About the platform:

CY stands for Connecting Youth . CY is a grassroots regional youth platform implemented by Cooperation and Development Institute (CDI), together with the umbrella youth organizations of the six Western Balkans Countries – National Youth Congress of Albania, National Youth Council of North Macedonia, National Youth Council of Serbia, High School Students Union of Montenegro, Central Youth Action Council of Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina Association for United Nations -, and with the support of Hanns Seidel Foundation.

With the aim to promote youth connectivity in the Balkans, CY offers a unique and tailor-made space to youngsters from the region where they meet, plan, organise, implement and voice up their action. In CY youngsters can find partners for joint activities, design and implement joint initiatives, exchange ideas, consult a youth library, and built and carry outreach and lobbying action. CY is designed to function as a resource center for youth in the Western Balkans.

About the position paper:

In October 2020, the European Commission adopted the Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) for the Western Balkans which aims to foster the post pandemic recovery of the region, its economic development and convergence with the European Union. Six themes with ten flagship projects within this plan, have been designed to support human capital development, sustainable connectivity, competitiveness and inclusive growth, and the twin energy and digital transition. While the EIP is still in the phase of planning and preparation, there is lack of information on the ground from all involved stakeholders.

As such Connecting Youth (CY) platform has initiated the assessment of the EIP from the perspective of youth, thus aiming to encourage youth active involvement in such sectoral policy-making processes from their initiation to implementation, under the emphasis that rather than just being a beneficiary, youth should be an actor of change throughout the whole process.

The platform partners created a document for advocacy at regional level (Western Balkans) with recommendations for young people in the Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) for the Western Balkans of the European Commission.

Click here to read the full report.