YOUTH FORUM ON EU INTEGRATION: PRISHTINA WELCOMES YOUNG PEOPLE FROM NORTH MACEDONIA AND MONTENEGRO

On August 25, Prishtina will become a platform for amplifying the voices of youth from the Western Balkans.

On this date, the Youth Forum on EU Integration will take place as part of the project “Youth Participation for the Europeanization of the Balkans”, implemented by CFID from Kosovo, NGO GLAS from Montenegro, and BIRC from North Macedonia, with support from the Western Balkans Fund and co-financing from the European Union.

This forum follows the conference held on July 7 in Podgorica, where youth from the three participating countries freely shared their ideas and perspectives.

The forum will be conducted in English to ensure open and inclusive communication among participants. At the Podgorica conference, I had the opportunity to participate in the youth discussion panel, sharing the table with three individuals from the participating countries. We discussed key issues concerning the role of youth in European integration, and I was struck by how similar our views were. It became clear that despite a shared history of conflict, our countries face common challenges on the path to the shared goal of EU integration.

I realized that youth communication and cooperation across these countries can actually be a key factor in facilitating our nations’ progress toward EU membership.

In addition to youth voices, the forum will also feature EU integration experts, who will provide guidance and professional experience to help participants shape their ideas and perspectives more effectively.

This forum represents an important step in empowering youth in the Balkans, but it is not the end.

The concluding conference will be held in North Macedonia, where Macedonian youth will host us in Skopje. This will provide another opportunity to gather ideas and perspectives, shaping the future we want—because without youth, there is no future.

This text is produced within the project “Youth Participation for the Europeanization of the Balkans”, implemented by BIRC from North Macedonia, NGO GLAS from Montenegro, and CFID from Kosovo, with support from the Western Balkans Fund and co-financing from the European Union.

The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.