GERMIN në bashkëpunim me Bankën Botërore Shqipëri organizuan takimin virtual: Remitancat - një gjurmë për zhvillim. Kjo ngjarje mblodhi së bashku 26 pjesëmarrës në ZOOM dhe mbi 20 në Facebook Live nga anëtarët shqiptarë të diasporës zvicerane dhe palët kryesore të interesit që kanë të bëjnë me dërgesat e parave në Shqipëri.

Arbnor Mjeku, GERMIN, i mirëpriti të pranishmit dhe theksoi rëndësinë e dërgesave të parave. “Remitancat përbëjnë mbi 10% të Prodhimit të Brendshëm Bruto në Shqipëri dhe janë një burim kryesor i të ardhurave për shumë familje. Sidoqoftë, përkundër këtyre numrave, remitancat nuk po arrijnë të kenë efektin maksimal në zhvillimin ekonomik të vendeve të tyre. "- tha Z. Mjeku.

Ilir Gedeshi, Executive Director of the Center for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), based on studies over the years that have been done on emigration from the Republic of Albania, said that emigration trends were divided into three stages where each stage was set in a decade. This division was made based on the typology of emigration history.

• According to Mr. Gedeshi, the first stage, which dates back to the ’90s, was characterized by illegal emigration, which was concentrated in neighboring countries. The emigration of this decade was also male.
• Mr. Gedeshi says that the second stage of emigration belongs to the years 2000, years which are characterized by the beginning of the formalization of emigration, paving the way for opportunities for family reunification. I
• In the third decade, the characteristic is the emigration in the features of asylum, the illegal emigration, where the flows of illegal immigrants approached Albania as a transit country with the aim of passing to the countries of Western Europe. Based on the studies done, Mr. Gedeshi states that about 57-58% of the population of the Republic of Albania is currently concentrated outside the territory and that future trends are increasing, where mainly these trends are predicted to have the characteristics of movements of well-educated population and with a good economic standard.

Regarding remittances, as a result of emigration, Mr. Gedeshi, based on relevant studies says that before the global economic crisis the level of remittances was 12% of the country’s GDP, at a higher level than foreign investment, thus becoming the main element in the well-being of the country’s economy. Further, the level of remittances has fallen from the crisis period until four years ago, but still, remittances have continued to be an essential element in the country’s economy. Problematic is the fact that a good part of remittances are used for consumption and very little for investment. Another problem, according to Mr. Gedeshi, is the transfer of remittances in an informal way. One factor that can have a positive effect is the concentration of young immigrants in more developed countries such as Western Europe, or young immigrants who are qualified to work better jobs and therefore get paid better and, consequently, send more remittances.

Another factor that would have a positive impact according to Mr. Gedeshi is that in addition to remittances, important are the savings that our compatriots have in their places of residence, which reach the level of 5.5 times higher than remittances. Thus the right policies would bring the transfer of remittances in the right ways, their proper use and guarantee of security and attraction for our compatriots to dig their money into a potential fund or investment.

Fatos Cocoli, an expert on economic affairs at the Ministry of Diaspora stated three main needs. First, encourage and increase the transfer of money from the diaspora through formal channels. Second, the orientation regarding spending this money more effectively and lastly, to be able to attract new diaspora savings in the country’s banking or investment channels.

Diskutimi u përqendrua më pas tek audienca e cila ishte e angazhuar gjatë gjithë takimit në bisedë.

Njomza Gutaj, me marrjen e fjalës shprehet se bashkëatdhetarët tanë kanë dërguar remitanca pasi për ta ka patur një interes të drejt për drejtë, që janë familjarët e tyre dhe të jetuarit e tyre në mënyrë dinjitoze. Në momentin kur vihet në diskutim zhvillimi i remitancave Znj. Gutaj shprehet se këtu vlen siguria për emigrantët pasi mungon lidhja personale, pra janë qveritë të cilat duhet të shfaqin interesin, garancitë dhe kushtet e duhura për ta mundësuar atë gjë. Po ashtu Znj. Gutaj shprehet se edhe sa i takon efekteve negative të remitancave, sërisht janë qeveritë të cilat duhet t’i sigurojnë qytetarëve të tyre një standart dhe mirëqënjesociale ku ato të jetojnë me dinjitet.

Osman Osmani, founder of Prointegra.ch,  says that it is important not to leave without discussing the social aspect of human capital at the same time with the economic aspect. It often happens that compatriots are often seen as a vote and very rarely as part of the society of the country. Therefore, the state should consider its citizens as subjects and not as objects.

When it comes to remittance development, trust and security are key elements. Thus, it is not enough for the governments to raise awareness, but the policies should be transferred to the interstate level, where Albanian immigrants should be considered as important social and political entities, as the interest of Albanian emigrants is direct for both the mother country and the country of residence.

GERMIN në bashkëpunim me Bankën Botërore po organizon një seri eventesh me Diasporën Shqiptare në të gjithë botën dhe ekspertë të sektorit financiar në Shqipëri për të diskutuar sfidat dhe mundësitë në lidhje me remitancat, si një katalizator i rëndësishëm i zhvillimit ekonomik.

The series is developed in the context of Project Greenback, the financial education component of the Remittances and Payments Program (RPP), funded by the Swiss Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by the World Bank in partnership with the Bank of Albania and GERMIN.