With 38 votes in favor, none against, and one abstention, the Prishtina Municipal Assembly in an extraordinary session voted for the transfer of self-generated funds from 2024 to 2025 in the amount of 28 million euros, reports KosovaPress.
The point regarding the 2026 budget had an agreement that it will be discussed with the assembly members of the new Municipal Assembly.
Jeta Rafuna from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) said that the approval of the transfer of funds for 2025 in the amount of 28 million euros is not a luxury but a necessity.
“This decision is not a technical step, but a necessary step to maintain the continuity of our projects and to ensure that no citizen of Prishtina is left at the mercy of imposed delays. The transfer of funds is a legal tool to guarantee that our investments in infrastructure, education, health, and urban mobility in the well-being of families continue uninterrupted… This transfer is not a luxury, it is a necessity. We are here to work for the city, not to become victims of political calculations,” she said.
The head of the Assembly group of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Gëzim Sveçla, said that they will vote for the transfer of funds, even though there were many criticisms toward Mayor Përparim Rama.
“The fact that we are here today is proof of the political and legal madness of Përparim Rama. Only when the Urban Transport workers went out onto the streets and the buses stopped operating did he suddenly realize that the transfer of funds is not done in TV studios, but here in the municipal assembly. He used this strategy during the local election campaign, and now, together with his boss, he tries to use it in the national election campaign… Citizens were told that the government blocked the funds, which is a lie; nearly 90 million euros have been allocated to the municipality this year by the government. We, the assembly members of LVV, will vote for the transfer of funds, not to save Rama, but to temporarily help Prishtina from his mismanagement. We vote because we have a duty to the capital,” Sveçla said.
Meanwhile, the head of the PDK assembly group, Leutrim Ratkoceri, stated that the interruption of public services has worsened citizens’ lives. He said that the PDK group will vote for the transfer of funds, as it may present a temporary solution.
“The interruption of public services, including public transport due to non-payments, only worsens the lives of citizens and workers, and someone must take responsibility for this situation. The PDK group remains determined to contribute seriously to unblocking and overcoming this situation in this extraordinary session. The budget transfer from 2024 to 2025 may provide a temporary solution and it is necessary to know if this transfer serves as an opportunity to restore essential services in the capital,” Ratkoceri said.
Endrit Zabërgja from the Social Democratic Initiative said that they will support the transfer of funds, as well as the approval of the 2026 budget. He emphasized that low calculations brought the capital to this state, KosovaPress reports.
“We are facing a social crisis and no funds to operate basic citizen services, and if we look at history, this is the 5th or 6th time we are dealing with the transfer and the budget. If we follow our statements from this podium throughout the year, today we are where I had warned the capital might end up. Low calculations have brought the capital to this critical state. I hope this mandate will be a lesson that politics is more than battle, more than opposition,” he said.
Gëzim Mehmeti from the New Kosovo Alliance declared that voting for the transfer of funds will protect public services and prevent the deepening of the blockade.
“The approval of the transfer of funds is a necessity, not a political theory; it is the only way to protect public services and our responsibility toward the citizens of the capital. Without this decision, the blocking process would only deepen. With this decision, stabilization begins, but it does not solve problems in general. This session has the opportunity to stop this spiral of damages today and potentially restore transportation to function,” he said.
The extraordinary session was not without tense moments between the LVV and LDK assembly members.
LVV assembly member Triera Kasumi Berisha said that some from LDK have lost their way and have trampled over the blood of the political activists of this party who were killed.
While Kasumi-Berisha was speaking, LDK assembly members were heard saying “don’t cry” and “where are you now.”
“Unfortunately, you are in a miserable state, coming from a family that was active in LDK, my father was alongside LDK, but you have lost your way. I am very sorry that most of you have trampled over the blood of the activists who were killed,” she said.
LVV assembly members requested clarifications from the Prishtina mayor regarding the destination of the transferred 28 million euros, but these clarifications were missing.
At the end of the session, Përparim Rama thanked the assembly members who voted for the transfer of funds. Regarding the approval of the 2026 budget, he said he agrees that it should be voted on by the new assembly members.
“Thank you to all the assembly members present who voted for this transfer, which will help our cause to unblock processes in the capital. I hope that an additional 35 million will also be unblocked by the acting Minister of Finance. I agree that the budget issue would be much more correct to be voted on by the new assembly members, because even today I received the news that new chairpersons have been formed, now you can decide on the new session,” Rama said.
Recall, since Monday, Urban Transport has not been operating, not providing services to citizens, and protesting in front of the Prishtina Municipality. Even during the session, the workers of this enterprise were standing in front of the Prishtina Municipality.
