Podgorica, 27 July 2021 (MIA) – Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Majlinda Bregu, said corruption was and still is a huge problem in the Western Balkan societies on their path to the European Union. “The Western Balkan economies must deal with the problem of corruption institutionally, but also as a society and the citizens must change their behaviour and stop considering that giving a present to someone for doing one’s job is normal,” Bregu said in an interview with the daily Vijesti. “It has to stop being socially acceptable for people to ask for connections or pay bribes whenever they need something. And we especially as a society need to condemn those who do so. Especially those in high positions, positions of power,” Bregu said. Six years ago, 15 percent of citizens considered corruption the biggest problem, while that percentage is currently 26 percent. According to Bregu, “it is a huge rise, which has been clearly triggered by the rise of obvious tangible corruption that citizens face,” RCC said in a press release. “Now, in 2021, for 54 percent of people in the Western Balkans ‘knowing the right people’ is critical for getting ahead in life. So, this is what people see, look and strive for…if not found at home, they are ready to go look for it elsewhere,” said Bregu. “The sooner we deal with it, the better off we are. We need to fight it to lead normal lives, to progress and develop, to be able to keep our children here, at home,” she urged.