TIRANA, April 14 – North Macedonia Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi warned about rising youth emigration during the Fourth Diaspora Summit in Tirana. He said governments must urgently design policies to stop the outflow of young people.
At the opening of his remarks, Gashi described the trend as a demographic “bleeding” driven mainly by economic pressure. He also linked it to weak rule of law and gaps in education, healthcare, and cultural policy.
He said continued emigration trends could create an alarming future for the region. He added that summit discussions correctly reflect the scale of the challenge.
Gashi then focused on youth migration patterns across the Western Balkans. He said countries were losing their most capable young people, including top students and high performers. He argued that this trend weakens state capacity and long-term development.
From that perspective, he said governments must first halt outward migration. He also said they must build conditions that encourage young people to stay.
He added that policy frameworks should also support return migration. He said such measures must restore trust and opportunity for younger generations.
Gashi pointed to lack of hope as a key driver of departure. He said political competition often replaces long-term governance planning. As a result, young people receive signals that opportunity is limited.
He warned that continued emigration would undermine future prospects for regional states. He linked youth retention directly to sustainable development.
On rule of law, he said it remains a decisive factor in migration decisions. He noted progress in some countries, including Albania, but said ongoing departures still indicate policy failure.
He concluded that electoral outcomes alone cannot measure governance success. Instead, he said youth retention offers the clearest indicator of effective policy performance.
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