The Government of Kosovo and the European Union have signed a financial agreement in the amount of 75 million euros within the program of the
Assistance Instrument for Pre-accession to the European Union, known by the acronym IPA, which is financed by the EU for the countries of the Balkans west The funds obtained on Friday from Kosovo, through this agreement, will be used for the energy
sector.
The agreement was signed between the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi and the head of the European Union Office in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog.
The agreement enters into force from February 24, Bislimi said, adding that these tools will help address the impact of the energy crisis that Kosovo, like other European countries, is experiencing.
“We will immediately request the disbursement of 90 percent of the funds provided for in this agreement. So for 67.5 million euros, which are expected to be disbursed quickly in the state budget. Meanwhile, the rest of 7.5 million euros will be distributed during the next year after meeting certain conditions in the financial agreement”, said Bislimi. Even the head of the EU office, Tomas Szunyog, said that with these means Kosovo will maintain the stability of the electricity supply.
“This is part of the 500 million as aid to the partners of the Western Balkans. The reason why the EU has mobilized this is because the Russian aggression against Ukraine has an impact on the world market, especially on the energy market,” he emphasized.
Since July last year, the Government has imposed emergency energy measures due to Kosovo’s energy crisis.
In order to save electricity, the Government of Kosovo, in October of last year, allocated six million euros for subsidizing efficient heating equipment, while the bills of consumers who save electricity are also subsidized.
Source: Albanian Daily News
