The participation of civil society and young people in public life and their contribution to the integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the European Union are key objectives of a series of debates to be organised by NGOs from BiH in the coming three months in ten towns across BiH, under the patronage of the Czech EU Presidency and the European Union Special Representative, and in cooperation with the BiH Directorate for European Integration.
The debates will be an opportunity for civil society and youth representatives from across BiH to debate the tasks that BiH has accepted and needs to fulfil on the road to the European Union. In a dialogue with representatives of domestic authorities, participants will address the challenges ahead and possible solutions, the advantages of the EU path, and their role in the process. Ambassadors of EU member states in BiH will take also take part in the debates.
Young people will focus on topics of importance for their future in the context of EU obligations, such as the quality of education, employment strategies, visa facilitation and respect for conventions on the rights of young people.
Civil society representatives, in cooperation with local communities, will discuss the challenges of integration BiH into the European Union. They will pay particular attention to energy policy and environmental protection, waste management, EU programmes for rural development and cross-border cooperation, European agricultural standards and incentives for small enterprises.
The first debate will take place in Mrkonjić Grad on 19 March 2009, with the participation of the Czech Ambassador in BiH, Jiří Kuděla. Similar debates will also be organised in
These thematic debates are a continuation of the campaign started by the EU Special Representative in spring 2008, when he visited 17 towns and cities in BiH to talk directly to citizens about their real-life problems and expectations from the EU integration process.
