Prishtina, March 27, 2025
In an event organized today at the Government Building, the piloting of integrated services for the life-changing event of childbirth was launched, with the participation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, the Head of the European Union Office in Kosovo, Aivo Orav, and the Ambassador of Germany to Kosovo, Joern Rohde. This initiative of the Government of Kosovo was made possible through a project supported by the European Union, the German Government and implemented by GIZ.
In his opening speech, Prime Minister Kurti said that today we are opening a new chapter in the way the state provides public services that are closer to the citizen, more coordinated, simpler and digital.
“With the solution we are piloting today, parents no longer need to go from one office counter to another to carry out various procedures. All the necessary data for the child’s registration, entitled benefits, the healthcare system, and vaccination are collected directly at the hospital at the moment of birth and automatically distributed to the relevant institutions,” stated the Prime Minister.
The services included in this solution are birth registration in the civil registry, application for benefits for the mother and child, registration in the health system, registration of vaccines, opening accounts on eKosova for parents and electronic notification of statistical and health institutions. As part of this initiative, a special section for childbirth has also been created on the eKosova platform, where citizens can be informed and plan different stages of this period – from pre-pregnancy to post-natal care.
The Prime Minister thanked the Digital Transformation Unit in the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Health, the Civil Registry Agency, the Information Society Agency, the Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers, the Kosovo Statistical Agency and the National Institute of Public Health. He expressed special gratitude to the European Union and the German Government for their support through the co-financed activity implemented by GIZ, as well as OECD/SIGMA for its contribution.
The Minister of Health, Arben Vitia, stated that the digitalization of healthcare remains one of the key priorities for public transformation in our country. In addition to the piloting of the services that were presented today, he said that a special achievement is the digitalization of the child’s notebook, which will be launched soon on the eKosova platform.
Meanwhile, the Head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Aivo Orav, said that Kosovo has taken a major step forward today with the launch of its first proactive life events service, starting with birth registration.
“This means that processes such as registering newborns, accessing maternity benefits and scheduling vaccinations will now be simpler and faster. The EU is proud to support Kosovo on this digital journey, helping to make everyday life easier and opening up new opportunities for growth,” Ambassador Orav added.
Among the keynote speakers at the event was the German Ambassador to Kosovo, Rohde. He expressed his honor to be present in marking this important milestone in Kosovo’s journey towards improving and digitizing public administration.
“Reducing bureaucracy is a key pillar of good governance. All too often, citizens face unnecessary obstacles that complicate access to essential services. I am particularly pleased that Germany, in partnership with the EU, has supported the achievements we are celebrating today and the digitalization and reduction of administrative burden in Kosovo in general, through a project implemented by GIZ,” said Ambassador Rohde.
Opening remarks were also made by Ms. Vaness Sabelski, Project Manager at GIZ, and Nick, Thijs, Senior Policy Advisor for Public Administration Reform and Service Delivery at OECD-SIGMA. Meanwhile, the piloting of integrated services for the life event of Childbirth was carried out by the Advisor to the Prime Minister for Information Technology, Lulëzon Jagxhiu.
Full speech of Prime Minister Kurti:
Honorable Minister of Health, Mr. Arben Vitia,
Honorable Head of the European Union Office in Kosovo, Mr. Aivo Orav,
Honorable Ambassador of Germany in Kosovo, Mr. Joern Rohde,
Honorable Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Bardhyl Dobra,
Honorable Ms. Vaness Sabelski, Project Manager at GIZ,
Honorable Nick Thijs, Senior Policy Advisor for Public Administration Reform and Service Delivery at OECD/SIGMA, who is connected online with us,
Honorable representatives of institutions, international organizations, the private sector and civil society,
Honorable attendees,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today, we have gathered to launch an initiative that directly impacts the lives of our citizens – and in particular young families. With the launch of the pilot of integrated services for childbirth, we are opening a new chapter in the way the state provides public services; closer to the citizen, more coordinated, more digital and simpler.
This initiative is built from the citizen’s perspective. It aims to make one of the most important events in life – the birth of a child – accompanied by relief and not by burden. With the solution we are piloting today, parents no longer need to go from one office counter to another to carry out various procedures. All the necessary data for the child’s registration, entitled benefits, the healthcare system, and vaccination are collected directly at the hospital at the moment of birth and automatically distributed to the relevant institutions.
This project is the result of a process based on cooperation and inclusiveness. We have consulted citizens directly: parents from the city and the countryside, from non-majority communities, single mothers and parents of children with special needs. And, having identified the real difficulties and needs of citizens, we have built the solution following the principle of user-centered design.
The services included in this solution are: birth registration in the civil registry, application for benefits for mother and child, registration in the health system, registration of vaccines, opening accounts on eKosova for parents and electronic notification of statistical and health institutions. All this is done in an automated and secure manner through the national interoperability platform.
As part of this initiative, a special section for childbirth has also been created on the eKosova platform, where citizens can be informed and plan different stages of this period – from pre-pregnancy to post-natal care. This is our approach to caring for our citizens in an integrated manner – not only to provide services, but to share information that brings convenience, security and peace of mind to new parents.
This project is one of the key actions of the e-Government Strategy 2023–2027 and represents our vision for a public administration that is digital, proactive, inclusive and focused on the real needs of citizens, without discrimination.
Today, we have over 220 services offered online on eKosova. In the last two years alone, the number of transactions through this platform has increased by 155% – from 1.9 million to 4.9 million. This translates into time saved for citizens and fewer barriers in their daily lives. The progress achieved is also reflected in SIGMA’s 2024 oversight report on public administration in Kosovo. This report shows that in the thematic area “Service Delivery and Digitalization”, Kosovo today stands significantly above the average of the Western Balkan countries, i.e., the region to which we belong, compared to 2021 when it was last in the Western Balkans.
Meanwhile, we are working on other initiatives and reforms in the field of digital transformation. We are close to launching the new electronic identification system, while we are finalizing the functional and architectural design of the first integrated citizen service center – which will also provide a physical channel for receiving services, especially for those who cannot access digital services.
I thank the Digital Transformation Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister for coordinating and leading this project. I also express my gratitude to all the institutions that have contributed: the Ministry of Health, the Civil Registration Agency, the Information Society Agency, the Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers, the Statistical Agency of Kosovo and the National Institute of Public Health.
A special thank you to the European Union and the German Government, for their support through the co-financed activity implemented by GIZ. This partnership has been essential in all phases of this initiative – from analysis and design to the development of the software solution. I also thank OECD/SIGMA for their valuable contribution at the beginning of this journey.
Distinguished guests,
We are building a state that is at the service of the citizen – from the first moment of his or her life. With projects like this, we are turning digital transformation into concrete value for people. And this is the path we will continue to follow in addressing other life events of our citizens.
Congratulations and thank you!
Last modified: April 1, 2025