Kosovo working in Germany talks about pay there, money sending to family members in Kosovo

Remittances, sending the income of Albanians working and living abroad in the form of money or other decades of investment, are a significant aid to households in Albania and Kosovo, with positive effects on the economy as well. Even according to World Bank data from a 2016 study of the Western Balkans, these revenues make up about a third of the annual budget of Albanian families and about 23% of the annual family budget in Kosovo. A large number of families regularly receive income from their families abroad. Edlira Dashi, World Bank expert in Albania, says about Deutsche Welle, that <x0restance in Albania even exceeds foreign direct investment and official development assistance being a safe, stable and massive source of financing for Albanian families. ”

Pandemia Has Not Changed Almost Nothing

This source was not exhausted even in the time of pandemic. According to Edlira Dashit, a slight decline in Albania was observed during 2020, but this decline was much smaller compared to the world level. “Precisely, this crisis showed us, remittances are a comet of salvation for many families who may have lost their job or their business lap... remittances have stood at very high levels making them even more important to the country's economy”. And the Kosovo Central Bank confirms that in 2019 the total value of remittances amounted to 980m euros. Central Bank spokesman in Pristina, Kuqim Ahmeti tells Deutsche Welle that “Germania continues to lead for the amount sent. In the January-30th period of 2020 exiles from this country submitted 414.6m euros. That amount is for 67.7m euros more than the same 2019 period, where 346.9m euros were sent. ”

How the pandemic affects remittances to families, you can see this well in the money delivery agencies. But Niels-Peter Vo finished manager at the money delivery agency, RIA Money Transfer in Berlin says that the pandemic changed nothing, but our clients did everything to care for their loved ones at home. If this pandemic showed something, then it, that our clients more than ever returned to the first aides for millions of people, depending on their transfers as the main income, and also are powerful economic support from abroad to some countries”, says Niels-Peter Vocom for Deutsche Welle. Nor in remittances to Albania and Kosovo, RIA has not recorded negative effects of pandemic. The Albanian market has actually grown by 69% and in Kosovo by 56%. And this isn't just about transfer numbers. The remittances frequency has increased, 4% in Albania, 5% in Kosovo”, Vo finished.

Migrants Live With Family Concerns

Many families in Albania and Kosovo were suddenly hit by pandemic, not a few people lost their jobs. That the need for help right now is much greater, Albanians living in Germany are also aware of it. Once you touch this topic with residents from both Albania and Kosovo, you realize, only geographically far from their relatives. Family members in their homeland are a daily part of their lives. A quick phone call with your mother in the morning before work, or long conversations with video dinners after coming home from work. After the telephone is closed, relatives ' concerns then fill hours of conversations with families located in Germany. How does the amount mother needs to operate send out? How much money does a sister need to pay the rent this month? Will 100 euros be sent to a brother without a job? How much money will be collected until summer to make house renovations in the country? Is it gonna be 250 euros for the brother-in-law to take the new bath?

These are several pieces of conversations with immigrants living in Germany when they discuss the help they give their family. Ardian relates that he regularly sends money to the family in Kosovo, especially to the unemployed brother, but now that he has established his family in Germany and has given birth to a son, he must be more cautious. I know the case of a colleague of mine in construction, a young man without a family, he calculates a lot of money he needs here in Germany to live in, and he really lives with a lot of savings, because he takes everything else aside and takes it to his family in Kosovo.” Silvana from Durres, who works as a sailor at German Telecom in Bonn, says it is more difficult. “As long as it's left me 1,300 euros I can't send money every month. But for cases of sickness I've sent right before”, Silvana reports about Deutsche Welle.

High delivery costs

The problem remains the high cost of remittances through agencies. According to World Bank expert Edlira Dashi even for Albania, this cost is well above the global average. Therefore, it says, <x0) is estimated that more than a third of the (37%) inflows of remittances are based on physically transporting cash across borders.” Ardian too tries every time he is able to escape the cost of sending money, giving his friends the money to send home. “How many times can I do it, even when I have gone to Kosovo myself, I have received money for friends' families. The conditions they have down there are more difficult. I know many people in Kosovo, my friends who have lost their jobs these days. ”

Now the World Bank aims to promote financial education of families sending and receiving remittances as well as their own efficiency through the Greenback project. The World Bank is also hosting the Diaspora Discussion series to increase its contributions in the most stable ways in Albania and Kosovo.