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Kosovo Assembly approves Draft Law on Price Ceilings

2026-04-10 21:03:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Kosovo Assembly has approved in first reading the Draft Law on Temporary Measures for Essential Products in Special Cases of Market Destabilization, amid opposition from opposition parties.

63 MPs voted for the draft law, 19 were against and there were no abstentions. The ruling Vetevendosje Movement proposed that the second reading of the draft law be held on April 23. The motion proposed by the LVV passed with a majority of votes.

In this extraordinary session, called by the LVV, on the agenda, among other things, is the Draft Law on Health Insurance.

Minister of Finance, Hekuran Murati, who presented the legislation on behalf of the Minister of Trade, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, said that the Draft Law on Price Ceilings is the state's response to the real need of Kosovo citizens for the state to "not remain a spectator" when product prices "go beyond economic logic and directly burden our families."

"This draft law aims to establish temporary and proportionate measures for essential products in cases of market destabilization with a clear focus on consumer protection and public interest. We are dealing with an extraordinary instrument for extraordinary situations, not a permanent mechanism for intervention in the economy," said Minister Murati.

He argued that this draft law is not against business and the free market, but according to him, it is a law for order and responsibility.

"It is a law that draws the line between legitimate profit and abuse in times of crisis. It is a law that assures citizens that the state will not leave them alone in the face of unexpected price shocks in bread, flour, milk, oil and other basic goods of daily life ," he stressed.

Murati said that a characteristic of the legislation is that it is limited to only a few temporary measures, and provides for the determination of the trade margin for wholesale and retail sales, as well as the determination of the maximum allowed price.

"This is a clear message, the state is not seeking power over the market, but a clear and limited mandate to act only when necessary."

The second feature, according to Murat, is the new regulatory mechanism, namely the establishment of an independent board for temporary price regulation measures.

According to him, this five-member board will be an independent body, created by the Assembly and reporting to this same institution.

Murati said that the list of basic products is provided for in the draft law, while that of by-products can be specified by sub-legal acts.

The draft law was criticized by the opposition parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, the Democratic League of Kosovo, and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo.

Arben Mustafa from PDK said that the Government should tell citizens whether a price drop is expected after the law is approved.

"We believe that you have used this law to hide your failure to act to prevent inflation," he said.

Mustafa criticized the board, which he said is not independent.

"You have left it to a five-person board to assess what constitutes an unreasonable price increase. With this you will not protect citizens as much as you have protected them with oil prices," he said.

LDK MP Janina Ymeri argued that the board will not be independent, accusing the Government of aiming to control the market.

According to her, Kosovo "is not an environmentalist country that has prices or interventions in the free market."

Meanwhile, the head of the AAK parliamentary group, Besnik Tahiri, said that with this draft law, the Government is imposing itself on economic operators.

He said that the Board will consist of two people from the Ministry of Trade and Industry and three others selected by the Government, arguing that this body will not be independent.

"Three other people are selected by the Government. So, two people are sent by MINT, three are selected by the government, the fifth comes here to be voted on and you have 61 votes," he said.

According to Tahiri, this board is a "parallel structure of departments" within MINT.

The law on price ceilings was declared invalid by the Constitutional Court in 2023, when the court stated that it was not in accordance with the country's Constitution.

During the Government meeting on April 3, the Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship, Trade and Innovation, Mimoza Kusari - Lila, said during the presentation of the draft law that she had taken into account the recommendations of the Constitutional Court in its drafting.

The previous law, now declared invalid, considered essential products: cereals, bread, flour, rice, pastries, sunflower oil, milk, table salt, chicken eggs, chicken meat, granulated sugar, personal hygiene products and firewood. /REL