The unchecked expansion of small hydropower plants is emerging as a critical long-term ecological and institutional shock to Kosovo’s river ecosystems and community water security. While structured to permit and supervise infrastructure construction, the regulatory framework lacks legal pathways, administrative procedures, and financial mechanisms to decommission, remove, or restore environmentally harmful facilities. Applying the ‘4Rs of Resilience’ framework, the analysis identifies moderate overall preparedness (52%), characterised by adequate preventive licensing standards but severe deficiencies in redundancy, institutional resourcefulness, and rapid-response mechanisms when projects cause ongoing ecological damage. To address these structural vulnerabilities, the brief outlines targeted recommendations to legally recognise infrastructure removal as a standard compliance measure, consolidate decommissioning authority within the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, establish a polluter-pays ecological recovery fund, and institute fast-track enforcement procedures for imminent environmental harm. 

This policy brief was developed in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Office in Kosovo as part of the project "Assessing the Resilience of Kosovar Society to Ecological and Institutional Shocks".