Prizren Business Park still blocked by legal procedures

The Business Park in Prizren has not yet become operational, although municipal officials have planned to start establishing manufacturing businesses in this economic zone since the beginning of this year.

According to the Municipality of Prizren, the legality of the Detailed Regulatory Plan for this area according to the Zonal Map, based on the specific requirements of the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, still remains an obstacle.

In the previous session of the Prizren Assembly, according to the minutes, this decision-making was reviewed. However, in the invitation to the meeting of the Prizren Municipal Assembly, to be held on February 27, 2025, the agenda again includes an item for the review of the draft decision for the approval of the Detailed Regulatory Plan "Light Industry Park Zone in Prizren - Business Park", according to the Zonal Map of the Prizren Municipality, according to the requirements of the MMPHI.

The Head of the Public Communication Unit in the Municipality of Prizren, Ymer Berisha, stated that the inter-institutional communication between the Municipality and the Ministry of Health and Social Development has not been at a satisfactory level and that for this reason, municipal bodies have been forced to take administrative actions several times.

"For the Municipality of Prizren, the main obstacles come from the Government of Kosovo, namely from the MMPHI, because they are not using another of their rights, inter-institutional communication. The Assembly of Prizren has voted twice on this public policy for the functionalization of the Economic Zone or Business Park, supported it with the documents required by law, and this entire package has gone to the Government of Kosovo at the MMPHI. They have certain findings in this administrative protocol, which supposedly mean that the legal confirmation is not up to the legal standard of their request. For us, it is simply incorrect, unprofessional inter-institutional communication because with the greatest ease the line ministries could have cooperated with the DUPH and this procedure was concluded," Berisha told Telegrafi.

According to him, despite this, the Municipality will take action to fulfill the request of the central level "with the aim of making the Business Park functional in the shortest possible time, to put it into the function of local economic development, namely manufacturing businesses and the creation of new jobs."

In the minutes of the meeting of the Prizren Municipal Assembly held on December 19, 2024, it appears that the draft decision for the approval of the Detailed Regulatory Plan "Light Industry Park Area in Prizren - Business Park" according to the Zonal Map of the Prizren Municipality and at the request of the Ministry was reviewed and approved by the members of this municipal body.

In this session, the director of the DUPH, Pranverim Berisha, emphasized that all phases of the Detailed Regulatory Plan for the Economic Zone have been passed several times.

"However, the Ministry had a request requesting that the 2014 administrative instruction be respected, namely in Article 12, which states that the public review report must be included or completed," Berisha said, requesting that the parliamentarians also complete this formality.

Chairwoman Antigona Berisha-Bytyci put this proposal-decision to the vote, and found that it was approved with 20 votes in favor and one abstention, reports Telegrafi.

Read too The Business Park in Prizren opens its doors to manufacturing businesses next year

The business community in Prizren has been advocating for the functionalization of the Business Park for many years.

Municipal officials emphasized months ago that legal procedures related to the Business Park are planned to be completed by the end of 2024, so that the establishment of manufacturing businesses can begin in early 2025.

The process of creating the Economic Zone in Prizren began more than a decade ago and over several mandates, considerable financial resources from the budget of the Municipality of Prizren have been invested in this space. /Telegraph/