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Government Underspends by 165 Million Euro in 2009
Pristina | 24 December 2009 | Fatos Halili
Kosovo's government building
Kosovo’s government will finish 2009 with a budget surplus of 165million euro, up from 74million euro in 2008. Ministry of Finance tells Balkan Insight that other ministries were ‘out of ideas and projects’.
According to figures released by the Ministry of Finance, 85 per cent of the 1.1Billion budget has been used so far this year.
In 2008, the government said its 74 million euro surplus was down to not completing some tenders it had planned to carry out.
This year, with an underspend of 165million of euro, the Ministry of Finance told Balkan Insight: “There are some ministry’s that haven’t spent their budget because they were out of ideas and projects.”
Some ministries in 2009 spent as little as 40 per cent of their budget, while others, such as the Ministry of Transport, spent more. The Ministry of Trade and Industries used 65 per cent of the 9.2million euro allocated to it.
Fatos Sahiti, economic advisor to the minister, told Balkan Insight: “We decided to save some money this year and that is the reason we have a surplus of 3.5 million euro. This money will help with next year budget.”
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development spent 40 per cent of it budget.
A spokesman said: “We are still vetting the process of the autumn sowing, and after we have finished this verification we hope to achieve about 80 per cent of the budget.
“We have supported all of our projects but I cannot tell you exactly why we have not managed to spend 100 per cent.”
This ministry, up until December 23, had only spent 5million euro from its 12.5million euro pot.
The Ministry for Communities and Returns has spent 6.5million euro from an 8.7million euro budget.
An official for the economic department said: “We have financed every project for constructing new homes and projects which help communities return to their homes.
We have financed all our projects but it looks like the projects were not enough [to spend our entire budget].”
