Referring to developments surrounding the establishment of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, Ramiz Lladrovci said that the Constitutional Court must issue fair decisions against anyone who violates the Constitution, regardless of whether the act was committed intentionally or not.

Lladrovci called on the court to serve as the institution responsible for imposing punitive measures on lawmakers who fail to respect the Constitution.

According to him, anyone who violates the highest legal act must face the maximum penalty and withdraw from political and public life.

He said that the interests of the state of the Republic of Kosovo must take precedence over every political entity, as well as over the ego of any lawmaker or official.

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Bahri Hyseni will serve as Deputy Chief State Prosecutor after his appointment was approved today by the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, following a proposal by Chief State Prosecutor Zejnullah Gashi.

Under the KPC’s decision, Hyseni will hold the post for four (4) years and will be eligible for re-election for one (1) additional term.

The decision was made during the 301st meeting of the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council, chaired by Arian Gashi, where various issues related to the administration, functioning and institutional responsibilities of Kosovo’s prosecutorial system were addressed.

“The members of the Prosecutorial Council elected prosecutor Mr. Bahri Hyseni to the position of Deputy Chief State Prosecutor, upon the proposal of Chief State Prosecutor Mr. Zejnullah Gashi, for a four (4)-year term, with the possibility of re-election for one (1) additional term,” the KPC said in a statement.

One of the items on the agenda was the Annual Reporting Mechanism for 2025. In this context, Agron Bajrami, Chief Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals Prosecution Office, and Blerim Isufaj, Chief Prosecutor of the Special Prosecution Office, reported before the KPC members.

Following an assessment of these reports, the Council approved the report of the Chief Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals Prosecution Office, while it did not approve the report of the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Prosecution Office.

During the meeting, the KPC was also informed about the retirement of Laura Pula, a prosecutor at the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor. The Council decided that the proposal to release her from duty due to retirement should be sent to the Presidency of the Republic of Kosovo, in accordance with legal procedures.

The Council also reviewed and approved Aleksandër Lumezi’s resignation from the Commission for the Evaluation of Prosecutors’ Performance.

The Council further approved the Performance Evaluation Report for seven (7) prosecutors, as part of case no. KVPP/413/2026. At the same meeting, it also rejected a prosecutor’s objection to the report.

The KPC also reviewed a request by a prosecutor from the Basic Prosecution Office in Pristina to reopen disciplinary proceedings. The request was rejected after the Council found that there was no legal basis for reopening the case, as the matter had been reviewed and confirmed at all judicial instances.

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The six-month period during which the Constitution allows Kosovo’s presidency to be exercised by an acting president ends on October 4.

Albulena Haxhiu assumed this responsibility on April 4, in her capacity as speaker of the tenth legislature of the Assembly of Kosovo, after Vjosa Osmani’s five-year term as president of the country ended.

The inability of parliamentary parties to reach a consensus on the name of the next president led Kosovo to hold snap parliamentary elections.

Although the constitutional deadline for its constitution has passed, the Assembly emerging from the June 7 elections has still not been constituted. Meanwhile, political entities still do not appear to be close to an agreement on the head of state.

The question is what would happen if a new president were not elected by October 4 and who would lead Kosovo after that date.

The answers to this dilemma vary, since such a circumstance is not provided for in the Constitution, Kosovo’s highest legal act.

Legal and political experts assess that, once the six-month period ends, there is no constitutional basis for the country to continue having an acting president.

On the other hand, Vetëvendosje, which won the latest elections, maintains that this function could be assumed by the new speaker of the Assembly and exercised until a president is elected.

Eugen Cakolli, a researcher at the Kosovo Democratic Institute, told Radio Free Europe that the six-month limit for exercising the duties of president is an absolute deadline and cannot restart under any circumstances.

According to him, if a new president is not elected by October 4, Kosovo would face the most dangerous constitutional scenario.

Cakolli says the country would enter serious and dangerous constitutional territory, making it essential to submit a request to the Constitutional Court.

Melos Kolshi, a legal researcher at the Kosovo Law Institute, also told Radio Free Europe that continuing to exercise the duties of president after October 4 would lack constitutional support and seriously damage the constitutional order.

Kolshi emphasizes that the absence of a president with a constitutional mandate is not merely a formal problem. The head of state has a role in the establishment and functioning of institutions, in representing Kosovo, in the areas of security and defense, as well as in other procedures that the Constitution assigns to the president.

According to him, if there were no person with a constitutional basis to exercise these powers, Kosovo would enter a new institutional and constitutional crisis for which the Constitution provides no clear solution.

