Teacher Vjollca Neziri-MengjiqiFrom the Zastrade language center unspoilt, stands in front of the magnetic board and asks for the German conjugation of the name at nine o’clock in the morning. all students women and most, very youth. “Repeat,” he directs them. And then the classroom turns into a theater room. 24-year-old student Fatbardha Ajvazi struggles with phonetics. His partner Qedresa Gashi enters the stage laughing and completes the sentence. “No (no)”, the teacher answers them. The classroom comes alive on a gray morning. Almost all of them are there because they don’t rule out a destination: try your luck in germany. “Many people can’t find jobs here,” says Neziri-Mengjiqi.
It is a new phenomenon from an old state. “Until a few years ago, most of them wanted to work in international organizations. After the war there were many internationals here in Kosovo. Now there were many international organizations. 70% want German lessons “And only 30% English,” says economist Zeqir Lushaku, who decided to open one of the first language schools in Kosovo in 1992. I graduated in 1976 and two weeks later I had a job; I bought an apartment a year later. Then I got married,” he reasoned.
immigration of Kosovars an established reality ever since. Between 2010 and 2020, 220,000 people went to live abroad. Another 42,728 people in 2021, according to data from the Kosovo statistical office. What is new is precisely that young people in Kosovo are increasingly dreaming of emigrating to Germany, which is also the preferred destination on the list. Switzerland, Italy and Austria. This mass flight can continue for a long time. Another reason: in November, Germany relaxed immigration law to meet new worker needs.
normal abnormality
Fifteen years later a unilateral declaration of independenceKosovo (1.7 million inhabitants according to the last census) today a certain normality. This feeling in the capital Pristina, slavic and eastern culturewith transplanted landscapes West Europe. There are not many tourists, but there are bakeries as well as numerous shops with well-known clothing brands and trendy bars. Turkish pastriesBoulevards and squares where sculptures and photographs are exhibited Bill ClintonMother Teresa of Calcutta, national heroine Ibrahim Rugova and the controversial UCK guerrillas.
It is a phone call informing that he has arrived at Adem Jashari airport within a few seconds after landing at Adem Jashari airport. three different countries (first Albania, then Serbia and finally Kosovo), with the proliferation of cartels proposals for the diasporaThis tells us, in addition to the legal uncertainty that this region lives in and that many still do not recognize, their inequalitycorruption, illegal traffic, organized crime and the impunity (justice reform has been debated for some time and reports acknowledge political interference) they oppress society.
The situation is so indisputable that in 2021 the UN Development Program (UNDP) even decided to investigate the reasons that drove people to leave the country. According to this report, more than 81% of young people live in Kosovo. lack of work, 68% complained of poverty and economic hardship, and 42% complained of nepotism and corruption. “If this bad situation continues, I will go too,” says student Fatbardha.
demographic epidemic
The World Bank, EU, UN and even the government of Kosovo also confirm it in their reports. Because for these lands and despite some recent improvements, the human development index is 0.76. Behind Bosnia, Albania and North Macedonia– Almost a quarter of the population lives in poverty, with an annual GDP per capita of 4,900 euros, and 25% of them have no formal employment (more than 40% of youth). And that’s in a country that the State has just allotted 8.5% (28% is the European average) Social helps.
“This is a huge problem. If we continue to export our youth, demographic epidemicReferring to the already negative (-15,000 in 2021) demographic balance, economist Safet Gerxhaliu says emphatically: “Today not only those who have no job, but also those who have a job and lose hope for the future, migrate. And look for better conditionsadds this analyst. Moreover, the epidemic and war in Ukraine was the tenth blow. The hikes in electricity and food prices (which Kosovo imports) contributed 65% and 20% to the income growth. inflation According to official data, in Kosovo.
This is the open secret she caught Vetevendosje (self-determination), party social democrat with deep roots nationalism Kosovo Albanian who has ruled the country since 2021. One of its main promises was to put an end to the corruption that has fueled the weariness of politics and the Kosovo project for years. One of its fruits in July 2022 was the success of a new anti-corruption law, as well as an increase of nearly 20 points in the Transparency International index.