From 27 February to 1 March 2023 took place the evaluation seminar within the EZA special project for workers’ organisations in the Western Balkans, organised by PODKREPA CL (Confederation of Labour PODKREPA) in cooperation with EZA and funded by the European Union.
The seminar’s objective were as follows:
- To exchange experiences in the field of social dialogue on diverse levels between trade union leaders and experts from the WBs countries and the EU member states
- To develop setting up and adapting viable social dialogue strategies in the WBs region, strategies- suited to European practices
- To convey and discuss appropriate knowledge and European values, to expand awareness of behaviour approaches and potential solutions in the context of social partnership
- Stabilising and strengthening workers’ organizations from Western Balkans by boosting their position in the national social dialogue.
Description of the seminar
- The seminar has started with welcome addresses and keynote speeches on the actual political and economic situation and challenges in WB region and within the EU.
- Opening panel was followed by introductory presentation “Who will stay when everyone leaves? What remains when everyone leaves?”, focused on the two most difficult and longstanding problems in WB region - the phenomenon of brain-drain and de-population in the Western Balkans.
- The second panel goes in deep in the topic of poverty and inequality in the region with tow experts’ presentations:
- Poverty and inequalities in the process of integration.
- Cooperation between State authorities and the Civil society organizations regarding Consumer rights.
- Third panel analyzes the genesis of the intensive emigration from Western Balkans, trying to find-out answer to the question Why do people leave their country? The role of employment, perspectives and living conditions was presented by trade union leaders from Serbia; Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania.
- Forth panel Brain-drain and de-population in different countries – experiences in the Western Balkan countries and the EU with a more practical orientation, comparing the situation in Romania, Serbia, France, Slovenia, RN Macedonia, followed by general discussion.
- Second day starts with expert’s presentation “Stop de-population and brain-drain – perspectives, ideas and actions of workers’ organizations’” followed by think-thank session: „ Workers’ organizations and other groups of civil society united to stop de-population and brain-drain” with inputs from all participating trade unions and countries.
Closing session for conclusion and evaluation of the seminar.
Key ideas
- Every of the WB countries already declared its ambitions to join the EU, but strong commitments and concrete actions to comply with accession’s criteria, especially in implementing, to limit corruption, to promote principles of good neighbourliness and respect for human rights are still needed. At the same time, the EU itself, has to strengthen its resilience regarding the constantly emerging crises: the military conflict in Ukraine, the inflation, the new technologies and cyberspace. In addition, to be resilient our Union must overcome its internal division – to a rich part and a poor periphery. In that context, the EU must intensify the support, provided to the WBs, as an integral part of its strategy to secure a unique space of democracy, peace and economic prosperity. In addition to support social cohesion, the EU must promote a transnational policy approach in regulating specific areas of labour – such as decent pay, emigration, social dumping, seasonal work.
- In an age of open markets and the relatively free flow of labour across borders, the presence of large-scale emigration from Western Balkans to the rich European countries is not a surprise. Like Bulgarian and Romanians, citizens of WBs are in large waves emigrating towards the West of Europe. To estimate the economic footprint, we have to mention that only costs associated with the education of those are about €2.46 billion, without counting the potential loss in GDP growth and investments. In addition, having in mind that mostly young and active people are going abroad, that is accelerating first the de-population of the region, second - shortage of weel-qualified workforce, in short, poor Western Balkans nations are investing in the rich, receiving countries. This is a key problem, it has huge impact on economy and society, but it is has not being solved for decades – citizens are continuing to left the region for work in other European countries in search of better pay and better working conditions, escaping the lack of perspective, the widespread corruption and the politically-appointments.
- The emigration is compared with a journey of hope for people in WBs. Because in WB countries to have a good education and employment do not guarantee well-being. The combination between poverty, brain drain and lack of perspectives lead to very fragmented and disappointed societies. Instead to propose effective mechanism, political elites are persistently maintaining wrong and unfair mechanisms of public wealth‘s distribution and redistribution, with high levels of corruption. In practice, political interference and corruption are difficult to be detected because of the lack of strong and independent civil society institutions and adequate control/ penalty mechanisms.
- Investment in education and in culture are crucial to drive economic growth, job creation and social development in WBs. Here, the role of trade unions in promoting the EU shared values is key in the strengthening the local, national and European identities. Social dialogue is the strongest force in building bridges., to enable governments and employers to work in common. Education and culture are also a guarantee for more solidarity and the best antidote against the risk of disintegration of WB societies. These priorities need to be reflected in all, implemented by trade unions programs and campaigns.
Conclusions and recommendations
- Emigration and de-popularisation trends in WBs region are undoubtedly worrying - for many years WBs are an exporter of smart, educated people to Western Europe. But public discourse on the causes of this phenomenon is neglected by the national governments and politicians. Even worse – it’s simplified to remittances to improve development opportunities of the region. Logically, neglecting the situation, national governments do not have the respective policies and instruments to limit, even to estimate its impact.
- In addition, a region-wide political debate on emigration and its consequences is missing. Political leaders have yet to begin unpacking the question of why people leave, let alone address the problem. Trade unions from Western Balkans must break this silence on the phenomenon of brain drain and de-population and to initiate the difficult debate on the complexity of the issue, taking into account that the departure of the most skilled workers and the decline in tax revenues is weaking local economies and social systems. In that debate, trade unions, similar to state institutions and policymakers need to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth about the reasons for which people leaving the region and to shape the debate to their benefit, abandoning empty phrases that mask reality. Trade unions must also be involved in drafting policies and strategies on emigration or to develop concrete measures in tackling the issue.
- It would be a mistake to think that wealthy states will change their immigration policies, so long as they have demand for labour and the capacity to absorb workers from abroad This is the EU who must try to understand better the severe implications of emigration, and to increase its investment strategy and its capacity -building support to the region. For example, EU may profit from its well-established cooperation mechanisms within the region and to offer guidance to national governments on mutually beneficial measures on migration. It may also use already existing platforms to connect labour markets, clearly communicate employment demand and opportunities.
- Trade unions from the region must take initiative and to pave the way for more institutionalized emigration, proposing legal and practical solutions, such as support to the EU assistance programs to create long-term employment opportunities, strengthening the region’s underdeveloped industrial sectors. Uniting their efforts trade unions must formulate long-term economic and employment strategies, to bring prosperity and eventually offer EU membership to their countries.
- The advancement of WBs towards a more democratic development in region may not be effectuated without concrete steps to respect the rule of law and to fight against corruption. Because tolerance of corruption by the general public and state capture continue to threat the unfolding efforts for more decisive actions in implementing systemic reforms. Addressing corruption requires long-term work at many levels (regional, national and local) and involves multiple stakeholders. A more informed and demanding public, a civil society with a strengthened role in monitoring policies in corruption- prone areas, as well as visible economic progress and improved business environment are other necessary elements for achieving sustainable results.
Continuous EU commitment to the accession process will remain crucial for driving reforms and economic development in WBs. However, new ways to strengthen ties with the region and increase its credibility are needed The EU should use all available mechanisms and unite all involved actors, including workers’ organizations to formulate a new EU Western Balkans strategy, adjusting its Structural and Cohesion Funds to the context of large-scale emigration, persisting poverty and de-popularization.