Vetëvendosje envisages a new acting president until a president is elected

Vetëvendosje interprets the situation differently. Adnan Rrustemi, a deputy from the party in the Assembly of Kosovo, argues that the function of acting president is directly linked to the position of speaker of the Assembly.

According to Rrustemi, as soon as the new speaker of the Assembly is elected, he or she begins exercising the duties of president until a new head of state is elected. He says that the six-month period provided for in the Constitution also starts over with the election of the new speaker.

Rrustemi told Radio Free Europe that institutional continuity is guaranteed by the spirit, content and function of the Constitution. According to him, Kosovo cannot under any circumstances be left without a president or an acting president, and an institutional vacuum cannot be allowed under any circumstances.

Cakolli, from the KDI, rejects this interpretation. He says the claim that the six-month period automatically restarts when a new speaker of the Assembly is elected has no constitutional basis.

Such an interpretation, he says, would also be dangerous because it would diminish the importance of electing a president.

Cakolli explains that if a new speaker of the Assembly were elected whenever the six-month period approached its end, the country could be governed continuously only by acting presidents. He emphasizes that this is neither the purpose nor the idea behind the relevant constitutional provisions.

Kolshi, from the KLI, assesses that the deadlines set by the Constitution cannot be considered merely indicative and that the Assembly cannot normalize the adoption of decisions outside those deadlines.

He warns that serious uncertainty would arise if the six-month period ended without a new president being elected.

While awaiting an agreement on the head of state, Vetëvendosje has not presented its candidate for the new speaker of the Assembly. As a result, the constitution of the 11th legislature has remained suspended, although this step would also pave the way for the formation of a new government.

Cakolli says that if there were no elected president after October 4, a large number of procedures could not be carried out.

Kosovo, he says, would be left without the supreme commander of the army and without the institution that ensures a balance between the branches of power. There would also be no authority to decree the new prime minister-designate or to take steps concerning the calling of possible elections or other matters.

The debate also includes the 60-day period for electing a president, which begins only after the Assembly has been constituted.

Avdullah Hoti, a deputy from the Democratic League of Kosovo, told the media that during these 60 days the parties must find a candidate acceptable to all sides.

According to Cakolli, the fact that the Assembly was not constituted within the deadline has created a twofold problem concerning the constitutional deadlines. The longer the constitution is delayed, the further the 60-day period extends beyond October 4, when the six-month mandate of the acting president ends.

He adds that every delay reduces the time available to the Assembly to resolve the presidential issue before the end of the six-month period during which the post may be held by an acting president.

Cakolli notes that if a president is not elected and the 60-day deadline also expires, an even greater difficulty would arise in exercising the power to call possible elections, particularly if the constitutional term of the acting president had also ended in the meantime.

According to him, this is precisely the danger caused by the delays: the two constitutional deadlines are no longer proceeding in parallel and, if the election of a president fails, Kosovo could end up in a situation for which the Constitution provides no solution.

Kolshi, meanwhile, explains that the maximum six-month limit for exercising the duties of president is a separate deadline and is not linked to the 60-day period provided for the election of a president.

He emphasizes that the possible commencement of the 60-day period neither extends nor suspends the six-month period of the acting president.

What solution is being proposed?

The Kosovo Law Institute and the Kosovo Democratic Institute assess that this issue should be referred to the Constitutional Court for review.

Cakolli says that after October 4, at least ten deputies of the Assembly of Kosovo should turn to the Constitutional Court. According to him, they should first request the imposition of an interim measure and then seek a determination of the legal effect produced by the Assembly’s failure to elect a president before the end of the six-month deadline.

Then, he explains, the Court should decide what happens next and whether the speaker of the Assembly continues to hold the function or whether it passes to another authority. In making this determination, it could rely on the preparatory documents of the Constitution or on opinions it may obtain from other countries.

Kolshi also says that the Constitutional Court should determine the constitutional consequences and how the institutions would function under such circumstances.

According to him, the solution should first and foremost be sought within the deadlines already set by the Constitution, by electing a new president. If the deadlines are allowed to pass without an election, Kosovo would enter an unforeseen constitutional situation in which continuing to exercise the duties beyond six months could not be justified without a clear constitutional basis.

Rrustemi of Vetëvendosje considers that the way out is to elect a new president, which, according to him, requires dialogue and a political agreement.

Radio Free Europe also contacted the Office of the President with questions about the acting president’s mandate and the steps that should be followed if a new president is not elected by October 4, but had received no response by the time the article was published.

The Constitution of Kosovo stipulates that the president is elected by the Assembly through a secret ballot.

Election requires two-thirds of the votes of all deputies, namely 80 votes out of a total of 120 members of the Assembly of Kosovo.

