Environmental protection is still not being treated with due seriousness by the municipal level
The transparency of municipal bodies regarding inspection supervision and environmental reporting is at a low level. The large municipalities of Kosovo, such as: Prishtina, Prizren, Peja, Gjakova, Gjilani, Ferizaj and South Mitrovica disclose very little information to the public regarding the degree of implementation of local environmental policies as well as environmental violations or disturbances caused by physical or legal people.
Municipal level data about: inspection of the implementation of the legal framework of environmental protection; monitoring the condition of waste dumps; monitoring the condition of protected areas; monitoring the state of forests, as well as identifying environmental disturbances from the activities of natural or legal people, as well as those for the decisions; court requests and mandatory fines imposed are not disclosed in full or regularly, which limits the public's right to have a clear and objective overview for the state of the environment and the actions taken to protect it.
In this aspect, the responses of the municipalities to the requests addressed by EC Ma Ndryshe, confirm once again that the environment is not ranked high in the priorities of the public policies of the municipalities, which rather treat issues related to the environment as competences only at the central level, respectively of the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure.
As for the inspection of the implementation of the legal framework of environmental protection, the number of environmental inspectors in the municipalities is still symbolic. The municipality of South Mitrovica has responded that it does not carry out inspections regarding the implementation of the legal framework of environmental protection; while admitting that environmental disturbances from the activities of physical or legal people are observed in the cutting of forests and wood in urban areas, then the dumping of waste on the banks of rivers and in their beds, the creation of illegal landfills, etc. Meanwhile, the Municipality of Prishtina has announced that it monitors illegal landfills, recording all of them, to then report to the Environmental Protection Agency of Kosovo. The Municipality of Gjilan has announced that it has not carried out an inspection regarding the implementation of the legal framework for environmental protection, nor inspections regarding the state of the forests, while there have been activities from time to time to monitor the operation of the waste dump. The Municipality of Ferizaj has not provided an answer, while the Municipality of Gjakova has affirmed that it commits to the implementation of the legal framework for the protection of the environment as much as possible, in which case, cases of environmental damage have also been identified. The municipality of Peja has responded that it does not draw up inspection reports on the implementation of the legal framework for environmental protection. While the Municipality of Prizren has affirmed that the inspection of the legal framework of environmental protection is carried out by MMPHI, as well as a host of activities in this field, while the environment sector monitors the sanitary landfill in Landovica and that of inerts near Zhuri. This municipality has assessed that there were no major environmental disturbances in its territory, to further admit that "even if there were, the local level does not have devices or instruments for measuring parameters that have exceeded the legal norms (MMPH)" .
Taking into account the current situation, EC Ma Ndryshe recalls the position that the Ministry of Environment has a leading role in addressing environmental issues, but that according to the legislation, the Municipalities also have responsibility for the administration of environmental protection, by inspecting the implementation of the laws that have dealt with environmental protection and sustainable development within their territories. For this reason, it recommends that the local government level in the new mandate increase efforts and efficiency in inspection supervision and environmental reporting, as well as inform the public in real time regarding the degree of implementation of local environmental policies as well as environmental excesses or disorders. caused by natural or legal people and the measures taken for the implementation of legality.