On the occasion of the Europe Day and European Week in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the conference “Youth and European Integration – Challenges and Opportunities” was held in Sarajevo on 7 May 2025, which brought together representatives of domestic and international institutions, civil society and young leaders with the aim of strengthening the role of young people in the process of European integration.

The Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Luigi Soreca, pointed out that young people were the greatest resource of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that they should be given the space and tools to shape their future.

The conference was organised by the Directorate for European Integration and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the organisation “Humanity in Action”.

On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports, the conference was attended by the representatives of the Youth Sector, Adnan Bektić, Senior Expert Associate for the Youth Sector and Hanadin Basarić, Expert Associate for Youth Organisations.

During the panel discussion, Hanadin Basarić, emphasised the continuous support of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports to youth organisations, as well as the affirmation and empowerment of young people in general.

Furthermore, Basarić emphasised that in the last two years, the Youth Transfer in the budget was increased by 50%. He put a special emphasis on the fact that the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports had initiated and also had been leading all the activities in the process of adoption of the Youth Strategy for in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2025-2034, which had been adopted by the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and referred to the parliamentary procedure.

The Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports will continue to actively work on strengthening institutional support for young people, with the aim of improving the position of young people in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Within the framework of the conference, three panel discussions were held: “Research of the Young People Attitudes – Perspectives and Expectations”, “European Integration for Young People – Benefits and Opportunities” and “Strategic Approach to Improving the Status of Young People”, where the results of relevant research, strategic documents and examples of good practice from the countries of the region were presented.