Initiative "Young Generations for the New Balkans 2030: Towards Alternative Horizons"
Publikation “Vision for the Western Balkans in 2030”, December 2019
Report of the meetings held in Brussels, December 2019
This initiative was founded by the Karl-Renner-Institut, the International Institute for Peace (IIP) and the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (oiip) in 2018 with a conference held in Vienna.
Rationale of the initiative
Caught in a vicious circle between old-fashioned backward oriented politics and nationalisms on the one hand, and lack of economic, educational and social perspectives on the other, young generations in the Balkans seem to be losing patience. Whenever possible, they emigrate to the West in search for a better life. UN agencies and experts speak about a massive demographic revolution in Eastern and Southeastern Europe that is changing society more than a majority of developments in the past. Meanwhile, democracies in the region are vulnerable and the EU integration process is not delivering fast results so that the question remains whether enthusiasm for EU enlargement can be restored. Pressured by the looming democratic and socio-economic crisis, as well as the return to the region of a geopolitical power struggle, it is obvious that a new momentum for enlargement and overall political and socio-economic development is much needed. Western Balkans societies are in dire need of alternatives and progressive engagement and action.
Our initiative/series “Young Generations for the new Balkans 2030: Towards Alternative Horizons” sets the spotlight on youth, their progressive stances and hopes for the future. Together with local and international partners, we discuss the overall socio-political situation in the Western Balkans and EU and NATO integration through workshops, seminars, panel discussions and policy recommendations. This is done in order to understand the reality on the ground and to set trends for a positive future of our neighbouring region. The project is a common initiative, led by European and regional institutes. It features stakeholders, young experts, activists, and young people from the region and the EU.
In December 2019, the young experts who are part of our initiative drafted a policy paper “Vision 2030 for the New Balkans: Towards Alternative Horizons”. It reflects parts of the discussions and ideas that emerged since the initiative started. It contains various concrete proposals and demands addressed to policymakers both in the Western Balkans and in the EU.
Also in December 2019, we were in Brussels to present our initiative and the policy paper in talks with representatives of the Commission and Members of the European Parliament.
We brought our ideas also to other EU capitals, visiting The Hague, Berlin and Paris. In addition, we went to the Western Balkans, talking to experts, politicians, diplomats and general public in Belgrade, Pristina, Skopje, and Tirana. We took ideas, energy and the network from our individual daily work and streamlined it into a unified initiative that has seen discussions, expert interviews and articles produced as a result.
In June and July 2020, we held several talks on the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Agreement and the future of Bosnia and Hercegovina. In June 2021, we organised a conference with the focus on reconciliation in the Western Balkans, 30 years after the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Further events are planned to take place in Vienna, Sarajevo etc. in 2021 and 2022.