Staff 22 November 2021
EU Balkan Youth Forum

The EU-Balkan Youth Forum starts today in Rome. Four days of conferences and discussions for 78 young citizens of the Western Balkans and the EU, to share their experiences in a transnational youth network. The conclusions will be shared with the Conference on the future of Europe.

 

The Forum is an initiative of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is organised in collaboration with the Regional Cooperation Council  (Sarajevo), together with the Regional Youth Cooperation Office  (Tirana), Cespi  – International Political Studies Center (Rome), and us at  OBC Transeuropa  (Trento).

Forum topics and agenda

Forum participants will work in five groups, all linked to the question "What is Europe?" – how do we define it, how do we decide what "identity" is, who is inside and who is outside, what are the common values?

Each working group will specifically address a central issue:

Group 1 - The New EU between government cooperation and democracy from below
Group 2 - "United in diversity, beyond past wars"
Group 3 - One continent, one environment
Group 4 - One market, many challenges
Group 5 - Many societies, one virtual space

Each group will be facilitated by mentors  and will produce a final document which at the end of the Forum will be officially presented in the presence of the Vice President of the European Commission Dubravka Suica and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.

 

During the Forum, meetings are also planned with representatives of local and European institutions.

- Tuesday 23 November – EU enlargement policy, foreign policy and internal integration: where do you draw the line?

with Adrienn Kiraly, DG NEAR and Elina Hakonen-Medding, DG REGIO. Moderated by Nicola Verola, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

- Wednesday 24 November – The Italian Parliament and EU enlargement

with Piero Fassino, President of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chamber of Deputies. Moderated by Andrea Cascone, Head of the Adriatic-Balkans Task Force, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

- Thursday 25 November – EU enlargement, national and international policies

with Ambassador Ettore Sequi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majlinda Bregu, Regional Cooperation Council, Albert Hani, Regional Youth Cooperation Office, Roberto Antonione, Central European Initiative, Gianni Castellaneta, Adriatic and Ionian Initiative. Moderated by Marina Lalovic, Rainews24

 

All updates will be available on the dedicated website www.eubalkanforum.org  and on social channels following the hashtag #eubyf #eu33 #eubalkanforum