Prishtina, 08.07.2013 – Main mission of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Kosovo is to stimulate economic growth and stability, to ensure local business development, economic cooperation for attraction of foreign direct investments and to ensure efficiency in the administration of publicly-owned enterprises, said today Minister Fadil Ismajli.

The head of MED made these comments today during the presentation of the Annual Report on the Performance of Water Service Providers in Kosovo for 2012, in the presence of the Head of Department of Water in the Ministry of  Environment and Spatial Planning, Naser Bajraktari, management of the Water and Waste Regulatory Office, Albanian Water Regulatory Office, RWSC CEOs and donor representatives.

Speaking on the abovementioned report, Minister Ismajli expressed his content with the advancements in comparison to the previous year, especially making note of achievements in the coverage with water supply and sewer services and the diminishment of the quantities of unbilled water and increased billing and collection rates.

“These achievements are, undoubtedly, essential for our country’s economic development, bearing in mind that regulation of such services is crucial for the wellbeing of Kosovo citizens,” said Ismajli, adding that he will not spare his support for this sector.

He invited Regional Water Supply Companies to invest in the development of their human capacities, and requested from the Regulator to be closely acquainted with water supply companies and their business activities.

Head of Department of Water in the  MESP stated that his ministry has set protective zones and measures for the protection of water resources, along with 16 decisions were signed by the Office of Prime Minister, and being implemented by MESP, due to the assessed inability of RWSCs to prepare papers on protective water areas and resources under their utilization or for which utilization is planned in the future.

Further, the Director of the Water and Waste Regulatory Office, Raif Preteni, said in his presentation of the report that the overall performance of RWSCs in 2012 has improved in comparison to 2011, and this prompted his office to award the best performing company in 2012 and the company with the most significant improvement in 2012 compared to 2011.

For his part, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Spatial Planning, Nait Hasani, said that a new draft-law is being prepared, according to which the Water Regulator will become a stronger authority in supervising and preserving service quality.