Zulfaj: If we go to elections again, we risk losing nearly 90 million euros

Kosovo’s chief negotiator with the European Union, Jeton Zulfaj, has warned that Kosovo could lose considerable funds from the Growth Plan if the country goes to elections again.

Zulfaj, through a post on Facebook, said 131.4 million euros from 22 steps of the Growth Plan have a final deadline of December 31 of this year.

According to him, in the absence of a functioning Assembly and a Government with full capacity, Kosovo risks losing nearly 90 million euros.

“Therefore, if the Assembly does not elect the President today, the implementation of a large part of the Growth Plan reforms is put at risk”, Zulfaj wrote.

He also mentioned the draft laws which, according to him, were blocked in June because of the situation in the Assembly and over which Kosovo risks losing more than 40 million euros.

Zulfaj said these draft laws have been approved again in the Government and sent to the Assembly, while on Monday they passed at first reading.

“If the President is not elected today, these draft laws too will not go to second reading and will have to be processed from the beginning, in the Government and in the Assembly”, he declared.

Among them, Zulfaj also mentioned the law that would enable Kosovo to become part of SEPA, saying every year outside this scheme costs Kosovar citizens and businesses around 55 million euros.

Finally, Zulfaj criticised the opposition, accusing it of institutional blockage.

“The blockade is a choice. The opposition has chosen to block, and it is billing the cost to the citizens”, he wrote, as Telegrafi reports.