institutional blockade endangers millions of euros for municipalities

The failure of institutions in Kosovo is seriously jeopardising the economic development of municipalities and at the same time losing tens of millions of euros from international funds.

So warned in an interview for Online Economics Executive Director of the Association of Kosovo municipalities (AKK), Sahan Ibrahimi.

He said the non-compliance of the Assembly and the Government of Kosovo has direct consequences for municipalities, both financial and legislative.

“Even in municipalities the dysfunction of central institutions will have a direct impact.

First in financial terms, where it takes into account that the EU has earmarked several hundred million euros for the Growth Plan, where if Kosovo does not constitutionalise Parliament, then these financial means may not be taken.

The absolute majority of those means are dedicated to Kosovo municipalities. Investments in local infrastructure, digitalisation, increased capacity and so on. This also directly affects Kosovo municipalities”, he said.

Ibrahimi added that the first investments in local infrastructure, digitalisation and capacity raising are in question, while the lack of institutions also prevents the adoption of key laws on municipal functioning.

In this situation, three municipalities -- Pristina, Gjilan and Zubin Potoku -- according to him, having failed to approve their budgets over time, now due to the non-compliance of the Parliament -- are obliged to rely on the pre-year budget and not implement new projects this year as well.

The non-compliance of parliament and government will also bring consequences to the failure to establish many laws that are extremely important to municipalities, such as the local finance bill, the Public Procurement Bill, the Public Procurement Bill, the Space Planning Bill. All of this directly affects the economic development of municipalities.

Parliament failure is also a problem for the three municipalities, which have not long been able to approve their budgets, such as the municipality of Pristina, Gjilan and Zubin Potok.

And this year, as a result of the Kosovo Parliament's non-compliance, they cannot develop or implement new projects. They should always be called to the pre-year budget. It must be taken into account that this year is both the electoral year and at the local level and municipalities eagerly expect that as soon as the central level institutions are established, in order to restore the normality of life developments”, he said.

Ibrahim also draws attention to an immediate loss risk of 15m euros for Kosovo municipalities from European Commission funds dedicated to the municipalities of the Republic of Kosovo, under the call IPA III “EU for Good government”, because it called, the neglect of the Ministry of Management of Local Power (MAPL).

“One of the problems raised by the Kosovo Communist Association through Kosovo municipalities is also the possibility of losing financial resources from the EU to 15m euros.

This opportunity was made due to the neglect of the Ministry of Local Power Management, which has not taken into account some recommendations stemming from meetings with the European Commission in ensuring performance scheme. 15m euros of those vehicles are dedicated to Kosovo municipalities, not MAPL, and therefore we demand that the central level, respectively. MAPL will be more transparent to municipalities in drafting projects that benefit Kosovo municipalities. In this case, MAPL has failed to meet EU requirements at meetings with the European Commission, and it is a potential risk that Kosovo municipalities, as a consequence of the institutional responsibility of the MAPL, may have lost up to 15m euros and that these millions of euros, along with financial means from the Swiss Development Agency, from Swedish AIDS, from the Norwegian Embassy, have had a direct impact on economic development, but also on improving civic life”, Ibrahimi told Ibrahimo. /Periscope/