Who’s leaving Serbia and who is coming back: breakfast with journalists

23 May 2023 – Today, European Policy Centre (CEP) and the Foundation for Advancement in Economics (FREN) organised a breakfast with journalists on circular and return migration.

The hosts of the breakfast, in front of CEP and FREN, Prof. Jelena Žarković, Prof. Ana Aleksić-Mirić, Ana Milinković and Andrija Mladenović, addressed the journalists with introductory words, describing their Project Circular migration before depopulation! as well as the analysis conducted within the Project.

Žarković spoke about what was planned, initiated and achieved in Serbia in the area of return and circular migration, as well as how the state could improve its actions regarding this area, while Aleksić-Mirić referred to the Analysis of the Action Plan for the period 2022–2023 for the implementation of the Strategy on economic migrations of the Republic of Serbia for the period 2021 – 2027, which was carried out within the framework of the Project. The Project is currently being implemented by CEP and FREN jointly, and with the support of the EU Delegation in Serbia. They also talked about the the results of that analysis, referring to the methodology used, from which it was concluded that circular migrations are quite complex, as well as that it is necessary to understand the motives for people leaving, but also to provide them with appropriate support when and if they decide to return to Serbia.

In the following, Ana Milinković, a researcher at CEP, presented how European countries fight the problem of brain drain with their normative and political framework. Concrete conclusions and good practices that could be implemented in Serbia, and that are currently present in analysed countries (Ireland, Bulgaria and Estonia), which were the subject of research within the Project, were also presented.

Uroš Živković, a consultant at Returning Point, who was also at the breakfast as a host, spoke to journalists about the services that exist for the circular migrants at the Returning Point and eGovernment portals, whether they use them and how satisfied they are with services such as eGovernment for eCitizenship, presenting the results of the analysis carried out within this project.

Breakfast with journalists was held within the framework of the project Circular Migration before depopulation! Innovative solutions for encouraging circular migration as a pillar of increased competitiveness and economic development. One of the goals of this Project is to build the capacity of local civil society organisations to participate in the process of supporting circular migrants and returnees, as well as proposing public policies at the national and local level to integrate them better.