Money from diaspora keeps Kosovo economy alive

Rows, over 50s, there are three more children. The two girls and a boy have different faculties finished at Pristina University, but, he says, do not have any stable jobs. The boy who finished the Jurydical faculty works in a restaurant and the two girls in the mall.

Despite the fact that the family receives three wages a month, Roustaj says that if it were not for financial assistance from the boy living in Italy, he would not be able to cover the necessary expenses for life.

My son is 21 years old, sends me every month between 500 and 1,000 euros. If it wasn't for the boy outside Kosovo, I don't know how I could live. With the money you send, pay the rent, electricity, municipal obligations, food and”, REL Street said.

“Money from outside eases my life”

Roustaj lives in a rented apartment in one of Pristina's neighbourhoods. From his village, he moved to the capital because of his children's studies. But, with the salaries of children working in the private sector in Kosovo, he says they would not be able to make ends meet in Pristina.

In Pristina we wouldn't be able to live with child salaries. In the village, yes, we had done it somehow, maybe... ”, says Rrustaj.

BQ: During 2020, around 900m euros of remittances

Not only Ismail Rrustaj's son has sent vehicles to Kosovo. The overall value of the money of Kosovo-born citizens living and working abroad from January to November last year has reached about 900m euros.

The highest assets, according to the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo, have been in May with 104m euros and in October 2020, with 99.4m euros.

And in 2019 the amount of remittances was 851m euros.

Krasniqi: The diaspora contributes to preserving social peace

Freedom Krasniqi, researcher and policy analyst in the organisation “Germin”, the organisation that deals mainly with diaspora issues, says remittances over the years have had an important role in Kosovo's economy, boosting economic growth and providing additional income for families with smaller incomes.

These tools play an important element of maintaining Kosovo's economy, but also preserving social peace, as remittances make up 15 percent of Bruto Product. Besides remittances, the diaspora also sends money through other informal channels”, Krasniqi points out.

Krasniqi says most of the financial means sent by Kosovo citizens, living in different countries of the world, are spent on consumption.

And the disaster of this is that these vehicles still come out of Kosovo, as most consumer products are imported to Kosovo by various states”, he adds to the REL.

Besides remittances, citizens living outside Kosovo have also sent means to Kosovo's budget in order to help the Government of Kosovo fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over 717 thousand euros in assistance from COVID-19 management diaspora

Over 717 thousand euros have been collected from aid revenues from the diaspora, Kosovo Treasury Director Ahmet Ismaili told Radio Free Europe.

“From these means, 667 thousand euros are admissions by citizens living outside Kosovo, while over 50,000 euros are admissions from citizens within the country”, he said.

So far, 511 thousand euros have been presented at the Commission's-19 Health Ministry Fund in the capital spending category. And another 206 thousand euros were kept in the budget for 2021, which, Ismaili says, will only be spent on the management of pandemic.

Relief from the diaspora has come after calling Kosovo citizens living abroad, former Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, on 12 April last year, just one month after confirming the first cases with Coronavirus.

But during the past year, when in Kosovo limited movement measures -- citizens from diaspora through various shares -- have assisted with food packages under serious economic conditions, say the organisation “Germin”.

In Kosovo health institutions, however, they have brought 15,000 tests and half a million masks to citizens, as well as protective clothing against COVID-19.