Safete Hadërgjonaj, former MP and longtime member of the Parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee, has warned that delays in constituting the Kosovo Assembly threaten the 2026 budget and a large number of development projects.
In an interview with Indeksonline, Hadërgjonaj emphasized that the budget must be submitted to the Assembly by October 31, 2025, while from November 1, parliamentary committees begin work to review, supplement, and amend it.
After review by the Committee for Budget, Labor, and Transfers, the draft budget must be sent to the Assembly for approval.
“The Assembly is obligated to approve the 2026 budget before December 31, 2025. Otherwise, all budget allocations for the fiscal year expire on December 31, and from January 1, the country will remain without an approved budget,” she said.
According to her, the consequences of failing to approve the budget would be severe for the economy and citizens, directly affecting the functioning of institutions, businesses, and daily life.
“The effects of a government being held hostage and the Assembly not functioning are already being felt. Businesses are in crisis, and citizens are growing poorer every day,” Hadërgjonaj added.
She noted that the Public Finance Management Law allows only a temporary extension of budget allocations in cases of elections or delays, but not exceeding three months. After this period, no institution is allowed to make expenditures except for legally mandated public debt payments.
“If the country remains without a budget, public administration workers will go unpaid, and development projects will be halted. Such a scenario would be catastrophic, and I would never want it to happen in my country,” Hadërgjonaj said.
