Brown and green mountains,"Kodra me rrasa", Sharr mountains, Kosovo.

Kosovo – Activities strengthen environmental protection

Last reviewed: ‎26‎ ‎March‎ ‎2025

In Kosovo, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is contributing to capacity building to the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency (KEPA).

New project 2025

The project stems from earlier efforts in environmental capacity building and will run from 2025 to 2027. It aims to achieve further improvements in data management, applying measures to strengthen the protection of national parks and understanding procedures regarding National Parks and Natura 2000. More specifically, this means: 

  • Further functionalized Metadata Portal shared with peer-agencies and strengthened administrative capacities of KEPA to manage, use and share data.
  • Strengthened planning, management, and monitoring of National Park administrations.
  • Improved clarity of procedures regarding Natura 2000 in place, including key institutional players on board. 

The expected results will pave the way for further EU approximation, especially concerning the EU Directive, Chapter 27, EU Directive on Publicity (INSPIRE), EU’s Habitat & Birds Directive and the Aarhus Convention. 

Result from Previous Project

Between 2021 and 2024, the project "Capacity Development for the Use of Environmental Information" was implemented. It aimed to strengthen KEPA's capabilities in the following five areas:

  1. Communication
  2. Environmental data management and methods for air
  3. Climate
  4. Water
  5. Biological diversity management

Examples of results include: 

  • Development of a Metadata Portal for environmental information, improving data management and aligning with the requirements of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and EU Standards.
  • A collaboration with the County Administration Board of Dalarna to conduct chemical water tests of samples in the Drini River to understand necessary measures.
  • Adoption of evidence-based studies and strategies for emission reductions and identification of sectors contributing to air pollution, such as residential wood burning and diesel transport.
  • Development of a management plan for Sharr Mountain National Park.
  • Communication efforts targeted towards the public to raise awareness on key environmental issues.

More information