Additions for Children in the Near Future

In an answer to REL, officials of this ministry say they are currently in the phase of drafting two concepts -- one that has to do with social and family services, and the other in regulating the field of pensions.

“With the approval of these two concepts-documents will be drafted relevant legislation that will determine compensation and benefits for all categories and the delivery of social and family services. Exactly, we plan to establish a Fund for Social Insurance, with which, in the near future, we plan to install even the addition system for children”, says a response by the Office for Information of the Ministry of Labour and Social Health.

Additions for children have been the constant promise of political parties during election campaigns. Former leader of the Democratic Party, now president of Kosovo Hashim Thaci, had promised 300 euros for any newborn child -- a promise that has never been realised.

Meanwhile, the initiative for additions of children in the Kosovo Assembly had been initiated by Kosovo Parliamentary MP from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Donika Kadaj-Bujupi.

She then declared that it was estimated to benefit about 500,000 children, aged 0 to 16, from 10 to 40 euros a month, depending on the number of children.

According to one account, the value of additions of children could reach 3 per cent of Kosovo's overall budget. Kosovo's budget for 2018 is 1.8 billion euros.

Parliamentary Commission for Labour and Social Health Chairman Besa Buffiu says the additions of children are necessary and that the issue is discussed at a parliamentary session.

We have had parliamentary debate at the previous session on this issue, where recommendations would have to come up from that debate that would condition the Government of Kosovo, for future budget additions to children. As a state, we have been very late in this direction given the conditions families live in Kosovo and given that many families have the largest number of children”, Baftiu says.