2023's budget in Kosovo old projects, nothing new for infrastructure

Even next year, again in the mouth of MPHI officials will be heard with words like “Auttastrada Gjilan, “Road to Mitrovica”, “Road to Podujevo”, “The Dolc - Gjakov street” - the appointments of projects that started years ago.

The budget for 2023, which has spent its first reading in the Kosovo Assembly, has seen a precise amount of 251,684,838 euros. Except for capital investments for all sectors including some agencies have been allocated 246,06044 euros for capital.

The MMPHI MMPHI Project, which he saw. Periscope, will be mainly oriented on asphalt.

Some of the projects they figure out have been on the 2022 draft but have not begun to realise. Most, though, are two or three years ago. There are even four years ago.

The value of money to be spent on the road infrastructure category is exactly 137,572,387 euros. Of them, 130,922,387 euros are of projects of past years, and only 6,6550,000 euros will be of new projects.

The new projects included about five roads that will be co-financed with municipalities and dozens of other old ones will continue.

Also, new projects introduced: 1. Resiliating the transit to Enhence, 1,700,000 euros, 2. The rehabilitation of the regional Shtime-Lipjan 1.5m-euro road.

These projects, which are not co-finance, but from the ministry's budget, affect the Investment Community, which is led by the Vetevendosje Movement.

New projects will also be construction of the R221 Rkosh-Cerkolez regional road, building Kosovo-Albanian cross-border roads.

Then the old projects that will get a large budget sum will be: Regional road reform of R115 Prizren, Prevalle, Dolc- Gjakovave Street expansion, expansion and rehabilitation of the Pristina-Mitrovice Magical Road, National Pristina- Gjilan-Conqul (Auttastrada of Gjilan), etc.

Meanwhile, today, the Commission for Environment, Food, Agriculture, Planning and Development has discussed the Bill on the budgetary divisions of the Republic of Kosovo's 2023 budget with Environment, Space Planning and Infrastructure Minister Libron Aliun.

Aliu has said the budget earmarked for this ministry is over 250m euros. According to him, budget sharing has focused on more important projects, as well as on these projects, has increased the budget compared to last year.

“MMPHI for 2023 is 251m euros. We've made the budget sharing focus on major projects. So now we're entering projects for 2023, compared to 2022, the Pristina-Gylan Highway for 2023 has been earmarked 27m euros in the 2022 budget and 5m euros, the Dolc- Gjakova Street expansion in 2023 has been set aside 11m euros in 2022, with the construction of Pristina-Podujevo road, 6m euros<1>.

LDK MP Besian Mustafa said the budget analysis has not seen the budget sharing of any concrete water reserves project, as well as the issue of river beds that are coming out of bed. Mustafa also asked about the Pristina-Podujevo magistrate who has had problems with expropriation, as well as why the largest budget was split in 2025 and not in 2023, linking it to the election campaign.

The minister said Kosovo has the least water supply in the region.

As to the issue that river beds, the minister said they are working urgently on the plan for flood management, which, according to him, is being supported by the EU.

For the water issue, we have smaller reserves in the region, our reserves are not enough for drinking, let alone for irrigation. What is necessary is the creation of reserves, and we have two projects for that. We have three more feasibility study projects”.

We're making the flow management plan on the beds, we're urgently working on it and we have the support of the EU, it's cost. As for the Pristina-Podujevo expropriation project, we're on detail. As for the budget division, it is not about the year, it is about the plan and dynamics of the” projects, he said.

PDK MP Ganimete Musliu said the budget divided in general is not fair, according to her, that is a political budget.

I can see that it's an increase in the budget, but it's not a big increase, but seeing that you haven't managed to spend the budget, normal circumstances don't raise the budget for next year. It seems that's a political budget, it's not fair this budget”She said.

By December 13th, the minister would present to this Commission, where he is expected to make a 1-year review of his work in the ministry. /Periscopi/