Thu
Mar
02

Demographic decline of Croatia: What is to be done?

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Policy Recommendations

  1. Assess the demographic challenge in a multi-stakeholder perspective and design policies that reflect political, economic and social complexity of the issue. Earlier policy solutions should be analysed critically and fairly.
  2. Strengthen the rule of law. Strong democratic institutions with entrenched rule of law and legal certainty positively impact investments and economic development which, in return, incentivise people to remain, those who left to return, and new ones to come. Designing policies aimed at increasing birth rates without tackling broader negative political and economic trends, in particular corruption, will not reverse demographic decline.
  3. Reflect on positive aspects of people’s mobility and on best practices elsewhere.
  4. Show positive examples of immigration in Croatia and successful stories of integration. Discuss challenges of integration both for the local population and immigrants. Deconstruct fear.

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Thu
Mar
02

Listening to the people: How the Green Agenda Action Plan can do better for the Western Balkans

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Policy Recommendations

  1. To reach desired objectives, the European Union should more closely involve and consult environmental civil society organisations from the Western Balkans and the local population, on all matters related to the Green Agenda, which includes timely and transparent sharing of information in line with the Aarhus Convention.
  2. The European Union should extend the Green Agenda Action Plan to delineate clear responsibilities of all relevant actors in the region, set clear time-frames and targets as well as precise rights and responsibilities of civil society organisations in the consultation process.
  3. It should impose stricter control over governmental action of the Western Balkans to reach the objectives of the Green Agenda and establish a sound monitoring system that will also include the civil society organisations and extend monitoring financing in line with coordinated and participatory bottom-up financing schemes.

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Thu
Mar
02

The Vulnerability of Women in the Labour Market in Serbia

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Policy Recommendations

  1. Including a gender perspective in employment policies.
  2. Introducing comprehensive programmes and measures to support the employment of vulnerable categories of women as well as empowering women by improving the career guidance system and developing mentoring programmes.
  3. Improving the system of employment protection and preventing discrimination.

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Thu
Mar
02

Yes, EUtopia is possible!

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“Europe will be forged in crisis, and will be the sum of the solutions adopted for those crises”

Jean Monnet, founding father of the European project

While the war is raging in Ukraine, we might not even recognize what a paradoxical gift we hold in our hands, which is to live in peace. New security risks for Europe as a whole, but especially for fragile regions such as the Western Balkans, have brought the area back into international spotlight and given it a renewed chance to leave conflicts and frictions behind, thus moving towards a common European future.

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Thu
Mar
02

Kosovo: ending isolation

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Policy Recommendations

  1. The EU member states should be coherent in their attitudes regarding the visa liberalisation of Kosovo.
  2. Kosovo should engage in a bilateral level with sceptic EU member states and work on convincing those who hesitate to provide support for the country in this matter.
  3. Kosovo’s visa liberalisation process, still pending in the Council of the European Union, should be treated as a matter of urgency.

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Thu
Mar
02

Return Migration in Bulgaria: A Policy Context of Missed Opportunities

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Policy Recommendations

  1. Identifying and managing the main obstacles to return.
  2. Ensuring better interconnectedness between the ‘diaspora’ and the policies of return migration in order to facilitate return and re-integration.
  3. Developing a comprehensive package of measures dealing both with decisions to emigrate and return.
  4. Better implementation of the national policies and strategies in the field of migration.

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