Skip to main content

Author: WeBalkans

Fourth Regional Forum on Ending Violence against Women in the Western Balkans and Türkiye

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

The Fourth Regional Forum on Ending Violence against Women, titled “Integrated Policies, Inclusive Partnerships,” will start on 29 November. It will build on the momentum and progress from the last five years and set the stage for continued achievements toward ending violence against women in the region. The event is organised by UN Women and convened jointly with the Council of Europe, the European Union, and the national women’s structures of the Western Balkans.

 

The Regional Forum is the only regular mechanism gathering key stakeholders in the Western Balkans for ending violence against women (VAW). This year’s Forum will address issues related to the establishment of femicide watches – femicide monitoring mechanisms – at national and regional levels, including by examining the strategies and challenges of those established elsewhere in Europe and across the world. The event will also focus on strengthening alliances, networks and platforms throughout the region and locally, advancing cooperation between women’s organisations and healthcare providers, and examining challenges and opportunities in strengthening referral mechanisms at local and national levels.

 

The Regional Forum will feature a mix of plenary and groupwork sessions on the above-mentioned thematic areas to enable insightful discussions. Experts from the region and beyond will present evidence-based analysis and lead discussions in order to agree on the methods and approaches for implementing interventions towards ending VAW in the Western Balkans and Türkiye.

58 new VET projects selected under first ever capacity building call by ERASMUS+

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

In cooperation with vocational education and training (VET) institutions and organisations around the world, out of 93 evaluated projects, 58 new Erasmus+ Capacity Building for Vocational Education and Training projects have been selected, with a total amount of €21.3 million of EU funding. The projects from the call for “Capacity Building in Vocational Education and Training” involve VET bodies from 75 countries around the world.  
Erasmus+ is about much more than student exchanges. It stimulates cooperation between educational organisations from the EU and other European countries, and beyond. Erasmus+ VET actions support people in getting the qualifications that are key for the labour market and help to shape young people and adults into professionals. Their role makes VET organisations well positioned to support other Erasmus+ and EU priorities on the green transition and the move to digital.

European investors gather for a presentation of the opportunities and advantages of doing business in the Western Balkans

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

At the Western Balkans 6 Investment Conference, in Ljubljana, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum (WBCIF) gathered investors from Austria, Croatia, Italy and Slovenia, WB investment promotion agencies, ministries responsible for investment policy and promotion, regional organisations and international financial institutions.     
The conference disseminated information on the investment framework, presented the opportunities and advantages of doing business in the Western Balkans, showcased examples of successful investments to the region, and supported networking. The conference also presented the advantages of the Western Balkans region compared to other investment destinations, in light of new global developments and nearshoring of supply chains.   
The conference was a part of the implementation of the Western Balkans Common Regional Market (CRM) Action Plan funded by the European Union. More information on the CRM is at https://www.rcc.int/pages/143/common-regional-market.

M’BASE programme supports 23 civil society projects in Montenegro

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

The winners of funds from the third competition within the M’BASE programme, which is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Centre for Civic Education, gathered at Europe House for the signing ceremony. The third competition within the M’BASE programme was announced on 13 September, and by the time it was closed on 13 October, 82 project applications had been submitted. In total, 23 of them will be implemented.

 

While addressing the signatories, Yngve Engstroem, Head of the Cooperation Department at the EU Delegation in Montenegro, described the M’BASE programme as a good opportunity for civil society organisations to gain access to EU funds that will help them build their capacities and play an important role in their communities.

 

As a programme of civil society organisations in Montenegro – from basic services to policy shapers – M’BASE is implemented by the Centre for Civic Education in partnership with the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Centre for the Protection and Study of Birds (CZIP) NGO, and the Politikon NGO network, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Administration and the Ministry of European Affairs of the Government of Montenegro. The project is financed by the European Union and the Ministry of Public Administration.

Winners chosen for Being Young in Serbia photo competition

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

Entertainment, sports activities, art, fighting for a better future – all these feature in the daily life of young people in Serbia, and inspired the participants of this year’s photo contest with the theme “Biti mlad u Srbiji” (Being young in Serbia).

 

A five-member jury selected four winners from over 1,000 photos submitted to the competition, which was organised by the Delegation of the European Union in Serbia, National Geographic Serbia, Politikin Zabavnik, and Erasmus Student Network Serbia. This is one of the activities with which the EU Delegation in Serbia marked 2022 as the European Year of Youth.

 

In the category for best photos of citizens, the awards were given to:

 

1st place – Miloš Krstić, Festival Euphoria (Exit Festival, Novi Sad)

2nd Place – Irena Ljubanović, Woman showing solidarity to another woman (Belgrade)

3rd Place – Jana Cekić, And, What Now? (Belgrade)

 

The photo which won first prize will be published in the Serbian edition of the National Geographic magazine, as well as in Politikin Zabavnik. The four winning photos, as well as 16 shortlisted photos, will be exhibited during December at the EU Info Centre in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš. The photographers of the best works will be awarded vouchers for electronic equipment; the winning photo will be awarded a voucher for the purchase of electronic equipment worth €1,000, the second prize is a voucher worth €500, the third prize is a voucher worth €300, while the best photograph of an EU project receives a certificate.

