Kosovo ratifies treaty allowing Denmark to use Gjilan prison

Kosovo can receive a total of up to 210 million euro from the agreement, the country’s justice ministry said on Thursday.

The proceeds will be spent on Kosovo's correctional institutions and renewable energy projects.

Besides the yearly prison rent fee of 15 million euro, Denmark will also provide Kosovo with an annual financing of 6 million euro for investments in the green transition, minister Artane Rizvanolli said during the plenary session.

The treaty is based on an agreement signed in 2021.

SeeNews emails to Kosovo’s justice and economy ministries requesting detailed information on the financing went unanswered by the time of this publication.

The treaty aims to address Denmark’s prison overcrowding. However, it has drawn criticism from human rights organisations, which cited concerns about discrimination, prisoners' right to family life, and the conditions in Kosovo prisons compared to EU standards.

“[…] it sends a clear signal to criminal foreigners that their future is not in Denmark, and therefore they should not serve time here either,” Danish justice minister Peter Hummelgaard said on Thursday.

According to Denmark’s justice ministry, the reconstruction of the prison can begin. The first criminals sentenced to deportation are expected to be received after 21-26 months.

($ = 0.922 euro)