Danger Threatened by New German Law on Migration

The new immigration law, which Germany plans to issue in order to cover the lack of qualified workforce, could cause serious losses to the population of the Balkan countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo.

This immigration law, which Balkan citizens see as a hope, could cause “the brain's” and lack of qualified workforce.

The law, which is expected to go into effect on January 1st of 2019 and will facilitate the employment of people from the Balkan states, is being eagerly expected by the people of the region, yet a large part is not yet aware of the danger that may occur.

In a statement by the German Embassy in Sarajevo, it is said that this law is still in the preparation phase and that it is still early to assess its details.

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Union of Integration Director in Bosnia and Herzegovina Mirunisa Zukic in a proposal for Anadolu Agency (AA) said that with the immigration law entered into force, BiH will enter a major danger. We'll lose a large number of our people with multiple professions starting with engineering. In the last five years about 170 thousand people left BiH”, she said.

Zukic says even those who have returned to their post-war states in BiH (1992-1995) with this new law will go back to EU states, starting in Germany.

According to her, people in BiH are depressed because of the complex political structure and do not keep the promises given. Zukic said that, for preventing immigration, it must be given importance and to hear problems, especially of young people.

Most health workers from Serbia emigrate

One of the countries in the region facing immigration problems in EU states is Serbia.

According to information received by Serbia's Institute for Labour, it is said that people from the health field make up the main group who emigrated from the country, while truck drivers come after health workers.

During 2018, 144 people have emigrated and settled in Germany, while in various cities in Serbia starting in Belgrade, workers with topics “Life and work in Germany” have been organised.

Miljana Pejic from a youth association said that from Serbia, especially doctors and nurses are willing to emigrate to Germany, adding that with the introduction of this law, these persons will leave Serbia.

Similarly, Tatjana Milicevic, who is preparing to emigrate to Germany, said she continues her master's studies in the field of technology and that she is learning German at the same time.

The “conditions in Germany are very good. They need experts from different fields. On the contrary with Serbia, they respect people who develop themselves”, she said.

From Kosovo, Montenegro emigrates young people

Even in Montenegro, which is the smallest country in the Balkans in terms of the number of residents, migration to Germany is a current issue.

In a statement from the German Embassy in Podgorica, 876 people have emigrated from Montenegro to Germany in 2017. This embassy reports that job applications especially include areas such as construction, gastronomia, and care for elderly people.

One of the association members called “Euromost” (The bridge of Europe) in Montenegro, Almer Mekic says that over the past 3 years about 7,000 people have emigrated to the states of Europe, suggesting that most immigrants are with university degrees.

According to the Kosovo Employment Support Agency data for 2017, 5,000 thousand Kosovo citizens have emigrated to Germany.

Antigona Ferrataj, who wants to work as a nurse in Germany, said he has failed to find work in Kosovo. “I have completely lost hope of success in Kosovo. I have another year left to complete my studies. I will go to Germany for my children's future”, she said.

The situation is critical even in Croatia

Also, Croatia, which is a member of the EU, is one of the countries constantly facing migration. Since 2013, when it joined the EU, about 300 thousand people have emigrated to EU countries.

Author of the book “Are we losing Croatia”, Tado Juric said Croats did not emigrate because of poverty, but because they feel themselves unnecessary “” in their country. He added that Croats are very satisfied with living conditions in Germany.

Demographic Stjepan Sterc noted that 800 thousand Croats live in Germany. He stressed that Germany loses 90 thousand workers each year and that in this respect it is seen as an important destination for migration by people in the region.