Context
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. The Circular Urban Development - Kosovo4Green programme commissioned by BMZ, co-financed by SECO and implemented by GIZ, supports Kosovo"s national and local levels of governance in their efforts to improve the institutional and planning framework for a climate-sensitive urban development.
The Government of Kosovo (GoK), through the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning, and Infrastructure (MESPI), is undertaking a comprehensive review and potential reform of its spatial planning legislative framework. Kosovo"s spatial planning legislation, primarily governed by Law No. 04/L-174 (adopted in 2013) and its subsequent sub-acts, has evolved over time. The 2013 reform introduced new instruments in spatial planning, such as the Municipal Development Plans (MDP) - a strategic document - and the Municipal Zoning Map (MZM) - a technical document that designates land use and regulates development. While the law remains relevant, implementation challenges persist, including inter-institutional coordination, municipal capacity constraints, enforcement mechanisms, and overall operational coherence. To address these issues, MESPI, through its internal bodies, has initiated a legislative revision process aimed at improving planning instruments and implementation mechanisms. This effort has led to a draft law proposal, scheduled to be finalized by the end of 2025. Given these ongoing challenges and the proposed legislative update, MESPI, with support from GIZ Kosovo, has identified the need for a comprehensive, impartial and evidence-based assessment of both the existing and proposed spatial planning legislation.
Tasks to be performed by the contractor
The overall objectives of this assignment are:
- Conduct a critical assessment of the coherence and effectiveness of the existing legal framework (2013) and its sub-acts across all governance levels.
- Evaluate institutional coordination and capacity at both the central (policymaking) and local (implementation) levels.
- Analyze the practical functionality and implementation of existing spatial planning instruments.
- Review the new draft-law (2024) in terms of technical viability, institutional feasibility, and its ability to address current legislative gaps.
- Comparative analysis between previous (2003) and current (2013) spatial planning systems to understand the evolution in the planning sector in Kosovo.
- Identify three (3) feasible spatial planning systems from EU countries to analyze against Kosovo"s contextual needs, including a cost-benefit analysis.
- Identify clear, actionable improvements for a streamlined, transparent, and enforceable spatial planning framework.
"Assessment of the Kosovo Spatial Planning Legislation Framework" as part of the "Circular Urban Development - Kosovo4Green" commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by GIZ.
The expected outcomes are:
- Clear identification of legislative, institutional, and practical shortcomings and bottlenecks in the current system.
- Concrete recommendations for legal and institutional reforms to improve governance and implementation.
- Strategic assessment of the functionality and implementation of spatial planning instruments, with practical insights for improvement.
- A structured roadmap for aligning Kosovo"s spatial planning legislation with EU directives, adapt findings from the assessment (including best practices identified), to ensure its relevance and effectiveness within the local socio-economic and political landscape.
Project Outcomes/Objectives
Outcome 1: Improved institutional and planning framework | Outcome indicator 1.1: Develop Climate-sensitive and sustainable urban development tools
Output I: Enhanced Legal and Institutional Framework for Sustainable Urban Planning | Output indicator 1.1: Number of Spatial Planning Policies Supported
Work Package 1: Spatial Planning Legislation Review | Activity 1: Assessment of Legislation Framework