Moderation: “Speak Up! Engaging young political leaders and civil society in the Western Balkans”

Copyright photos: BMEIA/Baurecht

On 26 April, Melanie Jaindl and Daniel Martínek moderated the third edition of the seminar “Speak Up! Engaging young political leaders and civil society in the Western Balkans” in Vienna. The workshop, organized by the Austrian MFA and the US Embassy, took place at the IDM. It gathered young leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the BiH diaspora in Austria to discuss the country’s prospects, focusing on its relationship with the European Union and future integration challenges.

The participants had the opportunity to listen to and talk with various guest speakers, who introduced them to projects such as EU4Green: A Green Agenda for the Western Balkan and the European Forum Alpbach. They also had a workshop on political campaigning and an introduction to the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. Most importantly, they had the unique opportunity to discuss the role of politics and activism in shaping environmental policies with Leonore Gewessler, Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology. A dialogue then continued at the Austrian Parliament, where the participants had a working lunch with four young members of the Austrian National Council. The day closed with a presentation of the EUSDR by Daniel Martínek (IDM) and Pejo Bosnić (Danube Youth Council).