The procedure may take place in up to three rounds of voting. If, in the third round, no candidate secures 61 votes from at least 80 deputies present in the chamber, the Assembly is dissolved. New elections are then called and must be organized within 45 days. / RFE

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Donika Gërvalla has reacted after acting President Albulena Haxhiu held a meeting with the parliamentary parties in an effort to find a solution to the issue of the President.

Albin Kurti, the leader of Alternativa, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, the leader of Guxo, Donika Gërvalla, as well as representatives of the non-majority community parties, attended the meeting with Albulena Haxhiu.

PDK, LDK and AAK declined the invitation to attend the meeting.

After the meeting, Gërvalla called on the opposition parties to join the dialogue and put forward concrete candidates so that an agreement could be reached on a consensus president.

“Come to the meeting! Let’s talk! That is where we can contribute to the solution the state needs!” she wrote. According to Gërvalla, the country does not need another institutional deadlock, but political responsibility, talks and an agreement.

She called for the interests of the parties not to be placed above the interests of the Republic, stressing that preventing an institutional crisis is a shared responsibility of all political entities.

Full post:

Gërvalla invited the parties to attend the meeting and discuss the matter, arguing that it is precisely at the negotiating table that a contribution can be made to the solution the state needs. She described this approach as evidence of political maturity and state responsibility, while characterizing any other action as an evasion of responsibility and a disregard for the trust and will of the citizens.

According to her, Kosovo does not need another institutional blockade. On the contrary, the country needs politicians to demonstrate responsibility, engage in dialogue and reach agreements.

Under the current circumstances, Gërvalla said, the interests of the Republic should take priority over partisan interests. She emphasized that reaching an agreement should not be viewed as political weakness, but as a responsibility toward the state. Likewise, avoiding an institutional crisis is not the responsibility of just one party, but the obligation of every political entity toward the citizens of Kosovo and the Republic itself.

She said that those seeking a solution should not create noise or walk away from the dialogue table. According to her, anyone calling for responsibility should not avoid a meeting from which an agreement could emerge. Gërvalla added that those who place the Republic before partisan and personal interests do not exploit the institutional crisis as a political tool and do not engage in noise.

Gërvalla said that the meeting called by acting President Albulena Haxhiu addressed in concrete terms the need to find a way out of the situation that has arisen. She called on all political entities to make their maximum contribution to resolving the issue of the President by proposing specific names for a consensus president. According to her, the parties do not need to agree on every issue, but they must show the political courage to reach agreement on what is essential for the functioning of the state.

In conclusion, she repeated her invitation for the parties to attend the meeting and hold talks, since that is where they can contribute to the solution the state needs. Gërvalla reiterated that this represents political maturity and state responsibility, while staying outside the dialogue means evading responsibility and disdaining the trust and will of the citizens.

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Over 95% of Albania’s municipalities have been affected by natural disasters in the last two decades, while fires have destroyed more than about 35% of the national forest area.

Although the number of fire protection personnel increased by 86% over the decade, the ratio of functional vehicles has fallen to 0.87 per 10,000 inhabitants.

Faced with 160 hotspots recorded in just the first weeks of the summer season and the lack of an autonomous fleet of aircraft, local structures remain powerless to guarantee effective intervention in deep mountain areas.

A pronounced tangle of competences between local and central government leaves rural communities and human lives unprotected, putting the country in front of a painful mirror of institutional failure before every fire season. Experts’ suggestions.

The tragedy in the village of Domen in Postribë, where a dwelling was engulfed by flames with a 24-year-old mother and her two children inside, made clear the difficulties that emergency structures face in intervening in deep mountain areas.

The house was about 30 minutes on foot from the road where vehicles could arrive, which made timely intervention by firefighters almost impossible.

When rescue teams arrived in the area, the old house was burnt to ashes along with the mother and two children. The difficult terrain, distance from the motor road, and late notification significantly reduced the chance of a quick rescue operation.

The Postribë incident highlights the gaps in a system that, although it has increased personnel, lacks suitable vehicles for forests and mountain areas, still does not have a consolidated air fleet, and has not established a complete early warning mechanism.

Albania entered this year’s fire season again with more firefighters, but without the technical and organizational capacities required by the increasingly rapid spread of flames under climate change conditions.

In many areas, vehicles can only approach up to the nearest road, while the rest of the intervention is carried out on foot and with limited equipment.

The balance of 2025 showed the scale of the problem. About 16.2 thousand hectares of forests and pastures burned, the largest affected area since 2017, while the direct damage was estimated at around 7.2 billion lekë, or 75 million euros.

The calculation mostly includes the loss of timber material, but not the entire economic, environmental, and social bill of the fires and the costs of reforestation.

