Municipalities of Kosovo

Map of Kosovo's Municipalities

A municipality (Albanian: komuna, Serbian: општина / opština) is the basic administrative division in Kosovo and constitutes the only level of power in local governance. There are 38 municipalities in Kosovo; 27 of which have an Albanian ethnic majority, 10 Serb and 1 Turkish. After the 2013 Brussels Agreement, signed by the governments of Kosovo and Serbia, an agreement was made to create a Community of Serb Municipalities, which would operate within Kosovo's legal framework. Since 2013, the agreement has not been fulfilled by Kosovo's authorities, calling upon its constitution and "territorial integrity". Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state, but as an autonomous province according to its constitution.

List of Municipalities

Emblem Stema Amblem	Municipality Komuna	Area	Map Location	Settlements Vendbanimet	Population (2011)	Mayor Kryetar/e
	Deçan	293.97 km2 (113.50 sq mi)		37	40,019	Bashkim Ramosaj (AAK)
	Dragash	433.85 km2 (167.51 sq mi)		36	33,997	Bexhet Xheladini (LDK)
	Ferizaj	344.61 km2 (133.05 sq mi)		45	108,610	Agim Aliu (PDK)
	Fushë Kosovë	84.09 km2 (32.47 sq mi)		16	34,827	Burim Berisha (LDK)
	Gjakovë	586.62 km2 (226.50 sq mi)		88	94,556	Ardian Gjini (AAK)
	Gjilan	391.84 km2 (151.29 sq mi)		49	90,178	Alban Hyseni (VV)
	Drenas	275.63 km2 (106.42 sq mi)		35	58,531	Ramiz Lladrovci (PDK)
	Graçanicë	122.41 km2 (47.26 sq mi)		17	10,675	Srđan Popović (LS)
	Hani i Elezit	83.11 km2 (32.09 sq mi)		11	9,403	Rufki Suma (I)
	Istog Burim	454.36 km2 (175.43 sq mi)		50	39,289	Ilir Ferati (LDK)
	Junik	77.78 km2 (30.03 sq mi)		3	6,084	Agron Kuçi (AAK)
	Kaçanik	211.28 km2 (81.58 sq mi)		31	33,409	Besim Ilazi (PDK)
	Kamenicë	416.61 km2 (160.85 sq mi)		58	36,085	Kadri Rahimaj (VV)
	Klinë	309.02 km2 (119.31 sq mi)		54	38,496	Zenun Elezaj (AAK)
	Kllokot	23.39 km2 (9.03 sq mi)		4	2,556	Božidar Dejanović (LS)
	Leposaviq Albanik	539.05 km2 (208.13 sq mi)		75	13,773	Lulzim Hetemi (VV)
	Lipjan	338.41 km2 (130.66 sq mi)		62	57,605	Imri Ahmeti (LDK)
	Malisheva	306.42 km2 (118.31 sq mi)		44	54,613	Ragip Begaj (Nisma)
	Mamushë	10.94 km2 (4.22 sq mi)		1	5,507	Abdulhadi Krasniç (KDTP)
	Mitrovicë	329.35 km2 (127.16 sq mi)		47	71,909	Bedri Hamza (PDK)
	North Mitrovica Mitrovica e Veriut	6.83 km2 (2.64 sq mi)		1	12,326	Erden Atiq (VV)
	Novobërda Artanë	203.98 km2 (78.76 sq mi)		26	6,729	Svetislav Ivanović (LS)
	Obiliq	104.84 km2 (40.48 sq mi)		20	21,549	Xhafer Gashi (AAK)
	Partesh	28.67 km2 (11.07 sq mi)		3	1,787	Dragan Petković (LS)
	Pejë	602.63 km2 (232.68 sq mi)		79	96,450	Gazmend Muhaxheri (LDK)
	Podujevë Besianë	632.59 km2 (244.24 sq mi)		77	88,499	Shpejtim Bulliqi (VV)
	Prishtina	523.13 km2 (201.98 sq mi)		43	198,897	Përparim Rama (LDK)
	Prizren	626.86 km2 (242.03 sq mi)		76	177,781	Shaqir Totaj (PDK)
	Rahovec	275.90 km2 (106.53 sq mi)		36	56,208	Smajl Latifi (AAK)
	Ranillug	77.62 km2 (29.97 sq mi)		13	3,866	Vladica Aritonović (LS)
	Skenderaj	374.37 km2 (144.55 sq mi)		49	50,858	Fadil Nura (PDK)
	Suhareka Therandë	361.04 km2 (139.40 sq mi)		41	59,722	Bali Muharremaj (AAK)
	Shtërpca	247.70 km2 (95.64 sq mi)		16	6,949	Bratislav Nikolić (LS)
	Shtime	134.42 km2 (51.90 sq mi)		23	27,324	Qemajl Aliu (VV)
	Vitia	269.69 km2 (104.13 sq mi)		39	46,987	Sokol Haliti (LDK)
	Vushtrri	344.85 km2 (133.15 sq mi)		67	69,870	Ferit Idrizi (PDK)
	Zubin Potoku	334.38 km2 (129.10 sq mi)		61	6,616	Izmir Zeqiri (PDK)
	Zveçan	123.01 km2 (47.49 sq mi)		35	7,481	Ilir Peci (PDK)
—	38	10,905.25 km2 (4,210.54 sq mi)	—	1,468	1,780,021	—

