From Manual Procedures to a Transparent Digital System: Declaring Medicinal Product Prices in Kosovo

Paper-based processes are being replaced by a fully digital system for the declaration and annual re-declaration of medicine prices - introducing clear benefits for patients, citizens, and businesses by reducing unnecessary procedures and strengthening transparency and trust in medicine pricing.

As part of this shift, Kosovo is entering a new phase in the implementation of the Law on the Pricing of Medicinal Products, moving from predominantly paper-based processes to a fully digital system for the declaration and annual re-declaration of medicine prices.

At the centre of this reform is a straightforward principle: citizens should be able to see the selling price of medicine clearly and reliably. Through the new digital platform, the approved selling price is directly linked to the official banderole and printed on it. This ensures that the price shown on the medicine pack is the same price applied in the market, addressing long-standing uncertainty at the point of purchase and strengthening confidence in institutional oversight. In this way, the banderole becomes not only a security feature, but also a visible transparency tool for the public.

Co-funded by the European Union and the German Government and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, in close partnership with the Kosovo Medicinal Agency and the Strategic Planning Office within the Office of the Prime Minister, the digital platform not only reduced administrative burden reduction but also strengthens the implementation of the Law no. 08/L-220. This has been achieved by enabling economic operators to declare and annually re-declare medicinal product prices electronically, in line with legal deadlines and reference price requirements. This replaces manual, document-heavy procedures with a standardised and traceable digital workflow that improves data quality, consistency, and administrative control.

A core innovation of the system is the direct link between approved prices in the platform and the price printed on the banderole. By connecting administrative decisions to a tangible label on the product itself, the digital reform helps ensure consistency between approved and market prices, standardises price information, and provides institutions with a stronger basis for monitoring and enforcement through auditable digital records. This strengthens accountability across the supply chain and supports a more transparent pharmaceutical market.

The reform also delivers concrete efficiency gains. For businesses, digital submission reduces paperwork, simplifies requirements, and improves predictability. For institutions, it enables higher-quality data, better traceability of decisions, and faster review processes with fewer errors and delays. Digitalisation further strengthens integrity by creating reliable, time-stamped records, maintaining price histories, and improving compliance controls.

Looking ahead, the planned integration with e-Kosova will further enhance transparency by enabling citizens to access medicine prices and their history in a structured and user-friendly way, reinforcing trust in the pricing framework and improving the livelihoods of citizens.

Overall, the digital modules for medicine price declaration are more than technical upgrades; they are a key instrument for the effective implementation of Law on the Pricing of Medicinal Products. By linking approved prices directly to banderoles and replacing paper-based procedures with a modern digital process, Kosovo is improving price visibility for citizens, ensuring consistency in market pricing, reducing administrative burdens, and strengthening oversight and accountability.