Bosna i Hercegovina 
Conference “Youth and European Integration – Challenges and Opportunities” Brings Together Participants from Across Bosnia and Herzegovina
The conference “Youth and European Integration – Challenges and Opportunities”, held on 7 May 2025 in Sarajevo, was organised by the Directorate for European Integration and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the organisation Humanity in Action. The event brought together nearly one hundred participants from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with representatives of the diplomatic corps and international organisations.
Elvira Habota, Director of the Directorate for European Integration, emphasised that this year’s central event marking Europe Day and European Week in Bosnia and Herzegovina was dedicated to young people, noting that they deserve to be at the heart of all plans, projections, and discussions—as active contributors and creators of ideas.
Participants were also welcomed by Luigi Soreca, Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU Special Representative in BiH, Justine Coulson, UNFPA Representative in BiH, and Adnan Husić, Assistant Minister of Civil Affairs of BiH.
Three panel discussions featured presentations on the findings of research into the perspectives and expectations of young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, their views on the European Union, the European Commission’s key recommendations regarding a strategic approach to youth, and the role of civil society in the EU integration process, with reference to the experiences of neighbouring countries.
The conference also addressed EU programmes available to young people in BiH, actions taken by BiH authorities to improve their status, opportunities for youth-focused civil society organisations to participate more actively in decision-making processes, enhance cooperation, and receive greater media support.
Participants had the opportunity to hear examples of good practice in institutional cooperation between governmental and non-governmental sectors in youth engagement from Sarajevo, Sanski Most and Stanari. The conference also provided space for open discussion, experience-sharing, and planning future cooperation in an informal setting.
Galerija