Powers of municipalities

All municipalities have the following competences, as regulated by Law Nr. 03/L-040 of the Constitution of Kosovo:

1. Local economic development.
2. Urban and rural planning.
3. Land use and development.
4. Implementation of building regulations and building control standards.
5. Local environmental protection.
6. Provision and maintenance of public services and utilities, including water supply, sewers and drains, sewage treatment, waste management, local roads, local transport and local heating schemes.
7. Local emergency response.
8. Provision of public pre-primary, primary and secondary education, including registration and licensing of educational institutions, recruitment, payment of salaries and training of education instructors and administrators.
9. Provision of public primary health care.
10. Provision of family and other social welfare services, such as care for the vulnerable, foster care, child care, elderly care, including registration and licensing of these care centers, recruitment, payment of salaries and training of social welfare professionals.
11. Public housing.
12. Public health.
13. Licensing of local services and facilities, including those related to entertainment, cultural and leisure activities, food, lodging, markets, street vendors, local public transportation and taxis.
14. Naming of roads, streets and other public places.
15. Provision and maintenance of public parks and spaces.
16. Tourism.
17. Cultural and leisure activities.
18. Any matter which is not explicitly excluded from their competence nor assigned to other authorities.

Community of Serb Municipalities

The planned Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo

Municipalities with Serb majorities have additional powers over the appointment of local police commanders, religious and cultural heritage sites within their boundaries; some of them have competences over universities and secondary health which in non-Serb-majority municipalities are a matter for central government (and, through the right of association of municipalities, even those Serb-majority municipalities which are not specifically given these powers may exercise them in association with those that do).

The 2013 Brussels Agreement signed by the Government of Kosovo and the Government of Serbia contains provisions for the formation of a Community of Serb Municipalities (Serbian: Заједница српских општина / Zajednica srpskih opština; Albanian: Asociacioni i komunave serbe) It was expected to be created in 2015, but its formation has been postponed over conflicts about extent of powers.

Former municipalities

Between 1990 and 2000, in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, there were the following additional municipalities:

• Gora
• Opolje (1990–1992, later part of Prizren)

In 2000 both were merged into the new municipality of Dragash. The number of municipalities remained at 30 until 2005, when the new municipality of Malisheva was formed, by taking territories from the municipalities of Orahovac (District of Gjakova), Suva Reka (District of Prizren), Klina (District of Peja) and Drenas (District of Pristina).

See also

• Administrative divisions of Kosovo
• Districts of Kosovo
• Cities and towns in Kosovo
• Populated places in Kosovo
  • Populated places in Kosovo by Albanian name
• Community of Serb Municipalities

External links

• List of websites of the Municipalities of Kosovo
• OSCE Municipal profiles
• Association of Kosovo Municipalities