Rural Albanians abandon the countryside in search of work

Besat Tafaj, 14, brings a horse to his family's farm so it can haul sacks of rye back to the nearby village of Novosej, Albania. In the past year a wave of people have left villages like Novosej looking for work in the European Union but many are sent back to Albania as Germany has labeled it a "safe" country.

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Filename: 20150818-spiegel-4162.JPG
Copyright: Elie Gardner
Image Size: 3600x2400 / 6.8MB; albania immigration village poverty european union farm country unemployment jobs economic migrant
Contained in galleries: Abandoning Rural Albania for Der Spiegel, Abandoning Rural Albania

Besat Tafaj, 14, brings a horse to his family's farm so it can haul sacks of rye back to the nearby village of Novosej, Albania. In the past year a wave of people have left villages like Novosej looking for work in the European Union but many are sent back to Albania as Germany has labeled it a "safe" country.