The GERMAN newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes about the difficulties caused in the Balkan countries by emigration and declining birth rates on the one hand, and immigration from Asia on the other, for which these countries are not prepared.

The author of the text, Michael Martens, mentions an anecdote from a conference where the danger of war breaking out in southeastern Europe was discussed, during which one participant claimed that there was no danger because those countries lack soldiers.

The author of the text does not think that the danger of war does not exist, claiming that even well-armed special units can do a lot of harm, but that these countries nevertheless struggle with a lack of soldiers. He cites Serbia as an example.

“Serbia, for example, has been heavily arming itself for several years, with missiles, drones and air defense systems from China and Russia, which should soon be supplemented by French Rafale fighter jets, that is one part of the picture. The other is that Serbia, like other countries in the region, lacks soldiers who know how to operate this expensive equipment. Thus the Serbian army does indeed have more than 300 tanks, but it has trained crews for at most one third of them,” claims FAZ.

As the reason, it cites the fact that officers gladly move into the economy and that there are few young recruits, because the military profession is no longer so attractive and because fewer and fewer children are being born. In addition, it is stated that emigration further exacerbates the problem, because “the states of that region are not attractive enough to retain their young population or attract migrants.”

Emigration – the best option

The author of the article compares the situation in Serbia with that in Romania or Bulgaria, stating that in those countries it is sometimes possible to slow emigration from large cities or even reverse the trend, but notes that those countries are members of the European Union.

“In the six countries of the Western Balkans, which are not yet members of the European Union and do not have equal access to its market, the situation does not look so good,” writes FAZ, stating that for many young people in those countries emigration still seems like the best option.

The decline in population also affects the behavior of Western investors, FAZ notes, explaining that there is not enough labor for large projects in labor-intensive industries. “One Western corporation, which wants to build a large factory in a Balkan country, therefore agreed even before construction began that two thirds of the employees would be imported from the Philippines.”

The Balkan countries are not ready for new immigrants

It is stated that politicians in that region realized the seriousness of the demographic situation late and are now competing to bring in foreign workers. “Belgrade city transport in the meantime employs bus drivers from India or Sri Lanka, because there are no domestic applicants. The poorest state in Europe, Kosovo, flew in workers from Bangladesh for major projects.”

This new reality will confront societies in the Balkan region with difficult challenges, FAZ warns, because immigrants from Asia and Africa will have children, buy real estate, nurture their traditions and religions, and change the appearance of cities in southeastern Europe, something people in that region are not used to.

“The potential for conflict is obvious. The Balkans have, admittedly, been multiethnic for centuries. But those in power find it hard to admit that this area is an immigration region or that it must become one in order to remain economically viable,” concludes Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Source: index.hr