The division of 300 euros for workers left without jobs during the pandemic

According to the Law on Economic Regeneration is envisioned for Kosovo's budget to be paid salaries of employees in the private sector for the October-December 2020 period, which, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, have left or suspended for the period of no shorter than three months, after February 29th and until December 30th 2020.

But sharing such tools may not be in the absence of financial means.

Deputy Minister of Finance Acting Agim Krasniqi says about REL, that the amendment of this Law is not covered with financial means in Kosovo's approved budget for 2021.

The statements that were made before the 2021 budget was approved will be added 200m euros to businesses and 25m euros to workers have not been changed (not included in the budget). In the draft current budget is a figure of 182m euros, including the business sector, workers, one part is for health, a share for the loan guarantee fund. Out of that amount around 106 million will be separated for businesses and workers”, Krasniqi says.

For sharing these means, Krasniqi says there is still no decision by the Kosovo government, which would enable the distribution of this fund.

But, however, according to Krasniqi, in this distribution, it cannot be talked about either 300 euros or any other figure.

The government's decision, which will determine how the division will take place, for which categories and how long it should be divided”, he says.

Krasniqi believes that next week the general decision to distribute the means will be made.

The start of implementing the measures will be depending on the realisation of revenues coming into the budget. The first decision would be for the employed themselves who were unjustly removed from the previous profit of 290 euros, then there would be the means to be separated for education and gradually, as the means in the budget come, would be made by the” decisions, Krasniqi said.

Regarding the distribution of these tools, The REL has also called for answers from Kosovo's acting prime minister's office, Avdullah Hoti, but from this office it has been said to address the finance ministry on this matter.

The division of 300 euros for three months for workers who have lost their jobs was the proposal of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). The party had also proposed establishing a grant in many of the 200m euros, financial assistance to businesses affected by the pandemic with COVID-19.

Both of these proposals were put into the Law on Economic Recovery, but for both proposals no funds were allocated when the 2021 budget approval was made.