Kosovo population drain challenges Germany's refugee policies The number of Kosovars seeking asylum in the EU has drastically increased. It poses a challenge to recipient countries in the region, including Germany, and is on the agenda at Kosovo-Serbia talks in Brussels. Seven years after declaration of independence from Serbia, Kosovo is seeing a dramatic rise in the number of its citizens leaving to escape unemployment and poverty. According to the UN, 35 percent of people in Kosovo are unemployed and nearly 30 percent of the country lives in poverty. It is estimated that more than 30,000 people have left the country in the last two months, transiting illegally into EU member Hungary via Serbia. Exodus to Germany Many of those seeking more economic opportunities come to Germany. German figures released on Monday, February 9 show a significant increase in asylum applications from Kosovars - from 1,956 applications in December to 3,630 in January. The jump ...
