«Groundbreaking agreement» – Denmark plans to rent 300 prison cells in Kosovo

Denmark plans to rent cells in Kosovo because of overcrowded prisons. According to the government in Copenhagen, both countries signed a letter of intent on Monday, according to which Kosovo should house 300 prisoners. The government of Kosovo will provide Denmark with the appropriate capacities, for which Copenhagen will pay Pristina 15 million euros annually over an initial period of five years. The Danish Ministry of Justice said the contract could be extended for another five years.

Last week the Danish government announced that it wanted to rent cells in Kosovo for 300 prisoners who would be deported after their release. They are to be imprisoned in Gjilan prison, 50 kilometers outside of Pristina, from 2023.

It is a “groundbreaking agreement that will make room in our prisons and relieve our prison officers,” said Danish Justice Minister Nick Haekkerup. It is also “a clear signal to people from third countries who should be expelled: Your future is not in Denmark and you should therefore not serve your prison sentence there,” he added. In 2020 around 350 prisoners should be deported after their imprisonment.

Since 2015, the number of prison inmates in Denmark has increased by 19 percent to more than 4,000 in early 2021, according to the statistics agency. The prisons are overcrowded. Over the same period, the number of overseers fell by 19 percent.

It is not the first time that Denmark relies on treaties with non-EU countries when dealing with foreigners. In June the Danish Parliament passed a law that allows asylum seekers to move out of accommodation.