29 May 2023

In the framework of the CY Strategy 2022-2024 and CY 2023 Action plan supported by Hanns Seidel Foundation, CY partners attended a visit to Sarajevo in the framework of the 8th Edition of the EUSAIR Forum.

The aim of this visit is to strengthen youth participation in EU Cohesion policy and applicable sectoral policies, by investing in skills and further promoting/ supporting the dialogue between public institutions and youth.

End of 2022, CDI has initiated the cooperation with Connecting Youth partners in the framework of CDI-DG Regio initiative “Raising awareness on the Youth Manifesto in the WB6”. During the tour in the Western Balkans region, CDI partnered with CY partners and visited 14 cities in Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and North Macedonia, met with more than 550 youngsters and 50 national and local institutions, several INTERREG IPA and IPA CBC programmes representatives. Close cooperation with CY partners provides added value to cooperation, contributes to new opportunities for cooperation and advocacy, brings closer YCs to EU cohesion instruments and to relevant national/regional mechanisms and institutions.

In order to increase the participation of youth in the governance and decision-making processes of the EUSAIR and INTERREG IPA programmes in the EUSAIR region, CY supported Youth Councils visit and participation at the 8th Edition of the EUSAIR Forum organized in the framework of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Chairmanship of the EUSAIR.

CY took part in the ‘INTERREG IPA EUSAIR Youth Conference’ that CDI organized on 23d of May, where main findings of the Youth Manifesto tour in the region were presented. Furthermore, the Conference welcomed a fruitful discussion on impact-oriented engagement of youth in European Territorial Cooperation and policy-making.

Ms. Iman Maslić, representing the Youth Council of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasized the importance of communication among interested parties. Despite the information about opportunities being public and accessible at any time, youth struggle with grasping what stands behind these opportunities and find it difficult to get meaningfully engaged.

‘We need to simplify communication language towards young people! We need to bring them closer to the opportunities that programmes offer’. These were some of the recommendations shared.

At the other hand, Dea Elmasllari, representative of National Youth Congress Albania, during her speech shared the good practice the Congress had during the implementation of Tirana European Youth Capital 2022 title when it comes to partnering with public and policy making institutions.

Tirana European Youth Capital 2022 is a perfect example of a partnership journey! That example may be embedded in INTERREG and EUSAIR instruments were her concluding words.

Many speakers at the Conference highlighted the need for the national institutions and programme authorities to align programme needs to youth pressing issues as a way to address the Enlargement fatigue and demographic challenges in the region.

EUSAIR Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has identified youth as a priority for its role in the development processes of the region and the new Croatian Presidency plans to keep in focus youth involvement as well. Ms. Lidija Pansegrau HADROVIĆ representative of Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia reconfirmed it by stating: Inclusion of youth in the coming EUSAIR governance and in Pillars is at the basis of the establishment process of the Youth Council, aimed to be concluded in May 2024.

During the visit in Sarajevo, the CY partners also had a meeting with DG Regio officials in charge for INTERREG IPA programmes and EUSAIR. During the meeting they discussed best ways to engage with young people, shared ideas about tailoring support to youth sector, how impact is created and on how young people perceive and engage with EU integration process in the WB region.

The visit to the 8th EUSAIR Forum Sarajevo contributed to step up youth councils and associations inclusion in the EU Cohesion instruments and building a CY vision on engagement in the EU cohesion instruments, EUSAIR and INTERREG IPA programmes.