The Weakest Link of Kosovo's Democracy - KFOS

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by international advisors. Neither Thaçi cabinet agreed on the strategy entirely. In
august this year, the Minister of Energy and Mining, Justina Pula Shiroka talked of
her concerned why Kosova B is not part of Kosova e Re project. The Members of Parliament
who talked against the strategy expressed wonder and suspicions that the
Strategy was adopted on the second attempt as a result of voting manipulation and
pressured from outside.
PTK Strategy
The process of Strategy on PTK drafting was also closed among MEF’s the engaged
and own advisors. Surprised for this draft was also the Minister of Health, Bujar Bukoshi,
who confirmed that government cabinet has been completely ignorant on the
matter.
Practically, the Strategy on PTK has been rejected by the Parliament. All discussions
among members in July session, with very little exclusion, have rejected on the draft.
The opposition and a considerable number of members of position parties practically
boycotted the morning session, leaving the Parliament without a quorum to decide.
Another session had been called that very day, and according to few members that
observed the session from outside, there were no quorum to vote the strategy. Even
in the Parliament’s afternoon session on Strategy on PTK, the vocal members disagreed
on most important parts of the draft.
Seeing that the Strategy would not have the Parliament’s support, Prime Minister
Thaçi and Minister Shala got together tete-a-tete to decide on how to proceed. After a
pressure they exerted on the Speaker of Parliament, the strategy was voted and this
time it was considered as adopted although with a minimum number of votes, only 44.
The next day, the opposition accused on manipulated voting of the strategy.
MEF initiated the tendering process while committing grave violation of the law and
of the will of the Parliament of Kosova. It was obvious that the Prime Minister and the
Minister of Economy were under pressure to adopt the strategy during summer vacations
and as such open the tendering process at times when the attention of media
and public opinion are difficult to attract.
concession of Prishtina International Airport (PIA)
Whoever does not understand the potential consequences of closed privatization of
public companies and of the stakeholders who exert pressure on the government to
process quickly without complying to the law must take a look at the PIA case.
In completely obscure circumstances and in a closed circle of Government-USAID-
World Bank triangle, PIA’s concession was approved with most scandalous conditions
ever to happen in Balkans. PIA was relinquished covertly, under the government’s
tutelage by international “advisors.”
Offers to concession were not opened in spite of the fact that the Government invited
media to a press conference. To this day, the Kosovar public has information neither
on the winning bid, nor other offers made to the concession. American ambassador
Christopher Dell responded harshly to Organization ÇOHU! through an explanatory
opinion to the public published in majority of cases on front pages. In a similar manner,
the French ambassador to Prishtina wrote a similar letter a day later. Neither did
The Weakest Link of Kosovo’s Democracy
forum 2015