Kosovo risks losing international funds, pay cuts in public sector warned

The Finance Ministry warns of lowering salaries in the public sector, including the salaries of MPs currently having over 2 thousand euros.

Deputy Finance Minister Agim Krasniqi, in an interview for Kosovo Press, has said that if these financial agreements do not pass, rewrite or revis the budget, meaning reducing spending or reducing the package for economic recovery, it should be re-written or re-written.

Krasniqi has said that without the 2020 budget revision, neither the package for economic recovery will be implemented, nor the emergency fiscal package.

The review package is also the additional 620m euros package. If these agreements do not pass, then rewrite or re-vise the budget, meaning reducing spending. These expenses should be either reduced or reduced by the financial recovery package. Both are painful”, Krasniqi says.

He has further said that some of the five international financial agreements that are waiting for ratification long ago are in danger of losing funds and suffering Kosovo's economy.

<x) The biggest risk, though, is that we have no opportunity and we are losing a conditional chance of art that these time-set, economic... The government this time is not sharing funds for any new capital project, but it is trying to help the citizen through emergency package, mostly to help the private sector get back at least what we've had, otherwise if it loses the market in the private sector is hard to get back. Our whole focus is to ensure fiscal macroeconomic stability, but at the same time, to ensure that the private sector can work, because ultimately this government comes and goes, but whoever comes into everybody's interest is that, with a strengthened and stable private sector, they depend on public revenues from the private sector”, he claims.

As for implementing the emergency package or 3a measures and measures for support for businesses, Krasniqi confirms that these salaries will not be executed without the budget being revised in the Assembly, as according to him, there is no legal possibility.

There is no legal possibility to pay for the rest of the emergency package without review. We are prepared as the minister of finance, the funds are under the revision process. The funds for economic recovery, including the share of the emergency package, are available. It's as the review passes, we as finance minister are willing to fulfill all obligations involving the emergency package within a very short term. We have measures left for the first month to pay the rent. So, we're willing... and we had financial opportunities to offer about 80 to 100 million for pay for workers and the private sector within the emergency package”, Krasniqi says.

Krasniqi's deputy minister says the budget review has gone to the assembly, and calls on the MP to vote on it because it is in the interest of all.

To avoid implementing emergency packages, he says that there may be an increase in unemployment.

“Request immediate revision to resume with the economy revived. The delay in budget resuscitation today will bring great damage to citizens who are dependent on that money, 170 euros. They're on the brink of a crisis and I can influence unemployment. Because if we don't create fresh capital for the private sector, they will lose jobs, businesses will lose market and social schemes will expand. This will be a burden to this government and to future governments. So my appeal is to let go of resentment, because no individual benefit anyone has. We have not been pushed to decide this or that project and come out with a vote. We are seeking to fulfill those obligations that the government has taken from the past and to establish the basis for 2021x1>, he says.

It is learned that only 50 per cent of the fiscal emergency package has been implemented so far, until the package for economic recovery has yet to be implemented.