Bregu: The brain drain is not only about human capital, but also security issues

2023-11-14 20:25:00, Aktualitet CNA

Bregu: The brain drain is not only about human capital, but also security issues

General Secretary of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Majlinda Bregu

RCC presents the third edition of the SecuriMeter public opinion poll on security issues.

The General Secretary of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Majlinda Bregu, at the opening of the eighth Regional Security Coordination Conference today in Rome, described migration as one of the biggest problems.

"Migration is becoming one of the biggest problems these days, because our countries are being emptied. We are talking not only about those resulting in the influx of migrants entering our region, but also because of emigration from our region to the west Therefore, the term "security challenges" is changing meaning dramatically. Security challenges are not only solving or preventing conflicts, climate change and disasters, espionage and the real problems of human lives, but also finding ways to stop the flow. of the human brain from our region", she said.

The secretary of the RCC stated that the main concerns of the citizens of the Western Balkans are corruption and organized crime.

"The main concerns of the citizens of the Western Balkans are corruption and organized crime. More than 60% of the citizens of the Western Balkans list organized crime as their top security concern, which goes hand in hand with corruption, with 55% of the region's citizens believing that the level of corruption has increased. When it comes to migration, 70% of our citizens agree that our region should accommodate migrants in need of protection, but the majority, 80%, believe that the EU should do more to share the burden. Regional cooperation in this field is also supported to a great extent, as 73% are of the opinion that deepening regional cooperation to control the borders between the Western Balkans as a region is a way to manage irregular migration," added Bregu.

The SecuriMeter was conducted between May 14 and June 2, 2023 among 6,023 people in the region. The data show that the majority of potential immigrants from our region, 62% of them plan long-term stays abroad for years or forever. Almost half of our citizens, 47%, believe that disinformation causes more harm in provoking hatred and divisive thoughts. They think social media is the most likely to spread fake news - 46%, closely followed by journalists at 44% and politicians at 38%.

The entire SecuriMeter database is available here.

"SecuriMeter shows many worrying trends, from migration to fear of war, cyber security and disinformation. All these challenges will need us to invest in even stronger efforts to respond to them. We must live very close each other, to treat these challenges as an issue that belongs to all of us equally, thus strengthening our regional cooperation even more", concluded Bregu.

Alongside the General Secretary of the RCC, the opening speech was given by Raffaele Grassi, Deputy Chief of Police, Ministry of the Interior of Italy and Andrea Cascone, Director of the Adriatic and Balkans Unit - Directorate General for the European Union - Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Italy's International Cooperation.

The two-day conference will focus on regional security challenges and threats in the Western Balkans, featuring seven security-related panels, and interactive sessions, working groups and networking opportunities. This conference aims to foster in-depth discussions, promote cooperation between stakeholders and contribute to the security and stability of the Western Balkans. It is an annual event that gathers all regional security practitioners, organizations and networks dealing with security issues in Southeast Europe and the Western Balkans, in particular.

The 8th Security Coordination Conference is organized by the RCC in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.