Discourse, power and paternalism: a critical discourse analysis of EU reports on brain drain in the Western Balkans

Brain drain has become a major challenge for the Western Balkans, exacerbating the loss of human capital and constraining the region’s development. Grounded in postcolonial and paternalistic perspectives, this study examines how the European Commission framed brain drain in enlargement documents, and how these framings resonated across policy and society. The study identifies 2019 as a discursive turning point when the Commission began to pay clearer attention to the issue, and reveals three discourse strategies: selective terminology, attribution of responsibility to the region, and the prioritization of migration issues that serve EU interests. These narratives reproduce hierarchical relations and normalize one-way mobility towards the EU. Although the Commission’s discourse has found some resonance in policy and society, its transformative capacity remains limited. The findings call for a shift from paternalistic narratives towards more reciprocal framings that recognize the region as equal partners, and address brain drain in the accession process.