On June 20th 2024, the President of the Scientific Council of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Levant Culture and Civilization, Professor Emil Constantinescu, inaugurated the proceedings of the “Bridging the Gap: From Brain Drain to Brain Circulation” interdisciplinary conference held in a hybrid format at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest.by offering “a brief introduction of the context, impact and implications” of this phenomenon.
Organized entirely by students enrolled in the Erasmus Mundus MA Programme in Euroculture at the Jagiellon University of Krakow, the conference aimed to bring the critical issue of the flights of younger generations in search of a better life and career opportunities in the West into public debate in Romania and the European Union at large.
The important argument put forth by the conference organizers highlighted that “Central and Eastern Europe are facing a crisis situation characterized by the mass emigration of qualified professionals, a phenomenon more commonly referred to as a “brain drain”. This trend devalues the human resources of the countries of origin, affecting their economic stability and their societal cohesion. In a context in which demographics across the region are in a continual decline, it is necessary that we seek and elaborate an efficient strategic response”.
The many panels of the June 20th conference offered up a number of potential solutions to this important problem affecting the states of Central and Eastern Europe. The participants presented the perspective of the younger generation not only in what regards the “brain drain” phenomenon itself, but also the personal outlook of young scholars in the academic milieu onto their own future perspectives. At the same time, the conference highlighted the mirrored perspective of the Western business and academic environment faced with a substantial capacity influx from the East. The proceedings also greatly benefitted from the interventions and contributions of a number of important representatives of the academic, political and administrative environment in Romania and in Europe, such as Experts of the European Commission, Members of the Romanian Parliament and Government, university chancellors and leaders of civil society and of civic initiatives initiated to counteract this phenomenon.