Opposition raises suspicions of irregularities at the Competition Authority and calls for Special Prosecution involvement

The absence of Vetëvendosje Movement MPs from the Committee on Economy, Industry, Entrepreneurship, Trade and Innovation prevented the planned report by members of the Competition Authority Commission on the situation at the institution. Opposition MPs accused the Kosovo Competition Authority of being mismanaged, obstructing the mandates of two female members and failing to hold meetings despite, they said, having a quorum.

During the discussion, Burim Ramadani of the Alliance called for the Special Prosecution to become involved to clarify the issues raised. The committee member described the situation as more than alarming, noting that members and leaders of the Authority were accusing one another of acting unlawfully.

Ramadani said the situation remained alarming even if only one side was right. He argued that the only public, political and institutional way forward was for both sides to confront the claims made against them—an approach he said had been intended both last week and at today’s meeting.

Ramadani described the absence of Vetëvendosje MPs and the MP representing minorities as a boycott by the ruling majority. He said that this week what he called a game with the state had entered a new phase, and that the absence of the entire majority was incomprehensible. According to him, Vetëvendosje was avoiding oversight of institutions with serious responsibilities, so he called for the Special Prosecution to investigate each issue.

Parliamentary committee chair Arben Mustafa of the PDK raised the fact that the Competition Commission had not held a single meeting since May 2025, although, he said, it had a quorum. He asked chair Binaku-Isufi to explain the legal basis for preventing two members appointed by the Assembly of Kosovo from exercising their mandates.

Mustafa said documents received by the committee showed that the two members had been prevented from exercising their mandates for a lengthy period. He held chair Binaku-Isufi responsible and called on her to clarify the legal basis for her actions.

Another concern he raised was the failure to implement a decision by the Independent Oversight Board for the Civil Service of Kosovo concerning the director general. Mustafa said the Competition Authority’s director general continued working as normal, despite facing two indictments.

PDK MP Mergim Lushtaku also criticized the absence of the parliamentary majority. He claimed the Competition Authority had gone 40 months without holding a meeting and that hundreds of tenders had remained unreviewed, including tenders issued by KEK.

Lushtaku said the ruling majority had the votes and repeatedly outvoted other decisions. He said the opposition could usually vote and then leave committee meetings or parliamentary sessions to show that a numerical advantage did not necessarily mean an argument had been won. In this case, he said, the majority had no arguments with which to respond and, instead of boycotting alone, was choosing to defend actions he described as disgraceful at the Competition Authority.

Claiming that there were also overlapping interests in this matter, Lushtaku said the institution was very important to Kosovo. According to him, more than 500 to 800 tenders at KEK alone should have been reviewed, while around 200 million euros at that company should have been subject to the Authority’s oversight of the enterprise and the misuse of public funds. He added that, in his view, these circumstances pointed to an even greater cover-up.

LDK MP Janina Ymeri said the consequences of the institution’s failure to function and of actions she considers illegitimate were borne by consumers. She linked this issue to price monitoring, from basic goods to petroleum products.

Ymeri recalled that the Competition Authority had also been discussed extensively in the previous parliamentary term. She said she was pleased that the issue was now being addressed and that, in her view, the government and members of the majority were visibly avoiding a confrontation.

According to the MP, some activities carried out within the Authority had been illegitimate, while Vetëvendosje members’ absence from today’s meeting was serving to grant amnesty for both those actions and the violence she said had occurred in the institution’s offices. Ymeri stressed that the violence in the offices was being overlooked through non-participation in the committee, and that violence did not occur only on the basis of gender.

She argued that granting amnesty for these activities harmed consumers. Ymeri accused LVV of campaigning for consumers while following a plan that undermined their interests, from basic goods to fuel and other products.