Prishtina, 29 June, 2023
Dear Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Last Saturday, two citizens of the Republic lost their lives tragically from the floods that engulfed the city of Peja.
The ghastly news echoes even today. The pain for them is as great as it was five days ago. Therefore, once again, from this hall, on behalf of the entire government cabinet, I express my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mirsada Hoxhiq Ademaj and her five-year-old son, Dion.
The floods came as a result of heavy rainfall. That day, in just over 1 hour, nearly 55 millimeters of rain fell. This quite unusual amount for an extremely short time.
It is now clear that climate change poses an unprecedented and direct risk to the well-being of citizens, the country’s economy and the surrounding environment. Kosovo is no exception. It is equally vulnerable to droughts, fires, landslides, floods and loss of biodiversity.
In fact, climate models for the Western Balkans region show a greater increase in temperature compared to the global average. Compared to the usual levels of 1970, the average annual temperature in the region has increased by 1.2 °C. For every degree of warming, the atmosphere can hold about 7% more moisture. This affects the amount of rainfall, bringing numerous rainfalls in short and dense forms that cause flash floods. A flood of the 100-year type or the type that can be repeated every 100 years, that is, which has a probability of 1% per year, can cause damages equivalent to 3% of the gross domestic product. On average, about 10,000 people are affected by floods in Kosovo. In the event of an increase in the frequency and intensity of floods as a result of climate change, such a 100-year flood in the future could cause damages of 300 to 700 million euros.
In this confrontation with the force of nature, man-made infrastructure has a key role. Constructions in flood-prone areas and the lack of drainage systems in some urban areas contribute to the increase in the consequences of frequent floods.
Recovery from floods should aim at avoiding their recurrence, as well as recovering from them.
Our government is in the final stage of drawing up flood risk maps, which will be followed by the flood management plan. We will start the climate change adaptation strategy, which comes as a result of the first climate change law, and we are actively considering adaptation to these changes when designing the infrastructure. We are lobbying to ensure that Kosovo has direct access to funds for this purpose. It is estimated that Kosovo needs investments of more than 1.3 billion euros in infrastructure for adaptation to climate change. Last year, for the first time, a delegation from the Republic of Kosovo, led by the Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, participated in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP27. This is an important step in the inclusion of Kosovo in discussions on an issue of global interest and local impact.
And, before we continue with the agenda, allow me to briefly address a recent development.
The European Commission yesterday presented to the European Parliament a list of measures against Kosovo.
The European Union finds in Kosovo it’s most sincere and stable partner and ally in the region of European values, democratic principles and long-term interests. Kosovo has such a Government. People are like that. First the people and then the Government.
At times we have been critical of the European Union, but never cynical or bitter. We are not even today. When we submitted our application for membership in December of last year, we did it believing that we deserve to be part of this Union in the foreseeable future, because we believe in this Union. We have the same faith today.
The last report for our country, drawn up precisely by the European Commission, describes and evaluates Kosovo in the most positive light ever; as in the fight against crime and corruption, as in democratization, as in economic development, as well as in the advancement of the legal framework in accordance with the Acquis of the European Union. There we find the true shadow of the European Union; as a supranational, fair and meritocratic organization.
And despite the circumstantial developments, we appreciate the support and assistance of the European Union throughout all these years, and we look forward to the membership questionnaire; because Europe is our continent. The European Union is our destiny.
Thank you.
Last modified: June 29, 2023