Involvement of Youth in the EU Accession Process

"It is extremely important for young people to be fully involved in the EU integration process, and not just in terms of human capital," said Liselotte Isaksson, Deputy Head of the Cooperation Sector at the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, during the panel discussion "Involvement of Youth in the EU Accession Process" held at the Parliament of Montenegro.

Isaksson emphasised that there are many important steps on the path towards the EU accession which involve young people.

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She stated that she expects more attention to be given to the development of human capital in the near future, with a particular focus on education.

Education, as highlighted during the panel discussion, must be reformed to reduce the brain drain trend.

The Growth and Reform Agenda are part of the new Growth Plan.

"The EU intends to support the reforms outlined in the new Growth Plan with significant funding, but this funding will depend solely on whether the reforms we have agreed upon are actually implemented or not," said Isakson.

Local action plans for 21 municipalities should contribute to improving the status of the Montenegrin youth. The formation of a Youth Council was also announced during the panel discussion.

"Last year, we issued a public call for NGOs and administrators, so as a result we now have a whole team, and we will also have consent very soon. I can additionally say that we will have a Youth Council formed very soon as well by the end of this month. We have also sent a request to all municipalities to form councils at the local level," said Martin Ljuljđuraj, Director General of the Youth Directorate at the Ministry of Sports and Youth.

"As a professor of political science, I am quite sure that the participation of youth and their involvement in decision-making processes is one of the most important determinants of the quality of democracy in modern world countries," said Ivan Vuković, Chairman of the Committee for European Integration.

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"We don't just want to be heard; we want to be listened to," said Iva Naskova from the National Youth Council of Macedonia.

As Aleksandra Mihajlović from the Serbian Youth Umbrella Organisation emphasises, based on the research "Alternative Report on the Position and Needs of Youth in the Republic of Serbia," which has been conducted for seven years in a row, what can be seen is very discouraging.

"Young people constantly perceive that they are not included, that no one cares about them, and that there is no politician they can trust," said Aleksandra.

The panel discussion was organised by the Youth Network of Montenegro, which brings together over 30 non-governmental organisations. The network is the umbrella organisation for the youth, the alliance of youth organisations, organisations working with and for young people, and youth alliances and unions from Montenegro."