The “Future is the EU” campaign was launched yesterday, a youth-led initiative supported by the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, bringing the priorities set out in the Joint Youth Declaration on the European Future of Bosnia and Herzegovina into public spaces and inviting more young people across the country to join the conversation.
The Sarajevo launch on Vilsonovo šetalište brought together members of the EU Youth Advisory Board, Young European Ambassadors and representatives of youth organisations and networks, as well as EU Member State Ambassadors and diplomatic representatives, and the Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Luigi Soreca.
“The future of Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs to its young people, and their voices must be part of the conversation about that future. The Joint Youth Declaration about the country’s European future is particularly important because it was written by young people themselves, reflecting their priorities and expectations. With the “Future is the EU”, we are creating more opportunities for young people to share their views and for their ideas to become part of a wider conversation about the country’s European future. The European Union is listening, and we want to hear more,” said Ambassador Soreca.
The campaign follows the Joint Youth Declaration on the European Future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, developed by 80 young people from across the country following a Youth Summit held in May. The Declaration sets out their priorities for a more inclusive, prosperous and democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina across five areas: democracy, rule of law and public policies; social cohesion and peacebuilding; education and jobs of the future; a just energy transition; and media and information literacy.
The Declaration was presented to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas during her visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier this year. The campaign builds on that exchange by giving more young people the opportunity to discuss the issues they consider important and add their own priorities to the conversation.
“Democracy is only as strong as the willingness and ability of citizens to participate in it, and meaningful youth participation is an essential part of that. The Joint Youth Declaration gives young people a space to clearly articulate their priorities and shows that we are not simply the future we talk about, we are already actors who want to participate in shaping our society and the decisions that affect us. It is important to make democratic processes more open, inclusive and accountable, so that young people’s voices are genuinely heard and taken into account,” said Ivana Vučetić, member of the EU Youth Advisory Board.
At the Sarajevo launch, young people could share their views through the Youth Declaration Box, while artist Benjamin Čengić created the Future is the EU graffiti message wall live during the event. VR experiences, a photobooth and other activities offered additional opportunities for participants to engage and share their messages.
“It was a personal pleasure for me to be part of developing this Declaration. What makes it different is that it is a product created by young people themselves, based on our experiences, priorities and expectations. It is also realistic: it does not present every issue as simply black or white, but recognises what can be achieved, what still needs to change and where there are challenges. For me, this is what meaningful youth participation should look like – young people putting forward informed and realistic proposals and taking an active role in shaping the future of their country,” said Emelin Macić, member of the EU Youth Advisory Board.
Sarajevo is the first of five youth-led events taking place across Bosnia and Herzegovina during September. Through the campaign, young people will have further opportunities to share their views on the issues that matter to them and contribute to the discussion about Bosnia and Herzegovina’s European future.