According to the former head of Civil Emergencies, Shemsi Prençi, the weakness lies not only in the lack of vehicles, but that the country still does not have a complete operational plan that takes into account the extension of dry periods, higher temperatures, and the increased exposure of forests, homes, and rural communities to fires.

Even fire service leaders at the local level admit that capacities remain far from the needs.

“There is improvement, but we are still far away. One of the most worrying problems is the depreciation of vehicles and the need to purchase new vehicles, especially for interventions in forests and mountain areas,” he stated.

A few days before the tragedy, the Minister of Interior, Besfort Lamallari, presented the plan for facing the fire season. According to him, three firefighting aircraft owned by the Albanian state are expected to be added to the four helicopters of the current fleet.

The government has also announced the financing of 130 new vehicles and the construction of four fire stations in Përrenjas, Mat, Patos, and Mirditë. But experts accused the government of a deep lack of seriousness, since the fire plan should have been presented at the beginning of spring, not in the middle of the fire season.

Similar promises for the purchase of aircraft and the modernization of the firefighting fleet have been made systematically at least since 2017.

Part of them have remained in the phase of plans and procedures, while existing vehicles continue to depreciate and municipalities face pronounced shortages, especially in rural and mountainous territory.

Fires are a growing risk for all of Southern Europe, but Albania is particularly exposed due to its geographical position, socio-economic conditions, and institutional weaknesses.

According to United Nations calculations, the country has one of the highest levels of disaster risk in Europe. Floods, forest fires, landslides, and other natural disasters have affected around 95% of municipalities in the last two decades.

Climate scenarios foresee longer, hotter, and drier periods, increasing the risk for forests, agriculture, tourism, public health, and the energy system.

Assessments show that, without strong preventive measures and investments in adaptation, climate-related economic damages could reach up to 7% of Gross Domestic Product by 2050.

Number of firefighters increases, vehicles decrease.

The number of fire protection employees has increased significantly over the last decade. According to the document “Municipal Performance Measurement System 2024”, personnel increased from 739 employees in 2016 to 1,371 in 2024, or by about 86%.

The official number of employees per 1,500 inhabitants reached 0.86 in 2024, from 0.38 in 2015. This level is close to the European Union average, but the comparison has limitations, as Albanian data includes all station personnel and not just professional firefighters.

The increase in personnel has not been accompanied by the same trend in vehicles. The number of functional vehicles fell from 0.89 per 10,000 inhabitants in 2023 to 0.87 in 2024.

The report links this decline to the decommissioning of old vehicles. Municipalities now have more employees on staff, but fewer possibilities to get close to the fire and fight it professionally.

Mr. Prençi sees the problem as broader than the lack of vehicles, because in many forest areas there are also no roads that would allow vehicles to approach the hotspots.

“We do not have functional roads in forests that would enable fire vehicles to approach near the hotspots. When the fire spreads in mountainous or hilly terrain, our structures often cannot intervene from the ground,” he says.

In these conditions, even a new vehicle may not be sufficient if there are no roads, small vehicles, portable pumps, and teams that can move on foot.

The fire is left to advance until it reaches more accessible areas or goes out on its own. This cannot be considered a defense strategy, adds Mr. Prençi. The problems are not limited only to forests and mountain areas.

Even though Tirana has three fire stations, it turns out to have the lowest number of firefighters and vehicles in relation to the population.

High density, traffic, high-rise buildings, shopping centers, hospitals, and institutions make intervention more difficult. In the capital, delays can be caused not by the lack of forest roads, but by traffic and the difficulty of getting close to buildings.

In small municipalities, the ratio of firefighters per inhabitant may be higher, but the territories are larger and stations may be far from forest areas. This shows that the distribution of vehicles should not be done only according to population.

Terrain, distances, forest area, urban density, and type of risk must be taken into account.

Tangle of competences has complicated the fight against fire.

Legislative changes and the frequent reorganization of institutions have brought a tangle of competences also in the administration of the fight against fire, becoming more a cause for obstruction than for efficiency.

Local fire services draft their plans according to the characteristics of the territory.

“Each fire service drafts its own plan, which is approved by the mayor and then sent to the Ministry of Interior. We draft the quarterly plan for the summer season, as well as the annual plan,” explains a local fire chief who chose to remain anonymous.

This way of organizing is necessary, since an urban municipality has different risks from a municipality with forests, pastures, and mountainous terrain.

But the problem, according to expert Prençi, is that local plans are not always linked into a single system of command and response.

According to current legislation, the National Civil Protection Agency directs and coordinates national and local operational structures in cases of large-scale fires that exceed the capacities of a single municipality.

