Prishtina, 18 July, 2024
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti and the Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers, Hekuran Murati, in a joint media conference, have presented the new allowance scheme for children up to the age of 16, which will begin implementation from the month of next, August 2024.
With the new scheme, for the first and second child, the new allowances will be from €20 per month each, while for mothers who have three or more children, the allowances will be from €30 per month, for each of children – so for both the first and the second there is an additional €30 per month.
More than 400,000 children benefit from the child allowance scheme. The annual cost of the new scheme is expected to be €120 million
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech at the press conference:
Dear Media,
Dear citizens who are following us,
When we took over the government after the result of February 14, 2021, we inherited a difficult budget situation, with numerous debts, with an economy on the verge of collapse, without a single vaccine to fight the Covid 19 pandemic.
To address these challenges before us, exactly 3 years ago in July 2021, our government approved the Economic Revival Package. And, one of the first measures implemented by the Economic Revival Package, was the measure of child allowances.
For every election in the past campaigns, there were political parties that promised programs and support measures for mothers and children, but those promises were never fulfilled. For more than 20 years, no government had bothered to do anything for mothers and children. Based on their practice, they also told us that we would not be able to fulfill the promises for child allowances, because there would be no budget.
But a government like ours had to come, progressive, democratic and centered on the well-being of each citizen, so that finally mothers and children feel the good hand of the state.
Initially, we started the supplements with the ages 0-2 years, because that was the possibilities in the first months of the government, and because it was the first time that such a measure was being done, it had to be ensured that everything would go well and without problems.
We also made sure that everything was digital and automatic, knowing that mothers with small children do not have time to wander up and down to get birth certificates, copies of IDs, and bank account verifications, as was the usual practice. whenever the citizen had business with the state. With the system we created, everything could be done in a few minutes, from a computer or phone, without even leaving the house.
We also insisted on another thing. That the means of children’s allowances should belong to the mother. Because in addition to the support of children, as the Government we also aim at the economic empowerment of women in society. As a result of this determination, over 90,000 women opened bank accounts for the first time. This was one more proof that we had done the right thing.
After securing the financial means by increasing the country’s economy and increasing budget revenues and seeing that the system we had built was working without a problem, we gradually expanded the age group up to the age of 16, just as we had promised, realizing thus one of the main commitments of our program, half of the mandate has not yet been completed.
Now, 3 years later, and in the fourth year of government, we have another good news for mothers and children!
We are introducing a redesigned child allowance scheme, with increased allowances, which we are doubling for most mothers, and in some cases even tripling when the mother has three or more children.
So, for the first and second child, the new allowances will be from 20 euros per month each, while for mothers who have 3 children or more, the allowances will be from 30 euros per month, for each of the children, so for both the first and the second, an additional 30 euros per month applies.
In other words, a mother with one child receives 20 euros per month, a mother with 2 children receives 40 euros per month, while a mother with 3 children receives 90 euros per month. For every child after the third, the same allowance of 30 euros per month applies.
Dear citizens, dear mothers, dear children, our government is committed to supporting families, and to making sure that every child feels the good hand of the state. A promise for extras from 10 euros per month, which we were told we would never be able to achieve, even before the end of the mandate, we are not only exceeding it, but multiplying it.
All the best and see your children with good health and long life!
Now I pass the floor to Minister Murati, to give us more clarifications regarding the new scheme of increased allowances.
Last modified: July 23, 2024