The Government of Kosovo is anticipating that within this year to start implementing a new package for economic recovery. The Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers, Hekruan Murati has indicated that this package will be made after the budget review. Meanwhile, representatives of the opposition have said that the Government has not taken the issue of recovery seriously.
The Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers, Hekruan Murati has announced a new package of economic recovery of Kosovo, in parallel with the budget review, for which he said that very soon they will be in the Assembly for voting.
Murati in the session of the Assembly, where the economy is being discussed as a result of the Covdi-19 pandemic, said that with the reduction of numbers, the economic recovery can be done.
“We are preparing, very soon you will have the budget review. It was impossible to make an economic recovery package without knowing the fiscal space, we had to monitor revenues, expenditures to be clear what fiscal space we can use to create this recovery package. “Very soon we will have both in parallel.”
Minister Murati also criticized the former government for the measures taken to help businesses.
“The measures of the previous government have been seen by the citizens who have neither opened nor closed. The numbers have broken black records continuously and the criteria for the distribution of 60 million euros are not clear “.
Murati has said that this year the performance of the economy will be the best in the last two decades. According to Murat, this will come as a result of the arrival of emigrants and the accumulation of income.
He said that there should be a call for consumption of local products.
“The reason for the economic downturn is related to insecurity and any additional liquidity could not increase the economy, because citizens have had insecurity. The only way out of this situation has been to bring the growing number of cases under control. As a result of the arrival of the diaspora and the increase in expenditures after the accumulation of income, we expect to have the best economic performance in the last two decades this year. “We must call for the consumption of local production and the formatting of the economy.”
Whereas, the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly from the ranks of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Bedri Hamza said that the Government has not taken seriously the issue of recovery.
According to Hamza, without vaccination of the population there will be no economic recovery in the country.
“Without vaccinating the population, there will be no economic recovery. We have a large number of businesses that have closed and many workers have left their jobs. Public debt has risen and capital spending has fallen. The government plan does not envisage any measures on how the economic recovery will take place. Use this session to tell citizens whether they will increase taxes. If you do not have a plan, then implement the Law on Economic Recovery. If you start with these measures, it would be a help to citizens and businesses. “As you know, this law has another six months.”
He adds that until the review of the Kosovo budget, budget organizations will have difficulties in their functioning.
“The fact that the Kosovo government has not taken the issue of recovery seriously is seen from the approval of only one economic package. The government of Northern Macedonia has approved packages of 900 million euros, so Albania has approved packages of billions of lek and Montenegro has approved packages of over 1 billion euros. Until the budget review there will be difficulties for budget organizations. Additional support of 40 million euros for businesses that were closed during the pandemic. Support sectors that have been exposed to the virus. Also, to reimburse the fines of businesses that have been active during the pandemic “.
LDK MP, Hykmete Bajrami said that the economic recovery after the pandemic is happening much faster than expected.
The former Minister of Economy added that the former Hoti government has allocated over 285 million euros for citizens, businesses and institutions.
“Only during 2020, 285 million euros were given directly, and in total for six months, 285 million euros were put in support of the citizens, but they were our capacities. We have doubled subsidies in agriculture, we have helped women businesses. “The Kurti government took office on March 22 and how can you be proud of the economic progress”, said Bajrami.
Bajrami said that neither the decrease in the number of cases infected with COVID-19 nor the economic recovery is the merit of the Kurti Government.
“With the decline in the number of infected people, it is incomprehensible to be so proud that there is no decision and no measure for you to take credit. If we talk about the May figures, there is no economic measure and decision that would create its effects immediately after 1 month. The Kurti government took office on March 22 and how can you be proud of the economic program. We did everything not to have total closure. “The recovery is happening much faster than we anticipated, precisely because of the measures we have taken.”
MP from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Pal Lekaj says that this government is not seeing any initiative or economic planning that will help businesses and citizens.
Lekaj also raised as a concern the reduction of revenues at the local level.
“Citizens do not forget that Vetëvendosje was the one who blocked for months the entire draft law on economic recovery where in your opinion it was a dangerous and illogical law and as we know the lack of this law penalized many activities and businesses and citizens and that a large part of guilt in this process of losses you also have a finger as a party, even more than everyone. Unfortunately, then there was something to vote for and now we do not see any initiative, ideas or economic planning from the ministry and the government to help businesses, the economy sector or citizens. This can not be known otherwise than a failure as a result of not planning a government without projects that does not know how to lead. “And worse, we as the opposition can not close our eyes because the pandemic has created negative effects throughout the country and this has affected the reduction of civic welfare.”
Lekaj further said that with the Kurti Government the situation is deteriorating every day and more and this is being noticed in the local government.
The government led by Albin Kurti has not yet started distributing funds from the Law on Economic Recovery to businesses that have suffered losses from the coronavirus-caused pandemic.
According to the Law on Economic Recovery, which was approved by the Assembly of Kosovo in December last year, the Government of Kosovo led by former Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, has allocated 222 million euros for the private sector, health, social schemes, education and culture.
So far from the Law on Economic Recovery, 30 million euros have been allocated for the private sector. Of this amount, 6 and a half million were allocated for the self-employed, 1 million for women in the economy and 1.5 million for the coverage of the guaranteed guarantee for the Kosovo Credit Guarantee Fund, 13 million euros for the agricultural sector and 8 million for the subsidy of the tariff. for Renewable Energy Sources./ Fatos Shala