Kosovo Assembly ratifies international agreements, budget to be reviewed on Monday
The Kosovo Assembly ratified on Friday the country's agreements with the European Union and the World Bank, worth around 1 billion euros.
MPs have been informed that the draft budget law has been postponed until Monday. According to the draft budget law, around 4 billion euros will be spent in 2026. Of the total amount of 3,955,595,904 euros, 998 million euros have been allocated for capital investments, while the bulk of the budget, or over 1.3 billion euros, is expected to be spent on subsidies and transfers. Over 980 million euros have been allocated for the salaries and allowances of over 91 thousand public sector employees. Goods and services will cost 509 million euros, while utility expenses will cost over 35 million euros.
The Albanian opposition parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), but also the Serbian List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo, have criticized the vote on the budget bill, saying they did not have enough time to read the entire document.
According to them, no budget has even been planned for some ministries.
The opposition has requested three additional days to review the draft law, and has invited Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to be present in the hall to discuss.
Opposition MPs justified their non-voting by saying that the day before they had supported the Government's proposal for a budget extension for March from last year's budget.
This extension was necessary to avoid interruptions in public sector workers' salaries and other payments.
Minister Murati has acknowledged that some new ministries do not have a budget, but has mentioned the urgency of approving the new draft law and has pledged that there will be changes and revisions to the budget in the coming weeks and months.
International agreements
At the start of the session, MPs agreed to deviate from the procedures foreseen by the Assembly for the ratification of international agreements, due to the importance of their approval as soon as possible.
The approved agreement between Kosovo and the European Union is worth 882 million euros.
The EU package for the Western Balkans – for the period 2024-2027 – is worth 6 billion euros. If we analyze the budget allocations, Kosovo is entitled to around 882 million euros – 253 million as a grant and 629 million euros in the form of a loan – which means that it benefits from the most funds in the region per capita. The Assembly has ratified both agreements necessary to secure the funds: the one enabling the plan package and the reform plan and the other for the loan agreement. Following the vote in the Assembly, the EU Office in Kosovo welcomed the ratification of the agreements related to the Growth Plan. “This paves the way for Kosovo to benefit from 882 million euros in grants and favorable loans oriented towards the implementation of reforms to advance Kosovo on its European path,” the office said in a post.
Kosovo has also ratified three agreements with the World Bank. The deadline for approving part of the funds was Friday, February 13th.
The three agreements foresee programs in different areas:
one worth 90.3 million euros is for financing development policies, fiscal efficiency, competitiveness and green growth,
The other two, each worth 18.6 million euros, envisage strengthening the health system and early childhood education, as well as caring for Kosovo's human capital.
Minister of Finance, Hekuran Murati, has said that the agreements with the World Bank are among the most favorable for the country, as they have a 0 percent interest rate.
Security coordination, Albania, Kosovo and Croatia trilateral meeting in Munich
The next trilateral meeting between Albania, Croatia and Kosovo took place in Munich, confirming the continuity of the strategic dialogue and coordination in......
Ibrahimaj: Commitment to the new phase of inspectorate reform and increased transparency
The Minister of Economy and Innovation, Delina Ibrahimaj, together with Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Chief Inspector General, Dashnor Sula, held a meeting......
The Draft Law on Financing of Political Parties brings the parties to the table - Gjiknuri and Bylykbashi: Transparency is needed for funds
The Special Commission for Electoral Reform met this Friday, where the law on the financing of political parties was discussed. The Socialist co-chair of......
Albania has the youngest population in the EU/Turkey, with the lowest median age in Europe. Italy ranks last.
According to the latest Eurostat data, Albania has a median age of 44.3 years, placing the country slightly below the European Union average, which reached......
ALPEX, 3 years since the start of operations - Albania-Kosovo energy market, more volumes and listed companies
Nearly 3 years after its launch, the Albanian Electricity Exchange, ALPEX, is showing signs of consolidation and increased trading activity. Data for 2025......
New business registrations increase by 5.28% in January - Wholesale and retail trade "absorbed" more entrepreneurship
During January 2026, 2,152 new businesses were registered at the National Business Center (NBC), marking an increase of 5.28% compared to January 2025, when......
Who must complete DIVA? - Verify the obligation in the "Tax Test". Deadline until March 31, 2026
All taxpayers in the country can find out in a simpler way whether or not they are required to complete the Individual Income Tax Declaration, DIVA......
AKU blocks over 2.4 tons of meat products and dried fruits
The National Food Authority announces that it has carried out inspections in the Agro-Food market in Tirana, in entities that traded products of animal......
