Over a 24-hour period, the Emergency Center of the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK) provided 317 medical services to patients requiring urgent care.

UCCK data show that 94 patients were treated in the resuscitation unit, 87 in the internal medicine emergency unit, while the surgical and orthopedic emergency units each provided services to 56 patients.

In the Minor Surgery Room, 24 patients received treatment, including suturing, wound care and wound cleaning.

During the same period, the Emergency Center treated eight people involved in physical altercations, as well as 30 people injured in traffic accidents.

For further treatment, 28 patients were admitted to various UCCK clinics. Two deaths were also recorded in the 24-hour report.

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Following the latest workplace fatalities, the Council for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms has responded by describing the level of worker safety in Kosovo as still alarming.

KMDLNj reports that 32 workers died in Kosovo last year, most of them in the construction sector.

The organization says it has long called for better working conditions and more frequent preventive inspections. It has also proposed that money collected from fines be distributed to the families of victims and workers who suffer permanent disabilities.

The statement lists the lack of protective equipment and measures, weather conditions, inadequate qualifications, health conditions, workers’ age, and poor oversight by institutions as the main causes of fatal accidents.

According to KMDLNj, a large proportion of workers continue to work without contracts, preventing them from exercising the rights to which they are entitled. The organization believes no lessons have been learned from the loss of life, which it says could undoubtedly have been prevented. As a result, 2026 has likewise brought no improvement in protecting workers and their lives.

According to the statement, the difficult economic situation forces many citizens to accept whatever conditions employers impose on them. KMDLNj directly links this situation to the high number of lives lost at work.

To improve the situation, KMDLNj is calling for more inspectors in the field or the hiring of a supervisory company with professional capabilities. The organization stresses that shifting responsibility from one politician to another does not help address this sensitive issue.

According to KMDLNj, instead of political clashes, interinstitutional cooperation and coordination are needed, as this is the only way to prevent loss of life.

In conclusion, KMDLNj emphasizes that work is a fundamental human right, but it remains meaningless unless the right to life—the foundation upon which all other rights depend and are built—is guaranteed.

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Workplace accidents are on the rise, increasing concerns about worker safety and the implementation of measures intended to protect them.

New injuries are reported almost every week, while some incidents also result in fatalities. These cases highlight shortcomings in compliance with workplace safety standards.

On Tuesday, a young man lost his life and another person was injured at a construction site in Pristina. Following this incident, the number of people who have died in workplace accidents in Kosovo this year reached 16.

The data show that workplace accidents continue to be one of the most serious problems facing institutions, employers and the bodies responsible for overseeing working conditions, safety and health.

Jusuf Azemi, chairman of SPSP, said that 179 workplace deaths have been recorded since 2018. According to him, neither society nor the institutions have ever treated these cases with the seriousness they deserve. He said the measures taken so far may have been far too lenient, noting that even very young workers have lost their lives, while company owners have been released and allowed to go home after 48 hours.

The Builders’ Association is calling for a national strategy to improve safety at worksites, alongside increased awareness among workers about their rights.

Valon Vataj, chairman of the Kosovo Builders’ Association at OEK, said that inexperienced companies operate in the market, as do companies that disregard safety requirements in order to complete work more quickly. However, he also considers workers’ own failure to comply with these requirements to be a problem, saying they do not understand that they are putting their lives at risk by doing so. Vataj stressed that life must not be put at risk under any circumstances.

In a statement, the Central Labor Inspectorate said it was still too early to draw definitive conclusions about the latest case. Given the nature and circumstances of the incident, further investigations and expert assessments are needed to determine the exact cause of the accident and establish responsibility regarding the implementation of occupational safety and health measures. The Inspectorate also said that institutional coordination between the authorities that issue construction permits and supervisory institutions must be strengthened.

Pristina Mayor Përparim Rama said that monitoring compliance with occupational protection and safety standards falls under the responsibility of the Central Labor Inspectorate, which operates at the central level.

The Prosecutor’s Office has launched investigations into the criminal offenses of “Causing General Danger” and “Destroying, Damaging or Removing Protective Equipment and Endangering Workplace Safety.” Police have detained three people in connection with the case.

The other person who was injured is receiving treatment at QKUK. Shaqir Uka, director of intensive care, said the injured person’s vital signs were stable, although his injuries have been classified as serious.

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A tragic accident at a construction site in Pristina, where a crane collapsed, killing a young worker and injuring another, has brought workplace safety concerns in Kosovo back into sharp focus.

