The Market Inspectorate, operating within the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade (MIET), continuously, every day, carrying out inspections to economic operators operating in the domestic market.
During 2022 only, the Market Inspectorate carried out 2,830 inspections, while in the first quarter of 2023 it carried out 589 inspections. During the two-year government March 2021-March 2022, we have a total of 6021 market inspections.
These figures clearly speak of our government's commitment to the smooth functioning of the internal market and consumer protection, based on the implementation of Laws such as: Law on Inspections, Law on Inspectorate and Market Surveillance, Law on Consumer Protection, Law on Internal Trade, Law on Trade in Petroleum Products and Renewable Fuels, Law on General Product Safety, Law on Technical Requirements and Conformity Assessment, Law on Precious Metals Works, Law on Trading of Tobacco Trade, Law on Construction Products, Law on Metrology, Law on Copyright and Related Rights, Law on Trademarks, Law on Tourism.
In order to protect the consumer, MIET, in addition to the consumer protection program and the relevant law, has also sponsored the adoption of the Law on Temporary Measures of Basic Products in Special Cases of Market Destabilization, which was approved by the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, but which was sent for review to the Constitutional Court by a political party (LDK). This law, among other things, would enable the regulation of commercial margins and the adoption of other protective measures for the supply of basic products, in line with the obligations from the SAA and by enabling citizens to have their daily shopping basket cheaper.
However, during this period, the Market Inspectorate has intensified its work and is acting according to the legal basis into force and is undertaking all actions, in cases where it is found that economic operators are found contrary to the laws into force, which are under the mandate of MIET, respectively of the Market Inspectorate.
The Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade is now in the process of recruiting 27 new market inspectors and is always committed to consumer protection, monitoring and inspecting the domestic market.
The MIET encourages all consumers in the Republic of Kosovo to cooperate with the responsible institutions in reporting fraud and other phenomena that hurt the consumer, in order to avoid as much as possible, the violations and frauds incurred to them.