On 21 September, the Office of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina held a panel discussion in Banja Luka entitled: “Increasing youth participation in political and decision-making processes”. The discussion, which is part of the campaign “It All Starts with a Choice”, raised numerous topical issues such as how to motivate young voters to go out and vote, how to encourage their participation in other political processes, and questioning whether there is trust in the election process.

The panel included a Young European Ambassador (YEA) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Anastasija Katić. “At the event, I had the opportunity to meet people from whom I could learn something new. Since this was the first panel discussion in which I actively participated, I can say now that I have more experience in that area. What I was glad to see was that the audience, especially young people, participated in the conversation and were quite active,” said Anastasija after the event.

As one of the most significant partners of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the democratisation of society, the European Union has been providing support in empowering the election system for years by training citizens, and strengthening institutional capacities. More information on the campaign “It All Starts with a Choice” is available at: www.svepocinjeizborom.europa.ba.