Raseta: Unclear criteria for verifying USAID donations

Dragoslav Raseta from the organization New Third Way told Kosovo Online that regarding the US decision to stop foreign aid, for now, it is only about programs and grants coming from USAID, noting that this agency celebrated 25 years of cooperation with Kosovo last year and that it awarded around 40 million euros in aid to it during 2024.

"USAID's assistance to Kosovo is mainly linked to improving the functioning of local self-governments and management bodies, i.e., building institutions more resistant to corruption. Looking at the past five years, studies show that 10,000 jobs in Kosovo can be directly linked to the aid received from USAID. Numerous private entrepreneurs from Kosovo have said that these 'training wheels' provided by USAID have helped them a lot and have enabled them to quickly become independent and not reliant on the Kosovo government, to be competitive and competent in the market," says Raseta.

"As for the administration of Donald Trump itself, it claimed that the foreign policy of the aid recipients must be in line with the US foreign policy, but the State Department is more focused on ensuring that projects are not duplicated and that there must be a thorough review of how this money is used, to avoid corruption and similar issues. I think that primarily the new Republican government and the State Department want to present themselves as strong and great fighters against wasteful and extravagant spending, as they often accuse the Democrats, but in Congress, USAID enjoys the trust of both parties, which is why I do not believe there will be significant changes after these 90 days," says Raseta.

He notes that a large portion of the aid flowing through USAID and other international assistance provided by the US has not been cut, as aid worth several billion dollars to Egypt and tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine and Israel still flows unhindered.

"I think the Americans are aware that they must not jeopardize some of their national interests, which USAID has successfully built over the past few decades," evaluates Raseta.