Whose fault could the Pristina Community remain free of money?

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The municipal budget appears to be the chief question of non-compliance between the central government, which is led by the Vetevendosje Movement, and local government in the capital, which is run by the Democratic League of Kosovo. But to understand his beginning, let us go back in time, and follow Periscope.

The Kosovo Public Finance Management Law stipulates that municipalities have until September 30th to approve their budget for the following fiscal year. If they don't respect that deadline, they lose the right to propose the budget itself for next year, while the Finance Ministry drafts a budget version for them, which is usually based on existing budget figures.

What has the Pristina Community done? By December 9, 2024, therefore, he has recently approved the budget for 2025 worth 128m euros, about 6m euros higher than that of the previous year.

Gjilan and Zubin Potoku have also delayed the same, and with Pristina are the only municipalities in this situation. Their new budgets are not included in the Law on Budget Breaks for 2025, which was approved in November in advance by the Kosovo Assembly.

Bekim Salihu, from the Institute for Advanced Studies (GAP), tells Radio Free Europe that the budget history “ ” begins here.

According to him, the “error has stemmed from a kind of immatureness of these municipalities, which have insisted on getting the total budget amount, rather than adopting the preliminary budget. If they were to follow the second path, they would avoid the procedure of Government and Assembly”.

Since the Pristina Community budget has been adopted after the Law on the Budget has been adopted, it has been asked to change this law, which has passed in Government, but not even in the Kosovo Assembly. But, he can't even pass now, because Kosovo continues not to have the legislature established.

Could the Assembly adopt these changes in December 2024, February 2025? Former Pristina Deputy Chairman Dardan Sejdiu believes that yes, if the incumbent Government did not have the mode of action “to be compared to anyone facing”.

The government voted the budget, and I understand when it says it could not send it into revision in February, but the circumstances have been extraordinary. We knew there was a choice, and therefore there had to be a way out, before the Revolution<x1 was dissolved.

According to Sejdiu, all the noise created is more about attracting attention from the lack of performance.

The only way to create a public topic is not through jobs that have been performed or taken with, but with accusations, reasoning and finally complaints. As the people would say, the cap for pot”.

The government “is playing politically”

Not even Salih can point a finger at one side.

There's a truth here: the Government is playing too. There's no discussion here. But he's playing politically, legally covering”.

How are you doing this?

Under the Law for Public Finance Management, when a municipality's new budget is not included in the budget Law, due to the delay in its approval, the Finance Ministry authorises monthly expenses at the level of a dozen last year's budget per month, by the end of June.

After that period, funds for other categories cannot be authorised, except salaries and mandatory obligations, and they require approval by the municipal assembly every month.

Categories, such as capital investments, goods, services and subsidies, remain blocked.

For Salih, the government in office is following the logic of this law, forgetting that there is also the Law on the Budget, which it is obliged to implement.

In this law, the budget for the Pristina municipality is seen as the one in 2017, so it's only about 6m euros less, which the municipality has a right to exploit.

But, the Ministry, according to him, is using another excuse for not changing access.

The ministry is saying "no," because the municipal assembly has adopted the other budget, and to implement the budget Law, changes must be made in the Assembly.

Unlike the guilty, the victim is easily identified.

The Pristina municipality and its citizens will see that no investment and change can be made for the period forward, unless the Finance Ministry changes the course. Even these field investments will be blocked. There will be chain, systemary and long-term consequences, and at the end of the day, the citizen will lose”, Salihu says.

For Sejdiu, apart from not working, these complaints are also signals of an early campaign for local elections.

It's a disaster that's stuck with each other, but maybe we have good news here, because it doesn't waste money on capital investments, to prove that it's being worked by someone who for three years hasn't worked anything”. / REL/