Brought together by a shared determination to shape the region they call home, young people from across the Western Balkans came together at the Youth Forum 2025, held from 16-19 September in Pristina, to share their experiences, voice their priorities, and shape a comprehensive set of policy recommendations to improve everyday life and open new opportunities for their generation.
Developed through dialogue, consultations, and joint work, the recommendations reflect the priorities, needs, and aspirations of youth in three key areas: migration, economic growth and development, and security.
Tackling Root Causes of Migration
Young people from across the Western Balkans identified migration as one of the most pressing challenges for the region, influenced by limited access to quality education, insufficient employment opportunities, systemic corruption, and the need for stronger institutions and greater political stability.
Their recommendations call for urgent reform of education systems to align with global standards. Among set of recommendations, they propose digitalizing and simplifying diploma recognition procedures to turn brain drain into brain gain, and tackling nepotism and corruption to ensure merit-based employment and restore trust in institutions. The recommendations also emphasize creating safer, more inclusive societies through stronger checks and balances, improved institutional accountability, and greater involvement of civil society. Expanding digital infrastructure in rural areas to enable remote work, offering better protections for young mothers, and establishing mental health support services for those facing insecurity or discrimination are highlighted as crucial steps in making the region a place where young people want to build their future.
Unlocking Economic Potential and Opportunities
To strengthen economic development and create opportunities that keep young people in the region, the recommendations call for decentralizing resources and opportunities beyond capital cities, supporting startups and sustainable local initiatives, and creating strategic partnerships between governments, the EU, and the private sector to generate jobs, vocational training, and co-funded programs. Aligning education with labour market needs is identified as a key priority, including integrating financial and media literacy into school curricula, expanding practical learning opportunities, and introducing structured and paid internships. A regional scholarship program linked to return-to-region employment and the creation of a National Taskforce to attract international investment are proposed to ensure that young people benefit directly from new opportunities and actively shape the region’s economic future.
Building Security and Trust
In the field of security, the recommendations focus on strengthening digital safety, combating disinformation, and addressing online hate speech by aligning with EU standards. Participants called for stronger anti-discrimination laws and protection mechanisms for vulnerable groups, meaningful inclusion of youth and civil society in policymaking, and enhanced judicial independence, oversight mechanisms, and anti-corruption measures. Independent and transparent media regulation, free from political influence, was highlighted as essential to restoring public trust and strengthening democratic institutions across the region.
As the outcome of the Youth Forum 2025, organized by the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) and UK Government within the framework of the Berlin Process, these recommendations are presented in series of high-level meetings and at the Leaders’ Summit in London on 22 October. Follow-up events in all six RYCO Contracting Parties will bring the recommendations directly to ministries, parliaments, and key decision-makers, ensuring that they inform policy debates and inspire concrete action.
The Youth Forum 2025 has shown that when young people are given the space to lead, they deliver bold, actionable, and forward-looking solutions. Their recommendations are not just a vision, they are a roadmap for transforming challenges into opportunities and foundations for a more inclusive and resilient Western Balkans.