Bregu: Balkan Barometer proves that hope still motivates the region, despite the great challenges

2024-09-16 17:45:00, Aktualitet CNA

Bregu: Balkan Barometer proves that hope still motivates the region, despite the

General Secretary of RCC, Majlinda Bregu

The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) presented today in Tirana the 10th edition of the Balkan Barometer, the largest survey of public and business opinion in the region.

The activity was opened by the General Secretary of the RCC, Majlinda Bregu and the Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Albania, Silvio Gonzato.

Bregu: Balkan Barometer proves that hope still motivates the region, despite the

Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Albania, Silvio Gonzato

In her opening speech, Bregu made a reflection from Gabriel Garcia Marquez's story, "There is no one to write to the colonel", where in the conversation between the colonel and his wife, the fact that hope is what keeps you alive is emphasized.

"This simple, but very significant reflection on hope, resonated with me a lot with the results that came out of the Balkan Barometer. Despite the many, tangible challenges that our region is facing, it seems that hope is what continues to keep people up and motivated", said Bregu, listing the analysis of the data of the Balkan Barometer.

"The Balkan Barometer reveals that price increases and inflation are the biggest concern this year for the people of the Western Balkans, who for the last decade were most concerned about the economic situation and unemployment. This change does not come as a surprise, given that inflation in the Western Balkans is almost double that of the EU (8.1% to 3.4% respectively), while food prices are almost the same as in the EU. However, our GDP is only half of that of the EU", said the General Secretary of the RCC, Majlinda Bregu.

General Secretary of RCC, Majlinda Bregu

"Things are changing - not only the circumstances around us, but also our perspectives. Support for EU membership, in 2015 was 39%, reached its peak of 62% in 2021 and from that moment this percentage began to feel a decline. Today, it stands at 54%—the lowest in six years. This weariness at the delay in enlargement has also been reflected in business circles, while support for EU membership among business leaders has fallen by 7% over the past year Among the general public, with 64% still in favour. Despite this, many citizens remain hopeful that EU accession will happen by 2035, while a quarter think it will take longer than last year. 18% believe that their economy will never join the EU, a drop of 10 points from 2022," added Bregu.

This annual survey was conducted among 6,000 people and 1,200 businesses from across the Western Balkans, providing insight into their opinions on regional cooperation, EU integration, trust in public institutions and the media, their biggest concerns, employment, change climate, security, digital life, transport, rule of law, travel, etc. Since it was first launched in 2015, the survey has asked over 65,000 citizens and nearly 13,500 businesses for their opinions.

"On a positive note, trust in regional cooperation is growing. This year, a record 82% of citizens expressed their support for it - the highest result since the Balkan Barometer began in 2015. This shows that regional cooperation is important "However, nationalist politics continues to be seen as a major obstacle to regional cooperation, although trust and optimism in the region remain cautious as people perceive these issues, as public opinion evolves as quickly as political courage allows," concluded Bregu.

At the end of her speech, based on the data of these last 10 years, Bregu concluded that it seems clear that the "colonel" already has someone to write to.