The government justifies the loss of 21 million for the debt recognized to "Coutour Global"

Government officials have blamed the predecessors for signing harmful contracts, they have justified the allocation of over 21 million euros for the payment of compensation to the company "Contour Global", after losing the case in arbitration. Former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj reacted to the Government's accusations, during whose government the contract for the "New Kosova" thermal power plant was signed.

On Wednesday, the Government allocated over 21 million euros for the payment of compensation to "Contour Global", after losing the case in arbitration.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti blamed his predecessors for signing the contract and for its consequences. He said that the project was not designed to be realized nor to be useful for Kosovo.

"Unfortunately, the suspension of our government in the spring of 2020 and the arrival of an unconstitutional government left a vacuum to address this issue and ensure that Kosovo does not have such consequences. As the events have gone, the belief is created that this project never had a plan to find the right financing, but was satisfied with the idea of ​​a possible arbitration to get the money from Kosovo. Despite all the consequences, it is much better that the same was not carried out, because such a backlash did not continue, but ended", stated Kurti.

At the end of 2017, the Government signed the agreement with the American company "Contour Global", for the construction of the "Kosova e Re" thermal power plant with a capacity of 500 megawatts, which would cost 1.3 billion euros. 

Self-determination was against the terms of the contract. And, when this party took power, "Contour Global" withdrew.

also Arberi July 10, 2024 The government shares over 21 million euros after losing the arbitration with "Contour Global"

The Minister of Finance, Hekuran Murati, said that the harmful decisions of past governments are following the current one as well.

"An agreement which was signed in December 2017 contained the signature of Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj himself. The Haradinaj government had signed this agreement despite all warnings from the opposition, from civil society and from experts in the field that such a contract should not be signed", said Murati.

He said that without counting the other troubles, only in the compensation clause there was inequality.
"If we look at the clause that in the case of arbitration and in the case of court proceedings how much one party is rewarded and how much the other, there we can see the inequality and asymmetry of this contract. In case the damage had to be paid to the Republic of Kosovo, the cost was limited to 8 million euros, while in case the damage had to be paid to 'Contur Global', the cost was 19.7 million euros. So it was two and a half times more for the company than for the state, despite the fact that it should be equal at least", said Murati.

Despite the loss of 21 million, Prime Minister Kurti said that with the State Bar, during his administration, several times more was gained than the amount that was lost.

"What we have won is seven times this amount that must be paid due to the loss in the tribunal from a capitulation contract of an earlier government", he said.

While the Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, has emphasized that Kosovo is implementing the decision of the arbitration tribunal and that there was no opportunity to change it. 

"This was something that was impossible to avoid during the defense phase. The State Bar and the company have done everything possible. And this State Bar and the companies that have represented Kosovo during our governing mandate have had extraordinary successes in all other cases where they have managed to win and protect the state budget from much larger amounts", Rizvanolli said. .

Former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj reacted to the criticism. He said that Kurti is "both a weak prime minister and a mean man".

"With pride and praise, he has violated the contract with 'Contour Global' (his minister has sent him a letter and stopped his support) and with a black face he is removing the responsibility for compensation from himself. Unbelievable where the logic of Kurti's brainwashing politics has arrived. Kurti left Kosovo even without 500 M of energy, where from 2023 Kosovo would benefit at a price of €83 and in the meantime he has bought energy up to €600 from the desert citizen, not once, but twice he has increased the price of energy. This is the policy of the fraudster Albin Kurti. He throws the stone, steals from the people and hides his hand in the most despicable way", wrote Haradinaj.

also Arberi July 11, 2024 PDK: The government lost 21 million euros to Kosovo, equal to 42 thousand average salaries

Work on the construction of the power plant was expected to begin in 2020, while it was put into operation in 2023. However, in March 2020, "Contour Global" announced the withdrawal from the plans for the construction of the power plant, with the reason that the company does not have intends to build coal projects in the future, but also because of the political changes that took place in Kosovo. The Vetëvendosje movement, at that time in the opposition, had expressed its opposition to the construction.

The government cabinet at the meeting held on Wednesday also approved several other decisions, among which those for the initiation of tendering procedures for the construction of new generating capacities from the wind, for the expropriation of some properties that are affected by the expansion of the road Kijev- Zahaq, as well as for the Reçak Massacre Memorial Complex project.

According to Minister Rizvanolli, the construction of the capacity of 100 megawatts of wind energy will be divided into two competitive processes and will offer an agreement for the purchase of energy for at least 15 years.
According to her, the preliminary amount of the construction of the project is about 200 million euros.

"Well, this will depend a lot on the capacities that will come as offers, and on the market prices, which always move. As for the time of realization, on average in Europe, for the construction of a wind farm, it takes seven years with all the procedures of preliminary studies, preparation of the accompanying infrastructure, obtaining environmental permits", she said.

On the other hand, regarding the expropriations made, the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Liburn Aliu, said that it was achieved that the inherited debt was reduced to 24 million euros.

"The debts that we inherited in the expropriation, which were in total 184 million euros and of which 102.8 million were only for private property owners, today we managed to reduce it to 24.3 million. "All the money, and perhaps that was often added in budget revisions in the field of expropriation, the ministry has managed to realize because this has been one of the main obstacles to the realization of projects", he said.

At the press conference after the government meeting, Aliu said that even the road projects that are in the works are being implemented at a fast pace.

Meanwhile, regarding the Durrës-Prishtina railway, he said that Kosovo is ready to continue the part of the project. 

also Arberi October 5, 2023 Kosovo loses the case in the arbitration with "Contour Global", it owes 20 million euros in damages

"We have reached the stage of finding the proposal of the different variants that have been given and we are in the stage of comparing the variants. Those variants have been proposed to us. Seeing that this project is already on its way, we have also shown interest from other financial factors, who have expressed their willingness to be involved in the realization of this project. Otherwise, this project, depending on the position it will give, whether it will be the variant that connects Gjakova with Shkodra, or whether it will be the variant that connects Prizren with Milot, is a matter that the feasibility will show more, because more it is part of the territory of Albania", he said.

In Wednesday's meeting, the Government also approved the decision to appoint the Supervisory Board of "Trepça". He has appointed Mentor Berisha as chairman, while Fadil Bejta, Merita Gashi, Alban Krasniq and Sadije Gashi are members.