The Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM), in cooperation with GIZ Kosovo through the Kosovo4Green (K4G) project, organized a joint workshop with the Collegium for Public Services and the Collegium for Circular Economy. The workshop brought together municipal directors of public services, municipal waste management officials, representatives of the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (MESPI), as well as members of the inter-ministerial working group responsible for drafting the Law on Integrated Waste Management.
The workshop served as a joint platform for inter-institutional and inter-municipal dialogue, aiming to advance reform processes in the waste management sector, strengthen cooperation among different levels of governance, and ensure an integrated approach to the planning and implementation of sectoral policies.
The discussions focused on the developments related to the Draft Law on Integrated Waste Management, including the current status of the drafting process, the proposed legislative innovations, and its alignment with strategic sectoral documents, particularly the Inter-Municipal Integrated Waste Management Plans (IMIWMPs).
In this context, participants emphasized the importance of establishing a clear, coherent, and enforceable legal framework at the municipal level.
A significant part of the workshop was dedicated to the progress achieved in drafting and implementing the IMIWMPs for the Waste Management Zones (WMZs). Participants reviewed the current planning status, the public consultation process, the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), coordination with MESPI during the approval stages, and the steps toward institutional formalization through municipal assemblies.
The discussions also focused on the implementation phase of the IMIWMPs, including the preparation of investment project fiches, budget planning, and the operationalization of activities within the respective Waste Management Zones.
The need to move from strategic planning to concrete implementation, supported by sustainable financial and technical instruments, was strongly emphasized.
Furthermore, the workshop highlighted the importance of Inter-Municipal Cooperation Agreements as a key mechanism for operationalizing the regional waste management model, as well as the need for greater municipal involvement in the preparation and implementation of the IMIWMPs.
In conclusion, participants reaffirmed that strengthening inter-institutional coordination, ensuring the meaningful participation of municipalities in reform processes, and establishing functional mechanisms for inter-municipal cooperation are essential prerequisites for building an efficient, sustainable, and harmonized integrated waste management system in Kosovo.
P.S. The translation into English and Serbian is automated with AI.
