The “Future is the EU” campaign, supported by the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, came to Tuzla on 25 September, where young people gathered at Trg slobode to discuss the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the kind of society they want to live in. The Tuzla event put young people’s voices, ideas and expectations at the centre, through discussions, creative activities and messages shared throughout the evening.
Young people spoke about opportunities for education and work, equality, mobility, peace, security, trust and the possibility of building their future in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The “Future is the EU” campaign builds on the Joint Youth Declaration on the European Future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, jointly developed by 80 young people from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Future is the EU Youth Summit in May 2026. The Declaration covers five key 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. In July, the Declaration was presented to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas, giving young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina an opportunity to bring their perspectives to the European level.
“The Joint Youth Declaration on the European Future of Bosnia and Herzegovina is important because it shows that young people are not only the ones whose future is being discussed, but that they want to actively participate in shaping it. We are glad that, as members of the EU Youth Advisory Board in BiH, we were part of the process of creating the Declaration and that we now have the opportunity to share our views, needs and ideas with other young people across Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Sara Nuhanović, member of the EU Youth Advisory Board in BiH (YAB).
Throughout the campaign, young people’s messages have become part of the public space through the Future is the EU graffiti message wall, where they have shared their visions, wishes and priorities in different cities. In Tuzla, artist Benjamin Čengić transformed their messages into a collective visual artwork live during the event. The Tuzla programme was hosted by actors Goran Popović and Kerim Čutuna, while the VR experience, photobooth, DJ, interactive activities and Youth Declaration Box provided additional opportunities for conversation and connecting with others.
“Through this campaign, I saw how many young people have ideas about how they want their future to look. For me, a European future means exactly that – more space to freely express those ideas, connect with others, and create something together,” said artist Benjamin Čengić.
Through events across different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the campaign is creating space for conversations with young people about their ideas, needs and expectations for the country’s European future.
