There may hardly be a family in the Western Balkans who does not count among them relatives in Germany, Austria, or Sweden. Indeed, over the past decades, emigration from the Western Balkans has taken on impressive proportions: according to new OECD figures, almost 20 percent of Albania’s population today, for instance, has left the country within the first 15 years of this century. Young people are leaving their home countries in search of economic opportunities abroad. This may sound like a good deal for destination countries such as my own: Germany is gaining highly skilled labor force and unskilled workers alike, both of which are welcome contributions to its economy and society.