UCPM Peer Review Report handed over to Kosovo*

By Knowledge Network – Staff member

The findings of the report, which looked at disaster risk management governance, preparedness, and response, amongst other areas, were presented during a workshop held at the premises of the Europea House in Pristina. The event was organised by the EU in Kosovo together with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and the Kosovo EMA. It was attended by the main stakeholders involved in the peer review.

During the workshop, the peer review report was formally handed over by Ms Eva Palatova, Acting Head of EU in Kosovo, to the Kosovo civil protection authorities represented by Mr. Shefki Abdullahu, Acting Director-General of EMA.

UCPM Peer Review Report handed over to Kosovo — Nehat Koqinaj, Head of Planning and Exercises, EMA © European Commission

In her introduction, Ms Palatova commended the willingness of EMA to undergo a peer review, underlining that peer reviews are an act of transparency and openness, and went on to say that the work on the review’s recommendations should continue as a team effort. Ms Palatova mentioned some of the key recommendations from the report, that should be given priority:

Establishing a national multi-stakeholder coordination platform would be key to further developing the system.
Legislative improvements as regards the need to further clarify responsibilities, to increase flexibility for EMA to take the necessary actions in time, and to update risk assessment procedures.
Strengthening resources allocated to the key components of the system such as EMA, but also the Hydrometeorological Institute, the Seismological Institute, or the Kosovo Forestry Agency.
Risk awareness campaigns are key for Kosovo, as they are for the EU Member States as well. People need to know how to prepare for disasters, how to reduce their own risk, and how to react when something bad happens.
112 number implementation: the report makes a clear recommendation on this point. This will have a clear benefit not only for Kosovo citizens, but also for European tourists, very accustomed to the 112 number from their own countries.

On behalf of EMA, Mr Abdullahu stated that EMA is now embarking onto a process of implementing the report recommendations and take strategic engagements in the civil protection area. Mr Abdullahu also expressed the interest of Kosovo in joining the UCPM in the future.

The workshop also included a presentation of the peer review report by Cristina Brailescu, Team Leader at DG ECHO, on behalf of the peer team. This was followed by a presentation of the UCPM capacity building tools by Christian Aagaard, project officer at DG ECHO. The event concluded with an open discussion among the workshop participants on the key recommendations and priority follow up.

The report includes an executive summary and a short brief on the key messages of the report.

Ms Eva Palatova, Acting Head of the European Union in Kosovo, to the Kosovo civil protection authorities represented by Mr. Shefki Abdullahu, Acting Director-General of EMA. — © European Commission

Background

Kosovo was represented by the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) under the Ministry of Interior, in this peer review process.

The on-site review mission took place in and around Pristina during the week 13–17 October 2025, with the participation of a strong team of four peers, senior expert from Finland, Germany Portugal and Sweden. For the on-site mission, EMA had engaged an impressive number of 30 stakeholder organisations: ministries, municipalities, academia, police and security forces.

Key points:

Key focus areas covered in the peer review were: governance of disaster risk reduction, risk prevention, and emergency response.
Kosovo’s DRM system has undergone steady evolution in recent years, reflecting a growing recognition of the importance of strengthening national resilience in the face of current and emerging risks.
Kosovo’s risk landscape and the increasing impacts of climate change contribute to rising vulnerability, highlighting the need for a coherent and well-coordinated approach across institutions and levels of government.

The identified strengths and recommendations for improvement are included in the final report, now published on the UCPKN website.

Through the Peer Review Programme, the European Commission and its DG ECHO support EU Member States, UCPM Participating States, eligible third countries and the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) partner countries to review their disaster risk management (DRM) policies and practices by taking stock of strengths and weaknesses and putting forward recommendations to increase their effectiveness. Based on an independent analysis conducted by peers from UCPM countries, peer reviews are a strategic tool for strengthening resilience against disasters at the European, national, and sub-national level, with one of the main objectives to exchange knowledge. More details on the analytical framework for conducting UCPM peer reviews and previous peer review reports can be found at: UCPM Peer Review Programme \| UCP Knowledge Network

Last updated: 20 April 2026

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence

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UCPM Peer Review Programme

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The Knowledge Network – Staff member

The Knowledge Network editorial team is here to share the news and stories of the Knowledge Network community. We'd love to hear your news, events and personal stories about your life in civil protection and disaster risk management. If you've got a story to share, please contact us.

UCPM Peer Review Report handed over to Kosovo*

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