PDK: For four years governance over 10 billion euros of budget, Kurti Government saw no major project for Kosovo

Co-ordinator for Finance under the PDK's Cabinet for Good Governance, Arben Mustafa, has said the 2024 budget will not enable Kosovo economic development and improved citizens' lives.

Mustafa has indicated that with the budget for 2024, Kurti Government exceeds 10 billion euros in budget management for four years, through which it has failed to realise any major projects for the country.

This government, as it began the mandate, is heading towards the end of its governing mandate, carrying the money of Kosovo's citizens from hand to hand, but without leaving any partial traces of improved living conditions for the country's citizens. So for four years of governance, this Government is expected to spend up to the end of its mandate of over 10 billion euros in citizen taxes, but has not accomplished a major project for citizens of the country. Therefore, it is evident that this Government has no plan to develop Kosovo and improve the lives of citizens”, Mustafa has said.

Furthermore, Mustafa has said that even the 2024 budget is only for 3% higher compared to the pre-year budget. According to him, such low budget growth reflects the overall impasse of Kosovo's economy during this period, which is reflected also in forecasts of less growth in revenues and budget expenditures.

The “Budget approved yesterday, similar to the budgets of recent years, offers no perspective for a greater dynamic development and increased prosperity of Kosovo citizens. Compared to the previous years, this budget stands out only in terms of changing the budget structure to harm capital investments and in favour of spending for transfers and subsidies”, Mustafa has said.

Mustafa has indicated that in the budget for 2024, the amount reserved for capital investments represents only 26% of the total planned budgetary spending, while the share of subsidies and transfer expenditures has reached 32.2%.

Out of the total budget for capital investments, 83% of the budget belongs to projects occupied by the early years, while only 17% is planned for new capital investments in 2024.

This government's inability to implement existing capital projects and to design new projects implies: less investment withdrawal infrastructure and private sector development, less infrastructure and equipment for improving health and education services, and in general, less economic development and well-being for Kosovo citizens”, Mustafa said.

The co-ordinator for finance in the CEC has said that the main orientation of this government is temporary and symbolic projects of subsidies.

This ongoing government has rejected our proposals for pension growth in conditions where living expenses have become unbearable due to price hikes. Now, instead of offering a sustainable solution by increasing their pensions, these are giving pensioners a once 100-euro donation just to keep their expectations dependent on any decision on any other government charity in the future, Mustafa has said.

Mustafa has said that whether the Kurti Government, led only by popular calculations per vote, also shows the unprecedented discrination so far in budget divisions between the government's Vetevendosje Movement and municipalities that are governed by other parties.

The PDK Parliamentary Group's “Deputes at yesterday's Assembly session of the Parliamentary Assembly have proposed a number of amendments to offer this budget at least with the real needs the country and citizens have. But, as they have rejected any opposition proposal, they did the same yesterday, rejecting all amendments proposed by opposition deputies”, Mustafa has said.

Among the amendments proposed by PDK deputies, but rejected by Vetevendosje deputies, were the amendments demanding: increasing the public sector wage cofficiency, health insurance for Kosovo Police, early pensions for Kosovo Police and many other amendments for necessary infrastructure projects in different parts of Kosovo.