Enthusiasm for European Union membership from the Western Balkans is waning, while almost half of the region’s citizens want to leave their countries of origin.

This is the panorama offered by the latest Balkan Barometer published by the Regional Cooperation Council.

The survey of 6,000 people in the region reveals that support for EU membership has fallen to 59%, a drop of 3% from last year.

Albania is still enthusiastic about EU membership. 92% of respondents express the desire to join, but the same enthusiasm is not seen in Kosovo and Montenegro, where respectively 66% and 60% of their population aim for EU membership.

Serbia shows the lowest level of support, with only 34% of respondents aspiring to join the EU.

The survey also highlights a worrying trend of depopulation in the region, with 44% of respondents considering living abroad.

This figure has increased by 5% compared to the previous year.

1 in 5 respondents associate the Balkans with hope or cooperation, suggesting a willingness to work together to address the challenges they face.

Albanians were equally optimistic when asked about regional cooperation, with 83% expressing positive views.