TAIEX Prosecutors Forum tackles cross-border economic and cyber crimes

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

Close partnerships and cooperation across borders is key to rooting out cross-border crime. This key message was echoed over the two-day programme at the 22nd TAIEX International Forum for Prosecutors on Fighting Cross-Border Organised Crime in Budva, Montenegro, on 8-9 November 2022. For the first time ever, this TAIEX Forum was organised in a partner country.  
The event was organised in cooperation with the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office of Montenegro, the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, Eurojust, the European Public Prosecutors’ Office (EPPO) and the Public Prosecutor General`s Office of Saxony, Germany. It brought together over 100 prosecutors and judicial representatives onsite and online from over 30 countries including the enlargement and neighbourhood regions, EU Member States as well as EU agencies and institutions. Speakers tackled various recent cases from money-laundering and cybercrime investigations to asset recovery, joint investigation teams and the use of digital evidence.  
The Forum contributed to enhanced international cooperation in criminal matters. First, it provided the practitioners across the criminal justice chain with the possibility to build and reinforce their professional networks. Second, it reinforced institutional capacity to tackle cross-border cases in critical areas, such as money-laundering schemes and the use of digital evidence. Finally, enhancing cross-border judicial cooperation will not be limited to the two-day Forum. TAIEX will continue to support its partners in key rule of law reforms with targeted and tailor-made technical assistance activities.

Anastasija Katić

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in YEA of the month.

YEA of the Month October 2022

Anastasija Katić is one of the younger YEAs, eager and passionate from an early age to pursue an activist path. She likes to say that her life is dedicated to the protection of human rights.

Since she was 11 years old, she was a member of the Red Cross and has volunteered in the association “Most”. Since she was 13, she has taken part in the project “Youth as a force of change in their communities”.

As a YEA she is an active promoter of human rights and a dedicated young leader. Helping her fellow YEAs take part in local activities they organize, she is also present and active in all the offline and online campaigns.

YEA participate in the Model European Union Strasbourg 2022 Conference

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

A Young European Ambassador (YEA) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Anastasija Đorđa Bosančić participated in the Model European Union Strasbourg Conference (MEUS) which was organised this month in Strasbourg, France.

 

MEUS 2022 was an immersive, inclusive and engaging simulation of the European legislative process. Over the course of one week in Strasbourg, the conference gathered young people from all around the continent to debate two real-life EU legislative proposals online and to experience the most realistic simulation of the work of the EU Parliament, European Commission and Council on the continent. During the simulation, Anastasija had the role of one of the Ministers in the Council of Europe where participants discussed the topics of the Social Climate Fund and the Platform Work Directive.

YEAs join the Born2run race in Kumanovo, North Macedonia

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

This month the city of Kumanovo was home to the Born2run marathon for the fifth time. The marathon has become a well-known tradition among locals, especially youth. With the aim of promoting a spirit of coexistence and mutual trust through sports, and bringing together ethically divided communities in the city, the race has shown that Kumanovo takes great pride in its multi-ethnic society and the celebration of its diversity. As the biggest municipality in the Republic of North Macedonia, Kumanovo is the most ethnically diverse society in the country, with the largest ethnic groups being Albanian, Macedonian, Roma and Serbian, alongside Turkish and Vlach communities.

 

The race this month was divided into a 3km marathon and a 10km marathon, and more than 300 participants took part. Members of the Poraka Nasha Regional Centre for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities joined the marathon in support of the cause, as special guests of the organiser.

 

The Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) from North Macedonia also joined the race in the name of peace, tolerance, inclusiveness, respect, and diversity, once again proudly promoting the motto of the YEA network: Celebrate diversity to inspire change! By organising, volunteering, and taking part in the race, young people from the northeast region of North Macedonia set an example for the whole Western Balkans region of what intercultural unity should look like across the Balkans.

 

The race was organised by the Centre for Intercultural Dialogue NGO, in cooperation with Europe House Kriva Palanka, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe Mission to Skopje and the Municipality of Kumanovo.

Mental health focus to RCC Western Balkans Youth Lab conference in Pristina

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

The Western Balkans Youth Lab project implemented by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) gathered youth from across the Western Balkans for a conference on the importance of mental health among young people. The speeches and discussions included elaboration of the challenges and the ways to overcome then in the Western Balkans context.

 

In her opening remarks, Hillen Francke, Head of Sector at the European Commission’s Directorate General  for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, DG NEAR, highlighted that the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 identifies mental health and wellbeing as one of 11 European Youth Goals. She emphasised the importance of supporting comprehensive, safe, inclusive and youth-friendly health services, which include mental health. This is as important for the Western Balkans as it is for the EU.

 

Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) also participated at the event. Diellza Ibrahimi, a YEA from Kosovo, used her opening speech to mention the importance of mental health in particular in the aftermath of the restrictions caused by the pandemic. She also shared her experience of participation in activities related to mental health, as a YEA and a volunteer.

 

The three-year EU-funded Western Balkans Youth Lab Project kicked off in January 2020 and aims to provide opportunities for youth to participate in decision-making. The project covers the six economies of the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia – in which youth constitutes 21.27% of the population.