Gerxhaliu: Lack of political stability one of the major problems; young people are leaving Kosovo

Kosovo should not focus on statistics, namely the number of people who have left Kosovo following visa liberalization, but must strive in every way to show that there is a future for young and educated people, according to economist Safet Gerxhaliu. He emphasizes that the main reason for young people leaving is political instability, as well as increasing statements about potential conflicts.

Gerxhaliu stresses that institutions in Kosovo must work on retaining young people.

"The problem is that if we focus on numbers and comments from the Government of Kosovo, we waste time counting how many people are leaving. If they did something, those people would stay here. The lack of political stability is one of the major problems. The fact that everything is politicized is another issue, and the third is that every day we have statements about possible conflicts in the region. If we want to do something to make people stay in Kosovo, we need to create laws that help restore lost trust," Gerxhaliu stated.

Gerxhaliu believes that some of the reasons people leave include unemployment, poor conditions in education and healthcare. However, he adds, migrations are not only a problem for Kosovo but for the entire Western Balkans.

"The problem is that the trend of young people leaving is not just in Kosovo, but throughout the entire Western Balkans, and that countries have become 'escape states' due to politics. If smart and young people leave a country, we can imagine what the future of the Western Balkans will be like when, despite being proud of having young and educated people, we now import labor from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan alongside goods and services," he added.

According to him, the main reason for young people leaving Kosovo is political instability and the verbal conflicts among politicians.

"It is never those who start wars who suffer, but those who hear about them. We need to restore a sense of future and trust in these areas, so we can build a future and show that there is a perspective for life here," he emphasized.

Gerxhaliu points out that, according to data, after visa liberalization, the IT sector in Kosovo has been most affected, followed by construction, gastronomy, and medicine due to the departure of the workforce.

"Everyone thought there would be an aggressive exodus of young people, but I fear it is happening quietly, without much noise. The IT sector is greatly affected, and construction, gastronomy, and medicine are directly affected. The exact number of those who have left is unknown, but much will become clear after the population census. However, we cannot waste time counting those who are leaving, but rather take pride in convincing people to stay in these areas, because a Balkan without young people is what the enemies of the Balkans desire, not the owners or citizens of the Balkans," Gerxhaliu concluded.