The Assembly of Kosovo has approved the Law on the Mediterranean Games “Prishtina 2030”, with 64 votes in favor and none against or abstention, paving the way for the organization of this major sports event in the country. However, the draft law has been accompanied by debate and criticism from the opposition, which has raised concerns about transparency, accountability and management of public finances.
The deputy of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Arbnora Salihu, has expressed her concerns regarding the content of the law and the lack of additional institutional reporting mechanisms. She emphasized the need for the Organizing Committee to report to the Assembly, considering that the main funding comes from the state budget, as well as raised the issue of avoiding public procurement procedures, to which, according to her, the European Union has also reacted.
“I have requested the amendment of Article 11 so that the Organizing Committee of the Mediterranean Games ‘Prishtina 2030’ reports not only to the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games but also to the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo because the main source of funding is the budget of the Republic of Kosovo. Also, our serious concern is the definition in this draft law to bypass public procurement legislation. This means not following public procurement procedures and giving “These concerns are not only ours, the European Union office in Kosovo has raised the alarm about this draft law, emphasizing that in its current form it poses serious risks for the management of public finances,” said Salihu.
On the other hand, the deputy of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Adelina Thaçi-Meta, highlighted the lack of legal clarity and accountability in the bill. She has mentioned the remarks of the European Union, stressing concerns about the structure of the governing board and the extensive involvement of government representatives in this body.
The lack of legal clarity and accountability raises serious concerns about compliance with standards for public financial management. These are remarks of the EU, which I also emphasized in the last session, where around the board of directors they emphasize that as the highest governing body of the entire project, that is, of the OSMG, the whole government was planned to enter, from the prime minister as a right, which does not resemble anywhere, even with four ministers”, declared Thaqi-Meta.
The PDK deputy, Arben Mustafa, also addressed the criticism, who emphasized the risk of bypassing public procurement procedures for a significant amount of budget funds. He has raised dilemmas about the way these funds are managed and about the powers given to the organizational body.
“We are talking about a circumvention of the public procurement procedures in Kosovo for an amount of 254 million euros of money from the Kosovo budget. With this law, you are asking that the deputies be allowed to waive the procedures that this assembly has determined by law for the use of public money and entrust it to a body that you, as a government, have to create to determine how these funds will be distributed. I think this is unfair”, stressed Mustafa.
On the other hand, the Minister of Sports and Youth, Blerim Gashani, has defended the draft law, emphasizing that the legislation on public procurement remains in force for all expenses financed by the state budget. He explained that the internal regulations of the Organizing Committee are in accordance with the law and necessary for the organization of the Games, in accordance with the international standards determined by the relevant bodies.
“The procurement law remains fully in force for all expenses that are financed from the state budget. The internal regulations of the Organizing Committee cannot conflict with the legislation in force and these regulations are necessary and stem from the requirements and standards set for these events by ICMG, which is the owner of the games,” said Gashani.
Kosovo won the right to organize the 2030 Mediterranean Games by decision of the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games, marking an important moment for sport and the country’s international image. The event is expected to be held mainly in Pristina, with some activities that can be distributed in other cities, depending on the sports infrastructure./ KosovaPress
