Brain drain leaves Balkan nations on more uneven footing
BELGRADE, Serbia — Marina Stevanov never doubted she would leave her native Serbia as soon as she earned her medical degree with top grades.
Now, the 25-year-old doctor is packing her diploma, thick medicine books and a German language dictionary for a move to Austria, where an elite hospital offered her a job that will train her to specialize in vascular surgery.
She doesn’t plan to return any time soon.
Rampant unemployment, low wages, corruption and a lack of opportunity to advance careers are driving thousands of young and educated adults to emigrate from Europe’s Balkan nations.