Citizens gathered today in the Kosovo capital, Pristina, to protest against an upcoming increase in electricity prices, the Kosovo publication “Koha Ditore“ reported.
This week, Kosovo's energy regulator approved a 16.1 percent increase in electricity prices for the period May 1 - March 31, 2026, BTA reports.
The rally is taking place near the parliament, where the inaugural session continues today.
The organizers of the protest warned of an “escalation” of future protests if action is not taken.
From April 2023 to the end of March 2024. for consumers who consume less than 800 kilowatt-hours per month, the price of electricity was 7.79 euro cents per kilowatt-hour during the day, and for those with more than 800 kilowatt-hours of consumption - 14.45 euro cents, which is a 100 percent increase compared to 2013, the agency recalls.
In early April 2024, the board of the Energy Regulatory Office decided to symbolically reduce prices for households with consumption over 800 kilowatt-hours per month by 8 percent. After this decision, the daytime tariff dropped from 14.45 euro cents to 13.29 euro cents per kilowatt-hour, and the nighttime tariff (between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.) - from 6.81 euro cents to 6.26 euro cents. The decision, which came as a result of the reduction in the price of imported electricity, also included a 3 percent reduction in electricity prices for industrial purposes.