The stalemate in the Assembly “crushes” Kosovo
Express newspaper
18/07/2025 8:59
It seems that the three-month blockade of the Kosovo Assembly has already begun to be felt by municipalities and citizens.
The Association of Kosovo Municipalities says that as a result of the failure to constitute the Assembly, three municipalities have been left without a budget, while a number of development projects for municipalities are hostage to millions of euros blocked in the Assembly.
“In terms of finances, the three municipalities of Gjilan and Zubin Potok have yet to approve the budget for 2025 because the Kosovo Assembly should not take such an action. The municipalities are suffering from financial asceticism due to not receiving support from the EU funds, as well as from the growth plan, but also others that are being blocked due to the measures… the citizen is not seeing these financial means that directly affect the improvement of their lives.” In terms of legislation, it is important for the municipalities to amend some basic laws on finance, on local government finances, on public procurement, on spatial planning, and a series of laws that will improve the functioning of local government,” Ibrahimi told rtv21.
As a result of the failure to constitute the Assembly, Kosovo has not yet received pre-financing from the EU Growth Plan worth over 60 million euros nor the 90 million euros from the World Bank, as the agreements that enable the allocation of these funds must be ratified by the Assembly.
The Kosovo Chamber of Commerce says that if the blockade in the Parliament continues, the consequences for the country will deepen.
“The blockade has a material effect both in terms of foreign investments and in the image of diplomacy. We have over 800 million euros in agreements awaiting ratification and are projects that are foreseen for capital investments that directly affect better economic growth and the lives of citizens,” Rafuna emphasized for rtv21.
The failure to form new institutions is harming Kosovo both politically and diplomatically, says former diplomat Blerim Canaj, according to whom the country is stalling in integration processes due to the lack of institutions.
“We will have communication problems with the world. The visit of the American official took place at the embassy and not at the government. But it is noticeable that we do not have an all-powerful institution for making decisions and even our partners view the entire institution with reservations… considering we are under sanctions, we must have an institution that deals with this issue. We had issues that no longer exist…”, Canaj told rtv21
A day ago, the German embassy in Kosovo, in a response to RTV21, said that Kosovo is losing ground to other countries in the region in the European integration process, especially in implementing the EU’s growth plan and benefiting from relevant funds.
The incumbent government of Kosovo has meanwhile blamed the former opposition parties for the blockade created, saying that they are preventing the receipt of funds dedicated to Kosovo, accusations that have been denied by the former opposition.