This includes coordinating the work between the Fire Service (MZSH), the Armed Forces (FA), the State Police, the National Agency of Forests and Protected Areas.

The Ministry of Interior oversees the standards of the Fire Protection and Rescue Service (MZSH) at the national level, even though fire stations operate administratively under the municipalities.

On the other hand, each municipality is obliged to organize, finance, and operationalize the stations and firefighter corps within its administrative territory. The MZSH troops are directly subordinate to the mayor.

The director of the fire service in one of the country’s large municipalities said that there is a tangle of competences that complicates the situation more than it solves it.

For example, the National Civil Protection Agency, which in legislation plays the leading role in the firefighting operation and coordinates the work, on the ground where the fire breaks out actually does nothing, says the local fire chief.

Mr. Prençi, who previously led Civil Emergencies, says that it must be clearly defined who leads the operation, who requests air support, who coordinates forces on the ground, and who communicates with the community. There cannot be several decision-making centers at the same time, he says.

According to him, the National Civil Protection Agency should have the leading role, while municipalities, firefighters, the Armed Forces, the police, and the forest service should act according to a common plan.

The lack of a unified command makes intervention slower and increases the risk that responsibilities are passed from one institution to another.

Municipalities draft the plans, but their ability to implement them depends on the budget, vehicles, equipment, and personnel they have available.

Without firefighting aircraft, Albania remains at risk.

One of the main weaknesses of the system is the lack of a dedicated air fleet for fires. Albania does not have firefighting aircraft and in the most severe cases relies on the helicopters it has available and on help from other countries through the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

“Albania is part of the European Civil Protection Mechanism and can request help from other countries. But it is necessary for the country to have its own capacities,” says the local fire chief.

Mr. Prençi recalls that the establishment of an air fleet has been promised for more than a decade. “For about 13 years there has been talk of setting up an air fleet against fires.

There was also a project supported by the American Command for a regional firefighting base, worth about 50 million euros, that was planned to be built in Guri i Zi at the time when I was leading, but the plan failed due to Albanian bureaucracies and that investment was not realized,” he says.

According to Mr. Prençi, over the years statements have also been repeated about securing two firefighting aircraft, but the fleet has not been established. He assesses that Albania needs a mixed fleet, with aircraft and helicopters, to adapt to the mountainous terrain and the Alpine areas.

The country needs at least two ‘Canadair’ type aircraft and four helicopters that can be supplied with water from rivers and reservoirs, says the expert.

The lack of air capacities becomes more serious when fires spread simultaneously in several Mediterranean countries. In these cases, international aid can be delayed, since aircraft and helicopters are requested by several states at the same time.

Albania has plenty of water sources, but the operational map is missing.

Expert Prençi says that Albania has plenty of water sources that can be used to supply helicopters, but they have not been included in a detailed operational system.

According to him, there are 640 reservoirs across the country, some of which are no longer used for irrigation. Also, we have many rivers, lakes with close distances to the hills and mountains.

“These reservoirs can be identified and used as supply points for helicopters. Rivers can also be utilized, but a detailed plan is needed for this,” he says.

The National Civil Protection Agency, according to Mr. Prençi, should draft a map where coordinates, depth, accessibility, and water supply conditions are defined for each point. This information should be made available in advance to pilots and helicopter units.

“The plan cannot be improvised at the moment the fire breaks out,” says Mr. Prençi. In the absence of such a map, even air vehicles that may be temporarily secured lose time identifying the points where they can be supplied with water.

Maintenance for equipment and early warning is missing.

The problem is not only the lack of investments, but also the management of equipment that was secured earlier. Mr. Prençi recalls that in 2017, the TAP company donated seven firefighting vehicles and more than 600 backpack pumps.

In the same period, according to him, about 40 motorboats were also distributed for emergency operations. But a part of the vehicles and equipment were not maintained and went out of use.

“We receive equipment, but we do not create the system for their maintenance, administration, and use. After a few years, the vehicles get damaged, lost, or remain out of operation and the situation returns to the starting point,” he says.

This concern matches the data of the municipalities, which show a decline in the number of functional vehicles due to age.

The purchase of 130 new vehicles, announced by the government, could improve the fleet, but without a stable maintenance fund and system, the risk is that after a few years, the problem will repeat.

According to Mr. Prençi, one of the most important measures is the creation of an early warning system and real-time reporting. He proposes that municipalities temporarily hire seasonal observers in high-risk areas during the summer months.

“The fire must be identified and reported in the first minutes. If a hotspot is detected when it has already engulfed several hectares, the response becomes much more difficult and costly,” he says.

Seasonal observers can be equipped with communication tools and report immediately for every hotspot.

