Kosovo’s political deadlock costs it more than 40 million euros in EU funds

The parliamentary blockade has officially cost Kosovo more than 40 million euros in funding from the European Union. At the same time, Prime Minister Albin Kurti has warned that the country could face new elections if a new president is not elected by October 6.

During a meeting of the Ministerial Council for European Integration, Kurti described possible elections as unnecessary and costly. According to him, the legislature’s failure to function has prevented the adoption of necessary laws and left millions of euros earmarked for Kosovo through the Growth Plan out of the budget.

As the constitutional deadline approaches, new parliamentary elections are once again emerging as a concrete possibility. They would be the fourth elections held in less than two years. At the second meeting of the Ministerial Council for European Integration, which also serves as the Steering Committee for the Growth Plan, the prime minister urged lawmakers to reach an agreement on electing the head of state, a process that takes place in the plenary hall.

Kurti said that if a president is not elected, Kosovo will go to the polls again, even though the country already has a parliamentary speaker and an elected government. He argued that a new electoral process would once again produce a parliament and a government, not a president, raising the question of why voters should again vote for a body that may not be able to elect the head of state.

According to the prime minister, the impact of the institutional crisis goes beyond the political confrontation and directly affects the funds Kosovo expects from Brussels. By June 30, the country had completed 20 reform steps worth 153.3 million euros, while the report on their implementation is being reviewed by the European Commission for the release of the funds.

However, the failure to approve laws because of the parliamentary blockade has made it impossible to complete six of the 13 planned reforms on time. As a result, Kosovo has lost the opportunity to receive more than 40 million euros.

Kurti also announced that three international agreements for IPA programs would be sent to parliament at the beginning of next week. Through them, Kosovo aims to secure 258 million euros, but the main concern relates to deadlines expiring at the end of the year.

According to the prime minister, the focus should be placed on implementing 22 reforms worth 131.4 million euros in EU funds, which conclude at the end of December this year. Eight of them, or more than one-third, depend on the approval of draft laws in parliament. These are 10 draft laws whose deadlines expire on December 31, 2026. Kurti said that a functioning parliament would guarantee that the reforms and corresponding funds were not lost.

After the statements to the media, the meeting of the Ministerial Council continued behind closed doors. The prime minister’s message, however, was clear: the absence of a functioning parliament that elects the president and approves the necessary laws exposes Kosovo to the risk of institutional destabilization and the loss of hundreds of millions of euros earmarked for development.