In Prishtina, the thematic forum “Voices of Youth in the Balkans: Kosovo Forum on European Union Integration” is being held. This forum is organized by the Center for Innovation and Development within the framework of the project “Youth Engagement for the Europeanization of the Balkans.”

On Monday, at the “Europe House” venue, young people from Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Montenegro, along with institutional representatives and members of civil society, discussed European integration.

This project is funded by the Western Balkans Fund and is implemented by the Balkan Institute for Regional Cooperation (BIRC) from North Macedonia, the Center for Innovation and Development (CFID) from Kosovo, and the NGO “NVO Glas” from Montenegro.

At the opening of the forum, the General Coordinator of the Center for Innovation and Development (CFID), Drenusha Latifi, said that the aim remains to help citizens understand the values of the European Union.

The Executive Director of the NGO “NVO Glas” in Montenegro, Milica Dediq, emphasized that European integration is a political, cultural, and social transformation.

The Program Director of the Balkan Institute for Regional Cooperation (BIRC), Lorik Idrizi, said that the project aims to combat disinformation.

The Project Coordinator from the Center for Innovation and Development (CFID), Andi Krasniqi, listed the challenges and concerns of youth regarding employment.

According to him, this reality pushes young people to leave Kosovo, highlighting that 72 percent of those surveyed see emigration as an opportunity.

Meanwhile, MP of the Democratic Party of Kosovo and former Minister of European Integration, Vlora Çitaku, said that today’s youth are less “enthusiastic for Europe than my generation once was.”

This thematic forum continued with a panel of young people: Rron Ukimeraj from Kosovo, Hamza Nuhiu from North Macedonia, and Mojash Kaščellan from Montenegro, who discussed the topic “Youth pushing forward European integration: challenges and opportunities.”

This project will last six months, with the first activity starting in Podgorica, continuing in Prishtina, and then in Skopje, as the capitals of the three countries involved in the project.

The target group included in the project will consist of 60 young professionals, representatives of civil society and the media involved in the EU membership negotiation process in the three countries. Also, 15 journalists and other media professionals, 10 representatives of state institutions responsible for EU integration, and 15 civil society organizations.