The meeting was attended by the members of delegations from Athens, Ankara, Belgrade, Chisinau, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Skopje, Sofia and Zagreb.

In his address on "Institutional strengthening and empowering of democratic process for the purpose of effectively dealing with the phenomenon of "brain drain" and the demographic issue in Southeast Europe", Goran Milic said that the demographic challenges we face are not only statistical categories, but also a question of our future, economic stability and sustainability of societies in South East Europe. He said that low fertility, population aging and the departure of young and highly educated people shape the reality of almost the entire region. He added that we are facing negative natural growth and emigration of working-age citizens, but that at the same time we are also recording an increase in immigration, especially in the information and communication technology, construction and services sectors, and that this shows that migration is not one-way and that we must manage it strategically and responsibly. He emphasised that Serbia has significantly improved support for families in recent years and that in 2025 alone, 55 billion RSD were allocated for support measures, of which 44 billion for parental allowance, which is currently used by more than 113,000 families. He also pointed out that we also provide one-time assistance for the birth of a child, funds for equipment for newborns, as well as subsidies for mothers for the purchase of their first real estate, thanks to which 1,400 families have obtained their first home. He added that we have begun drafting the Demographic Development Strategy of the Republic of Serbia for the period 2026–2036, with projections until 2050, as an umbrella, cross-sectoral document that will include family policy, human capital development, health and social protection, regional development, migration and youth policy. He said that no member country from the region can respond to the "brain drain" phenomenon alone and that regional cooperation is therefore of crucial importance, from mutual recognition of diplomas and professional mobility to strengthening the common labour market and academic cooperation, and that demographic recovery must be linked to economic development and prospects for young people, because only societies that offer security and opportunities can count on them staying.