Head of the European Commission Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Ambassador Dimitris Kourkoulas addressed the participants of the Regional Conference on Youth Policies and Youth Civic Participation in Sarajevo today. The Conference has been organised by „Forum Syd – Balkans Programme“ and the Commission for the Coordination of Youth Issues of the BiH Council of Ministers, with support of the Swedish International Development and Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
In his opening address, Ambassador Kourkoulas stressed that poorly organised education sector and high level of unemployment remain two main problems for youth in BiH. He explained that common objectives of the European Union Youth policy, supported with powerful financial means, were to favour mobility, to support social and occupational integration of young people, to create best conditions for young people to become active citizens and to put focus on volunteering. “We want to involve young people in more structured dialogue with policy makers at local, national and European level. There are two main elements of our policy: first is participation, dialogue and consultation, while the other is cooperation with all stakeholders NGO’s, civil society, member states, and also partner countries.”, pointed out Ambassador Kourkoulas.
The two-day conference is taking place under the auspices of the EU Special Representative in BiH, H.E. Ambassador Miroslav Lajčák who underlined that the European Union expects young people to take more active role in the society and to be its allies in efforts to contributing to the Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress towards European Union. “Young people are natural partners of the European integration process, but it is up to state to create adequate conditions for youth to feel more comfortable and to link their perspective with this country.”, stressed Ambassador Lajčak.
Ambassadors Kourkoulas and Lajčak invited all participants to take advantage of financial instruments such as Youth in Action or specific segments of IPA programme in order to implement projects that would develop sound youth policies and empower young people to take active role in society.
About Conference
Around 130 young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia met in Sarajevo for a 2-day regional conference on youth policies and civic participation. The conference is being also attended by representatives of institutions from the region in charge of youth matters, as well as representatives of youth and students’ councils, political parties and international organizations.
The debates are focusing on young people’s participation in the decision-making process and how to encourage them to take on an active role in the community. In particular, the conference will address the position and status of young people in the EU integration process, as well as the contribution of young people to further democratization of countries in the region, through political activities and civic society pressure.
More information about Youth in Action on the European Commission’s Delegation to BiH website: http://www.europa.ba/
