Business
Kosovo municipalities: over 100 million euros went to bailiffs over collective contracts; Gjakova sues the government
Sazan Ibrahimi, director of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, says up to 30% of the amounts enforced end up with bailiffs and lawyers. The Commercial Court begins hearing Gjakova's lawsuit.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 20, 2026, 10:00 · Updated 12:22 · 2 min read
In brief
- According to Sazan Ibrahimi, since 2022 about 104–105 million euros have been taken from municipalities through bailiffs over collective contracts.
- He claims that up to 30% of the funds ordered by the courts go to bailiffs and lawyers.
- The municipality of Gjakova has sued the government at the Commercial Court; the court will first decide whether the case falls within its jurisdiction.
The collective contracts signed between the government of Kosovo and the unions are proving costly for municipalities. Sazan Ibrahimi, executive director of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities, said on KTV's “tre8tre” program that over the past four years bailiffs, lawyers and court proceedings have taken more than 100 million euros from municipalities.
According to him, this year alone about 100 million euros have been enforced from municipal budgets through court rulings, while up to 30% of the funds ordered end up with bailiffs and lawyers. Counting all cases since 2022, Ibrahimi puts the amount paid for these services at about 104 to 105 million euros.
Municipalities that can't even pay for electricity
Ibrahimi argues that the government signed the contracts with the unions, while the burden has fallen on municipalities as employers, without their being party to the agreements. Bailiffs seize municipal funds to pay employees, which he said has paralyzed many of them. He cited cases where municipalities did not have the money to pay for electricity for schools.
He gave Ferizaj as an example: out of a budget of 52 million euros, 26 million goes to salaries and wages, 22 million to the collective contract and only about 4 million is left for running the municipality.
Gjakova's lawsuit at the Commercial Court
Against this backdrop, the Commercial Court began hearing the Gjakova municipality's lawsuit against the government seeking compensation for damage from the collective contracts. The suit was first filed in 2022, together with more than 25 other municipalities. The court is expected to decide first whether the case falls within its jurisdiction before addressing the merits of the claim.
The case is also expected to weigh on discussions of next year's municipal budgets, which many municipal assemblies are approving in these weeks.
