Republic of Kosovo: Request for Stand-By Arrangement and an Arrangement Under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Republic of Kosovo

This paper presents Republic of Kosovo’s Request for Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and an Arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The SBA is expected to be precautionary and will provide liquidity in case downside risks materialize, including from Russia’s war in Ukraine. The RSF will provide affordable financing to support Kosovo’s climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, including through greener electricity production and more efficient energy use, and is expected to catalyze other climate financing. Kosovo is the first European country to access the RSF. The authorities’ prudent fiscal policies and broadly targeted support framework helped rebuild fiscal space while mitigating the impact of the cost-of-living crisis. A strong policy mix is now needed to sustain the recovery and achieve reform objectives. Abiding by the fiscal rule deficit ceiling will provide a moderate impulse to activity in 2023, helping the economy soft land, while contributing to the anchoring of public debt in the medium term. Increasing medium-term growth prospects and reducing the country’s dependence on diaspora flows will require advancing the structural reform agenda and closing infrastructure and governance gaps.