Consumer protection, citizen awareness, and product market controls are key elements in ensuring product safety. This was emphasized during a roundtable discussion titled “Safe Products, Confident Consumers,” organized by the Consumer Protection Department under the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship, Trade, and Innovation (MINTI).

The head of this ministry, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, said that since the beginning of her mandate, communication with consumers has increased through the Consumer Protection Department, aiming to facilitate reporting mechanisms and raise standards for businesses.

“It happened that this month we also faced the challenge of fuel supply, a challenge arising from geopolitical events—not near us, but with a significant impact on us, as all derivatives purchased in our market are imported. Therefore, the first measure taken at the beginning of this month, on March 4, was related to protecting consumers’ rights in relation to potential uncontrolled movements in fuel prices,” she said.

According to her, the Ministry is in the final stages of creating a consumer platform designed to facilitate complaint submissions and increase transparency.

“We are in the final stages of completing the ‘Buy Safe’ platform, which was prepared earlier but has not yet been widely implemented or used. Our goal is to make it easier for citizens to submit complaints, speed up response mechanisms, and ensure transparency, fairness, accurate information, free choice, and equal treatment for all consumers. Alongside the work to fully operationalize the Consumer Protection Council, we will soon begin drafting the 2026–2030 consumer protection program. As the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship, Trade, and Innovation, we will continue efforts to strengthen consumer protection mechanisms in our country. Therefore, I invite all citizens, non-governmental organizations, and businesses not to view this communication as institutional dominance over companies, but rather as opening a dialogue and taking social responsibility in offering fair services, accurate information, and maintaining the quality of products and services provided to citizens,” she said.

During the past year, more than 200 complaints related to product expiration dates were addressed, said the head of the Consumer Protection Department, Nijazi Shala.

“Another very important element for product safety is the information provided about the product. Here we refer to product labels, which contain essential information for consumers, such as composition, usage instructions, and production or expiration dates. Labeling is regulated by the consumer protection law, and therefore represents a distinct category of complaints within the department. For example, in 2025 alone, we addressed over 200 complaints related to product expiration dates,” he said.

He emphasized that before a product enters the market, it must go through various control and testing processes. In addition to producers, responsible institutions play a crucial role in protecting citizens from dangerous products.

“Consumer education is also very important because informed consumers, aware of their rights and how to choose products, are more conscious and better protected. Schools, media, institutions, and especially civil society, must play a key role in informing and educating consumers,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Tërshnjaku from the Consumer Protection Council stressed that for more effective consumer protection, citizens must be informed and active in reporting problems.

“The Consumer Protection Department, police units, and various ministries have created mechanisms to gather as much information as possible directly from consumers. We have always been vigilant in examining complaints as quickly as possible and ensuring that economic operators are penalized if necessary. However, measures should not only be punitive; we must also raise awareness among economic operators to maintain hygiene and safety standards so that food is safe. The Consumer Protection Council’s mission should also include expanding offices across all municipalities in Kosovo so that frontline informants are well-informed and can easily communicate issues to the relevant authorities,” he said.

Meanwhile, Elma Krasniqi from the Consumer Protection Council stated that market inspections continue with increased intensity to protect citizens.

According to her, of around 3,200 complaints submitted by consumers, over 95 percent were addressed within legal deadlines.

“At this moment, the Central Market Oversight Inspectorate is completing a major action with the Kosovo Customs, during which we have stopped over 38,000 children’s toys and seized over 400 cups in the domestic market, with a total value exceeding 100,000 euros. At the same time, we are conducting an action with officials from the Competition Authority and the Kosovo Tax Administration to oversee compliance with the minister’s decision regarding the trade margin for fuel products. Through regular inspections and controls, the Consumer Protection Department received over 3,200 consumer complaints in the past year alone, of which 1,493 were referred to the Central Market Oversight Inspectorate. All were addressed and reviewed in accordance with legal deadlines,” she said.