Civil society urges Osmani to unite parties to approve Kosovo's budget

2025-10-28 15:53:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A number of civil society organizations in Kosovo have asked President Vjosa Osmani to mediate an agreement between parliamentary parties for the approval of the country's new budget and several important financial agreements.

Kosovo formed a new parliament months ago, but last week it failed to form a new government, which has increased the risk that the country will enter 2026 without a budget.

In a letter to Osmani, 21 signatory organizations said that the lack of a new budget would paralyze payments for the salaries of teachers, doctors, public administration, social transfers for hundreds of thousands of Kosovo citizens, the implementation of public works, and more.

"The country's financial future and the well-being of its citizens should not be held hostage to political blockades. We believe that your experience, authority and unifying role as president can be decisive in avoiding a crisis that would affect many families in Kosovo ," the letter states.

These organizations proposed to the president, as they said, several possible legal and feasible paths.

They demand that the incumbent Government submit the draft budget law for 2026 to the Assembly, or that the current Assembly at least vote on an extension of the current budget until the end of March 2026.

They also require ratification of the Agreement with the European Union on the Growth Plan, the Facility Agreement, and the Loan Agreement.

The Growth Plan contains a package of 6 billion euros to support the approximation of the economies of the six Western Balkan countries to European standards.

From this package, Kosovo could benefit from over 880 million euros, but the failure to ratify the agreement with the bloc has meant that it has not been able to receive a single penny of this amount yet.

But can an incumbent government make a new budget?

Many legal experts believe that the incumbent Government cannot and does not have the authority to propose a budget for approval in the country's new Parliament.

In an interview with Radio Free Europe on Monday, finance expert Haki Shatri said that only a government with full powers can take initiatives to amend the budget law, or to continue budget allocations for the first months of 2026.

" If no solution is found to operationalize one-twelfth of the budget in January, even if there is an earthquake, no one dares to undertake anything ," he said.

The former Minister of Economy and Finance added that without a new government, in January there will be no money for the army or the police.

Albert Krasniqi from the Democracy Plus organization wrote on Facebook on Tuesday that the incumbent government - elected by the previous legislature - cannot propose the draft law for the annual budget for the new legislature.

"The Assembly, which has not yet elected a new government, cannot pass laws without having its own government to implement them. The Assembly's Rules of Procedure provide that the draft budget be reviewed by parliamentary committees - committees that have not yet been established ," he wrote.

He said that the distinction between the Government in resignation and the Government in office should be made clear, explaining that the Government in resignation is one that, during its mandate, after the resignation or dismissal of the Prime Minister, continues to exercise its functions until the formation of a new government, while still having a functional Assembly, established committees, and Government-Assembly communication channels.

Gëzim Shala from the Kosovo Law Institute wrote on Facebook on Monday that the incumbent Government does not have the right to propose the budget, nor does the Assembly have the right to vote on the budget proposal of this incumbent Government.

"The government in resignation refers to a government that has been elected by a particular legislature, which continues its work until the moment of the election of the new Government, and not in cases where the Government's mandate has ended. In this specific case, the Government in office was not elected by this legislature and does not belong to it," he wrote.