A small fire can be extinguished with a few people and a few tools. After a few hours, the same hotspot may require national intervention, helicopters, and help from abroad.

Mr. Prençi demands that prevention not be limited to vehicles and equipment, but citizens, especially in rural areas, must know how to act when the fire breaks out near their land, garden, or home.

“The Agency should use short animated films and simple informational materials to explain to citizens how they should react,” he says. People must know how to notify, how to leave, and what not to do, so as not to endanger their lives and not to hinder intervention.

Education on disaster response should also be included in school curricula. A part of the fires are caused by carelessness, burning of agricultural waste, or cleaning land with fire. For this reason, community education is also a preventive measure, not just informative.

The ‘deception’ with wages.

The 2026 budget added 227.7 million lekë as a reward for the fire protection and rescue service. According to the local fire chief, it is not about a new reward, but about payments that employees were entitled to under the Labor Code.

“Firefighters were not paid for night hours, for holidays, and for official days off. These were treated as ordinary working days,” he says.

But the additional payments have created another problem. Firefighters who work in 24-hour shifts may receive higher incomes than inspectors, chiefs, and station heads, who do not benefit from night hour supplements.

“The station head, inspectors, and chiefs may receive less than the employees under their supervision,” says the representative.

This reduces interest in promotion and weakens the career system within the service. Also, the announced reward for firefighters depends on the budgets and decision-making of the municipalities, which creates different treatment from one local unit to another.

The invisible bill of damages.

Official data show that from the beginning of the summer season on June 22 until the beginning of July 2026, a total of 160 fire hotspots have been recorded across the entire territory of Albania. 127 cases were hotspots in areas with vegetation, bushes, brambles, forests, and urban waste, and 33 cases were fires of an urban character.

The balance of 2025 shows that in the whole country there were 346 fire cases only in the forest and pasture fund.

The flames swept more than 33.5 thousand hectares, while the burned area reached about 16.2 thousand hectares. The Ministry of Environment reported that 2025 was the second most problematic after 2017, both for the number of fires and the affected area.

The monetary damage was calculated at 7.186 billion lekë, or an average of about 444 thousand lekë per each burned hectare. Around 128.6 thousand cubic meters of timber material were burned by the fires, and only 25.6 thousand cubic meters are still assessed as usable.

But this calculation mainly includes the loss of timber. Outside the bill remain the costs of cleaning the surfaces, reforestation, maintenance of seedlings, and soil protection from erosion.

Not included are the losses in pastures, livestock, medicinal and aromatic plants, nor the expenses for vehicles, helicopters, fuel, and personnel.

When intervention is delayed due to the lack of roads, vehicles, and early detection, a small hotspot turns into a damage with a much higher cost. Official data of recent years show that in the last two decades 35% of the country’s forest area has been burned.

The Vlora region was the most affected area in 2025. The burned area exceeded 10 thousand hectares, while the economic damage was estimated at around 3.89 billion lekë. Vlora alone concentrated more than half of the damage reported at the national level.

Following it, among the most affected regions are Elbasan, Gjirokastra, Lezha, and Berat. The southern regions have higher exposure due to temperatures, drought, broken terrain, and large forest and pasture areas.

These areas are precisely those where the lack of forest roads and vehicles that can move on the terrain makes intervention from the ground more difficult.

Mr. Prençi demands that municipalities with large forest territories be equipped with small vehicles for hilly and mountainous terrain, as well as with water pumps that are carried on the back.

“Firefighters must have backpack pumps with a capacity of about 35 kilograms, which enable them to approach the hotspot even when the vehicle cannot enter,” he says.

According to him, the use of branches, shovels, and improvised tools for extinguishing fires shows that the system continues to work with primitive methods. “We cannot claim that we are protecting forests and homes when people are sent to the ground without the minimum equipment,” says Mr. Prençi./Monitor

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Decisions by several municipalities in Montenegro to “withdraw recognition” of the independence of the Republic of Kosovo carry no legal weight or consequences, Montenegro’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Emrin Ibrahimovci, has said.

In its response, the Ministry clarified that municipal assemblies have no constitutional or legal authority over foreign policy. Therefore, local government units cannot adopt acts that have consequences under international law regarding the recognition of the Republic of Kosovo.

According to officials in Podgorica, foreign policy matters, including the recognition of states and the establishment of diplomatic relations, are the sole responsibility of Montenegro’s state authorities, in accordance with the country’s Constitution and legislation.

The Foreign Ministry called on all public officeholders to act in accordance with the constitutional order, respect the authority of state institutions, and safeguard Montenegro’s international credibility.

