Diaspora – strategic potential and generator of economic development in Southeast Europe

We are well aware that Southeast Europe is distinctly emigrant region. Around 11 million emigrants and their descendants solely from seven countries of former Yugoslavia live all over the world. Not all of them are guest or manual workers who have forgotten their mother tongue and have never learned to speak the language of the host country well; something that is often insinuated. American congressmen, professors, writers, landowners, bankers and businessmen are among them as well.

The second- and the third-generation emigrants are of special value, because they are familiar with both homelands and mentalities, they speak both languages perfectly, are educated at prestigious foreign universities and connected to local elites, and they are about their homeland. How many such professionals and patriots have been given the chance to represent their homeland, e.g., as ambassadors or consuls? How many such experts are included in their country's economic recovery today?  How many of our businesspeople have we attracted to invest in their homeland?

We expect unknown investors to invest in our country and do not bother at all about our people who have been investing billions all over the world, while at the same time not looking at their homeland solely as a place to multiply their capital.

The diaspora could play one of the important roles in the economic development of Southeast Europe. It can serve as a bridge for knowledge transfer, exchange of business practice and investments. It can be the best ambassador of its country in conversations with other, foreign investors. The key precondition for successful cooperation with the diaspora is to build mutual trust. If we try to use the capital, knowledge, contacts of the diaspora towards the country of origin, we should first ask ourselves what each country in the region could do for the diaspora so that the diaspora could do something for their country.
Israelis, Irish and Poles have understood for long that emigration is a demographic, financial, investment and lobbying potential.