Prishtina, 26 May 2010
The Cabinet has held a regular meeting and adopted the Draft Law on Amending the Law on Travel Documents and the Strategy on the Re-integration of Repatriated Persons.
The Cabinet, towards ensuring full transparency and the responsible use of public funds, approved an Administrative Instruction on defining new requirements for the signing of medium and high value public contracts. The Cabinet mentioned that the Administrative Instruction stipulates that public procurement contracts, besides having to be signed by a ministry public procurement director, shall be signed by a ministry permanent secretary, or the equivalent most senior public servant of that ministry, and by a minister, or the equivalent chief of the budget of that ministry.
Towards fulfilling visa liberalization criteria, the Cabinet adopted the Draft Law on Amending the Law on Travel Documents. In addition, the Cabinet approved the Strategy on the Reintegration of Repatriated Persons.
The Cabinet decided to facilitate businesses’ debt repayment to the Kosovo Tax Administration (KTA). It extended an earlier measure which exempted businesses from paying punitive interest rates, provided that these businesses pay their basic tax debt to the KTA, as the Cabinet regarded that this has provided good results thus far.
The Cabinet approved a regulation to establish an Intellectual Property Rights Office and mentioned that this regulation stipulates that the Ministry of Culture is to establish the duties and mandate of this Office.
The Cabinet, as part of its commitment to the social well-being of all its citizens, approved an operational plan for relocating Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian families from the lead-contaminated camps in the Osterode and Lugu i Qeshmes neighborhoods of North Mitrovica.
An Inter-ministerial Steering Committee on the supervision and coordination of the Action Plan of the 2009-2015 Strategy for the Integration of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Communities was set up by the Cabinet. The Cabinet determined that this inter-ministerial committee will be made up of representatives of the Government’s central institutions and of NGOs representing the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.
The Draft Law on Amending the Law on Scientific Research Activities was removed by the Cabinet from the Government’s 2010 Legislative Strategy. This decision was recommended by the Ministry of Education, as the Education Minister mentioned that more time was needed for academics and international experts to adequately write this draft law.
The Cabinet decided to include the Constitutional Court President in the list of institutional leaders entitled to a diplomatic passport.
The Cabinet also approved an agreement between the Ministry of Public Administration, the Ministry of Finance and the Civil Service Union to increase the wages of civil servants.
The Strategy on the Integrated Management System for Emergency Situations was also approved by the Cabinet.
