Recognize Kosovo for Microsoft & Google Digital Services

A petition is here already: https://c.org/9SZRrBK85f

Request to Enable Google Play Subscription Sales in Kosovo

Developers and users in Kosovo have been effectively excluded from full participation in the Google Play ecosystem for many years now, despite the fact that Kosovo has a stable payments and banking environment and a growing base of Android users who wish to pay for high-quality apps and services. This long-standing exclusion feels unjust, as it prevents legitimate businesses from operating on equal terms with developers in neighboring countries and forces users in Kosovo into workarounds or inferior experiences.

Baking system international recognition

Many of the systems in the US for example doesn’t recognize Kosovo or Kosovo bank by SEPA or SWIFT

Low performance on PISA rankings - reflect the system internally

Kosovo’s PISA 2022 results show poor performance with Kosovo ranking near the bottom globally: 74th out of 80 countries in mathematics, 76th in reading, and 77th in science. Approximately 83% of students perform poorly in reading, 85% in mathematics, and 79% in science. These scores indicate that the majority of students are not adequately prepared with the skills needed for productive employment or real-life challenges.

Curriculum reforms & modernization in Education

Ongoing reforms target curriculum modernization including integrated learning areas, restructuring teacher education to emphasize student-centered and inclusive teaching methods, and improving accountability and transparency in education governance.

Making learning easier with Digital advancement in Education

Digital learning remains underutilized. Many schools have limited access to enough digital devices for all students, and most internet connectivity is used only for administrative tasks instead of learning. Teachers often lack training in digital pedagogies, restricting blended and personalized learning approaches. Closing the digital divide, especially for vulnerable students without home internet, is a key priority.

E-business and R&D support

Limited E-business and Research Environment: Businesses, especially SMEs, struggle to fully benefit from digitalization due to underdeveloped digital business ecosystems, limited access to finance, and lack of innovation and R&D support.

Online data privacy concerns

Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Concerns: With the digital transformation underway, there are worries related to data privacy, public trust, and cybersecurity awareness. The lack of strong data protection frameworks comparable to GDPR creates risks that could hamper digital adoption and trust in online services.

Healthcare system challenges

Health Information System Fragmentation: Kosovo’s health sector faces challenges with unintegrated health information systems, limiting comprehensive patient records and data flow between healthcare facilities, which restricts effective healthcare delivery and policy response.

Skilled workforce in public sector

Vendor Lock-in and Skilled Workforce Shortage: The public sector suffers from dependency on single technology providers (vendor lock-in) limiting innovation and flexibility. Additionally, the public sector struggles with attracting and retaining skilled IT professionals, who often prefer higher-paying private sector roles, thus limiting the human capital needed for digital advancements.

Outdated systems online

Fragmented and Outdated Systems: Public institutions still rely on fragmented, siloed, and manually intensive processes. Digital governance suffers from uncoordinated efforts and lack of interoperability between systems, which hinders efficient service delivery and comprehensive digital transformation.

Regulatory barriers in Digital space

Regulatory and Political Barriers: Kosovo’s unresolved international recognition affects its capacity to integrate seamlessly into global digital standards and frameworks. This impacts the ability to develop interoperable digital identity systems, secure trust frameworks, and cross-border digital services.

Access to digital space

Digital Skills and Literacy Gap: There is a pronounced digital divide between different income and education levels. Many citizens, especially in lower-income brackets, have limited productive use of digital tools, with inadequate skills for advanced online activities such as e-commerce, e-collaboration, coding, and software use. This gap limits full participation in the digital economy and lowers adoption of digital government services.

Support Kosovo in major payment gateways

Stripe and many other global payment gateways do not support Kosovo as a valid country for merchant accounts. This means businesses registered in Kosovo cannot open Stripe accounts directly, forcing them to register companies in other countries like the US or UK to use these services. This lack of support limits the growth of Kosovo-based e-commerce and online businesses because they cannot easily accept credit card payments online through popular platforms like Stripe.

Lack of Kosovo's +383 code in Digital Online webpages

Many applications and platforms face problems supporting Kosovo's +383 code due to Kosovo not being officially listed in International Organization for Standardization (ISO) country code standards because it is not on the UN Statistics Agency list. This leads to failures in two-factor authentication and phone verification processes for users with Kosovo numbers on apps like Google, X, Viber, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and others. Users report not receiving verification codes necessary for app access or downloads or not having the option to select Kosovo international phone entry, causing disruptions in digital identity and services. This situation stems from Kosovo's recent transition from foreign codes like +377 (Monaco) and +386 (Slovenia) to +383.

STOP Corruption & Nepotism

To our politicians: the people of Kosovo are tired of corruption and nepotism. We ask you to put the nation before personal interests, to choose transparency over secrecy, and merit over favoritism. Kosovo’s future depends on leaders with integrity who serve every citizen equally. The time to act is now.