Prishtina, 20 May 2026
The Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the Acting Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Fitore Pacolli, held a press conference in which they presented the emergency package in the field of waste management: the Action Against Waste.
Full speech by Acting Prime Minister Kurti:
Dear journalists,
Dear citizens,
The waste sector may perhaps be considered the most critical point of the entire institutional system in our Republic. Nowhere else is there such an interconnection between all levels of government, the public and private sectors, social actors, and every family and individual.
Therefore, as a sector, waste collection and treatment require social and institutional harmony and balance, something that is not easy to achieve.
At the core of this system is the municipality, which is then linked with other municipalities through regional waste management companies. Although there has been considerable progress, it has often been evident that balance among all actors in the waste sector has been lacking.
As a result, today we face a situation with serious deficiencies in waste management. Consequently, we believe that this sector should be a priority for the Government. Despite our limited role, which is largely confined to policymaking, we have made and continue to make efforts to overcome this deadlock.
We have prepared the new draft law on waste, along with many parts of the secondary legislation, which foresee the creation of a sustainable waste management system aimed at achieving the reduction, reuse, and recycling of waste — a stage that transforms waste from a problem into an economic opportunity.
Such a system will still require some time. We have the law ready, but not yet the Assembly. Meanwhile, as we prepare to establish the foundation for this system, the waste situation has become serious, especially in areas not covered by anyone, namely areas outside settlement boundaries.
We can freely say that we are facing an emergency in the waste sector. And to address it, emergency measures are required. Today, together with the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Ms. Fitore Pacolli Dalipi, we are here to announce an emergency package in the field of waste management: the Action Against Waste.
This Action aims to achieve two simultaneous effects. First, to intervene in areas where illegal dumping threatens the environment and public health; and second, to pave a new path where the Government no longer stands idly by, but instead leads the organization and mobilization of actors that bear responsibility in the waste sector.
Thus, in addition to removing part of the waste located in areas not covered by municipalities, this program seeks to foster cooperation among public companies, such as regional waste management companies, the Kosovo Landfill Management Company, the Kosovo Energy Corporation, the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, as well as municipalities — particularly municipalities — throughout the territory of the Republic.
In order for the Action to be successful, a total of five agreements have been foreseen with regional waste management companies and other public enterprises, some of which have already been signed as part of the preparations.
The budget allocated by the Government of the Republic amounts to 1 million euros.
On the one hand, the plan foresees the removal of 500 illegal waste dumpsites; on the other hand, it aims to increase employment and strengthen capacities, with particular emphasis on equipment within public companies dealing with waste management and the maintenance of public green spaces.
In addition to clean-up efforts, the Action Against Waste package also aims to establish accountability for pollution. Through this package, we will create an entirely new inspection practice in the field of waste management, which will mobilize the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning and all departments of this ministry in a joint action to establish order and the rule of law in the waste sector.
We expect that during the implementation of the action, dozens of inspectors and officials will be engaged exclusively in waste inspections, so that, on the one hand, awareness is raised in this field, and on the other hand, the current waste law is enforced through the principle of “the polluter pays” — indeed, through the principle that “the polluter pays.”
For more details regarding the Action Against Waste package, I invite the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Fitore Pacolli Dalipi, to take the floor.
