The Institute GAP and the Kosovo Institute for Local Governance (KLGI) have called for the withdrawal of provisions they consider discriminatory in the Draft Amendment and Supplement to the Regulation on Fees, Charges and Municipal Fines of the Municipality of Pristina, as well as for the organization of a separate public consultation process for this document.

In a joint statement, the two organizations expressed concern that several provisions of the draft regulation risk undermining the principles of equality, proportionality, and reasonableness in the treatment of citizens and economic entities.

According to them, the draft foresees the introduction of municipal fees for economic activities without providing a clear calculation methodology or an economic impact analysis. They also oppose the proposal to introduce a 10-euro fee for entry into the capital’s territory for vehicles registered outside Pristina.

“These measures create unequal treatment between different categories of citizens and businesses and risk violating the principle of non-discrimination,” the statement reads.

GAP and KLGI recall that Pristina is the only municipality in Kosovo that benefits from an additional grant due to its status as the capital, receiving around 20 million euros per year from the state budget.

According to them, this financial support is intended to address the administrative and functional burden of the capital, while also creating better conditions for development and equal opportunities for citizens and businesses.

The two organizations have called on the Municipality of Pristina to abandon provisions that produce discriminatory or exclusionary treatment, to organize a separate and structured public consultation process according to affected groups, and to ensure clear justification and impact analysis for the proposed changes.

They assess that municipal regulations should contribute to improving services and sustainable development, while guaranteeing equal treatment for citizens and businesses.

“The Municipality of Pristina should develop this process through genuine consultations and fair rules, in the spirit of open governance that serves the capital and its citizens,” the joint statement of GAP and KLGI concludes, as reported by KosovaPress.

The Municipality of Pristina stated that for vehicles registered outside Pristina, only entry into the city center will be charged, with a fee of up to two euros, not 10 euros for every citizen entering the capital by car.

The Director of Economic Development and Innovation in the Municipality of Pristina, Luftar Braha, said yesterday that at this stage only the central zone is expected to have an entry fee for vehicles not registered in Pristina.

“The fee, as you have heard from the mayor, will be 1 or 2 euros. Fees for trucks or old buses that look like KEK’s power plant with smoke all over the city will be almost punitive. For cars and people, there will be free movement, but only for a specific city zone there will be a charge,” said Luftar Braha, Director of Economic Development and Innovation in the Municipality of Pristina.