Kosovo’s President ‘Among Best Paid’

Pristina _ Kosovo’s President has one of the highest salaries among presidents from Balkan countries, despite the fact that Kosovo has the lowest annual budget in the region.

Balkan Insight sources within Kosovo’s government confirm that Kosovo’s President Fatmir Sejdiu, receives a monthly salary of €3400, as from June 15 when Kosovo’s constitution entered into force. Prior this date, Sejdiu’s monthly income was €2612.

Sejdiu’s spokesperson Xhavit Beqiri confirmed the raise. However, Beqiri told Balkan Insight that “the President’s salary is €3100, and the President receives no other financial benefits” from the budget.

But even this amount makes Sejdiu the most well paid President among his counterparts in the region, despite the fact that Kosovo is the poorest, with an annual national budget of less than €1 billion.

Albanian President Bamir Tomi, has a monthly salary of some €2100, while Serbia’s President Boris Tadic has a lower one of some €1900.

The 'least well-paid' President in the Balkans seems to be Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski with less than €1200, followed closely by his Montenegrin counterpart President Filip Vujanovic who receives some €1300.

Even Traian Basescu, the President of the European Union newcomer, Romania, receives less than Kosovo’s President.

Basescu’s salary is some €2500, although this country’s Gross Domestic Product per capita is five times higher than Kosovo’s, while the annual budget is some 170 times higher.

The current salary rates Sejdiu as second ‘best-paid’ president in the Balkans, after Croatian President Stjepan Mesic who receives a monthly income of some €3600. Croatia’s GDP per capita is some €8500.
According to the World Bank, Kosovo’s GDP per capita is less than €1500 while the estimated average salary of a public servant is some €200.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on February 17, after almost nine years of being administered by the UN.

Since June 15, when Kosovo’s new constitution entered into force, the President’s mandate has altered, gaining most of the competences that previously belonged to the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Kosovo.