Pristina, February 21, 2022
The first Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue of the Republic of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, together with the Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers, Hekuran Murati, hosted the Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, Mr. Bo Li.
The meeting discussed the challenges and priorities of the Government, where there was special emphasis on the measures taken to alleviate the effects of the crisis caused by the Russian aggression and occupation in Ukraine and the support of the most affected sections of society.
Regarding the energy crisis, which is affecting Kosovo as well as most of the world, the measures taken by the Government to save and subsidize electricity were singled out. To cope with the crisis caused in this sector, at the last meeting of the Government, 19 million euros were allocated for subsidizing electricity for citizens, in order to reduce the impact of energy tariffs, as well as 6 million euros, for implementation of energy efficiency measures.
Also, the recent doubling of the payment for the beneficiaries of the social assistance scheme for the month of September 2022, the continuous support for pensioners and families with social assistance, as part of the continuation of the implementation of the measures provided for in the Economic Revival Package, were mentioned.
Mr. Bo Li congratulated the Government for taking timely measures to reduce the impact on citizens of the crisis facing Europe through targeted support and to maintain macro-fiscal stability. He positively evaluated the Government’s decision not to allow the withdrawal of pension funds from the Trust, which would undermine the pension system.
Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi and Minister Murati, thanking Mr. Bo Li for the visit and the conversation, emphasized that they highly appreciate and welcome the continuous support of the International Monetary Fund for overcoming the challenges we face and increasing the cooperation between us.
Last modified: September 22, 2022