Prishtina, 12 October 2022
The Government held its 100th regular meeting.
First of all, three important draft laws were approved:
Draft law on amendment and supplementation of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo. The supplementations and amendments relate to the criminal offenses of rape, sexual assault, domestic violence and cybercrime.
In addition to the penalties provided by the Criminal Code, this Draft Law also lays down some additional supplementary penalties related to the prohibition of the purchase at auctions of the sale of public property, public assets or licenses that are granted by a public authority in any service, the prohibition of applying as strategic investor and any other form of benefiting from the privileges granted by the legislation in force. In addition, the draft law provides that when the person is found guilty of the crime of rape, the right to employment in the public sector is denied, while candidacy for any public position is prohibited for up to 10 years.
With the amendments related to domestic violence, the draft law foresees a series of additional bans/punishments starting from the permanent ban on running for any public position, the ban on employment in the public sector, the ban on buying at auctions for the sale of public property, public assets or licenses granted by a public authority in any service and the prohibition of applying as a strategic investor and any other form of benefit from privileges granted by the legislation in force.
Furthermore, in cases of the criminal offenses of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence, the limits of mitigation of punishments will not be applied.
The draft law defines sanctions for cybercrime since Kosovo continues to face this type of crime and it has not been sufficiently covered by the current Criminal Code. About 17 new criminal offenses have been added to the draft law to prevent and sanction cybercrimes.
The draft law on amendment and supplementation of the Criminal Procedure Code aims to address three issues.
The first issue addressed is the question of time limits for criminal prosecution investigation under the draft law.
The investigation period is shortened in cases involving criminal offenses of rape and domestic violence.
The draft law makes the appropriate amendment regarding the issue of security measures for the defendant in the procedure, where it is provided that for the criminal offenses of rape and domestic violence defined in the Criminal Code, the court pronounces the measure of detention as the only measure to ensure the presence of the defendant, with the aim of preventing the commission of the criminal offense and the successful implementation of the criminal procedure.
The Draft Law on amendment and supplementation of the Law on the Treatment of Constructions without Permit, which envisages amending the provisions of the basic law regarding the legal deadlines for applications for legalization of constructions without permits in order to extend the deadline for applications; amending the provisions of the basic law regarding the legal deadlines for the proposal of detailed programs for the Government to deal with illegal constructions; redefining some terms used in the basic law in order to clarify and effectively implement the law; and completing the provision of the basic law that determines the tax for the legalization of the change of use to provide clarification during the implementation of the provisions of the law.
Furthermore, the Government approved the decision to authorize the Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation to sign the protocol on the administration of designated funds, in order to implement the Agreement for the Co-financing of the Major Project in Albanology-Albanian Encyclopedia, between the Government of of the Republic of Kosovo and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania.
In today’s meeting, the Government cabinet also approved the decision to establish the Working Group for the establishment of the management entity of the multi-functional Energy Conservation Activity, as defined by the Millennium Challenges Compact Agreement and the Program Implementation Agreement between the Republic of Kosovo and the United States of America represented by the Millennium Challenge Corporation. The group will have the following composition:
Urtina Zeka, Office of the Prime Minister – chairperson;
Fjolla Mikullovci, Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers – deputy chairperson;
Sofie Kika, Office of the Prime Minister – member;
Sabit Gashi, Ministry of Economy – member;
Qëndresa Morina, Ministry of Economy – member;
Bekim Brahimi, Ministry of Economy – member;
Burbuqe Hydaverdi, Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure – member; and
Burbuqe Hasani, Transmission and Market System Operator – member.
Further, the Government Cabinet also approved the decision to establish the Working Group for the fulfillment of the prerequisites deriving from the Millennium Challenges Compact Agreement and the Program Implementation Agreement between the Republic of Kosovo and the United States of America represented by the Millennium Challenges Corporation. The group will have the following composition:
Vesa Janova, Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers – chairperson;
Lum Mita, Office of the Prime Minister – deputy chairperson;
Besar Dinarama, Office of the Prime Minister – member;
Leonita Shabani Mullarama, Ministry of Economy – member;
Petrit Krasniqi, Energy Regulatory Office – member;
Arben Ajazi, Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure – member; and
Alban Imeri, Transmission and Market System Operator – member.
The Government allocated 300,000 Euros to the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure for the repair of damages from the collapses on the National Road N22.3 Mitrovica-Jarinje, at the place called “Kërshi i Kajushës.”
In addition, the Government approved the request of the Albanian National Council and the representatives of Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanovac for financial support. Financial resources in the amount of 35 thousand Euros were allocated for this.
Following deliberation, the annual Report on the State of the Environment in Kosovo for the year 2021 was approved for proceeding to the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo. The data of this report will serve for the drafting of adequate policies for environmental protection and investment in different sectors.
The Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development 2022-2028 was reviewed and approved at today’s meeting. The plan addresses the costs of implementing the objectives of the Strategy and will serve to increase competitiveness in the agri-food sector, sustainable management of natural resources, business support and increased employment, as well as comprehensive reform to create efficient public services.
At today’s meeting, the Government allocated more than 28 million Euros for the implementation of Measure 3.2, Support to Pensioners and Families with Social Assistance, under the Anti-Inflation Package, so that this month pensioners will receive a one-time supplement in the amount of 100 Euros.
At the proposal of the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, the Government also approved the decision for further consideration of real estate expropriation in the cadastral zones of the Municipality of Podujeva which will be affected by investment for construction of the House of Culture and the city cemetery and investment in the health sector.
At the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Kurti informed the members of the Government Cabinet about the project of integrating the National Development Strategy and Operational Strategic Plans of the Office of the Prime Minister and ministries into the National Development Plan from the beginning of next year.
Last modified: October 13, 2022