SKOPJE – The second edition of the “Bridging the gap between youth policy, youth participation and parliamentarians in the Western Balkans” conference is taking place on 20 and 21 September in Skopje. The event brought together participants from parliaments from the Western Balkans 6 as well as youth organizations’ activists.
The central topic of the conference is the Youth Engagement with Politics followed by the three additional topics – Youth Employment, Enterprise and Brain Drain, Fake News and Disinformation and Reconciliation and Legacies of the Past.
Speaking at the opening session, RYCO Secretary General Mr Blanuša said that the young people should be involved more into decision making processes as their role is highly important especially in the field of youth policies and pointed out that RYCO co-management system in its Governing Board proves that it is possible to hear the voice of youth equally to the ones of governmental officials. Moreover, he thanked the youth organizations from Macedonia for their contribution to the RYCO establishment process.
Mr Blanuša pointed out that the European Commission is one of the most important stakeholders in the region and the one that initiates and brings the changes in the Western Balkans. He concluded by thanking the Macedonian Sobranie for opening its doors to the young people and showing its willingness to hear them.
The opening session entitled “Bridging the Gap between Youth and Politics” was participated by RYCO Secretary General Mr Đuro Blanuša, DG NEAR Director for the Western Balkans Ms Genoveva Ruiz Calavera, President of the European Youth Forum Mr Luis Alvarado Martinez, Representative of the Macedonian National Youth Council Mr Blazhen Maleski. The session was co-chaired by Vice President of the European Parliament and lead MEP for EP Young Political Leaders Program Mr Fabio Massimo Castaldo and Member of Macedonian Sobranie Ms Ivana Tufegdjikj. The speakers agreed that RYCO plays a crucial role in fostering reconciliation in the region and greeted the achievements made by the organization.
The event is co-organized in partnership with the Macedonian Sobranie, European Commission and European Parliament. It is the main Young Political Leaders activity for the Western Balkans in the annual program of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group.