Young people, youth organisations and institutional leaders met from 7 to 10 July to discuss exchanges, reconciliation, democratic resilience and Europe’s shared future.
PARIS, 10 July 2026 – The Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) and the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO) concluded the four-day programme “Celebrating Youth Exchange in Europe!”, bringing together representatives of national youth councils, young civil society actors, institutional partners and decision-makers in Paris.
Held as RYCO marks its tenth anniversary and the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO) it’s 63rd anniversary, the programme connected the experience of Franco-German reconciliation with the Western Balkans’ own path towards stronger regional cooperation. It also created direct space for young people to question institutions, compare local realities and develop ideas for future European youth work. The meeting was organised with the support of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Paris.
The programme opened at FGYO with intercultural learning and language-animation activities. Participants then worked in mixed groups to compare political and social contexts, youth policies, participation and empowerment, perceptions of regional cooperation, and expectations of the European Union and the integration process.
A World Café with local organisations and the Young European Federalists moved the discussion from general ideas to concrete questions: how youth policy can strengthen cohesion in Europe; how non-governmental organisations, international youth work and non-formal education can be better recognised; how young people can influence peace processes; and how democracies can respond to polarisation and rising nationalism.
At the Representation of the Grand Est Region and the German Federal State of Saarland, opening remarks by Pascale Trimbach of FGYO and RYCO Secretary General Vladimir Obradović set the scene for a discussion on what reconciliation means in practice and why youth encounters remain relevant today.
“Paris is an important part of the story behind European reconciliation and of RYCO’s own journey. Ten years on, we are not only looking back at what has been achieved. We are asking what cooperation must deliver in the next decade, and how young people can remain at the centre of that work.” — Vladimir Obradović, Secretary General of RYCO.
“Youth exchanges are much more than mobility programmes, as they are spaces for intercultural learning, dialogue, peace education, and common reflection on history and remembrance” – highlighted Pascale Trimbach, Secretary General of FGYO.
The round table examined Franco-German reconciliation and cooperation, the rapprochement in the Western Balkans before and after the Berlin Process, and the role of youth exchanges in peace and stability. Speakers included Tobias Bütow, Secretary General of FGYO; Kreshnik Loka, Deputy Secretary General of RYCO; Stefan Seidendorf of the Franco-German Institute; and Donika Emini of the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group. The discussion was moderated by Nermina Trbonja, FGYO Regional Adviser at Peuple et Culture.
The delegation later visited the French National Assembly for a tour and an open discussion on the role of younger generations in peace processes and democratic stability. The exchange addressed anti-democratic movements, declining trust in institutions, public debate around European integration, and the practical ways in which young people and civil society can participate in decision-making.
The discussion brought together Frédéric Petit, Member of the French National Assembly; Dafina Peci, Executive Director of the National Youth Congress of Albania; and Elias Dray of the French Red Cross and former Secretary General of the European Youth Foundation.
The official visit also included an exchange at the Élysée Palace with a European affairs adviser to the President of the French Republic, providing a further opportunity to discuss the place of youth cooperation in Europe’s political and democratic future.
At the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, an interactive discussion examined where the European integration process stands in the Western Balkans and in the European Union, what should come next, and how its social dimension can respond more closely to the expectations of citizens, especially young people. Contributions were scheduled from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the German Embassy, representatives of national youth councils from North Macedonia and Serbia, and Florent Marciacq of the Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe.
The programme continued at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs with a discussion on young people’s contribution to democratic stability and peace, European cohesion and integration, including an exchange with Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe.
For RYCO and FGYO, the Paris programme reaffirmed a shared commitment to youth mobility, intercultural dialogue and long-term cooperation. It also sent a clear message: young people should not be invited only to observe discussions about Europe’s future. They should be treated as partners in shaping it.
The visit formed part of RYCO’s tenth-anniversary programme and its continuing work to build trust, reconciliation and cooperation through youth exchanges in the Western Balkans and across Europe.