The Department for Administrative Matters, has approved the proposal of GLPS and ‘Gjethi’ to postpone the execution of the Decision for Water Permit and the Decision for Environmental Permit for the Hydropower Plant Lepenci 3
The Center for Strategic Litigation (CSL), a platform established by the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS), informs you that:
The Basic Court in Prishtina, Department of Administrative Matters, has approved the proposal of GLPS and Gjethi to postpone the execution of the Decision on Water Permit and the Decision on Environmental Permit for the Hydropower Plant Lepenci 3 – Kaçanik, issued by the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure until the merits of the case are decided.
On December 30, 2021, the organizations GLPS and Gjethi have filed a lawsuit through the Center for Strategic Litigation with a request to postpone the execution of the Water Permit Decision no. Prot. 6724-2 / 19 and the Decision for issuing the Environmental Permit with no. Prot 1948-4 / 19 issued by the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure for the Lepenci 3 Hydropower Plant in Kaçanik.
The Basic Court in Prishtina, the Department for Administrative Affairs has approved as grounded the proposal of GLPS and Gjethi to postpone the execution of the mentioned decisions until the meritorious decision of the case. The court ruled that the execution of these decisions would bring environmental damage, which would be difficult to repair, and that such a postponement is not in contrary to the public interest, nor would it cause great harm to the opposing party. GLPS and Gjethi welcome the court decision and remain committed to protecting the right of citizens to participate in decision-making, protect nature and to combat the avoidance of legal requirements by public institutions.
As the plaintiff organizations have pointed out in the lawsuit, the process that preceded the issuance of the Water Permit and the Environmental Permit for the Lepenci 3 Hydropower Plant in Kaçanik, has had legal violations such as:
(i) non-implementation of the concession procedure;
(ii) lack of public debate or lack of adequate public awareness of it,
(iii) degradation of nature which surrounds rivers and beyond, as well as
(iv) denial of the right of the inhabitants of Kaçanik for drinking water and irrigation.
The Service Area of the Center includes only cases where the public institutions in Kosovo violated citizens’ rights.