The government” Kurti” for three years spent more on sidewalk building than highways

Periskopi

23 April 2026, 08:19(2 months ago)

The Kosovo government, which is led by Albin Kurti, has spent more money from Kosovo's budget for sidewalk construction than on building highways. According to Kosovo's annual financial report for 2025, prepared by the Ministry of Finance, during 2023-2025 for the construction of sidewalks in [...]

According to Kosovo's annual financial report for 2025, prepared by the Ministry of Finance, during the years 2023-2025 for the construction of sidewalks on the country level has been spent 25m euros, while 22m euros have been spent on highway construction during this 3-year period.

Unfortunately, the lowest budget expenditures for highway construction have been in 2025, when only 3.6m euros have been spent, although many large infrastructure projects have remained half that have started to be built before Prime Minister Kurti of the ruling year.

Although Albin Kurti had promised that the Gjilan highway would be completed in 2023, this infrastructure project will not be completed even during 2026. The Podujevo highway and many large infrastructure projects are far from finished.

Not even with the construction of bridges at the country level can the Kurti Government boast over the past two years, where some 9m euros have been spent on such projects during the 2024 and 2025, while the most basic “” bridges completed during the government's mandate are Saradron in Istog and Badovci Bridge, which had lasted for years to the end.

A little more budget has been spent during the government's mandate to build local roads, where the mayors of the municipalities, 355m euros for three years and 188m euros regional roads for three years, reports Front Online, broadcast Periscopi, respectively.

Former Infrastructure Minister and former Minister of Transport and Economic Representative have estimated that the government led by LVV leader Albin Kurti has deviated from strategic priorities, focusing more on smaller projects than on building highways and developing major infrastructure.

According to them, this approach reflects the lack of vision and inefficient management of the budget, raising concerns about unbalanized distribution of investments and procrastination or disruption of important road projects.

Pal Lekaj: Albin Kurti's priorities have turned into propaganda, highways into oblivion

Former Minister of Infrastructure, Pal Lekaj has accused Kurti Government of failing to develop strategic infrastructure, saying priorities have shifted from major projects towards smaller investments.

According to Lekaj, the government led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti has spent more means of fixing sidewalks than on building highways.

The government Kurti has failed to build highways because it has lost development priorities. It has spent more on sidewalks than on strategic infrastructure connecting the economy and region”, Lekaj said.

He for “Front Online” estimated that the current government has failed in managerial terms.

Instead of major projects, it has chosen small investment for propagandistic effect, forgetting highways that bring development and employment. This is the obvious failure of Lekaj's vision and management.

Grabovci: The Thaci government has built roads at $500 million budget. It can build Kurti Government with a billion budget.

Former Deputy Transport Minister Adem Grabovci has criticised the current government over infrastructure management in the country, making comparisons with Hashim Thaci's period of governance.

Grabovci said that with around 500m euros in budgets, projects that remain exemplary today have been implemented.

“I am sorry when I think of Hashim Thaci's governance, when I remember the situation we had in infrastructure and in general in Kosovo, as well as the possibilities that existed then has been misery. However, we have been exemplary and that government will remain unrenewable in view of the conditions and opportunities of the day. Then we had about 500m euros, and with those tools we turned Kosovo into a building site”, Grabovci said.

He criticised the government led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, saying he is managing to keep the roads built in Thaci's governance.

“Today, this government has a budget of billions and cannot be identified with a single project. Albin Kurti's government is not even managing the roads that have been built during Thaci government, and let alone implement other projects”, Grabovci said.

Haziri: The government” Kurti” has ruled out all programs for Anamorva, including the Gjilan highway

The former mayor of Gjilan and current LDK deputy Lutfi Haziri has spoken about the way infrastructure projects are planned and implemented in the country by the current government.

According to him, the allocation of funds shows an unbalannized approach where 22m euros are spent on highways, while 25 million on sidewalks.

“The vision to plan a dynamic to implement these projects because it has had and has budget. When 22m euros are spent on the 25m highway to the sidewalk, this clearly shows that it has been completely excluded and is a lack of political will, not just planning. This is when there is no will and a whole region is ruled out, not only is Anamorawa, but also with Albanians living in Bujanoc and a large part of Kumanovo”, Haziri says.

Haziri says this situation is not only related to Anamorawa, but affects Albanians in other regions.

He also added that it is strange that in areas where greater political benefits are worked the most.

The “are not only highways are other programmes such as regional roads, all programmes related to Anamorav have been excluded and not started or troubled in implementation that is political and collective punishment for this country, while in the elections it received strong political support. It is strange that in those countries where more politically benefit from the most work, but even in Gjilan, they have had political benefits but have two feet violated the pledge and expectations”, Haziri said.

Shala: This government has shut down all infrastructure road projects, wrong access.

Democratic Party of Kosovo MP The PDK, Ferat Shala in a statement given “Front Online” has pressed accusations of mismanagement of public money and poor access to the realisation of infrastructure projects in the country.

He stressed that a large number of significant infrastructure projects have remained unfulfilled for years.

The completely wrong subsumption of public money spending that has, in essence, favoured some local powers that are part of LVV leadership, the state's vital infrastructure facilities have now left 6 years without the start of work has interrupted all road infrastructure projects”, Shala said.

Shala mentioned some concrete projects that, according to him, are stuck or not completed.

“Sic is Dolc-Gjakov street, the Kyev-Peje route has not been completed, the Gjilan highway in very serious condition, has not finished the highway to Mitrovica, nor has the route to Besiana, and there are many others that have been planned and that have not finished”, he said.

MP The PDK estimated that this situation points to a discriminated approach in the distribution of capital investments.

This government has made selections and differentials in capital projects, especially where local power has dominated The PDK and other subjects” have finished Shala.

Economist criticises Kurti Government: Equipment is easier than highway construction

Economics director Arton Muhramier has spoken about the government's approach to public investments.

Muhrami says instead of building strategic infrastructure connecting the economy and increasing the country's competitiveness, an approach that produces superficial results has been chosen.

The fact that the focus has fallen on small projects like sidewalks is no coincidence. These are easy investments to distribute, quick to complete and perfect for political marketing. Instead of building infrastructure that connects the economy and boosts the country's competitiveness, the easiest route has been chosen: seemingly projects but don't change anything essentially”, it is cut off.

He stressed that the problem lies, not in a lack of capacity, but in a lack of will to take responsibility for large projects.

This government has not failed because it has failed, has failed because it has refused to take responsibility for large projects. It's easier to cut strips on sidewalks than to build highways that remain as a work for decades”, Muharrier said.

For 3 years, 25m euros were spent on building sidewalks in Kosovo

2025= 7.3m euros

2024= 8.4m euros

2023= 9.4m euros