Fitore Pacolli, the Acting Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning (MMPH), announced on Friday the immediate termination of employment contracts for 20 ministry officials from the Serbian community.
According to the ministry, the dismissed staff members are publicly recognized as former integration recruits belonging to the dismantled “Mbrojtja Civile” (Civil Protection) oversight structure in northern Kosovo.
The Decision: Audit Findings and Chronic Absenteeism
Minister Pacolli stated that the administrative decision was triggered by a combination of a formal review of internal state records and binding anti-corruption recommendations issued by the National Audit Office (ZKA).
An internal investigation revealed that the 20 individuals—originally integrated and hired into the ministry database on January 5, 2016—had systematically failed to fulfill their legally mandated employment duties.
- Chronic Absenteeism: Official attendance logs demonstrated a complete, long-term physical absence from their assigned workstations.
- Neglection of Duties: The individuals failed to report to work, perform civil duties, or answer to department heads, while continuing to draw salaries from the state budget.
Enforcing Uniform Public Administration Standards
The 2016 integration of these workers was part of a broader, EU-mediated political agreement aimed at absorbing former parallel security structures into Kosovo’s official legal and institutional framework. However, Pacolli emphasized that political integration does not exempt employees from standard labor regulations.
| Employee Status | Integration Date | Primary Reason for Dismissal | Legal Basis |
| 20 Serb Officials (Former Civil Protection) | January 5, 2016 | Continuous physical absence and complete non-performance of official tasks. | National Audit Office Recommendations & Kosovo Public Administration Law. |
The Minister reinforced that the government will no longer tolerate ghost employees within state ministries, asserting a zero-tolerance policy moving forward:
“We will establish full legality and identical standards for everyone within the public administration. No one can maintain the status of an employee without fulfilling their corresponding obligations.
We will be uncompromising in enforcing the law, regardless of ethnicity or position, because public service must serve citizens with accountability and full respect for official duty.”
— Fitore Pacolli, Acting Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning
