The training course “Introducing the EITI” for Kosovo was jointly organized by the Eurasia Hub and the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society (KFOC). The training brought together 30 participants from the government, civil society and the industry. The aim was to familiarize the participants with the key principles and requirements of information disclosure and transparency extractive sectors embodied in the new EITI Standard (2016) as well sharing the best practices and experiences of EITI implementing states in establishing the multi-stakeholder group (MSG) and its role in overseeing the EITI implementation process. The training also featured presentations by KFOS Executive Director Luan Shllaku on the challenges facing the extractive sector in Kosovo, Fatmir Gërguri from the Independent Commission for Mines and Minerals on Kosovo’s mining sector profile, and by Albania’s EITI MSG team on “EITI Albania: Lessons learnt”.
During the workgroup exercises led by Eurasia Hub Director Ingilab Ahmadov and Hub trainer Farid Guliyev, the participants identified the inconsistencies and gaps in the legal and institutional framework, insufficient level of transparency in license allocation, and lack of local content policies as the main challenges facing Kosovo’s extractives sector. There was a general consensus that the EITI implementation can substantially improve the investment climate for attracting FDI into Kosovo’s mining sector.