There Cannot Be Development in Kosovo Without Property Definition
13/11/2015“There cannot be development in Kosovo without defining the property and issues related to property, both communal and private,” this is what Besnik Tahiri, Executive Director of the Kosovar Institute for Local Government has said.
“The experience of Austria could be excellent for the Republic of Kosovo. A big door for Kosovo will be opened only after we have entered the small door of learning from the Austrian experiences,” Mr. Tahiri said.
Besnik Tahiri made these comments at a conference on the local self-government awareness. The property issue, as one of the pillars of Kosovo’s development, as well as the specifics of the property issues in Kosovo, experiences of the countries of the region with the special emphasis on the Austrian experiences, were tackled at the conference.
The conference was organized by the Kosovo-Austrian Society, the UBT, and the Kosovar Institute for Local Government.
Swiss Ambassador to Kosovo, Krystyna Marty-Lang, made a comprehensive presentation on the Swiss experiences and the specifics of the property issues in Kosovo.
Switzerland has been the biggest supporter of the Kosovo institutions on the issue of property, Ambassador Krystyna Marty-Lang said. She noted that Switzerland supported the respective ministry and associations dealing with the property issues at the central and local levels and a number of specific municipalities.
Mrs. Marty-Lang advised that leaders and mayors of municipalities should make sure that all constructions are made according to the plan and to pay a special attention on avoiding property problems when new constructions are made.
Karl Grammantisch, mayor of Lasse Municipality and representative of the Association of Municipalities of Austria, made a detailed presentation on the way the communal and private property issues were regulated in Austria.
He spoke about the relationship between property and economic development of a certain region as well as other aspects, including transport, as part of the efforts to create better living conditions for the citizens.
Mr. Grammantisch presented a number of details related to planning at all levels, by focusing on the preservation of environment, different types of lands, protected zones, construction plans, and especially the involvement of public in decision-making.
Sazan Ibrahimi, director of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, briefed the audience on the history of the development and performance of the Association, its character and organization. He noted that it was Switzerland that was offering the biggest support for the functioning of the institution, which gathers 33 of 38 municipalities of Kosovo.
Addressing the conference, UBT Rector Prof. Dr. Edmond Hajrizi spoke about the current problems in our country related to the property issues. He noted through its experts the UBT had offered valuable assistance to a number of municipalities of Kosovo in drafting long-term development plans, given the fact that as the property issue is one of the most problematic topics in our country.
Other panelists, experts of the field, spoke about the problems related to the property definition and the ways for solving them. UBT students and others attended the conference and participated in a debate held after the presentations.