Ibrahim charges the central level with ignoring municipality demands

The founding of the fourth grant, the amendment to the Law on Public Procurement, management with collective contracts, elimination of bureaucracy for the establishment of local public enterprises are some of the issues that municipalities seek solutions from the central level now two years but that continue to face in deaf ears.

So says in an interview for Kosova Prees, the head of the Kosovo Communists Association Sazan Ibrahimi as he points out that the absolute majority of mayors have complained that the central level is not sincerely supporting them.

No vow, no request of municipalities that have been set up for two years and more, has had no effort from the central level to solve the problem. We have the problem with the fourth grant, the amendment of the Public Procure Law, collective contracts that are dealing with tens of millions of euros in municipalities. The municipalities have asked for help. Eliminating bureaucracy or politicising processes in terms of establishing local public enterprises, where in some cases the central level deliberately drags up the processes just to prevent municipalities from creating local public enterprises, even though they meet the criteria required by law for public enterprise”, Ibrahim said.

Among the main challenges, Ibrahim mentions collective contracts that are being implemented unjustly at the expense of municipalities, costing them millions of euros. He points out that this year 22 municipalities will have shortcomings in financial means for new capital investments.

The absolute amount of mayors are complaining that the central level is not sincerely supporting them. In addition to lack of capital investment, even co-operation has not been correct with the central level...22 municipalities this year will lack financial means for new capital investments. Also, budgetary means that are divided directly by the government. There are plenty of municipalities that will not have a single cent for new capital investments... on the other side of the collective contracts which are being implemented unjustly at the expense of municipalities by taking away the financial resources from their own own incomes, where private incomes have capital investments, then municipalities will have many cuts in terms of capital investments... In no case has the mayors and association ever been against collective contracts. But, we've always demanded that the implementation of collective contracts make the central level, because they are signatories”, Ibrahim said.

Ibrahimi says that delays in carrying personal revenues are costing municipalities in the audience report and the promotion of performance scheme. He points out that most mayors are considering these delays political

The head of the Kosovo Communists Association says an administrative guide is being drafted, with which the central level will attempt to take over municipal spaces. For this administrative direction, Abraham says there is no legal basis.

It shows that municipalities are in the process of drafting the municipal budget for 2025, which it says is expected by the end of July or early August to accept budgetary limits of expenditures. In this regard, Ibrahimi says municipalities are not satisfied, as there will be cuts in educational and health personnel.