A dozen activists were arrested on Wednesday morning when they tried to storm the energy regulatory premise during a protest against the energy price increase.
Twelve activists from the civic initiative “Not a Cent More,” protesting against the proposed increase in electricity prices in Kosovo, were arrested on Monday morning during a protest outside the Energy Regulatory Office, ERO, in Prishtina.
Activists from the “Not a Cent More” civic initiative were arrested outside the ERO offices as the regulator is mulling a 15 percent electricity price hike in Kosovo.
According to a post on the initiative’s official Facebook page, the protest began at 8:00 AM, the official start of the working hours for the ERO. The activists blocked the entrance to the office to voice their opposition to the proposed electricity price hike.
The post claims that the police arrested and physically assaulted 12 activists.
“Twelve activists were arrested and violently beaten simply for protesting against the already high electricity price hike. The beaten and arrested activists are currently being held in police custody. We demand their immediate release and call on citizens to join us at the ERO offices,” the initiative stated in its announcement.
The police, however, responded with a statement saying that the protest was unannounced.
They claimed the protesters had ignored police orders and obstructed officials from entering the building.
“Due to these circumstances, the police escorted 12 of the protesters to the police station and confirmed that they were being processed in coordination with the state prosecutor,” the police said.
On March 14, 2025, the ERO announced a potential 15 percent increase in electricity prices, following reports from the electricity production and distribution companies KOSTT, KEDS, and KESCO, regarding their maximum allowed revenues.
Petrit Pepaj from the ERO explained in an interview on March 14 that the price hike was inevitable due to increased costs, including a lack of domestic generation and rising import prices.
“The increase is unavoidable due to the costs that have occurred. It is expected to rise by approximately 15 percent,” Pepaj stated.
The decision, however, has not yet been made.
The rumored price hike has faced widespread opposition across Kosovo. Civil society organisations, as well as political parties such as the opposition LDK, AAK, and PDK, have all voiced their disapproval.
The Presidency of Kosovo, in a statement issued on March 28, 2025, also opposed the proposed increase, arguing that it violated the legal framework, which mandates the ERO to protect consumers. It further criticised the proposal for ignoring the country’s economic situation and citizens’ welfare.
In contrast, the Ministry of Economy suggested that the price increase should not affect households consuming less than 800 kWh of electricity and aims to protect the average consumer from the impact of the rate hike.
