Today, the Kosovar-German governmental negotiations for 2020-2021 concluded, in which Germany committed a new amount of 72.1 million Euro for bilateral development cooperation, of which 12.2 million for technical cooperation and 59.9 for financial cooperation. In the next two years, Germany will focus these investments on supporting sustainable economic development, supporting the EU integration reform process, and on investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Ambassador Jörn Rohde emphazised: „Germany is Kosovo’s biggest bilateral donor and biggest foreign investor. Germany will continue to support Kosovo on its reform path towards making Kosovo fit for the European Union. We will continue to invest in Kosovo’s sustainable economic development, where we focus on supporting vocational education and business development. Germany will also continue with significant investments in public infrastructure in Kosovo, focusing on renewable energy, sewage and waste disposal.“

Minister of Finance Hykmete Bajrami expressed appreciation for the continuous cooperation of the last 22 years and welcomed the development cooperation commitments of the German Government. Minister Bajrami emphasized that „the Government of Kosovo is working towards transforming the economy and building of institutions in line with European Union requirements. The German Government support of key infrastructure projects has a crucial role in improving the quality of life of the citizens of our country, and on behalf of the Government I commit to continue to give priority and honor our obligations that arise from these joint projects“.

In 2021 and 2022, German development cooperation will focus on the following areas:

• Sustainable economic development: support to labour market-oriented vocational education and business development activities, for example in the joint Kosovar-German Innovation and Training Park in Prizren.
• Support to the EU integration reform process and contributions towards improved services for Kosovar citizens, including project for sewage disposal and waste management services in line with EU standards.
• Modernization of the energy sector: German investments will improve energy efficiency and increase the share of renewable energies, mainly solar energy.

Since 1999, German cooperation has invested more than 660 million Euro in Kosovo’s development and has over the past 22 years contributed to significantly improving the lives of many Kosovar citizens, including assistance related to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.