The head of the Private Sector Workers’ Union, Jusuf Azemi, speaking live to RTK, described the young man’s death as a grave tragedy for the family, the workers’ community, and Kosovar society as a whole. “It is horrifying when a family expects him to come home and is met with this kind of tragedy,” he said.

Azemi also raised concern over the presence of an 18-year-old at the scene, stressing that the case must be thoroughly investigated by the competent institutions.

According to him, preliminary data suggests that human error was the main cause of the accident, while adding that he awaits official conclusions from the Labour Inspectorate, the police, and the prosecution. “Within two or three days, I believe all the details will be clarified. For now, we can say the cause is human error,” he stated.

In a broader context, Azemi stressed that Kosovo has “lost the battle” against worker deaths in the private sector. He mentioned that 2025 was the worst year for workers since the end of the war, and this year has also begun with a serious situation.

Asked about the Central Labour Inspectorate’s statement that the site had not been inspected earlier because it was in the initial stages of work, Azemi responded that while inspectors cannot be everywhere, the main problem remains the lack of sufficient sanctions against companies that fail to comply with safety and health standards at work.

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Although Albania does not have an industrial sector developed on the scale of Europe’s major economies, it ranks among the countries suffering the most severe health consequences from air pollution.

With 129 premature deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, the country ranks fourth in Europe for mortality attributed to exposure to fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, according to Eurostat’s latest data for 2023.

Higher levels than Albania are recorded only in North Macedonia, with 146 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, Bosnia and Herzegovina, with 139, and Serbia, with 132.

Albania’s rate is more than three times the European Union average, which stood at 41 premature deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023.

What the indicator measures

Eurostat’s indicator measures the number of premature deaths that can be attributed to exposure to fine airborne particles known as PM2.5.

These particles have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers. Because of their extremely small size, they can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause inflammation or worsen the condition of people suffering from heart and lung diseases.

Premature deaths are those that occur before the expected age of death, calculated according to life expectancy in each country, sex and age group. The estimates are based on the European Environment Agency’s methodology.

PM2.5 is generated mainly by the burning of solid fuels to heat homes, industrial activities and transport.

Exposure is linked not only to the presence of heavy industry, but also to heating methods, fuel quality, the age of vehicles, waste burning and geographical conditions that prevent pollution from dispersing.

The Balkans bear the heaviest burden

The data reveal a stark divide between the Balkans and northern and western Europe.

Albania is followed by Kosovo, with 121 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Montenegro records 89 deaths, while Croatia has 75. Neighboring European Union countries also report high levels: Bulgaria has 104 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, Greece 98 and Romania 74.

At the other end of the ranking are the Nordic countries. Finland records just one premature death per 100,000 inhabitants, Sweden two, Estonia three and Norway four. In Iceland, the figure is zero.

Albania’s rate is around 129 times higher than Finland’s, more than six times higher than Portugal’s and almost five times higher than Germany’s.

Why North Macedonia has the highest level

North Macedonia tops the European ranking with 146 premature deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

According to the OECD, the average annual concentration of PM2.5 in the country reached 22.3 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021, the highest level in the Western Balkans and more than four times the World Health Organization guideline.

The main sources of pollution are the burning of lignite for energy production, industry, old and inadequately inspected vehicles, open-air waste burning and residential heating.

The World Bank estimates that residential heating is one of the most significant sources of pollution in the Western Balkans, particularly during winter. In North Macedonia and Kosovo, the residential sector generates almost half of PM2.5 emissions.

The geographical location of cities, especially Skopje, worsens the situation, as atmospheric conditions and the terrain encourage pollutants to accumulate near the surface.

The EU has halved deaths, but disparities remain wide

In the European Union, the number of premature deaths linked to PM2.5 has fallen significantly over the past two decades.

In 2005, fine particulate matter pollution was attributed to around 423,600 premature deaths in the EU. The figure fell to around 346,400 in 2007, 286,600 in 2018 and 182,400 in 2023.

Despite improvement at the European level, the gap between countries remains wide. Countries in Southeastern and Eastern Europe continue to bear a much greater health burden than Nordic and Western European countries.

The 2030 target

The indicator is linked to Sustainable Development Goal 11, which aims to make cities and communities more sustainable, specifically by reducing the negative environmental impact of cities, with particular attention to air quality.

The European target is to reduce the health impacts of air pollution, expressed through premature deaths from PM2.5, by at least 55% by 2030 compared with 2005.

The threshold set for the EU is around 190,600 deaths in 2030. With around 182,400 deaths recorded in 2023, the European Union as a whole has already fallen below the target level, but the situation varies significantly from one country to another./Monitor

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