The Ministry stressed that the actions of public officials should help preserve the state’s reputation and advance its progress toward European integration, instead of causing unnecessary political tensions or institutional uncertainty.

According to Montenegro’s Foreign Ministry, acts adopted by certain municipal assemblies cannot change the state’s established foreign policy, affect Montenegro’s international obligations, or influence its standing in the international arena.

These decisions, the response said, are merely political acts with no legal force. Their only effect may be to create a false impression of how state institutions function, as well as damage Montenegro’s credibility internationally.

Speaking about relations between Montenegro and Kosovo, the Ministry emphasized that the two countries have built very good bilateral relations over the years, supported by intensive political dialogue, mutual trust, good-neighborly relations, and a shared European and Euro-Atlantic perspective.

Officials in Podgorica said that Montenegro and Kosovo will continue to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interest for the benefit of the citizens of both countries. Montenegro will also continue to support Kosovo’s participation and membership in international and regional organizations and initiatives, according to the Montenegrin Foreign Ministry’s written response to Express.

The initiative against Kosovo’s independence was launched in May 2026 by the Municipality of Zeta and was subsequently followed by the Municipality of Pljevlja.

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Vetëvendosje Movement MP Agim Bahtiri emphasized that the Republic of Kosovo is no longer taking steps backward, underlining that the rule of law and sovereignty are now enforced without any concessions.

He described the process of removing Serb prosecutors from Kosovo’s justice system as successfully completed, adding that those who abandoned local institutions to obey Belgrade will no longer have the opportunity to return to duty.

Through a social media post, Bahtiri wrote that the country has sent two strong signals that law and sovereignty are being enforced without compromise.

According to him, the decreeing of the resignations by acting President Albulena Haxhiu definitively sealed the epilogue of this matter. He added that the times when mayors of northern municipalities resigned and returned according to political interests belong to the past. Anyone who turns their back on Kosovo’s institutions because of Belgrade no longer has any path to reintegrate into the justice system, the MP declared.

Likewise, Bahtiri welcomed the operation to restore order at Lake Ujman, where 11 villas built without permits were demolished. This operation, according to him, proved that no one can appropriate state property and strategic assets anymore. Public land was returned to the citizens, he stressed.

At the end of the post, Bahtiri stressed that there is no turning back and that Kosovo is strengthening every day as a state of law, where law and not anarchy rules. He confirmed his full support for the institutions that safeguard public property and the sovereignty of the Republic.

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He made these remarks during a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Agency.

“This decade of work in promoting transparency, integrity and the prevention of corruption represents a valuable contribution to building democratic, accountable institutions and strengthening citizens’ trust.

The fight against corruption requires a comprehensive approach, in which justice institutions, independent bodies, the executive, civil society and citizens act in a coordinated manner and with shared responsibility. In this regard, cooperation between the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council and the Anti-Corruption Agency is of particular importance,” Gashi said.

The post Arian Gashi: The Fight Against Corruption Requires Coordinated Engagement by Institutions and Citizens appeared first on Albeu.com.

In a statement to “Bota sot,” legal expert Muhamet Kelmendi said that the June 7 elections did not produce an outright winner, but rather a clear political message for cooperation among political entities.

According to him, the citizens’ vote was a call for compromise, dialogue, and the establishment of functional institutions, not for political clashes or one-sided governance.

“The June 7 elections did not produce an absolute winner. They produced something even more important: a clear political orientation for how Kosovo should be governed. The message from the citizens was clear: no one has enough trust to govern alone, therefore power must be built on cooperation, compromise, and shared responsibility.

In parliamentary democracies, this is the meaning of the vote. When the electorate distributes support among several political entities, it is not asking for domination, but for balance. It is not asking for political arrogance, but for a culture of dialogue. It is not asking for exclusion, but for inclusion. This is the verdict delivered by the citizens of Kosovo.

Therefore, any attempt to interpret the election result as an exclusive right to govern, or as a reason to reject any political cooperation, runs counter to the spirit of the citizens’ vote. The will of the citizens was not for the continuation of political clashes, but for the building of functional institutions,” he said.

Kelmendi underlined that the burden of creating the institutions now falls on political leaders, who, he said, must place the state interest above the party interest. He assessed that coalitions represent democratic maturity and that Kosovo needs functional institutions, not political blockages.

“Today, responsibility no longer lies with the citizens. They have fulfilled their democratic duty. The responsibility belongs to the political leaders. They must demonstrate that they are able to distinguish the interest of the state from the interest of the party and build a parliamentary majority that guarantees institutional stability.

Coalitions are not a sign of political weakness. On the contrary, they are proof of democratic maturity. In most European parliamentary democracies, governments are built precisely on political agreements, joint programs, and shared responsibilities. They function because parties understand that the national interest is greater than the party interest.

