Prishtina, May 29, 2025
Honorable Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers, and Deputy Minister,
Distinguished staff of the Prime Minister’s Office and media representatives,
Dear citizens,
We are just a few days away from the entry into force of the decision by the Energy Regulatory Office on the liberalization of the electricity market for about 1,200 enterprises in Kosovo. These represent approximately 1% of the enterprises in our country: the largest and most powerful ones.
Among them are about 300 manufacturing enterprises, which, as large consumers, are more affected by the implementation of this reform. We understand their concerns about the challenges of this transition phase, but it is important to emphasize that this process is not sudden. The Law on Electricity was adopted back in 2016. The first phase of liberalization began in 2017 with the entry of three major enterprises into the market, whereas the second phase has been postponed several times over the past eight years. Albania and North Macedonia implemented this reform years ago, including a much larger portion of businesses, while our businesses have benefited in the meantime from regulated tariffs and direct subsidies to business bills amounting to €26 million. Thus, although the challenge exists, our businesses have gained a competitive advantage and have had more time than others to prepare for the impact of entering the open market.
For our part, as a government, we supported all businesses during the pandemic and the energy crisis, when they needed it the most. We have especially been – and will always be – close to local producers.
With €100 million in subsidized loans, millions of euros for certifications, digitalization, and export promotion, we have diligently helped our producers grow, modernize, and compete strongly. Today, we are also developing new instruments to support them during this transition phase, such as schemes for energy efficiency and solar systems, subsidies for efficient machinery, support for energy audits, and more. At the same time, we are communicating and cooperating closely with producers and chambers to facilitate better communication between businesses, the regulator, and suppliers, with the goal of better informing and increasing competition that benefits both businesses and the public interest.
Meanwhile, as we speak here, the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, which should be standing by businesses in facing this new reality, is today attempting to block main roads with a single demand: to postpone the implementation of market liberalization. They are requesting a delay with the justification that they will prepare in a year, while ignoring the fact that they have done nothing to prepare over the past eight years during which this process has been postponed year after year.
Dear citizens,
Dear business representatives,
What the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce is not telling you is that meeting their demand does not solve the problem, but merely shifts the energy costs of these 1,200 enterprises onto the bills of each and every one of you: each household and over 100,000 other smaller businesses that are less powerful and less vocal than some. To protect 1% of the most powerful enterprises at the expense of the 99% and families across Kosovo, they want to erect barricades at the entrances to Prishtina. But the era of barricades in Kosovo is over. We have removed them wherever they were, and we are committed to not allowing new ones to be set up.
We call on all chambers and businesses to start thinking wisely about efficiency and energy usage optimization. We will continue to support businesses that modernize and invest in energy efficiency, for their benefit, for the state, and for the citizens. The Government of the Republic of Kosovo – and I, as Prime Minister – are your partners. We are ready and very interested in dialogue for solutions.
To the producers of Kosovo, I repeat once again: we will be with you every step of the way and in every challenge of this process, in ways that are healthy for you and aligned with the public interest.
In today’s meeting, which is the 260th that we are holding as a government, we will, among other things, make decisions on appointments to high-level leadership positions, as well as on the formation of ad-hoc commissions or temporary commissions aimed at concluding recruitment processes. All of these were initiated before March 22, 2025, when our government de jure transitioned into a caretaker government. Therefore, with these decisions, we are not launching new initiatives or processes, but rather concluding those we have started and which have developed during our full and regular mandate.
This is not only our obligation but also a legal and institutional responsibility, to meet the expectations of those who have trusted the state and have applied to become part of the public administration.
Honorable members of the government cabinet,
Dear citizens,
Before we move on to the items of this meeting as a caretaker government, I would like to note that currently, in three geographic zones across the European continent, the largest exercise organized by the U.S. Army in Europe, “Defender Europe 25”, is taking place, with the participation of 25,000 troops from 29 NATO member countries.
The Republic of Kosovo has the honor and pleasure to be among the 18 host countries, and the Kosovo Security Force is participating with approximately 1,000 troops in the exercises being conducted in Kosovo, Albania, Croatia, and North Macedonia.
This time, the Republic of Kosovo has been selected by the United States Army as the country to host the command of the 28th Infantry Division. From the KSF base at the Gjakova Airport, this American tactical command is leading all brigades in the Southeast European region. Our institutions and our army are proving that they are capable of hosting and organizing on our territory complex exercises that require high-level planning, organization, and support.
The increase in readiness and presence at our border of the Armed Forces of Serbia is believed to be a reaction to Defender Europe 25, but what we still do not know is whether Serbia is doing this on its own or at the request of Russia.
