Data on the success of Kosovo’s much-praised Security Fund, established so that citizens could directly contribute to the country’s security, remains secret almost three years after its establishment.
In 2024, the final year of the Albin Kurti-led government mandate, 202.8 million euros were allocated to the Kosovo Security Force, FSK. The funds were planned to be spent by 2025, aiming for the army to perform its duties with full efficiency.
PM Kurti, whose second-led government is the first to finish the four year mandate since Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008, often said he was proud that the budget for the army had been increasing year by year since he took power in 2021.
“The overall budget for our Ministry of Defense and Security Force next year (2025) will initially be at the level of 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, according to NATO standards. With additions throughout the year, it will exceed the value of 208 million euros,” Kurti declared on October 31, 2024, when his cabinet approved the 3.6-billion-euro budget.
In addition to the regular state budget, on March 1, 2022, Kosovo pompously established a Security Fund as a supplementary budget for the Ministry of Defense, to support government priorities in areas such as defence and state security, security infrastructure, natural disaster management, and more. The Security Fund is dependent on voluntary donations.
While the data on the defense and security budget is not classified as confidential, the figures of the money collected in the Security Fund are completely secret.
The Ministry of Defense has refused to answer Prishtina Insight’s queries regarding the donated money and its potential usage since the establishment of the Fund.
“Regarding questions about the Security Fund, you should address them to the Ministry of Finance, which is responsible for both the fund and the budget allocation,” Liridona Gashi, spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense, answered in an email.
The Ministry of Finance has not responded to any questions since January 20, 2025.
The fine line between “transparency” and “confidentiality”
Kosovo’s Prime minister Albin Kurti. Photo: Prime minister’s Office
Kosovo public institutions are legally obligated to be transparent about how public funds are spent unless the publication might violate national security. However, the same standard has not been applied to the much-hailed Security Fund.
Ramadan Ilazi, head of research at the Kosovo Center for Security Studies, KCSS, told Prishtina Insight that the Fund is shrouded with unnecessary secrecy.
“Article 120 of the Constitution clearly states that public funds are collected and spent in a transparent and accountable manner, but the Security Fund remains a mystery to the public. Above all, the government should publish basic information: general categories of expenditures, total budget figures, and periodic reports—if not for the public opinion, then for the Parliamentary Committee on Defense,” Ilazi said.
Article 120 of the Kosovo Constitution explicitly states that “Public expenditures and the collection of public revenues shall be based on the principles of accountability, effectiveness, efficiency and transparency.”
Skënder Perteshi, executive director of the Kosovo-based PREVENT Institute for Resilience and Security, told Prishtina Insight that “the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, as well as the aggressions that Serbia has done to Kosovo for years, have influenced the state to think more than allocating the state budget for the security sector and find other sources of financing for the purchase of weapons and other military security equipment that guarantee a better protection of the territory, sovereignty and integrity of the state.”
According to Perteshi, the government has the right to consider the information about this Fund as classified, based on the Law on Classification of Information and Security Clearance. “This does not mean that the government or institutions cannot misuse these funds,” Perteshi clarified.
Perteshi told Prishtina Insight that the “information about the Security Fund is classified because if the information about the amount or how the funds are spent would be published, that could compromise national security.” He explained that such confidential information, legally, “can only be accessed by individuals who: can provide adequate reasoning for requiring this access to that information, are certified or are equipped with security certificates of various levels”.
However, the ruling party Vetevendosje has no issue with providing similar information about the state budget, while keeping the details of the Security Fund a secret.
On the day the budget for 2025 was approved, Defense Minister Ejup Maqedonci took no issue with talking about the money allocated to the army and the purpose of its use.
“The significant increase in the budget and investment in human resources, training of military personnel, and increasing operational capacities through investment in weapons is a clear indicator that this sector has the right attention and will be continuously strengthened, not only to protect the state but also to contribute to any international operation with the aim of maintaining stability and peace,” Maqedonci declared.
The ruling party Vetevendosje Movement used the increase in the budget for the army to rebuke parties that had governed previously.
“A simple comparison between the budget allocations of 2021 [government led by PM Avdullah Hoti of the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK] and those of 2025 clearly shows the big change in the approach towards the army. Previously, during the governance of the Age-Old Political Club, the army didn’t have the necessary attention, as evidenced by the low recruitment, outdated military equipment, and low budget,” a Vetevendosje statement, shared on Facebook on November 1, 2024, read.
No clear strategy
Members of Kosovo Security Force attending the ceremony to mark the 19th anniversary of Kosovo Liberation Army Commander Adem Jashari’s death. Prishtina, Kosovo. Photo: EPA/Valdrin Xhemaj
On March 1, 2022, when the Security Fund was established, Kosovo PM Kurti wrote that the Fund was established per the needs of the Kosovo Security Force, the situation, and after consultations with international partners. Experts, however, do not necessarily agree.
“The collected financial resources are intended to be used in accordance with the state security strategy of the Republic of Kosovo, which is expected to be approved by the Government of the Republic of Kosovo,” Kurti wrote at the time.
According to Kurti, the fund would be used exclusively for the purpose determined by the government. It is not the first time Kosovo has established such a fund. During the time of peaceful resistance in the 1990s, ‘Fondi i Trepërqindëshit (the 3 Percent Fund)’ was created, while during the war period ‘Fondi Vendlindja Thërret (the Homeland Calls Fund)’ was also established. Both of these funds were used to improve government-led initiatives in Kosovo’s early years, with the 3 Percent Fund being used to pay teachers and the Homeland Calls Fund being used to purchase weapons for the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA.
The way these funds have been managed has been continuously accompanied by allegations of their misuse.
Ilazi, from KCSS, believes that the current Security Fund, which was heavily promoted when it was first established, seems to have faded. According to him, this proves that the government did not have any clear strategy to support the initiative.
“Usually when such funds are established, they are created in an emergency situation, when resources are scarce or more resources are needed, such as to handle an event that occurs,” he told Prishtina Insight.
He emphasised the importance of having “a clear strategic policy” which stresses the need for the “public and other parties to contribute further, via a dedicated budget” in a specific field. “For me, this has not been clear so far, especially considering that the government has had a surplus budget annually” he added. According to him, over the past four years, the increase in the defense budget has been positive but not necessarily sufficient.
“Security is not defined only by investments in armaments and equipment. So, training, interaction with NATO, and a planned and sustainable approach should be an advantage instead of a one-dimensional arms race,” he said.
Regarding the purchase of armaments and information for Security information, Pertreshi says that there is legal justification in the Public Procurement Law because of national interest.
“During the procedures for the purchase of various types, secret information can be transmitted, and the law has regulated the way that the institutions can negotiate contracts or sign classified contracts with different local or international companies. Within these Commissions, these deals are regulated, which can avoid regular public procurement procedures, supervising and guaranteeing the integrity in this process in general,” he added.
According to Ilazi, the government should have a more transparent approach and make sure that the Fund’s activities are in accordance with the broader defense and security objectives.
“The government should do this in a way that respects the Constitution and public trust but also reflects the broader strategy of the country toward the NATO approach, which is smart defense,” Ilazi concluded.