The country, as we can see, is drowning in filth. But it seems that the people—especially the politicians—have started to feel a certain warmth from the mud and the dirt. The sound of chainsaws cutting down Kosovo’s forests (illegally, of course) is now being enjoyed like the classical music of Vienna’s New Year’s Concert. The rumbling of trucks hauling gravel, ripped brutally (and, naturally, illegally) from Kosovo’s rivers, is being heard like the cheerful chirping of birds in spring.
By: Enver Robelli
1.
Many people have been flying high with excitement lately because the leader of VV has received “the most votes in Kosovo’s history.” But history always depends on where you decide to start counting (and, of course, there are different perspectives on that). The real question is: What does VV intend to do with these votes? Will they govern or simply sit back for four years, basking in the glow of “the sovereign’s will”?
Votes must be turned into action. Action means cleaning Kosovo—cleaning the garbage, the filth, the waste; cleaning the rivers; improving infrastructure and education; putting some order into urban planning; enforcing high environmental standards; developing the economy; building a functioning healthcare system. There’s a single word that sums all this up: governance.
According to the Albanian Dictionary, “to govern” means: “To direct the political and administrative affairs of a state by exercising executive power; to lead through government institutions. To govern a country.”
Kosovo, as we can all see, has long been drowned in filth. But it seems that people—especially politicians—have started to feel cozy in the mud and the dirt. The noise of chainsaws tearing through Kosovo’s forests (illegally, of course) is now being appreciated as if it were the Vienna Philharmonic. The roar of trucks hauling away gravel, looted (illegally, of course) from Kosovo’s rivers, is heard as sweet as birdsong on a fresh spring morning.
2.
The World Bank describes Kosovo as “the worst single source of environmental pollution in Europe.” This can be seen in the rising number of cancer patients. This can be seen in the sheer number of people suffering from deadly diseases—especially in Pristina, one of the most polluted cities in Europe.
But poor governance alone is not to blame. Not every disaster is the fault of the institutions. There is something called civic responsibility. If trash is dumped under the stairwells of apartment buildings, that’s not a government failure—that’s a cultural one. If roads are clogged with smoke-belching, outdated cars that fail even the lowest environmental standards, that’s not just a societal problem—it’s a political one. And a serious one.
But where are the politicians—at any level—who understand how urgent this crisis is? Where are the citizens who refuse to be distracted by politicians’ empty speeches about global geopolitics and instead demand real work and accountability from those who hold public office? While the garbage swamp is suffocating the country, while certain parts of Kosovo are becoming unlivable, the national pastime remains bickering, insults, polarization, and brutal political rivalries.
And about cancer—Kosovo does not conduct radon level measurements, even though radon is a radioactive gas and the second leading cause of lung cancer. The Ministry of Environment says they don’t have the equipment or staff to conduct such tests (KOHA, February 16, 2025).
2,000 new cancer cases are reported in Kosovo every year, and late diagnoses, along with a complete lack of screening programs, remain critical issues (Kallxo, February 4, 2025). Kosovo still has no national cancer control program. The Ministry of Health began drafting one years ago, but it is still unfinished (KOHA, October 20, 2024).
3.
A few weeks ago, a Swiss newspaper quoted a Pristina municipal official who said: “The city needs 50 trucks to collect garbage, but we only have 5 that actually work!” And this is in a city with up to 300,000 residents during the day. “We lack trucks, we lack containers, we lack everything,” the official said.
Over the past 16 years, Pristina has been governed for 8 years by LDK and 8 years by VV. And yet, the garbage problem remains unsolved. The filth is underfoot and in the lungs of every person who lives in Pristina.
Meanwhile, on social media, the latest shouting match from a “TV studio” is going viral. And, as always, the “readers” join in for a “high-level intellectual debate.” One writes: “Good job insulting that dog—he’s with Serbia.” Another responds: “Good job attacking that party—they’re all working for Serbia.”
This, in the 26th year after Kosovo’s liberation, while the stench of garbage is unbearable. Once upon a time, there was a slogan: “Metropolitan Pristina.” In translation, that now means: Pristina, the capital of filth.
