Remitations from the diaspora increase the account of the exile living in Germany: When I come to Kosovo, I spend three thousand euros in three weeks

According to data from the Kosovo Statistics Agency, published in the year 2019 in Kosovo, it has been increasingly the trend of remittances from Kosovo to various countries in Europe and the world since 2014.

During the past nine years alone, including the 2009 period, 2018, the value of remittances through banking channels in Kosovo has been over 6 billion euros.

The remittances in Kosovo come mainly from Germany and Switzerland, which send about 40 percent, respectively, over 22 percent of the total remittances accepted in Kosovo.

A significant portion of the remittances have been accepted by the U.S., either 7 percent of the total value.

Merita lives and works in Germany. It shows that she spends her summer holidays in Kosovo every time with her family, who, she says, send a lot of money every month.

I and my family each time send money to Kosovo, approximately a month we send it from 300 euros. That money is spent on food, clothing, and basics. Now that I am here in Kosovo, I spend up to three thousand euros for two or three weeks to stay here”, she says.

The amount of remittances from the diaspora within a year is considered to be even higher, as some of the means are believed to enter Kosovo through other forms, which may not be included in the official data of the Kosovo Central Bank.

These tools over the years have had an important role in Kosovo's economy, boosting economic growth and providing additional income for smaller-income families, say experts on economic issues.

As far as the value of remittances increases, Naim Gashi, an expert on economic issues, says the new wave of migration in recent years has increased the level of remittances.

“Most of them have part of the families here in Kosovo and are very close, compared to those who migrated 20 years ago, when parents or close family members are left in Kosovo. It means the younger the migrants are, the bigger the remittances are, and this has happened in the last two years in Kosovo”, Gashi said.

He also says that it is important in this regard to make the change in the design of such means. According to him, tools should be spent on business initiatives that reduce the high unemployment rate in the country, and not always be spent on consumption and real estate.

The subx0> would have to channel these investments into direct investment, create new jobs for the family of those from the diaspora here in Kosovo, but also generate profit for themselves”

Of course, the climate of doing business in Kosovo and the enormous migration of young people has created difficulties on the market and is increasingly making it difficult to make this consumption into investment”, Gashi says.

But, according to Kosovo Statistics Agency data, only last year, around 29,000 Kosovo citizens have emigrated to different European Union countries and beyond.

During 2013, however, 2017, from Kosovo, more than 170 thousand citizens have been displaced, according to official data. This data has included regular and irregular migration and that a considerable number emigrated seeking asylum.

Based on official notes, there are between 700 and 800 thousand Kosovo citizens living in different countries in Europe and the world.