GAP and BIRN Published Reports on Problems of Gjakova and Junik Municipalities

On September 25, GAP Institute and BIRN published two reports on main problems and budget trends facing Gjakova and Junik municipalities.

Dren Pozhegu, researcher at GAP, presented the findings of the reports, focusing on main problems that GAP has identified during field research.  According to research, the main concerns of the residents of the Gjakova Municipality are: lack of drinking water in the area of “Reka e Keqe”, the “Old Bazaar” in Gjakova town, public lighting, lack of recreational areas, ambulant vendors.   

In the Junik Municipality, the following problems were identified based on field research: lack of waste management, sewage maintenance, forests management (forestry), lack of indoor school playgrounds, lack of public kindergarten, lack of bus stations and lack of medical staff.     

Berat Thaqi, researcher at GAP, presented budget trends for these two municipalities based on the Medium Term Budget Framework (MTBF) 2014 – 2016. By incorporating MRBF in the reports, GAP aims to inform citizens on the municipality’s budget capacity as well as the budget’s connection with the municipal capabilities for solving problems that citizens face.   

Genc Nimoni, monitor at BIRN for Mitrovica region, unveiled BIRN plans for the election debates with mayoral candidates, who will face specific questions on how to solve the problems identified by BIRN and GAP. Mr.Nimoni also invited all citizens to address their concerns through BIRN’s portalwww.kallxo.com, so they can be discussed at municipal debates, which will be aired on “Life in Kosovo” in October.  

In the upcoming days, GAP and BIRN will publish similar reports for Prizren, Peja, Ferizaj and Prishtina region. These reports will be delivered personally to all mayoral candidates in Kosovo.