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Experts try to counter the 'brain drain' from the Balkans

Photo: podkrepa.org

Higher incomes and improved quality of life are the key factors to counter migration and brain drain, participants in an international conference in Sofia on the integration of the Western Balkan countries have agreed.

The forum was attended by trade unionists and experts from North Macedonia, Serbia, Romania, Albania, France and Austria. "Brain drain is a common problem in the Balkans for two reasons - loss of livelihoods and freedom of movement. A highly skilled workforce working for low pay can only exist in a dictatorship," said Dimitar Manolov, president of the Podkrepa trade union. Experts argue that continued emigration and growing poverty in the region are not only hindering the process of European integration, but also widening the gap in living standards. 



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