direct support to citizens in 16 municipalities across Kosovo. Special credit goes to the many activists who worked towards this goal. The beneficiaries have been particularly women, who were able to put their property documentation in order, complete inheritance procedures before notaries, and access surveying services.
In less than a decade, the registration of property in the names of both spouses has increased 300-fold. In 2016, around 100 properties across Kosovo were registered in the names of both spouses in a couple. Today, that figure stands at around 31,000. In other words, we have seen a 300-fold increase in the number of properties registered in the names of both spouses.
It may seem like an administrative matter, but for an individual or a family, putting property documentation in order is a key prerequisite that opens up access to public support, whether for renovating or rebuilding a house or through our programmes for inclusion in the Adequate Social Housing scheme.
The Government has undertaken concrete reforms in the areas of property and cadaster.
In cooperation with the World Bank, through the REGIP project, we have advanced cadastral reconstruction in 115 cadastral zones across Kosovo. We are working diligently and under strict supervision to ensure that the project fulfils all its planned obligations on time, enabling citizens to resolve problems that have accumulated over many years.
We have also introduced a new standard of accountability. There is no longer any tolerance for the abuse, falsification or unlawful transfer of public property. Every irregularity and every suspicious file, whether related to expropriation or cadastral procedures, is being referred decisively to the Prosecution, because public property belongs to the citizens and the state—to all of us, and therefore to no individual in particular.
Through the Cadastral Agency and our spatial planning programmes more broadly, we have, for the first time, officially rolled out the addressing system. The Cadastral Agency has also achieved remarkable results in property registration in northern Kosovo, including the naming of streets in the four municipalities there: North Mitrovica, Leposavić, Zvečan and Zubin Potok. We have verified and registered more than 23,600 properties belonging to members of non-majority communities, ensuring administrative and legal equality throughout the territory of the Republic.
Under the Adequate Social Housing project, we have allocated €37 million for 773 housing units in 21 municipalities. Through dedicated programmes, we are rebuilding and renovating dozens of homes for families in need and those returning to their properties, while working on a national database for social housing and a National Housing Strategy.
From providing professional assistance to municipalities in drafting Municipal Development Plans, to stopping indiscriminate concreting, regulating riverbeds, bringing order to quarrying activities and cleaning up illegal waste dumps, every step we take aims to create a cleaner, greener and healthier environment for everyone.
Distinguished guests,
The training of more than 600 legal officers, surveyors, notaries and journalists through the PIAKOS project demonstrates the importance of cooperation between central government, agencies such as the Cadastral Agency and, in this case, civil society.
The Government of the Republic of Kosovo remains committed to ensuring that its programmes reach every family in need.
When a woman acquires legal title to property, when a vulnerable family puts its housing documents in order, and when a child grows up in safe and dignified housing, our reforms fulfil their purpose.
Of course, a particular challenge for our state remains the fact that Serbia has failed to hand over our cadastral records for more than 15 years, even though the agreement was signed in Brussels on 2 September 2011. In other words, last month marked 15 years since the European Union provided the official authorities in Belgrade with €2 million, yet they have not handed over even a copy of the cadastral records, let alone the originals.
Despite this difficulty and these challenges, the Cadastral Agency, the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, state institutions and civil society are working together to do everything possible for the citizens of the Republic.
In particular, I would like to express my gratitude to ATRC, the World Bank, Peace and State-Building Fund, and all the professionals and officials who worked tirelessly and with unwavering dedication.
Thank you for the invitation and your attention.