This scheme is known as “transitional pay” and guarantees former MPs a monthly payment for up to 12 months after the end of their mandate, even in cases when they are not re-elected and no longer hold any parliamentary function.

A scheme that costs the budget millions

From the last legislature, which was constituted on February 11 and dissolved on April 28, a former MP can cost the state budget approximately 23,000 euros over the course of a year, without carrying out any duty in the Assembly.

Meanwhile, the legislative institution remains non-functional, as a new constitution is awaited on the basis of the results from the snap parliamentary elections of June 7, which have still not been certified.

Data obtained from the Assembly of Kosovo show that out of a total of 120 MPs, 80 of them applied in May for the transitional pay of 1,914 euros.

This amount comes to around 153,000 euros a month from the state budget, or approximately two million euros a year.

Backed by law, but ethically debatable

Transitional pay is provided for by law, regardless of how long an MP’s mandate lasted or the fact that they no longer exercise the function.

The Law on the Rights and Responsibilities of the MP stipulates that former MPs may receive this compensation until they secure income from another source or a pension, but for no longer than 12 months.

Organizations that monitor the work of the Assembly assess that the last legislature, the tenth in a row, was ineffective.

According to the Kosovo Law Institute (IKD), from February to April, the Assembly held 24 sessions, mainly extraordinary ones, with rapid decision-making and no substantial debate.

IKD legal researcher Melos Kolshi says that although this payment is legal, it highlights a clear gap between the law and public ethics.

According to him, the main concern is related to the almost automatic implementation of this right, at a time when citizens are facing unemployment, a rising cost of living, and low wages.

He underlines that the issue does not have only a legal dimension, but also a moral one, stressing that each former MP should assess for themselves whether they truly need this compensation.

“If a former MP has the possibility of immediately returning to their profession or has other sources of income, then receiving transitional pay simply because the law allows it is difficult to justify from an ethical point of view,” Kolshi told Radio Free Europe.

“Unreasonable in an economy with challenges”

From an economic standpoint, this scheme is being viewed with even more criticism.

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Kosovo, Fehmi Mehmeti, calls this payment unjustifiable in the country’s current economic circumstances.

He says that, although the aim is to help former MPs transition, a cost of around two million euros a year is difficult to justify in an economy facing inflation and unemployment.

“Two million euros could be directed toward education, healthcare, support for young people, student scholarships or employment programs,” Mehmeti told Radio Free Europe.

According to the International Monetary Fund, economic activity in Kosovo has slowed, while inflation has risen over the past year.

Data from the Kosovo Agency of Statistics show that inflation in May reached 6.8 percent, mainly as a result of rising food prices.

In the first quarter of this year, the economy recorded growth of 5.4 percent, but experts assess that single-digit growth is not enough to significantly improve citizens’ well-being.

Unemployment remains at 10.9 percent, while the average monthly salary is 713 euros.

Calls to change the legal basis

Both Mehmeti and Kolshi believe that the legal basis should be reviewed, but that this right should not be removed entirely.

According to Kolshi, the core of the problem is not the existence of transitional pay, but the way it has been structured.

He proposes that the 12-month period be reconsidered, especially when parliamentary mandates, in practice, can last much less.

According to him, a more flexible model would be fairer and more proportional to the actual duration of the mandate.

“A fixed period of 12 months may not always be justified, so a shorter period or a gradual model that reduces compensation over time could be considered, depending on how long the legislature lasted,” Kolshi said.

Mehmeti suggests that transitional pay be limited to 3 to 6 months, or tied more closely to the length of parliamentary service.

“This would increase accountability and transparency in the use of taxpayers’ money… because in recent years election cycles have become more frequent, and consequently so have the payments,” he stressed.

A political scene with frequent elections

In just a year and a half, Kosovo has held three sets of parliamentary elections, an indicator of political instability that also directly affects the financial burden on the state.

After the June 7 elections, the Central Election Commission is expected to announce the final results by the end of the month, after which the new Assembly is also expected to be constituted.

Preliminary results show that the Vetëvendosje Movement has won 53 seats, the Democratic Party of Kosovo 22, the Democratic League of Kosovo 18, and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo 7.

Twenty seats are reserved for minority communities, 10 of them for Serbs and 10 for other communities.

From the last legislature, 36 MPs have remained outside the Assembly, but the final number of beneficiaries of transitional pay will be known only after the formation of the Government, as some MPs are expected to be appointed ministers and vacate their mandates. / RFE

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