Prishtina, 8 October, 2024
In order to deepen cooperation and further expand communication between the central and local levels, the seventh regular meeting with the mayors of Kosovo’s municipalities was held today, chaired by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, with the co-presence of the Minister of Administration of Local Government, Elbert Krasniqi and the Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers, Hekuran Murati.
In this meeting, the Government’s achievements in this mandate were reiterated, such as the increase in the number of employees, the increase in the Gross Domestic Product, the distribution of about 1.3 billion euros to citizens and businesses, the increase of the minimum wage twice within the mandate, and recently the scheme new pension with a 20% increase for over 304 thousand pensioners. As for the direct benefit of the municipalities, Prime Minister Kurti mentioned the beginning of the project for affordable housing in 13 municipalities, and that so far 5 agreements have been signed, as well as the construction of houses by the Ministry of Local Government Administration, with over 130 houses built and another 200 in the process of construction, only in the four municipalities in the north of the country.
Among the topics addressed in this joint meeting was the issue of stray dogs, where the Prime Minister stated that efficient management requires full coordination between the two levels and expressed his readiness for the Government to co-finance based on real needs, ensuring citizens from attacks of stray dogs. On the other hand, the project “Citizen connection with official address”, which aims to improve public administration and services for citizens by creating unique and official addresses, was another topic of discussion.
“This will facilitate address registration processes, increase security and help sustainable planning of municipalities. With this system, citizens will no longer need additional documents for registration, invoices, but will be able to declare the address only with the official names of the streets, making the administration more organized and even more efficient”, added Prime Minister Kurti.
Regarding the issue of the collective contract, Prime Minister Kurti emphasized that the Government of the Republic of Kosovo aims to establish legality, therefore, according to him, any tendency or action towards the implementation of contracts outside the power of the law harms the worker, the rule of law and the Republic. He added that this issue requires an open and broad discussion with the workers together, for the drafting and then the implementation of collective contracts that reflect the need, power and right of the worker in the Republic of Kosovo.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, said that it is always a pleasure to organize such discussion tables. As he said, the opportunity to offer solutions is the mayors of the municipalities and the central level, who design policies and implement programs, so that the lives of citizens improve and raise their standard of living.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Thank you, Minister of Local Government Administration, Mr. Elbert Krasniqi,
Dear mayors and vice-presidents of the municipalities of the Republic of Kosovo,
The honorable Mr. Agim Aliu, chairman of the Association of Municipalities of Kosovo,
The honorable Mr. Avni Ahmeti, general director of the Kosovo Cadastral Agency,
Dear attendees,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is good that we are meeting in our regular meeting, it is the seventh meeting, to discuss the progress of the projects in your municipalities, but also the challenges and finding the right solutions for them.
Although a few months separate us from the new elections at the central level, this does not exclude the fact that our discussion should be focused, as well as our preoccupation, towards the solutions we can offer, because we have an obligation to work for citizens without thinking about the elections and without thinking about ourselves in the first place. The interest of the citizens and the state, the interest of the municipalities and the Republic, remain primary, therefore we must strengthen our cooperation for as many good works as possible for the benefit of the development of Kosovo and the well-being of the citizens.
The situation has changed positively. In this fall, Kosovo has 425 thousand employees, while in the spring of 2021 there were 350 thousand employees, and I believe that this increased employment has undoubtedly been reflected in the well-being and activity of the population.
The economy in these years that both you and I are in government, namely the Gross Domestic Product has increased by 33%, while the state budget by 35%. About 1.3 billion euros have been distributed to citizens and businesses through numerous measures without creating new debts. We also have an increase in the minimum wage twice, initially to 264 euros and then to 350 euros, meanwhile we have also introduced this new pension scheme, with a 20% increase, where over 304 thousand pensioners benefit from this increase, and which still does not represent the pension reform that will come in the near future.
Another important achievement, which directly benefits the municipalities, is the start of the project for affordable housing in 13 municipalities. The locations have been selected according to the criteria set by the ministry, and so far 5 agreements have been signed, Gjilan, Pejë, Podujevë, Istog and Kamenica, and we are very close to signing with Obiliq and Shtime. It is also worth mentioning the construction of houses by the Ministry of Local Government Administration in the municipalities, with over 130 houses built and another 200 in the process of construction, the latter only in the four municipalities in the north of the country.
Beyond infrastructure and construction, we attach importance to the education of new generations, through initiatives such as dual education in schools, where today we have 12 profiles with over 1500 students in 14 municipalities across Kosovo. I encourage all of you who already have dual education, let’s jointly increase the number of students, the number of profiles, the number of schools, meanwhile, you honorable mayors and vice-mayors of municipalities who do not yet have the dual education system, it is better that as soon as possible to start a conversation so that he is placed even where he is not yet.
The investments in the municipalities have also aimed to preserve and take care of the cultural heritage and I thank you all for the cooperation we have in this aspect, because the cultural heritage is at the core of the history of our people. There are over 9 million euros that have been allocated for cultural projects, which include dozens of restored objects.
Also, the organization of the Mediterranean Games is known to bring more than 200 million euros of investment to the municipalities, because they are also the hosts of this organization, where about 5000 athletes will participate.
From 2021 to 2024, over 40,000 new businesses have been registered in Kosovo. Meanwhile, in the field of agriculture, farmers have been supported with 300 million euros. From businesses to farmers, there is no layer, in any municipality, in which financial and other support has not been felt.
These measures and policies show my commitment as prime minister and of our joint government, for sustainable economic development, for the creation of new jobs and the increase in the well-being of citizens, without any distinction.
I am convinced that with the same commitment, we can do our best in the remaining months of this year, with the aim of continuing the good work and overcoming the challenges together.
We are here to help and support you, so let’s intensify the dialogue and cooperation for this.
Among the topics that we want to address in this joint meeting of ours, is an issue that has become more serious over time, and this is that of stray dogs, namely efficient management, which requires full coordination of two levels . We must understand that line ministries and municipalities must determine the locations for the construction of temporary treatment centers. Municipalities must continue the campaign with castration, sterilization and vaccination, as well as manage the sale and uncontrolled breeding, ending dog fights. Information shows that dog fights are organized in some municipalities and breeding laboratories are created as a result. The dogs are then abandoned and attack. The government is ready to co-finance based on real needs, ensuring citizens from stray dog attacks, which have become almost daily news in our country.
Also, an issue for which we are happy is the project “Connection of the citizen with an official address”. This project aims to improve public administration and services for citizens, by creating unique and official addresses. This will facilitate address registration processes, increase security and help sustainable municipal planning. With this system, citizens will no longer need additional documents for registration, invoices, but will be able to declare the address only with the official names of the streets, making the administration more organized and even more efficient.
At the request of the Association of Municipalities of Kosovo, it was requested that the issue of the collective contract be discussed in this meeting, for which, it should be noted that even in this case, the Government of the Republic of Kosovo aims to establish the legality . Any tendency or action towards the implementation of contracts outside the power of the law, harms the worker, harms the rule of law and our country. We want an open and broad discussion with the workers, together for the drafting and then the implementation of the collective contracts, which reflect the need, the power and the right of the worker in the Republic of Kosovo.
Thank you for your cooperation, for your participation, for your attention, and without wasting time, I will first pass the floor to the Minister of Local Government Administration, Mr. Elbert Krasniqi.
Last modified: October 9, 2024