In addition to aspirations towards European integration and greater democratization of the region, young people in the Western Balkans are also connected by common problems, and more intense cooperation among young people is a key step towards reconciliation and overcoming today’s challenges, according to the Western Balkans Youth Forum, which will be held on October 13 and 14. held in the capital of Germany, Berlin.
Organized by the Regional Office for Youth Cooperation (RYCO), the German-French Youth Network (OFAJ DFJW) and the non-profit association Burger Europas, and under the auspices of the Berlin Process Summit, the Western Balkans Youth Forum brought together more than 100 participants, including representatives of the governments of the region, representatives of the governments of European Union countries and EU institutions, as well as young people from the Western Balkans and European countries. The special focus of this year’s Forum was on marking the tenth anniversary of the Berlin Process, which was an opportunity for the participants to look back on the results achieved so far and look at future steps in order to further improve the cooperation of young people in the region.
Opening the Forum, RYCO General Secretary Albert Hani said that a lot has been done through the Berlin Process as a platform for cooperation in the past ten years, but that young people are actually the driving force of this process.
“You are the architects of the future and the voice of change. Your energy, creativity and determination inspire all of us to strive for a better and more prosperous region,” said General Secretary Hani and called on those responsible in regional and European institutions to provide even stronger support in order to more actively involve young people in decision-making processes, promote cooperation and overcome problems. of the past.
He pointed out that the establishment of RYCO as part of the Berlin process sent a strong political message that the governments of the region want to cooperate, but that the existence of RYCO is based not on interests, but on values.
“Our mission is to break stereotypes, overcome divisions and empower young people to take responsibility for their future and the future of the region. By putting young people in the foreground, we are working to create conditions for the progress of the region and an environment in which young people from the Balkans are side by side with their peers from EU countries.”
General Secretary Hani reminded that more than 400 activities were organized through RYCO programs and initiatives and that around 60,000 young people were directly involved or empowered and supported by over 240 civil society organizations, and that in the coming period RYCO will continue to support young people through new projects and initiatives, in order to further contribute to their empowerment.
Speaking at the Western Balkans Youth Forum, the director for the Western Balkans at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Michael Reiffenstuel, emphasized the importance of the Berlin process, especially in the part of the Western Balkans’ approach to the European Union.
“Cooperation takes place within the region itself, as well as in connection with European countries, and we see this in terms of trade, exchange and interaction”.
The Assistant Minister of Tourism and Youth of the Republic of Serbia Ivana Antonijević participated in the Western Balkans Youth Forum. Speaking on the European Project through the prism of youth panel, Antonijević said that a lot had been done through the Berlin process in the previous period, but that there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to greater involvement of young people in decision-making processes.
“The importance of the cooperation mechanism established through RYCO and the achieved results are shown by the figures on the involvement of young people in the activities. But more than that, RYCO represents a safe space for exchanging opinions and reaching agreements of mutual interest for our societies and the region as a whole. It is precisely this orientation towards dialogue and reaching an agreement that makes the RYCO mechanism special, but also obliges us to do even more, to ensure that we bring authentic representatives of the youth to the same table with the decision-makers,” said Antonijević.
Milica Borjanić, general secretary of the Umbrella Organization of Serbian Youth (KOMS), also spoke at the Berlin Process panel, the participation of young people and the impact of their involvement, who emphasized the importance of RYCO’s role in involving young people in the Berlin Process.
“RYCO contributed to bringing the Youth Council closer to the Berlin Process, enabling the authentic voice of young people to be heard in discussions involving decision-makers. The path to the full inclusion of young people in reform processes and policies on the way to the European Union is still riddled with challenges, but through work and cooperation with RYCO, we hope to continue to progress and pave the way for the benefit of our societies, in accordance with the needs and youth priorities. KOMS has a lot to offer in terms of building peace in the Western Balkans, and we are ready to support the voice of young people in RYCO,” said Borjanić.
The first day of the Western Balkans Youth Forum ended with an exhibition called SIX STEPS UP, which included portraits of six young people from the region, followed by a story about a personal view of youth cooperation in the region. The forum, as the main event, was preceded by an international youth exchange called “Being active – youth participation for a democratic future”, which brought together 30 young participants from the Western Balkans region, together with 12 participants from France and Germany, who through getting to know the recent history of Germany, learned about the challenges of reconciliation, and ways to get involved in local politics and civil society, with the aim of building peace and a sustainable future. Among the participants who had the opportunity to meet young politicians from the German Bundestag and representatives of civil society and discuss the participation of young people and the role of local politics in the EU, there were also five young people from Serbia: Stefan Bošković, Lazar Simić, Ivana Vlašković, Olga Vujević and Maša Vračar.
The focus of the second day of the Forum was on the RYCO strategic approach to building peace and reconciliation in the Western Balkans, the exchange of past experiences and planned goals for the next three-year period. Through a series of panels, the participants exchanged opinions on the position of young people, regional cooperation and the position of RYCO, as a regional intergovernmental mechanism, and discussed modalities for improving cooperation in the coming period.
Also, the Forum was an opportunity to announce the opening of the sixth open call for funding proposals from civil society organizations in the region, with the aim of providing new opportunities for cooperation and youth mobility.
The Western Balkans Youth Forum has been organized continuously since 2021 as part of the Berlin Process Summit and represents a unique platform for the direct involvement and connection of young people, as well as professionals working in the youth sector, at the regional and European level.
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