Kosovo does not need winners who fail to govern, nor oppositions that consider blockade a political strategy. It needs institutions that function, a government that makes decisions, and an Assembly that produces laws and reforms. Citizens expect economic development, a fight against corruption, the rule of law, better-quality education, better healthcare, and progress on the Euro-Atlantic path. None of these can be achieved under conditions of an endless institutional crisis,” he added.

In the end, Kelmendi stressed that the continuation of the political crisis causes harm to the state and undermines citizens’ trust in democratic institutions.

He called on political leaders to respect the election verdict and build institutions through dialogue, compromise, and responsibility.

“Kosovo’s political history has shown that prolonged crises produce no winners. The only loser is the state. The longer the political deadlock lasts, the more the citizens’ trust in democratic institutions and in politics itself is damaged.

Therefore, the June 7 elections should be read for what they are: a mandate for co-governance. Citizens did not vote for division, but for responsibility. They did not vote for blockade, but for functionality. They did not vote for political ego, but for solutions.

The political class must understand that democracy does not end on election day; it only begins there. True victory is not measured by the number of mandates, but by the ability to build stable institutions that serve the citizens.

In the end, the citizens’ verdict is wiser than the parties’ calculations. They did not choose a single-party government. They chose a Kosovo governed through dialogue, compromise, and responsibility. It is the duty of political leaders to respect this mandate. Anything else would be disregard for the citizens’ will and a loss for Kosovo’s democracy,” he concluded for “Bota sot”.

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Do you know which jobs have the highest salaries? “Monitor” has compiled a ranking based on data published by INSTAT.

International institutions rank first, paying employees more than double the country’s average salary.

The average gross monthly salary for 2025 was 189 thousand lek, or nearly 2 thousand euros at today’s exchange rate. Compared with 2024, salaries were 4% higher.

Second place for the best pay goes to “Financial and Insurance Activities.” Working in banking or insurance has always been a preferred choice for those who graduated in economics.

On average, a bank employee earned 160 thousand lek per month in 2025, or 6.7% more than the previous year (+10.1 thousand lek). This was the highest salary increase in absolute value in 2025 across all activities.

“Information and Communication” recorded the highest salary increase in absolute value among all other activities. IT employees are now among the best paid in the country, with 127.4 thousand lek per month, 10 thousand lek more than a year earlier (+8.9%).

“Mining and Quarrying” is a difficult job, but it offers the fourth-highest level of pay in the country, at 109 thousand lek per month, although this was down by nearly 3% compared with 2024.

“Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities” is a sector that has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2025, it paid employees an average of 105 thousand lek per month (+8.7 thousand lek).

Public sector salaries rose rapidly over the last three years, as the government used this as a strategy to align wages with the region and to encourage the private sector. The average salary in “Public Administration and Defence” exceeded 100 thousand lek for the first time in 2025 (104.5 thousand lek), while in 2022 it was 72.5 thousand lek, marking a 44% increase in three years.

The “Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air Conditioning Supply” activity had an average salary of 102.7 thousand lek in 2025 (+7 thousand lek). This sector is also indirectly linked to the state, as the biggest employers are public enterprises such as OSHEE and KESH.

In education, the average salary approached the 100 thousand lek level for the first time (99.3 thousand lek). Teachers’ salaries also rose rapidly over the last three years, following the policy applied to all state employees. In 2022, education paid an average of 70 thousand lek, or 30 thousand lek less than today.

Along the same lines, “Health and Other Social Work Activities” has also seen rapid growth over the last three years, but the average salary remains lower than that of teachers. In 2025, the average in this activity was 92 thousand lek, up from 68 thousand lek in 2022, an increase of 24 thousand lek.

Salaries for “Household Services” have also risen strongly in recent years. In 2014, this activity had an average salary of 29.5 thousand lek, equal to 65% of that year’s annual average (45.5 thousand lek).

In 2025, the average salary of household workers reached 77 thousand lek, or 91% of the average salary. The growing demand for this service, together with the formalization of workers, some of whom are foreigners, mainly Filipinos, has influenced this trend.

Among the activities that increased wages the most in 2025 were also real estate, as many real estate agencies have opened in recent years. In 2025, this activity paid an average of 84 thousand lek, or 8 thousand lek more than a year earlier (+10.7%). In construction, wages also rose by 12% in one year, to 69 thousand lek.

Salaries in Accommodation and Food Service Activities, although they are rising (+11.8%) as a result of demand for tourism workers, remain the lowest in the country apart from agriculture, at 56.4 thousand lek per month, compared with 55.5 thousand in agriculture./Monitor

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