The Ombudsperson has issued a formal recommendation letter to the Ministry of Finance, Labor, and Transfers (MFPT) following an ex officio investigation into the suspension of child benefit payments, which, according to complainants, has disproportionately affected Serb community members.
The report highlights that beneficiaries had been receiving child supplements from September 2021 to December 2024, but payments were suspended even though required documentation had been submitted to the Department of Social Schemes (DSS). In some cases, citizens were asked to appear before the Kosovo Agency of Statistics to verify their residence, as their submitted proof was not recognized by the state system.
The Ombudsperson emphasized that they did not receive any official copies of documents that the DSS relied on to demand additional paperwork, including the October 31, 2024 decision. This lack of transparency, according to the report, constitutes a violation of administrative procedure principles and the rule of law, especially harming children from the Serb community and raising concerns of ethnic discrimination.
In his letter, the Ombudsperson recommended that the MFPT:
- Immediately and clearly publish all decisions, guidelines, and verification criteria in both official languages;
- Create appropriate modalities for verifying documents submitted by beneficiaries;
- Ensure that all suspended payments are reinstated retroactively after proper verification.
