Analysts: Kosovo could be left empty after visa liberalization

After the decision on visa liberalization, for which Kosovo has been waiting for more than 12 years, analysts assess that there could be a massive departure of Kosovo citizens in search of better living conditions in one of the EU countries, as reported by Reporteri.

Professor Bashkim Mustafa made a comparison through statistical data with North Macedonia and Albania, where it turned out that hundreds of thousands of people left those countries after visa liberalization in search of better jobs in European Union countries.

Mustafa says that the Kosovo government has not invested enough in the labor market.

"The government has never taken the labor market seriously. I have published some statistical data on how liberalization has affected the labor market in North Macedonia and Albania. According to the INSTAT survey, the population of Albania decreased by 7.5 percent, or 42,000, in 10 years. In the span of 10 years, over 200,000 residents chose to work in EU countries. Almost the same thing happened in North Macedonia, where over 230,000 people migrated to the EU in a decade. Based on this statistic, the situation in Kosovo will be the same," Mustafa predicts.

According to the president of the Kosovo Business Alliance, Agim Shahini, the labor market will undergo significant changes after January 1st next year, when the decision on visa liberalization comes into force.

He called on the private sector to improve working conditions in order to minimize citizens' departures.

"The labor market will be deregulated, as Kosovo citizens will be free to go to EU countries. Given that Germany, as the largest country where Kosovo citizens migrate, will greatly facilitate employment at the end of this year, we will be exposed to massive departures. If we, mainly the private sector, fail to improve working conditions by the end of this year, then the labor market will really suffer great shocks," Shahini added.