Abstract
The article examines the role of migration in the formation of the national diaspora outside the traditional area of residence of the Albanian ethnos. The authors conducted a content analysis of documents of international organizations that monitor and regulate population migration, the European Union, as well as Albanian plans for the development of the diaspora. Two periods of Albanian migration were identified: within the first period, which lasted until the fall of the communist regime in the early 1990s, an “old” diaspora was formed in Europe based on the population of Albania proper; the second period, which continues to the present, is characterized by the formation of a “new” diaspora of Albanians – immigrants from Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia. In the 1990s, the migration of Albanians was predominantly spontaneous. In the 2000s, as a result of the liberalization of the visa regime with the EU countries, migration from Albania gradually became more organized and in line with European requirements: one of the results of this was the increase in the scale of return migration of Albanians. In the 2010s and early 2020s, there was an increase in the power of migration flows from Asian countries to the European Union, which led to a migrant crisis – Albania has become a country of transit non-Albanian migration for the first time. The geographical structure of migration from Albania over the past 30 years has undergone a significant transformation due to a change in the priorities of the Albanians, who choose for their resettlement not territorially close (Greece and Italy), but economically more developed (USA; Canada; Belgium; UK – especially after Brexit; Germany – the main destination of migration flows from Albania at the moment) countries. This trend has become especially noticeable since the mid-2000s, which is explained by the growing share of migrants with higher education leaving the country legally. The leadership of Albania uses the influential diaspora in negotiations with Brussels regarding the country’s accession to the EU and remittances from Albanian migrants form – according to various estimates – up to 25% of its GDP. The final part of the article draws conclusions that without the help of Albania the diaspora can gradually dissolve in the accepting society, while the state, without taking steps to strengthen ties with the diaspora, will lose the assistance of millions of compatriots, many of whom have unique knowledge, financial and technological capabilities.
Published Version
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