Mitrovica, November 23, 2022
Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers, Hekuran Murati, presented the Budget for the year 2023 to citizens of the Municipality of Mitrovica today.
While praising the contribution and sacrifice of Mitrovica, Prime Minister Kurti said he was happy to speak today with citizens of this municipality for the Budget of the Republic of Kosovo for next year, for future projects, for those in progress, aiming in always increasing well-being and development.
He said that the budget planned for the Municipality of Mitrovica, for year 2023 is over 25 million euros, and together with Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers, Hekuran Murati discussed in more detail how and where the budget allocation for this municipality is foreseen.
Some of the projects of interest to citizens of this municipality that prime minister singled out and are foreseen in next year budgets are the treatment of the important roads of Shala e Bajgora: Bare-Selac Road, Maxhere-Dedi-Bistrica Road and rehabilitation of Bislim Bajgora and Agim Ramadani Roads, while 1 million euros have been allocated for the program to rebuild houses in the northern part of the city.
In addition to investments in the amount of 3 million euros for the Trepça Enterprise, which are foreseen in the budget for the next year, 1.4 million euros have been allocated for the renovation of “Adem Jashari” stadium, whereas for the preservation of heritage and culture, funds are planned for the rehabilitation of Mazhic Mosque, rehabilitation of Old Town of Trepça and reconstruction of several other cultural objects in the coming year.
Thanks to the approval of two international agreements for the treatment of wastewater in Mitrovica and Vushtrri, Prime Minister Kurti added that the project financed by EBRD and European Investment Bank, which exceeds the value of 30 million euros, foresees the regulation of waste water and its treatment from Ibri, Sitnica, Trepça and Lushta rivers.
The presentation of the budget for 2023 started yesterday, Tuesday, in Municipality of Prizren and will continue to be presented in other municipalities where citizens will have the opportunity to discuss and express their opinions regarding the 2023 budget. The next presentation will be in the Municipality of Pristina.
Full speech of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti:
Dear citizens of Mitrovica,
Dear citizens of the Republic,
Ladies and gentlemen, sisters and brothers,
Nice to meet you in your beloved city, in the beloved city for all of Kosovo and our entire nation, for all of us, and every time we leave on the road to Mitrovica, of course, the contribution, the sacrifice, the state Mitrovica is in today, but also our dreams, which do not differ from those who contributed and gave so much to our Republic and the entire Albanian nation, come to mind. Your famous pretzels also come to our mind, lately also Mitrovica song and groups like TNT and MAK, to whom I listened until 11 in the morning, then “Trepça” basketball victories, which is playing a great game this season and at the same time we remember above all the miners to whom we owe so much development, liberation and freedom, also the common spirit of our resistance in the most difficult times.
On the way here, one notices how difficult this Pristina-Mitrovica road is, something that could be done in less than half an hour and often takes even an hour. That’s why we will focus a lot on helping Mitrovica and not allowing this city of culture and art to be so separated from capital and other parts of Kosovo, but at once we will present the budget for every aspect of living in Kosovo and in particular here for the Municipality of Mitrovica because we neither want nor can forget Mitrovica and we must have it in focus if we want the whole Republic, not only Mitrovica, to be developed and advanced.
I am happy that together with me here today, is the Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers, Mr. Hekuran Murati, to talk with you about the Budget of the Republic of Kosovo for 2023, for future projects, for those in progress, aiming in always increasing well-being and development.
Last year we had the most successful year in the economic sense in the history of our state in terms of budget revenues on the one hand and economic growth on the other, despite global crises challenges. So the pandemic is not completely gone, but Russian war in Ukraine had consequences for the entire continent and not only in terms of energy crisis and inflationary one.
The budget for 2023 will be the highest budget in the history of our country. A total of 3 billion and 212 million euros. Of them, budget revenues will be 2 billion and 884 million euros.
Within the budget, addition of values for capital investments and goods and services is foreseen, reaching the value of 1.3 billion euros. This will substantially contribute to increasing business activity and economic development.
Expenditures dedicated to local government and municipalities are expected to increase by around 100 million euros, from 560 million in 2022, to 660 million in 2023, i.e. an increase of almost 20 percent.
The planned budget for the Municipality of Mitrovica, for the year 2023, is over 25 million euros.
Dear citizens,
From the beginning, our Government has been guided by three main values: justice, equality and development. Less than two years in power, our Government has made remarkable progress in these three directions. Among other things, economy grew last year by 10.7 percent of domestic product, while this year we will have about 4 percent economic growth after inflation is removed.
We have progressed to 17 countries in terms of Index of Transparency International for the fight against corruption and also 17 countries in terms of Media Freedom according to Reporters Without Borders, while, in terms of rule of law, according to “World Justice Project” which is an international organization, we have marked the first place in Balkans, the second time this year, and second place in the world in terms rule of law improvement.
Eight characteristics are what determine rule of law in a country and in Balkans, out of these eight characteristics, in seven of them, for example, Kosovo is better than Serbia. In one of them, Serbia is better than Kosovo. So, not only are we a democratic country, but at the same time we also have rule of law, the first in Balkans. Also, justice and economic growth must be accompanied in social aspect where distribution and redistribution of goods is done so that no one is left behind. So we started for the first time with a welfare state, which guarantees free higher education, child allowances and financial support for new mothers, and dignified pensions, especially for disabled people.
