“pensioners supported on wall” in Europe's poorest state

Kosovo, as reported these days of media, is again listed by the International Monetary Fund (FMN) as Europe's poorest state in 1923, based on per capita income, measuring purchasing power, a real indicator of how much money is worth to residents of a country.

The resident's per capita income, according to the IMF, in the last ranked Kosovo in Europe, this year is precisely $15,000 internationally. Albania, which the IMF in its global economic mirror, 2023, has ranked last in poverty, has $19,000 international per capita, while among the countries of the region, I estimated that all still poor from the IMF will follow: Bosnia and Herzegovina with $19.6 thousand international, Northern Macedonia with 21.1 thousand, Serbia with 25.4, and at the top of the region, Montenegro stays at $27.6 thousand international.

While, to get a closer look at the meaning of these figures in the poverty of a state, it must be revealed that Europe's average is nearly $500,000 internationally per capita. Even the next direct indicator of a country's poverty-determination, the one of Brto's internal production per capita, which Kosovo has this year's $5,600, and the final order of Kosovo, while Albania has $7 thousand, like the previous.

And, worse still, the International Monetary Fund forecasts extend to 2028, where both Kosovo and Albania are still estimated to continue to remain Europe's poorest. And, according to all the data that is defiling through Kosovo institutions, the hardest hit people who are experiencing it now and a long time “in their own skin”, the greatest poverty in Kosovo are pensioners. There are about 200 thousand people together, retired elderly pensioners, who have been stiffened in Kosovo for years at 100 euros a month, and pensioners enjoying pensions on the basis of their contribution, whose pension behaves from less than 200 to 265 euros at the maximum.

Kosovo pensioner, if there is no other help, either from his close family or relatives, cannot possibly close the month in any way with his retirement income. There's no way to eat properly, there's no way he can buy the essential drugs, there's no way he can have a coffee with his colleagues, but for any eventual rest it can't even be.

With 100 euros retired (the overwhelming number of pensioners in Kosovo are of the elderly, or more precisely, around 149,000), simply fails, there is no opportunity to meet even the basic needs of no pensioner.

M.V., a failed pensioner, in his mid-70s, with two finished faculties, endlessly disciplined in spending his pension money, relates to the Economic Bulletin: “Because I did not meet the criteria for winning the pension of contributors, according to the law that the Constitutional Court has already confirmed to be discriminated against, even though I had about 40 years of working stages, I have entered the category of retired seniors, or those who take advantage of 100 euros a month's pension. I'm diagnosed with Type 2, and to treat this disease only partially uses very reduced drugs, only the necessary ones. A Metform (which is necessary for diabetes) of the newest type Gallvus M, 850 mg, containing 30 tablets, in the capital's pharmaceuticals costs from 12.5 euros to 15 euros, or a Gallvus, without the letter M, but with 60 tablets cost up to 16-17 euros, depending on the pharmacy. A simple medicine of 28-30 anti-tensity pills, which are also necessary for the elderly, costs between 2.5 and 4 euros. However, a medical examination for diabetics, which also has to do quite often, has the price of 20-30 euros”. “Here goes over half of the pension”, says M.V., adding that “with the other half should be paid monthly obligations for the current, water, float”.

And, “as you can see, from the pension that I get after 40 years of state contribution work, there is not a single cent left to feed”, the pensioner continues to lose.

In the sad situation of Kosovo pensioners, all up-to-date Kosovo governments are responsible, indiscriminately. Neither was able to apply responsible social policies, and deal with this country's pensioners as dignified as ever. He did nothing for pensioners as well as the Kurti Government 2, however that the current prime minister, during his election campaign, had pledged that his governing programme, which in the first year, would include reforms for the pension and social scheme. But, not only did Kurt bring about no promised reform of the pension and social scheme, nor after two years and more governance, but in the period of his leadership, as a result of the energy crisis involving the world, and the destructive Russo-Ukrainian war, as well as the inability of the country's office officials to cope with these consequences (the rampant price lifting), the welfare and the misery of Kosovo pensioners got worse and became their normal life.

The current governance was unable to cope with the explosion of prices of all necessary products, especially basic food products that had a strong impact on the situation of Kosovo pensioners. The increase in electricity prices twice within 13 months, and the enzyme of food products prices (toughs, bywords, eggs, sugar, bread, and grain products), supported the wall the heavily impoverished pensioners in Europe's poorest state. The State, on the other hand, is not ashamed of their suffering.

In other words, Kosovo pensioners continue to be overlooked by the state and power, not treated at all, not as marginalised citizens. They just don't exist at all in current Kosovo, for which most of them dedicated a whole life. It is not as if there were no salary increases in these months for other categories of state-run beneficiaries. Sometimes the wages of civil servants, educational workers, and many others increased. However, for pensioners and other officials, there are also elderly ones who have worked for this country for years, and in old age they don't have enough to eat or treat them, and we don't talk about getting past dignified old. They are not reminded of other institutions that should be assigned to care for pensioners and their most human treatment. This happens only in Kosovo, nowhere else in the world, neither in Europe nor in the region.

Everywhere, even in poor countries, they are not marginalized to these sizes, as has been done in our country in all postwar years and by all governments. And the silence and memory of the country's institutions for pensioners continue. April of this year and still no word about pensioners. No single voice was heard in these months of 2023, nor of the representatives of the people in the country, nor of the opposition and its leaders, nor of the heads of the country's unionists, who, at least for moral duty, would have to raise their voices once for all this neglect and total disregard for the sorrows of Kosovo pensioners. But these all the above - mentioned, including the occupants, and the leaders of the opposition, as well as the leaders of unionists, left no chance, even hinted at their aggressiveness, in the insurgent, unmatched in determining their wage cofficiency in the Law of the Pagans.

They don't know much about what the countries in the region are, but which, I kept telling them, especially after the crises caused by pandemics and price hikes, raised pensions, shared various means and donations for pensioners. Several times in recent months, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Albania have raised pensions.

Northern Macedonia, according to the media, for its 330,000 pensioners will have larger pensions again by March. With the March pension explained by officials in this country, there is an increase in pensions by 8.4 percent. In just one year, between March 2022 and March 2023, pensions have increased by 18 percent, respectively. As reported by the neighboring country, pensions are corrected twice a year with the increase in cost of living and the increase in average wages, which then ensures continued increase in pension revenues. In Kosovo, no one stands up to take care of pensioners, no pension increases, no attention at all, but there are prices of elementary food products, price increases, warnings of new prices raised, among them and bread, inflation, and continue to reduce the well-being of our elderly. /Economic Bouletin