Southeastern European countries may face the worst economic performance since the 2008/2009 crisis.¹ The socio-economic difficulties of Southeastern Europe (SEE) could be caused by several distinct factors: a) Fiscal deficits, which can increase after the countries signal their willingness to finance the needed measures; b) High dependence on certain sectors, such as tourism, will severely affect income due to the lockdowns; c) Inappropriate quality of digital infrastructure in order to support the transition of traditionally offline to online activities; d) Lack of employment perspective and further brain-drain of the SEE youth; e) Competitive authoritarian patterns due to weak institutional settings and fragile media landscape; f) Shifting geopolitical reality within the SEE. Due to these factors, the forthcoming recession provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic could turn into a long-term economic crisis if appropriate measures are not taken by actors from various sectors (governmental, non-governmental, business, media, etc.).

 

Considering this context, the current strategy, relying on a knowledge network of experts and practitioners, aims to deliver a tentative policy roadmap that could support SEE’s quick socio-economic and political recovery from the looming crisis. Within these discussions, the policy roadmap highlights the need for the interconnectedness of the economic, social and political pillars

 

[1] Edith Kikoni and Marc Tobias Schiffbauer, The Economic and Social Impact of COVID-19: Western Balkans Outlook (World Bank, 2020). Available at: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/606131588087679463/The-Economic-and-Social-Impact-of-COVID-19-Western-Balkans-Outlook.

 

Faris Kočan et al. (2020). European Strategy for Socio-Economic Recovery of Southeastern Europe after COVID-19 induced crisis. Krumpendorf. weTHINK policy roadmap