One of Government’s priorities is education. The education budget is the highest in the history of our education, and it is dedicated to these priorities: expansion of early childhood education, early childhood education is very important for further progress in life, in terms of professional career and intellectual, emotional development. Then we have vocational education, since we want to connect it with labor market and schools’ digitalization. This year, a budget has been provided for the continuation and construction of two nurseries in Mitrovica – in the Ilirida neighborhood and in Shipol. With the 2023 budget, we have fulfilled our promise of 500 assistants for children with special needs or disabilities. Budget for subsidies and transfers, i.e. mainly programs for social equality, is expected to reach 1.1 billion euros. This is an increase of 500 million euros, compared to the expenses of, for example, the year before the 2019 pandemic. In other words, in approximately four years, we have almost doubled subsidies and transfers for social equality.
Social transfers for families living in poverty are expected to be 48 million euros or an increase of about 33% compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019.
We started maternity and child allowances that we promised on time and by 2023 we are fulfilling our promise by including all children under the age of 16 in the scheme. In this year that is approaching the end, for each month we have increased by one more year the age of children who were included in the allowance scheme and in this way we are allocating a budget worth 60 million euros so that, all children of Republic of Kosovo up to the age of 16, can have allowances. To help families, assistance of 75 million euros is foreseen in subsidizing electricity cost.
Within the budget, investments in the amount of 3 million euros are foreseen for Trepça Enterprise. Renewable energy is one of Government’s priorities. Mitrovica is the base of one of the largest renewable energy projects, in Bajgora and Selac, 27 turbines with a total of 105 megawatts.
The 2023 budget planning will enable scheme implementation for guaranteed employment for young people.
For many years, and in a long time, I know that you have faced travel challenge, because Pristina-Mitrovica road, which started, has not been implemented and completed since 2009. Last year, but also this year, we allocated budget funds towards completing this important artery. But all the work that is being delayed in Kosovo is because planning and preparations have not preceded execution and implementation. It is not well planned and prepared. The work started without having an accurate and clear plan and without preparation, especially regarding expropriations. And then, when a work starts to be carried out and it gets stuck at expropriations obstacle, it becomes very expensive because any expropriation adds value to pay the state with its own budget when it is known that we now have this obstacle, this difficulty which is misused by a private person. If expropriations were all done at beginning and then the road was paved, everything would go quickly and cheaply. Since expropriations are not done in advance, and there is no preparation neither planning then everything is slow and expensive. Instead of being quick and cheap, it is slow and expensive because planning and preparations have not preceded the implementation and execution of jobs and decisions.
The budget for next year also foresees treatment of the important roads of Shala e Bajgora: Bare-Selac road, Maxherë-Dedi-Bistrica road and rehabilitation of Bislim Bajgora and Agim Ramadani roads. We have allocated 1 million euros for the program for rebuilding houses in the northern part of the city.
Our government has approved two international agreements for treatment of wastewater in Mitrovica and Vushtrri. This project, financed by EBRD and European Investment Bank, which exceeds 30 million euros, foresees regulation of wastewater and its treatment from Ibri, Sitnica, Trepça and Lushta rivers.
Health expenses are expected to increase to nearly 300 million euros, an increase of 15% compared to last year, or about 50% more than in the pre-pandemic year 2019. Of these, 60 million euros, about 20 percent, are for essential drugs, and within 2023 budget, completion of Pediatric Hospital in Mitrovica is foreseen.
We have also accompanied the increase in the health infrastructure budget with the increase in the number of medical staff, where we have added 400 positions: 100 positions for the central level and 300 for local level, all over Kosovo, of course also in Mitrovica.
Region of Mitrovica also has potential for the development of agriculture and livestock. The budget for agriculture next year is 87 million euros and we are close to achieving the program promise for 100 million euros spent on agriculture, and with grants that will come, we can also bring this goal closer to realization, that is, 100 million euros per year for agriculture.
Within the budget, the doubling of payments for agricultural yields, VAT compensation for agricultural oil and expenses coverage for other agricultural inputs are foreseen.
The budget for Kosovo army has doubled compared to the years before our Government. The recruitment of young soldiers is foreseen and we encourage young men and women from Mitrovica to take advantage of this opportunity. Also, we have added 300 new positions for the Police. So last year we made the draft law for the budget of 2022 where the budget for the army is 52 percent more in 2022 than in 2021 and in 2023 it is even 20 percent more than in 2022. In the past it took 10 years to roughly double the budget for the military now we have doubled it on a much higher base within two years.
Return of state customs terminals was also one of our promises, the materialization of which we will continue with the terminal at the airport of Pristina and in Vërmica, as well as with other terminals, for the functioning of which we allocated total 6 million euros.
In order to protect workers’ rights, to ensure quality of services, to protect consumers and to collect taxes that enable the provision of better public services, at the country level we have added 240 new positions for inspectorates. The state must be regulatory and supervisory, and supervisory aspect of the state is reflected precisely in the inspectorates. We are increasing the number of inspectors with 240 new positions.
For sports, we allocated 1.4 million euros for the renovation of “Adem Jashari” stadium. As for the preservation of heritage and culture, funds are planned for rehabilitation of Mazhic Mosque, rehabilitation of Old Town of Trepça and reconstruction of several other cultural objects in the coming year.
Dear attendees,
There are also many other projects and initiatives that are in next year budget, which could be broadly or precisely explained by the Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers, Mr. Hekuran Murati. Then we will be able to open the discussion with all of you.
Thank you.
Last modified: November 29, 2022