With 63 votes in favor, 45 against and no abstentions, the Assembly did not approve the avoidance of the procedural deadline for the draft law on Electricity.
Democratic Party of Kosovo MP Ferat Shala was critical of the procedures.
"Because of the many reasons we have mentioned in previous sessions, but also because part of the procedures of these laws have gone through public hearings in previous legislatures, which also conflicts with other principles. So, we do not have public hearings in this legislature. Also, this part of the law on electricity conflicts with several articles of the Energy Community directives, namely the European Union. For these reasons, we will vote against it," he said.
Democratic League of Kosovo MP Janina Ymeri said they will vote against.
"On behalf of the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic League of Kosovo, we vote against the deviation, because the law has principles and content that not only affect energy security, but also national security, regarding the electricity transmission system operator (KOSTT). There are people who are concerned about this issue and are not part of Vetëvendosje. For this reason, we do not support the deviation from the relevant regular procedure," she said.
The head of the Parliamentary Group from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Besnik Tahiri, was against the avoidance.
"Regarding the evasion, I think that as an Assembly, both as a position and as an opposition, we showed maturity for the urgency of international agreements, by removing the political background, which is very evident. I think that the Vetëvendosje Parliamentary Group should not teach us about evasion, neither for this law nor for any other. We, as an opposition party, will be forced to have a political stance due to the dissatisfaction in this process, which were also elaborated by Ferat Shala and Jeta Statovci. Our stance is clear: we will not support any evasion, given that the deadline is ending and there is no sustainable solution. Putting it on the agenda through evasion will not pass and will only be a waste of time," said Tahiri.
The Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, responded to the opposition, saying that it is obstructing reforms that enable integration into the regional market and that of the European Union.
"I want to thank MP Tahiri for telling the truth: this is a political position, unlike the parliamentary groups of PDK and LDK, which are giving excuses. In fact, Mr. Shala said that the public consultations ended a year ago, while two days ago he said that they did not pass at all. This shows a lack of consistency. It is disingenuous to give such excuses, because they do not hold up. This is your political decision. You are losing 9 million euros to the state and are obstructing reforms that enable integration into the regional market and that of the European Union. You talk about energy trading, but you do not allow the package of laws that enables this integration. However, your position is yours. I thank the deputies of the Committee on Economy and the Vetëvendosje Movement for treating these laws seriously," said Rizvanolli.
The Assembly has not even approved the evasion of procedural deadlines for the Draft Law on the Central Inspectorate of Cultural Heritage.
This bill received 65 votes in favor and 44 against.
