INITIATIVE VOTED ON Subsidy payment for apartment purchase on hold: Budget rebalance for 2024 must be adopted first

(Patria) - The issue of paying the difference in subsidies for housing solutions for 1,142 young people who qualified under the public call for 2023 was re-actualized at today's session of the KS Assembly. According to the public call, the maximum amount was KM 12,000, but young people received a significantly lower amount given the large number of young people who met the conditions, and the KS Government allocated KM 5.5 million for this purpose.

In January 2024, young people received KM 4,816 each, which is the lowest subsidy paid since the KS Government has been implementing this project.

Several hundred young people initially held meetings with the Prime Minister of KS, Nihad Uk, seeking a way to receive additional payments, at least close to previously paid subsidies, and after being told there was no money, they held several protests.

At today's session of the KS Assembly, DF representative Vedrana Vujović first requested information about the initiative she submitted in February, concerning the subsidy difference for young people. In that initiative, she requested that funds in the amount of KM 5.5 million be provided in the budget rebalance for 2024 for the payment of the subsidy difference up to KM 10,000. She did not receive an answer to this initiative, so today she asked for an answer from the Minister of Communal Economy, Bojan Bošnjak (Naša stranka).

Minister Bošnjak responded to representative Vujović, explaining the procedure for awarding subsidies in 2023.

"Regarding these initiatives that have emerged in the KS Assembly, we have sent an inquiry to the Ministry of Finance regarding the possibility of additional funds for this purpose, and upon receiving the answer, we will forward it," said Bošnjak.

He added that KM 500,000 is planned for the same project this year.

Representative Damir Marjanović (ZNG) requested a written response from the Minister of Finance, Afan Kalamujić (ZNG), regarding the current financial situation of KS, the stability of financial flows, and whether the fears of some institutions that there will be no money for the 12th salary are justified. He also asked when the budget rebalance would be done and if it would be necessary.

At today's session, representative Admela Hodžić requested that the Assembly decide on a previously submitted initiative to find funds for paying the subsidy difference to young people up to KM 10,000 in the 2024 budget rebalance. She submitted the initiative a few months ago together with representative Aljoša Čampara.

The KS Assembly decided on this initiative, with 22 representatives voting in favor and four representatives from Naša stranka abstaining.