Pension system reform required

In Kosovo, there are currently about 200 thousand people who benefit from pension schemes. For this, the Ministry of Labour and Social Management is preparing the new law, with which all pension schemes will be harmonised.

This has been announced by Deputy Labour and Social Management Minister Lulzim Leci at the table organised by INDEP, with the “theme. Kosovo's pension system, challenges and opportunities”.

Leci has stressed that the MPMS, under its legislative schedule and projections for this year, has handed over to Government to become a joint law on all pension schemes funded by the state, which is scheduled to be adopted next year.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Management manages many different pension schemes of our society, which is understood in one form or another, to help older people, persons with needs that are approximately 200 thousand beneficiaries, but that these separate laws, and of course, also present incompatibles. I believe that it is a good initiative of harmonisation in the law that would inform all pension schemes in Kosovo”, Leci said.

Klokoqi Selat from INDEP has presented the work with the “theme Kosovo's pension system, challenges and opportunities”, in which retirement beneficiaries are presented. It has deemed reform in the pension system necessary, as the number of those benefiting from pension schemes is increasing annually.

Last “was about 338m euros in pensions, only pensions. Every year it's growing, this year we have three new schemes that are being implemented, which will probably reach 20m euros, plus natural growth, somewhere certainly 400m euros will go on retirement fees. Also, we have new schemes waiting to be approved, if approved, they will still increase costs, so in the near future, the trends will go by increasing”, Klokoqi stressed.

He said that so far there are 22 schemes -- benefits categories of pensions -- which are regulated by seven or eight laws, which regulate them.

Klokoqi said Serbia in Kosovo pays about 32,000 pensions, while they can also receive the basic 75-euro pension in Kosovo. According to him, there are also pensioners who receive pension from Germany, Switzerland or other states and receive basic pension of 75 euros.

While the chairman of the Commission for Health, Labour and Social Management, Besa Baftiu, stressed that the current pension system in Kosovo has not made a solution in the post-war years.

“We support and support as the commission these Ministry initiatives, because they have to do with a unified pension system, which we believe will make the solution of pensioners who are now 18 years after the war and have been violated the rights that are guaranteed with international conventions and Kosovo's” laws, Baftiu said.

Critically against the current law on pension schemes have pensioners and union representatives indicated. Sylejman Metaj, chairman of the Federation of Pensioners and Kosovo Labour Invaleds, said pensioners are facing discrimination almost 20 years now.

According to him, the Law on Retirement Plans has been staunchly opposed by federations prior to approval, and they have even issued a petition in the Assembly, since it has been too weak.

The law of pension schemes for union federations of pensioners and labour disabled is discriminatory. With the fact that much is not taken into account, it remains like a body without limbs. No example is taken of work, no qualifications are taken, which is said to be qualified, which does not really take into account the qualifications as known, left out by the magistrate, professor, ordinar professor, academics, others left behind, and almost almost as if they were a technical, physical worker, when retired, nor counted on work stage”, Metaj said.

Even the head of the Independent Trade Union of Kosovo Administration, Ndue Kale, stressed that the current law on pension schemes is discriminated against.

We as professional unions that are among the most professional unions in 2015 have done a research analysis of this law, and we have found there are discrimination elements. Now should we endure those discriminated elements, because we Albanians have been taught ten years to endure Serb discrimination on the basis of Serb discrimination laws, should we bear it even now is a question question issue for the minister and the Assembly that have adopted a law with typical discrimination content”, Kalaj said.

There were also ideas for the Ministry of Labour and Social Health to get into the new bill, so that the bill would be enjoyable for everyone.