Andric Rakic: Serious problem of Albanian migration, Kurti's wrong approach to bring back the diaspora

Milica Andric Rakic, program manager of the NGO Social Initiative, assessed that Kosovo, according to the preliminary census results, is facing both internal and external migration of the population. This should have been a sufficient signal for Prime Minister Kurti, but he has adopted the wrong strategy to bring back the diaspora.

"There is internal migration, and there is external migration. What the results generally show is that Kosovo has a serious problem with population outflow. Kosovo is the only country in the region with a positive natural growth rate, meaning many more births than deaths, yet it has lost around 200,000 people, that is, the number has decreased by 200,000 since the 2011 census. And that is a serious problem," Andric Rakic told Kosovo Online.

According to her, the authorities in Pristina are aware of the problem, which is why they decided to include the diaspora in the census.

"Generally, the diaspora is not included in the census count. You can choose to count the diaspora, but those numbers won't impact how local policies are created or the budgets of municipalities. I assume this was done just to mitigate potential negative census results, to show that there are still people, they're just abroad, and maybe they will return," Andric Rakic emphasizes.

In this light, one should also view Prime Minister Albin Kurti's announcement offering favorable loans to the diaspora in case they return and start a business.

"This is a rather discriminatory measure and shows that the government is actually not thinking about the people who are already in Kosovo but is trying to force people to return. However, serious local changes need to happen to attract people from the diaspora back," says our interlocutor.

Commenting on the preliminary census results, Andric Rakic notes that the census showed that around 1.5 million people live in Kosovo, of which five percent are national minorities.

However, she highlights that the census also indicates a depopulation of smaller areas and an unrealistically higher number of residents in towns with predominantly minority communities.

Therefore, some areas south of the Ibar, such as Gracanica, which now records 19,000 residents, or Strpce, which increased from 3,000 residents in 2011 to 10,000, will feel the benefits.

"This will positively reflect on their budget calculations; their budgets will increase, and these local governments will be able to breathe a bit easier, having more resources at their disposal," she explains.

On the other hand, she says that Kamenica and Decani are municipalities with the highest outflow of residents.

"Decani has lost 48 percent of its population," says Andric Rakic.

She adds that population migration is most noticeable in Pristina, which has grown from 190,000 to 227,000, and in Kosovo Polje, which has doubled its population and now matches South Mitrovica in number.

"This shows that a good part of people are moving from surrounding, or rather peripheral, municipalities to Pristina. Kosovo Polje is now practically merged with Pristina," concludes Andric Rakic.

"When you look at the results by towns, the Agency reported that nine towns recorded population growth, but real growth only happened in Pristina and Kosovo Polje, and to some extent Urosevac. But that is really very little, only 700 more residents. All other towns, actually municipalities where growth was recorded, are minority: Strpce, Gracanica. Gracanica, for example, recorded an 80 percent population increase. Mamusa, a Turkish municipality, Klokot, and other municipalities considered non-majority. Even there, the growth is not real; it is the result of the boycott of the 2011 census. The increase in population numbers now shows that the Serbian population responded more this time. Real growth only exists in Pristina and Kosovo Polje," Andric Rakic concludes.