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RCC presents the Balkan Barometer: The biggest concern, the price increase!

2024-09-16 17:37:35 / EKONOMI&SOCIALE ALFA PRESS

RCC presents the Balkan Barometer: The biggest concern, the price increase!

Tirana - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) presented in Tirana the 10th edition of the Balkan Barometer, the largest survey of public opinion and business 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, followed by the presentation of the findings of the Balkan Barometer, through an open discussion between the General Secretary of the RCC- yes, mrs. Bregu and audiences made up of young people, representatives of regional youth organizations.

"The Balkan Barometer reveals that rising prices and inflation are the biggest concern this year for the people of the Western Balkans, who during 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 (respectively 8.1% and 3.4%), while food prices are almost the same as in the EU. However, our BPV is only half of that of the EU", said the General Secretary of the RCC, Majlinda Bregu, while presenting the data from the survey.

"Things are changing - not only the circumstances around us, but also our perspectives. Support for EU membership, which started at 39% in 2015, peaked at 62% in 2021 and has since started to decline. Today, it stands at 54%—the lowest in six years. Fatigue from the delay in expansion, although to a lesser extent, has also been reflected in business circles. While support for EU membership among business leaders has fallen by 7% over the past year, with 64% still in favor it continues to remain higher than among the general public. Despite this, many citizens remain hopeful. Forty-three percent believe that EU membership will happen by 2035, while a quarter think it will take longer. "Encouragingly, fewer people than last year, 18%, believe their economy will never join the EU—a 10-point drop from 2022," Bregu added.

This annual survey was conducted with six thousand people and 1200 businesses from all over the Western Balkans, giving an overview of their opinions on regional cooperation, EU integration, trust in public institutions and the media, their biggest concerns, employment, climate change, security, digital life, transport, rule of law, travel, etc. Since its inception in 2015, the survey has spoken to over 65,000 citizens and nearly 13,500 businesses, reflecting 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 Brometer began in 2015. This highlights that regional cooperation has its own value, instead of being viewed in the context of European integration, as has happened in previous years. However, nationalistic politics continue to be seen as a major obstacle to regional cooperation. While confidence and optimism in the region remain cautious, there are signs improvement in the way people perceive these issues, as public opinion evolves as fast as political courage allows," concluded Bregu.

Some of the main findings of the Balkan Barometer.

Public sentiment has improved: from 35% in 2015 to 49% now.

In 2020, 26% of the region's citizens were of the opinion that the Western Balkans gave them hope, but now this applies to only 12%. In 2024, the dominant sentiment is "Conflict" with 22%.

20% of Western Balkan citizens hope for EU membership by 2030, while 23% expect this to happen between 2030 and 2035.

In 2015, 27% believed it would happen by 2020 and 21% by 2025.

Fewer people, 18%, believe their economy will never join the EU, a drop of 10 points from 2022.

In 2021, when we asked citizens if they were ready to work in the Western Balkans, only 7% answered positively, while now in 2024, 22% of them are ready for this.

Trust in institutions remains at low levels: political parties continue to enjoy less trust with 74%.

RCC presents the Balkan Barometer: The biggest concern, the price increase!

 

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