Balkan Youth Forum

Organizer
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Office in Kosovo
01-04 SEPTEMBER, 2016

Balkan Youth competing with other Europeans

PRESENTATION
Kosovo the young Europeans is now prominent slogan and Nation-Branding
that intended to emphasize the fact that Kosovo is both one of the youngest
countries and also with the youngest population in Europe. The concept of
using the young people in this campaign gives a sense of optimism for new
country. In the first years after the Independence there was a broad
enthusiasm and perception among young people, that their future will be
improved constantly. Several years later, thousands of Kosovars, primarily
youth population began massively to emigrate illegally in European countries
in the search for better life. A report from the World Bank on the youth
employment

in

Kosovo

concludes

that,

the

country

has

the

highest

unemployment rate in Europe and Central Asia, at 45 percent, that in groupage 15-24, is almost five time higher than average for that in the European
Union.1
There are only few empirical studies and statistical data on youth in Kosovo,
especially comparative studies between Kosovar youth and other Europeans.
According to one of the rare opinion survey of Kosovo youth, there is low level
1 World Bank "Kosovo-Youth in jeopardy: being young, unemployed, and poor in Kosovo-a report on youth
employment in Kosovo." (Washington: World Bank, 2008)

of trust in institutions and most youth do not feel represented in politics (64%).
As the report further describes; Kosovo youth express considerable scepticism
(51%) on influencing the governance through voting.2

There are also overall

differences between Kosovo-Albanian and Kosovo-Serb youth attitudes. KosovoAlbanian youth are generally more optimistic about their prospective and the
future of the state, whereby this is not the case for the Kosovo-Serb youth,
whose views over the future are more pessimistic. Regarding the European
Integration, youth are supportive with 88% that believe that Kosovo should be
a European Union member state, as many as 50% declaring Kosovo should join
EU within the next five years. But as report remarks, for most of the youth, EU
integration translates into free movement and visa liberalization.3 Apparently
there is a large misconception of understanding the EU and European
integration among youth; since many of them reduce it mainly to free travel
possibilities and better work opportunities. As was illustrated recently by study
that Friedrich Ebert Stiftung has supported, the perspective of youth across
the Balkans looks very pessimistic.

In that comparative and more

comprehensive than previous study of young people in Southeast Europe based

on the conducted representative surveys in eight countries, data shows
negative trends regarding youth perceptions. The survey has a gloomy title:
Lost in Democratic Transition which is a result of the sceptical and often
pessimistic perceptions, beliefs and attitudes of youth. 4 By comparing young
people across Balkans in different areas, such as democratization, family
2 Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Kosovo Youth Study: Forward Looking, Grounded in Tradition. (Prishtina,
2012):11
3 Ibid., 12
4 Sergej Flere et.al, Lost in Democratic Transition? Results of Representative Surveys in Eight
Countries, (Sarajevo: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2015)

issues, economic situation, social conditions, education, and employment, this

research comes to the conclusion that, generally there is lack of trust in
government and politics and that there is a high willingness among the young
generations to migrate out of the country. The issues of unemployment,
poverty, political dissatisfaction and desire to move abroad amongst youth are
quite similar throughout the region.
Regarding youth policies and legislation, Kosovo government undertook several
important steps in empowering the youth in both national and local level.
Thus, in 2009 the law on Youth Empowerment and Participation and also the
Kosovo Youth Strategy and Action Plan 2010-2012 were adopted by the
parliament. This 45-page Action Plan is a well-structured strategic document
that formally meets all European standards, whereby the overall goal is to
bring the Kosovars closer to European standards of youth participation.
However, due to lack of sustainable funds and institutional support, this
strategic plan has limited implementation force and consequently, limited
impact on improvement of situation of the youth. In her critical review of the
international community effort in the development of the youth policies and
their participation in the political system, a German scholar Feltes, claims
that the implementation of youth projects was not successful and that not
enough attention has been paid to the concrete concerns of young people.5
Lack of sufficient job opportunities, appropriate education and better socialeconomic conditions are concerns that Balkan youth have in common. Another
similarity among them, is that they are not well and not enough represented in
political life and decision-making process of their states. As a result there is
5 Tilmann Feltes, The Politics of Youth Participation-Promoting Mechanisms of Youth Participation in
Kosovo. Security and Human Rights 24 (2013): 195-209, here 196.

low level of institutional trust and political participation. In this regard, youth
in the Balkans have a chance to be promoter of democratization and
development,

if

they

actively

participate

and

engage

in

the

political

developments of their countries. Instead of escaping in hopeful and future

projection of the EU integration and passively waiting for better future. This is
where we stand now, changes needs a young generations that are in motion
and goes forward.
THANK YOU,
Prof.Dr. Bekim BALIQI
02.09.2016