EU-Balkan Youth Forum on 22-26 November 2021

EU Enlargement has become more and more entangled with the issue of external relations in general and the future of the EU in particular. Although the European Council of Salonika in 2003 clearly set out a linear future for the Balkan countries, with the invitation to accede to the EU, skepticism has grown with time on the possibilities of successful integration. Continuous challenges to democratic transition in the Balkans and doubts on how to couple enlargement with deepening, together with debates on the rule of law inside the EU, have increased questions on EU integration.

In the meanwhile youth in the Balkans seems to be growing disenfranchised towards political institutions, while frustration is mounting regarding the possibility to enter the EU, which is perceived as a moving target. Many young people from the Balkans abandon their countries looking for a new life elsewhere, to fulfil their life goals. While the political process is stagnating, therefore, a spontaneous, individual, bottom-up process of self-integration is taking place, which however is developing without guidance or interaction with political institutions. At the same time, inside the EU, Balkan integration and the future of Europe are not perceived as linked matters by the wider public and policy makers have not yet signaled willingness to face them in a holistic approach.

Based on a proposal of the Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, the EU-Balkan forum called for by the Regional Cooperation Council (Sarajevo), the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (Tirana), the Study Centre for International Politics (Rome) and Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (Trento) and funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is an opportunity for youth from the entire continent to discuss common issues, face policymakers and mobilize new energies from below, facilitating the emergence of a young transnational network to engineer new initiatives and bring about fresh views on both the EU and Balkan integration

The Forum will also channel its conclusions to the “Conference on the Future of Europe” launched by the EU for 2021-2022, to allow citizens from across the continent to submit their views on the future of the EU.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation help the participants start new projects after the Forum, with a view to realize effective initiatives in bringing together networks from different countries across the EU and the Balkans and address the issues that stand in the way of further integration.

Dates and Venue
22-26 November, in Rome.

The event will be held in person and participants will need to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19. All health safety measures and distancing will be in place.