Foreign investors must comply with environmental protection laws in Kosovo
09 March 2012
09.03.2012 - The Chief Executive Officer of the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency (KEPA), Dr. Sci Ilir Morina, has called for current and future investors in our country to submit to the laws enacted for environmental preservation.
All investors are obliged to strictly comply with the laws for environmental protection, said the CEO of KEPA during a presentation that focused on the current state of the environment in Kosovo and the legislation in the field of environment. The presentation was part of a seminar organized by the American University in Kosovo (AUK).
On this occasion, Mr. Morina stated before those present that Kosovo needs foreign investors in various sectors for the recovery of the country's economy, but at the same time he drew attention to the fact that past investments and those expected to be made in the heavy industry sector in the future, in the extraction and processing of Kosovo's natural resources, mines and various metals, must comply with local laws and European directives and must also include environmental protection in their plans and programs.
The profits that Kosovo could potentially gain from these investments in various sectors might amount to hundreds of millions, but if the existing environmental legal infrastructure, which is reasonably harmonized with European Union directives, is not respected, irreparable damage and damage worth billions will be caused to Kosovo's environment, among other things, evaluated the CEO of AMMK, Dr. Sci. Ilir Morina.
At the seminar organized by AUK, on the topic Development of the Mining Sector in Kosovo, other representatives from Kosovo institutions were also present with their presentations; experts, representatives from USAID, representatives of Trepça as well as representatives of the cement company Sharrcem and the Canadian company Avrupa Mineral.