IKD: Government endangers the rights of thousands of pensioners

The Kosovo Institute for Justice (IKD) has said the Kosovo government has planned that beyond legal terms address the Constitutional Court's requirements regarding the draft Pension Scheme.

With this action, The IKD is saying the government is hurting Kosovo citizens.

In December of last year, the Constitutional Court had ordered the Parliament and Government, which no further than July 15, 2023, to take the necessary actions to meet and change this law.

And according to the IKD, the government has planned that the bill aimed at addressing the demands of the Constitutional Court, only in Government, pass it on July 30, 2023.

The Constitutional Court has abolished paragraph 2 of Article 8 of Law No.04/ L-131 for Pension schemes, because discriminated against through this article thousands of citizens, not fulfilling the experience criteria of 15 years before January 1999, have not enjoyed the contributing pension, but only that of age.

The court had ordered the Assembly and Government, which no further than July 15, 2023, to take the necessary actions to meet and change this law.

“at the same time, these provisions will be abolished by July 15th 2023. In the event that the Government does not respect this date, citizens will be the ones to suffer the most. They will be forced to pay lawyers to file charges in the Constitutional Court to enjoy the right of contributing pension under the Constitutional Court's ruling. Because procedure expenses will be generated, this situation could also damage the budget of the Republic of Kosovo”, it has said. IKD.

But, according to the IKD, the government has planned that the bill aimed at addressing the demands of the Constitutional Court, only in Government, be approved on July 30, 2023”.

According to the IKD's reaction, the deadline set by the Government is in conflict with the demands of the Constitutional Court's act.

This government action, the IKD says, is contrary to the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo.

This organisation says the actions needed to address requests on the basis of the indictment imply the introduction of the new pension scheme bill on July 15th 2023 and not the adoption of the draft law in Government by 15 days late.

Furthermore, the IKD says “given that Kosovo's Assembly goes on vacation at the end of July and the start of the Parliament's work starts on the second Monday of September, then The IKD says the final adoption of the bill will take place late from a few months”.

These government actions, The IKD has called “responsibility” regarding the failure to comply with the full requirements stemming from the Constitutional Court Act.