Over 1.9 million euros from the state budget have been spent this year on salaries for Members of Parliament and their assistants—despite the fact that most parliamentary sessions held this year lasted only a few minutes.
No work was completed, and new institutions were not formed. Although salaries were paid, experts warn that the country is at risk of entering a financial blockade. The blame falls on the very representatives of the people who have been unable to reach a political consensus.
In just seven months, MPs and their assistants received more than 1.9 million euros from the state budget. But results from their work were nonexistent.
The base salary of an MP is 1,914 euros, excluding experience-based bonuses.
According to the Assembly of Kosovo, from April—when the constitutive session was first called—until October, over 1.3 million euros were allocated for MP salaries. Meanwhile, more than 571 thousand euros were allocated for the salaries of political support staff.
The ninth legislature of the Assembly of Kosovo has faced a full institutional blockade. The Assembly remained unconstituted for months, with several failed attempts to elect a Speaker. Although the Assembly is now formally constituted and MPs and assistants receive full salaries, their work remains stalled.
Even though MP salaries remain among the highest in the public sector, the elected representatives have failed to form new institutions—leaving citizens to bear the consequences.
“Consequences exist both domestically and internationally. There are two main pillars threatening the macro-financial stability of the country. First, given the current state of the Assembly and the lack of a legitimate government, the biggest consequence will be the failure to pass the state budget. I can’t even imagine what consequences that will bring to citizens. Kosovo is the only country in the region, along with Bosnia, that has failed to access EU funds under the economic growth plan,” said politics expert Afrim Kasolli.
According to Kasolli, due to the irresponsible behavior of MPs, the country risks falling into a financial collapse.
“This is irresponsible behavior given the obligations they undertook, since they have a mandate to address citizens’ concerns. If they fail to find a political solution and we enter next year without an approved budget, the country will face financial collapse, and the consequences are frightening even to imagine,” Kasolli added.
Meanwhile—unlike MPs who continue receiving salaries without doing their job—employees of Radio Television of Kosovo have not been paid for 14 days.
