9 July 2021

Connecting Youth throughout the five years of operation, CY has created the first bottom up youth cooperation structure, provided a platform of communication and coordination and empowered WB6 youth with the aim of reaching out and involving them in the regional policy making process. Announced in 2020, the Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) will support WB6 growth and reforms with an envelope of EUR 30bn through six main themes and 10 flagship initiatives. While a part of it specifically targets youth, WB6 youth have a direct stake at the WHOLE EIP. To address all youth issues, it is critical that both the EU and the Western Balkans work together in close partnership.

On 8-9 July 2021, the EU Commission organized two meetings with stakeholders in the area of employment with a focus on youth employment in the WB. There were 21 speakers from youth councils, public institutions, organizations, academia and European Commission.

This meeting focused on the theme of creating a more flexible and inclusive labor market.A big emphasis fell on policies that help increase the resilience of the labor market. The aging of the population, digitalization and the transition to a climate-neutral economy, coupled with the consequences of COVID-19, have had a significant impact on the labor market, the social protection system, and the daily lives of people of all ages in Europe.

Across Europe, young people have been severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis, which has outstandingly disrupted their participation in the labour market as well as their education and training plans. The Ministers also exchanged their views on the structural challenges faced by young people in the labour market, notably in the context of the green and digital transitions.

Regarding priority measures that help promote youth employment, they agreed that the European Social Rights Pillar provides guidelines for action, especially that young people have the right to continue their education, apprenticeships, internships, or reputable job opportunities within four months of becoming unemployed or leaving education. There is an immense need for political prioritization and vision of the Youth Guarantee Flagship, which requires the strong partnership between youth sector, social partners and governments in the region.

Ministers also discussed their experiences with the implementation of the Youth Guarantee and considered the necessary steps to establish or further enhance Youth Guarantee schemes. In line with the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, endorsed by EU leaders at the Porto Summit on 8 May 2021, the Ministerial will further strengthen the dialogue between the EU and the Western Balkans to foster the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and to contribute to upward convergence between Member States and Western Balkans.

“Youth of the Western Balkans are also part of the European Youth. The youth guarantee was presented among EU countries in 2014 as a result of the high youth unemployment rate. Youth Guarantee is a clear and strong commitment to take care of the young people, to give them a solution on a defined period and to give them either a job, traineeship or to bring them back to education. The underemployment in WB is very high, starting from 26.5% in Albania to nearly 50% in Kosovo which is a very serious issue. This is not an issue only for Kosovo, it is an issue for Europe. We can not accept that in parts of Europe young people have no prospect, have no future and that's why together with the Slovenian presidency we are very committed to find a solution. At the end is also a question of job creation.” - Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, stated.

On this behalf, the Ministers and the Representatives of the Western Balkans responsible for employment, ratified a Declaration on ensuring sustainable labour market integration of young people, with concrete steps to gradually establish, implement and enhance, respectively, Youth Guarantee schemes. The Ministers and the Representatives of the Western Balkans responsible for employment endorsed a Declaration on ensuring sustainable labour market integration of young people, with concrete steps to gradually establish, implement and enhance, respectively, Youth Guarantee schemes.

After the meeting of the minister, on 9th July, the stakeholders conference took place. The objective of this conference was to engage in a broader discussion with stakeholders from the Western Balkans, including social partners, non-governmental organisations, including youth organisations, researchers, academia, think tanks, and regional and international organisations.

The first part of the Stakeholder Conference provided the opportunity to share with the stakeholders the results of the Ministerial meeting, as well as to stimulate the exchange of experiences and challenges in the design and implementation of policy measures supporting youth employment, including Youth Guarantee.

This panel included stakeholders from the region and international and regional organisations to develop further on the main topic of the Ministerial meeting and discuss the situation of young people in the labour market in the Western Balkans, a gradual establishment of Youth Guarantee schemes and the role of the different stakeholders therein. Among other participants, was also Ditjon Fetahu from the Kosovar Youth Council, a strong partner of CY, who talked on behalf of the issues of young people on ensuring sustainable labour market integration.

A second panel of the stakeholder conference enlarged the focus and concentrated on Supporting labour market transitions in the post COVID-19 recovery. The discussion focused on one of the main challenges of the recovery – how to ensure smooth labour market transitions to facilitate recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It focused on principle 4 of the European Pillar of Social Rights on Active Support to Employment.

CY Platform and its partners are monitoring the Economic and Investment Plan and are preparing a position paper from a youth perspective that will soon be presented at Tirana Youth Connectivity Forum 2021.