Kosovo* adopts first Law on Climate Change 

Kosovo’s parliament has adopted the first Law on Climate Change, envisaging a range of activities including the development of a long-term decarbonization strategy and a system for monitoring, reporting and verifying greenhouse gas emissions.

The first Law on Climate Change is aimed at improving environmental protection through the prevention and control of greenhouse gas emissions from a wide range of industrial, transportation, agricultural and other sources, the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure said.

It added that the law aims to identify issues and challenges for improving secondary legislation on climate change through the transposition of the European Union’s legislation – Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action, taking into account Kosovo’s commitment to align its legislation with the EU and implement it in line with the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU.

Secretariat: Kosovo* has missed an opportunity to include all the 2030 Energy Community climate and energy targets and the 2050 climate neutrality objective in law

The Energy Community Secretariat said the adoption of the law is an important step towards the fulfillment of Kosovo’s climate obligations in line with the adapted Governance Regulation, adding that crucial elements of the regulation have been reflected, along with the secretariat’s engagement.

They include the basis for the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), the long-term strategy and annual reporting on climate change, the secretariat added.

However, it stressed, an opportunity has been missed to include all the 2030 Energy Community climate and energy targets as well as the 2050 national level climate neutrality objective.

Enshrining them in national law would further enhance Kosovo’s commitment to combating climate change, the secretariat stressed.

One provision regarding CBAM

The law stipulates monitoring to collect information on activities causing greenhouse gas emissions and the data on emissions and sequestration, which are used for planning and leading policies and measures for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Monitoring, reporting and verification functions as a system with bottom-up access, where data is monitored by the operators and reported to the government and the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency (KEPA), the law reads.

The long-term strategy for decarbonization is envisaged as one of the five strategic documents and national plans regarding climate change.

The decarbonization strategy is planned to cover at least 30 years

It defines long-term economic and social developments with low greenhouse gas emissions, according to the document. The plan is to cover at least 30 years, consistent with the Energy Community’s climate neutrality objective.

The law stipulates that a national council for climate change and scientific advisory board need to be established. The former would be composed of the relevant ministers, while the latter body is supposed to include the representatives of state institutions as well as members from civil society, academia, scientific institutes and local and international organizations.

One provision of the law refers to the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

The ministry will create a working group to study CBAM’s impact on Kosovo* after the law enters into force, the law reads.