Albania is losing people fast, and EU membership could initially make it even easier for young people to leave. But could European integration ultimately turn brain drain into brain circulation and give young Albanians compelling reasons to come back?
Currently recognized as the most advanced candidate in the enlargement process, Montenegro is maintaining a clear trajectory toward full European Union membership with a target date of 2028.
Albania has been moving steadily along the path toward European Union membership, a journey marked by both historic milestones and persistent challenges. After decades of reform and adaptation, the European Commission has opened all chapters of the accession negotiations, signaling that Albania is now closer than ever to joining the European family.
For decades, young people from the Western Balkans have lived between two worlds – one defined by borders, bureaucracy and post-conflict challenges, and another, just across those borders, shaped by freedom of movement, vibrant democratic values and economic opportunities. The second one is the European Union.
Albania’s journey toward European Union membership represents far more than a political or economic aspiration, it is a strategic and cultural commitment to becoming an integral part of the European family while remaining deeply rooted in its national identity.
In his recent speech at a meeting with Albanian diaspora in Milano, Italy, the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama did not hesitate at throwing shades at the European Union regarding the prospects of Albania joining the European Union. Rama attributed the lack of progress to the “slow Brussels bureaucracy” which is moving with “turtle-like steps”.… Continue reading Enlargement fatigue and Democratic Backsliding in the Balkans