Rama: Kosovo cannot move toward Europe by stripping municipalities of their powers

Pristina Mayor Perparim Rama expressed concern at a meeting of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) Working Group on Kosovo over the Albin Kurti government’s approach to local self-government and its efforts to strip municipalities of powers that, he said, rightfully belonged to them.

“Kosovo cannot move toward Europe by taking powers away from municipalities,” Rama wrote on Facebook following the meeting held in South Mitrovica.

He pointed out that democracy was strengthened by giving citizens a greater voice and more opportunities to participate in decision-making.

Rama stressed that municipalities were the institutions closest to the people and best understood citizens’ needs.

“Weakening municipalities means weakening democracy. Decentralization, local autonomy and subsidiarity are fundamental principles of the Europe we aspire to join. We cannot aspire to European integration while, in practice, moving away from those very principles. Kosovo needs strong municipalities and institutions that cooperate with one another. As Mayor of Pristina, I will always continue to defend local autonomy,” Rama said.

This is not the first time Rama has criticized attempts by the central authorities to take certain powers away from municipalities. The Association of Kosovo Municipalities has expressed similar concerns, warning several months ago that the Draft Law on Public Property would undermine local autonomy and deprive municipalities of ownership rights over property.

In an analysis by Kosovo Online, representatives of Serb-majority municipalities expressed particular concern over the government’s intention to remove numerous powers from local authorities, warning that such legislation could effectively lead to the disappearance of Serb-majority municipalities.