The meeting between the Young European Ambassadors and the Ambassador of the European Union to Montenegro
The European Union should be brought closer to the common people, said the Ambassador of the EU to Montenegro, Oana Cristina Popa, to the Young European Ambassadors. Citizens should get the chance to learn about the benefits of the European integration and hear less about the complexity or size of the Union itself or the technical characteristics of individual programmes. This task can also be taken on by young people, especially the Young European Ambassadors.
The Young European Ambassadors are a community of young people committed to promoting the values and benefits of the region's membership in the European Union. Ten Montenegrin representatives in the network had the opportunity to exchange opinions with Ambassador Popa on ideas and vision of the future of Montenegro and its path to a full membership in the EU. In addition, they also discussed the vision of the European Union in which their voices will be heard.
Young Ambassador Emina Balota is convinced that young people are the ones who can accelerate the accession process of the countries of the region towards the European Union. Jovana Jacimovic believes that the role of the Young Ambassadors is to raise awareness of the importance of European values, which would benefit from the regional networking of these younger people. Jovana also believes that the region should share the same values.
Stefan Vukmanovic informed the Ambassador that an initiative had been launched to connect with the umbrella European youth organisations. In his opinion, the goal must not only focus on gaining membership in the European Union, but also on the sharing of common values. This can be achieved through contacts with young people from the member states, explained Bojana Lalatovic, while Jelena Delibasic said that people should be inspired to see what potential the European Union and Montenegro have together.
The Union has expanded to a large number of countries in the past two decades, said Ambassador Popa, adding that the candidate countries must know that it is not the Union that complicates the accession process. The Union has established a framework that needs to be met in order to achieve full membership. According to Ambassador Popa, young people should be the ones explaining to the general public that the prolonged period of the accession process should not be seen as a bad thing. Candidate countries and the European Union are partners in this process, and candidate countries and their citizens are already benefitting significantly from this partnership.
For their point of view, the Young Ambassadors explained that the narratives in the region must change because the countries of the Western Balkans have had a difficult historical heritage. They said that they are convinced that the high standards set by the EU for membership candidates are needed for real changes to take place.
These changes need to be brought on by young people and they need to be able to gain experience in order to become what they want to become as soon as possible. Leaders are created through experience, said Ambassador Popa, adding that conditions should be created for extensive communication between young people and decision-makers, and thus to hear the voice of young people in decision-making points as much as possible.
The new team of 60 Young European Ambassadors consists of members from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. They all have different backgrounds, but with a common interest in learning about the European Union’s values, connecting and engaging with their peers both online and offline, pursuing their talents and passions, and becoming the voices of their generation.
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