Danijel Koletić, CEO at Apriori World, IPRA and UN awarded consultant for sustainable development goal number 10 – decreasing inequalities;
At the end of the tunnel, light is slowly visible.
What is positive – everyone hopes for optimistic solutions and everyone lives for freedom of movement. While in some countries the vaccination process has been communicated in a professional, simple and transparent way, in some countries people unfortunately do not want to receive any vaccine.
There is almost no day when there is no news related to COVID-19. I believe that both the politicians and the whole system are already sick, not only of this news, but of the way of life. Thus, different policies took advantage of the COVID-19 virus situation for COVID profiteering. There is still no transparency that everyone is talking about regarding spending and investment during COVID. But who cares? If anyone is interested, that is a completely unimportant topic today. Are the ethical standards of those who talk about transparency only on paper or do they exist in reality?
What is positive – everyone hopes for optimistic solutions and everyone lives for freedom of movement. While in some countries the vaccination process has been communicated in a professional, simple and transparent way, in some countries people unfortunately do not want to receive any vaccine. We are witnessing corporate games of vaccine manufacturers, spins, related to certain brands and doubts about their quality. Common sense tells us that every vaccine has certain side effects and that they depend on each individual. Of course, the media and media headlines, as well as those who created these crisis communication campaigns, have managed to impose on people the perception of the harmfulness of certain vaccines. Now it is a bit behind us, now we are all stakeholders in new topics, and that is the topic of freedom of movement. The poor cannot afford not to be vaccinated. If they do not get vaccinated, they have to set aside 800 euros to test a family of four when entering and leaving the country. 800 euros for this category means eight days of paid apartment. Special passes are awaited, and legal experts and those fighting for human rights condemn any kind of booklets, codes that will separate people into those who have been vaccinated and those who have not been vaccinated.
COVID-19 exists, as do its 48 versions. Pills instead of vaccines are expected soon. Until as many people as possible are vaccinated and the purchased stocks or those that are yet to come are used up, I think that this topic will not cease to be our everyday life. Despite this, we believe that the sun is coming, that summer is coming that will cheer us all up, which in itself will bring an optimism that is already slowly being felt. As soon as the first rays of the sun come out, people slowly hang out on the terraces. We are all looking forward to that June in which COVID-19 should disappear in the sense that spontaneous gatherings, events will begin and that people will finally be able to see each other, support each other, but also that they will be able to travel outside their countries. All of us as human beings have somewhat forgotten about all other diseases, the poor, the hungry, the disabled because these topics are not talked about at all.
Public administration employees had to adjust to working from home. Those countries that started the process of investing in eGovernment a few years ago, approached it professionally and seriously, had much higher efficiency of public administration than those that did not. Unfortunately, in many countries of Southeast Europe, due to political employment and political quotas, the number of employees in public administration is growing from year to year, and their efficiency is decreasing. At a time when practical trust has been created in online shopping and ordering platforms, states are still lagging behind and citizens still have to go with one document to 3-4 locations to solve their issues.
Not everything is so black because there is a bright example. Despite everything, there are visions of change. Never have more funds, either from the European Union or from credit institutions, been available. However, both the distribution and division of these things depend on politicians, freedom of recognition of ideas, and transparency of business. Unfortunately, as long as political leaders do not allow freedom of creativity and support through their decisions the market to create without political networking and political interests, young people in Southeast Europe will go to some other countries where the climate may not be so good, nature might not be as beautiful. However, those are countries in which they are not only well paid for their work, but also where public administration recognizes their ideas, gives them freedom in creation regardless of their political affiliation or family connections.
We are in a new age in which we have all been able to think well, in which we have all been able to provide new strategies for the prosperity of states, companies. The only question is whether there is a will and desire for it. If something does not change, countries in the Balkans will have to be ready to become countries that will understand and accept differences, which means that due to weak demographic policies, even greater multiculturalism and diversity can be expected in the next 20 years.