The government votes tomorrow for 2.4 billion euros' draft budget

Deputy Finance Minister Agim Krasniqi has said he expects tomorrow the draft budget to be adopted in the government, to then proceed for approval in the Assembly.

We expect that tomorrow the draft budget in Government will be passed, then just as it is legally required to be carried to the Assembly, and there are deadlines that will be passed by the end of the year. So we are ready with the budget process, despite the fact that it has been a very challenging process, this year because of the new situation to cut budgetary limits compared to previous projections. In addition, it has had to provide an additional fund for the next year regarding the package for recovery, even part of the health funds”, Krasniqi says.

The deputy minister also stressed that three priorities have been placed on this budget. According to him, the primary priority remains the health sector for meeting with the pandemic and the private sector.

Krasniqi said that the bill has also received IMF approval.

Two goals are key that, despite this situation in the area of income policies, nothing has changed, in the sense that there is no tax increase despite the decline of revenues. The priorities remain the health sector, the confrontation with pandemic. Next year, in addition to public health care, the Kosovo government cares about the private sector and the health of citizens. So these are priorities, not forgetting that all projects that are contracted continue next year so that even this share of public investments can preserve privacy. In addition, we have come to agree on this budget and the IMF... So this budget is 2 billion and 400m euros. Within this budget, it will ensure that the public sector, salaries, goods, subsidies, all legal obligations are functioning. A 616m capital investment fund” was provided, he stressed.

While, professor at the Economics Faculty, Nagip Sklori says of KosovoPress, the budget should be in the function of welfare and public health.

Professor Skkerer has demanded that there be unifying of the political spectrum for adopting laws important to the country.

The government through its institutions would have to reorient the budget into social welfare, meaning health aspect, but not bypassing the private sector as well. Support of the private sector through subvention in various forms would have to be one of the key priorities for next year's budget, because the economic collapses in general would happen... Even for the budget to respect the deadlines, of course there are no institutional blockades in this direction and all reorients if the government makes them in the sector assigned to have the majority's support, respectively, of the political spectrum so that institutions work according to legal procedures”, Sk everyone says.

Arian Zeka, executive director of the American Economic Ode in Kosovo, is also seeking to have political consensus on the state budget and other bills that are of interest to the country and the private sector.

“No budget voting will conduct a blockade not only in the implementation of infrastructure projects for 2021, but also in public service delivery, public administration salaries... Consensus on topics related to economic development necessarily requires a consensus that goes beyond parties that are part of the ruling coalition”, Zeka says.

While, the legal deadlines for adopting the draft budget in the government are through October 31st.