Balkan Brain Drain ‘Won’t Stop Without Economic, Democratic Progress’
The ‘brain drain’ will continue to be a significant challenge for Balkan countries as long as their economies struggle and their democratic deficits persist, an online conference entitled ‘Young People, Migration and the Demographic Challenges in the Western Balkans’ was told on Wednesday.
“The goal of this conference is not stopping the migration. Whoever worked on it failed and mobility is part of the EU. However, we cannot close our eyes to the brain drain in the Balkans,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in his opening speech.
Maas told the conference, which was attended by EU and Balkan politicians, youth representatives and experts, that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s population will decrease by one-third by 2050 and there will be similar decreases in Albania and Serbia.
“The economy is not the only reason. Merit-based appointment and corruption are the main issues. Rule of law and good governance is a top priority,” Maas added.
Dubravka Suica, vice-president of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography said that the region faces a twin problem.
“Young people leave when they do not have opportunities, and those countries lose their future. The Western Balkans belong to the EU, and once we create an attractive environment, young people will stay,” Sucia said.
Politicians from the Balkans said they shared the concerns of the EU politicians.
“Migration has paramount importance for our region. Forty-three per cent of Balkan people consider migrating,” said acting Albanian Foreign Minister Gent Cakaj.
“We need to keep working on the rule of law, corruption and organised crime. We need to create new opportunities for younger generations,” he added.
Montenegro’s Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic argued that young people need better-quality jobs, stability and peace in the region if they are to stay.
“All of us have to find concrete ways to keep our youth in their countries,” Darmanovic said.
Ljubica Ivanova, a young woman from the North Macedonian capital Skopje, said in a video message to the conference that nepotism was partly to blame for emigration.
“Nepotism is a big problem here. If you are not somebody’s son, daughter, or even a friend you are more likely not to have equal chances to succeed as a young person,” Ivanova said.
Sandra Maksimovic, a young woman from Belgrade, made similar points about the problems for young people in Serbia.
“First things first, Serbia needs to introduce the rule of law, so everybody could have equal chances and an opportunity to pursue their goals. Otherwise, young people will leave and Serbia will not have a bright future,” Maksimovic said in a video message.
One of the young participants, Samir Beharic from Sarajevo, however, said he was disappointed because none of the ministers attending the conference had proposed any concrete solutions or recommendations to end the brain drain.
The EU’s enlargement commissioner Oliver Varheyli, pointed out that changing the situation is not a one-day job.
“This is at least a ten-years-long process. Support to create jobs and SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises], contributing to increase skills and support to young people’s involvement in decision-making processes are the main pillars,” Varheyli said.
He called for EU-based companies to invest in the Balkan region to create jobs.
The conference, which will continue until Friday, is being organised by the German Federal Foreign Office, the Southeast Europe Association in Munich and the Aspen Institute Germany.
