KLGI organised a public discussion on two draft regulations of the Ministry of Finance

The KLGI Institute, continuing its cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, organised a public discussion on two Draft Administrative Instructions: on the Selection Criteria and Prioritisation of Capital Projects, and on the Justification for Allowing Transfers and Reallocations.

The Administrative Instructions, drafted by the Ministry of Finance with external expertise and support from international development partners and currently under public discussion, aim to set out the criteria for selecting capital projects and the procedures for transferring and reallocating budget appropriations within budget organisations.

In order to add value to the public consultation and obtain direct input from municipalities and civil society, the draft instructions were presented and recommendations were drawn up. The consultation process remains open to all interested stakeholders so that the new regulations have the widest possible involvement. Participants in this session were the Finance Directors of the municipalities of the Republic of Kosovo, representatives of the Ministry of Finance and civil society.

The Director of the Budget of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr Salvador Elmazi, presenting the draft administrative instructions, stressed that these two documents are part of a package of three Administrative Instructions that the Ministry of Finance has also provided for in its legislative plan for this year.

The Administrative Instruction on the Selection Criteria and Prioritisation of Capital Projects aims to set out the selection criteria for capital projects and project prioritisation.

The Administrative Instruction on the Justification for Allowing Transfers and Reallocations, meanwhile, aims to regulate the procedures for transferring and reallocating budget appropriations within the budget organisation and the transparency of this process, in accordance with the Law on Public Financial Management and Accountability.

The Executive Director of the KLGI Institute, Mr Besnik Muçaj, stressed that such discussions are a good opportunity: in addition to publication on the consultation platform, this form of round-table discussion that brings stakeholders together is very important, because the exchange of arguments and ideas gives stakeholders the opportunity to present the challenges and problems they face in practice.

This promotes a more sustainable dialogue and a greater chance that the draft instructions proposed by the Ministry of Finance will be more coherent and more feasible for municipalities to implement.

The activity was carried out as part of the support for the Ministry of Finance and aimed to bring together municipal stakeholders and civil society to discuss and jointly address recommendations and comments within the public discussion process.

This activity is being carried out within the project ‘Support for Stronger and More Sustainable Municipalities (SSSM)’, funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kosovo.