June 23rd, 2021
This week will see the formal launch of the 2021 Balkan Barometer by the European Union Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). The 7th edition of the annual survey will be presented on 24 June 2021 in Tirana, Albania.
The Barometer is an annual perception-based survey and in 2021 more than 1,200 companies and 6,000 citizens took part. It examines the attitudes and aspirations of both citizens and businesses across the Balkan economies. It has become a reliable source of regional data that is widely used and referenced by media, business, civil society, and decision-makers alike.
According to the RCC it “will provide further insights into citizens’ and businesses’ perceptions and expectations towards the EU integration & regional cooperation, digitalisation, green recovery, business and investment climate, mobility and education, public administration and corruption, employability and labour markets as well as it will take stock of the progress achieved by the Western Balkans economies in advancing the regional cooperation, European integration and transformation agenda.”
The Barometer is fast becoming the go-to source of valuable insight into broader economic and societal trends in the Balkans and this years’ report will be a vital source of information on just how the region has handled the Covid pandemic.
The 2020 report, for example, showed that 83% of the population across the region were internet users. The keenest e-shoppers, according to the survey, are Montenegrins, though only 26% of respondents said they shopped online; the lowest level was among Albanian respondents at 15%. Overall, respondents were most likely to use the internet for entertainment — as high as 79% of respondents in Kosovo — and least likely to use it to access government services.
We will give you a detailed overview on the 2021 Barometer results once it is published at a hybrid launch event this week.
To learn more about the Balkan Barometer, visit their website at: www.rcc.int/balkanbarometer