Avni Zogiani

Avni Zogiani
Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 2026
Prime MinisterAlbin Kurti
In office
May 2023 – November 2023
Prime MinisterAlbin Kurti
In office
February 2020 – June 2020
Prime MinisterAlbin Kurti
Deputy Minister of Finance, Labour and Transfers
In office
November 2023 – February 2026
Prime MinisterAlbin Kurti
Personal details
Born (1970-07-05) 5 July 1970 (age 56)
Graboc, Fushë Kosova, Yogoslavia
PartyVetëvendosje

Avni Zogiani (born 5 July 1970) is a Kosovan activist, politician and deputy government minister. A member of Vetëvendosje, he is currently serving as Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure.

Early life and career

Zogiani was born on 5 July 1970 in Graboc in Fushë Kosova municipality. He studied media and public relations at Indiana University and has a Master's degree in Contemporary European Studies from the University of Sussex. He worked as a journalist from 1997 to 2002, including reporting on the Kosovo War and Kosovan elections for local and international media such as CNN, Time and Balkan Insight.

Activism

The anti-corruption Levizja Çohu movement was founded in September 2005 by a group of young scholars and journalists including Zogiani. Çohu's work antagonised powerful interests in organised crime and politics and Zogiani and his family have received numerous threats. Zogiani also worked with the Kosovo Centre for Investigative Journalism which provides training and assistance with research for investigative journalists.

Politics

Zogiani joined Vetëvendosje in 2014 and is a presidency member of the party's branch in Fushë Kosova. He was an advisor to the Vetëvendosje parliamentary group during the sixth legislature of the Assembly of Kosovo (2017-2019). Zogiani served as Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Environment during 2020 in the first Kurti government. He was a candidate in the 2021 Kosovan parliamentary election but was not elected.

Zogiani was appointed Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure in May 2023. He was appointed Deputy Minister of Finance, Labour and Transfers in November 2023. In October 2025 Prime Minister Albin Kurti nominated Zogiani to be Minister of Education in his proposed government but the government failed to receive enough support in the Assembly. Zogiani was appointed First Deputy Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning in February 2026.

In May 2026 the Basic Court in Pristina partly upheld a defamation case brought against Zogiani by Ferat Shala, CEO of Trepça Mines, in relation to a Facebook post.

Notes

  1. ↑ Previously titled Deputy Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning.

References

  1. ↑ "Zamenici Ministara" (in Albanian). Pristina, Kosovo: Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure. Archived from the original on 1 May 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Avni Zogiani" (in Albanian). Metriku. Archived from the original on 14 February 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Avni Zogiani, candidate for VV MP from Fushë Kosova". Indeks Online. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  4. ↑ Zogiani, Avni (19 November 2001). "Kosovo split by independence issue". CNN. Atlanta, USA. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "Avni Zogiani". Balkan Insight. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Avni Zogiani". Dublin, Ireland: Front Line Defenders. Archived from the original on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  7. ↑ Bajrami, Selvije (17 November 2011). "The Rule of Law in Kosovo: Mission Impossible?". Balkan Insight. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  8. ↑ "Kryeministri Kurti ka emëruar Avni Zogianin Zëvendësministër në Ministrinë e Infrastrukturës dhe Ambientit" (in Albanian). Pristina, Kosovo: Office of the Prime Minister. 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Avni Zogiani is appointed Deputy Minister of Environment". Koha. Pristina, Kosovo. 1 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2 August 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "Avni Zogiani is appointed Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure". Pristina, Kosovo: Office of the Prime Minister. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "Two deputy ministers are given new responsibilities". Pristina, Kosovo: Office of the Prime Minister. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "Seancë e jashtëzakonshme plenare e Kuvendit" (in Albanian). Pristina, Kosovo: Assembly of Kosovo. 26 October 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "Avni Zogiani Appointed Deputy Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning". Pristina, Kosovo: Office of the Prime Minister. 18 February 2026. Archived from the original on 8 June 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  14. ↑ "The court sentences Avni Zogiani for defamation against Ferat Shala". Reporteri. Tirana, Albania. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.