Officials and NGOs on "budget cost of north Kosovo"

Analysts have appraised that taxpayers in Serbia set aside more than half a billion euros each year for Kosovo. They also say the problem is that there is no control of the money. Officials and NGOs on "budget cost of north Kosovo" The Serbian institutions in Kosovo, which Anglela Merkel wants abolished, provide jobs for more than 20,000 Serbs there. At the same time, as many receive assistance from the state, but the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija says that there is no exact record. The Serbian flag is in municipalities, courts, schools, hospitals, various government agencies and offices in Kosovo. All these institutions continue to be finance from the budget after the army withdrew in 1999, and the salaries they provide are the only income for many. "The total number of employees is around 21,500 on various basis. Add to that number 20,000 more who receive temporary assistance for being unemployed, or exiled from south of the Ibar, and you get an impressive figure which shows that one in three citizens in Kosovo and Metohija are in some way paid from the budget," the Ministry State Secretary Oliver Ivanovic says. The state, however, does not know how much money from the budget actually gets sent to the southern province. "We have no records on that basis, so I think more careful records would yield results, but so far we do not have that data," Ivanovic said. The Center for Practical Policy NGO has more information about the spending of money. It was also difficult for them to arrive at the correct data, because there are no clearly defined Kosovo items in the budget. They are showing on their website now much Kosovo costs. "We have arrived at a figure of some EUR 450mn, but we did not research everything - i.e., some did not answer, some things were not researched when it comes to Railways, the Infrastructure Ministry, the Ministry of Justice did not answer, so some big ones were not researched. I guess that the figure is more than half a billion euros a year," said Dragan Popovic of the Center for Practical Policy. "It is not known where that money goes, there is no control of that money, our inspecting organs do not function in Kosovo, plus we have no tax revenues in Kosovo," said he. Popovic said the issue was not the amount of money but that it would be necessary to establish clear control of where that money goes.

Officials and NGOs on "budget cost of north Kosovo"

The Serbian institutions in Kosovo, which Anglela Merkel wants abolished, provide jobs for more than 20,000 Serbs there.

At the same time, as many receive assistance from the state, but the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija says that there is no exact record.

The Serbian flag is in municipalities, courts, schools, hospitals, various government agencies and offices in Kosovo. All these institutions continue to be finance from the budget after the army withdrew in 1999, and the salaries they provide are the only income for many.

"The total number of employees is around 21,500 on various basis. Add to that number 20,000 more who receive temporary assistance for being unemployed, or exiled from south of the Ibar, and you get an impressive figure which shows that one in three citizens in Kosovo and Metohija are in some way paid from the budget," the Ministry State Secretary Oliver Ivanović says.

The state, however, does not know how much money from the budget actually gets sent to the southern province.

"We have no records on that basis, so I think more careful records would yield results, but so far we do not have that data," Ivanović said.

The Center for Practical Policy NGO has more information about the spending of money. It was also difficult for them to arrive at the correct data, because there are no clearly defined Kosovo items in the budget. They are showing on their website now much Kosovo costs.

"We have arrived at a figure of some EUR 450mn, but we did not research everything - i.e., some did not answer, some things were not researched when it comes to Railways, the Infrastructure Ministry, the Ministry of Justice did not answer, so some big ones were not researched. I guess that the figure is more than half a billion euros a year," said Dragan Popović of the Center for Practical Policy.

"It is not known where that money goes, there is no control of that money, our inspecting organs do not function in Kosovo, plus we have no tax revenues in Kosovo," said he.

Popović said the issue was not the amount of money but that it would be necessary to establish clear control of where that money goes.