The Mayor of Prishtina, Përparim Rama, and the Director of Radiotelevision of Kosovo (RTK), Rilind Gërvalla, have signed an agreement to support the “Festival of the Song.”
Rama announced via social media that this festival is an event of significant artistic and cultural value, which, according to him, creates space for the expression of the country’s cultural identity. “This act symbolizes our commitment to a clear vision: a capital that promotes artistic dialogue and sees art as an essential pillar of social development. We believe in a capital that breathes with art, where culture is not marginalized, but at its center,” Rama wrote today, June 16, 2025.
Festival’s History and Audit Findings
The “Festival of the Song” was first organized in Kosovo in 2023 by the public television broadcaster.
On the other hand, the National Audit Office (NAO), in its report on the financial statements of the Public Radiotelevision of Kosovo (RTK) for 2024, found that during that year, the public broadcaster had entered into a contract using a negotiated procedure without publication for “Realization of design and graphics for the Song Festival on RTK 2024” worth 10,150 euros.
According to the NAO, this was done with a company from Albania, without clearly documenting the legal justification for avoiding publication and competition. “No emergency situation was identified, nor any circumstance that made it impossible to implement other open or restricted procedures, as required by the Law on Public Procurement,” the NAO report stated.
According to the television’s deputy director, the lack of specialized staff for graphic design necessitated engaging external services for the song festival.
The NAO also noted that despite having a public contract for 60 months, RTK failed to find long-term or timely solutions for vehicle usage for the television’s needs. “After the expiry of this contract, it used a negotiated procedure for the contract ‘Short-term use of vehicles for RTK’s needs’ worth 33,900 euros,” the report further emphasized.
