The Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) organised a final event for its EU-supported initiative on “Enhancing Youth Cooperation and Youth Exchange in the WB6” in Belgrade on 7 February. The event presented the results of four projects from Serbia supported within RYCO’s fourth open call for project proposals. It was attended by representatives of RYCO and the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, RYCO beneficiaries, and local partners.

The EU Delegation to Serbia’s Head of Information, Communication and Press, Paul-Henri Presset, congratulated RYCO and its beneficiaries for contributing to the increase of youth participation in decision-making processes throughout the Western Balkans. He emphasised how significant youth is on the EU’s agenda since 2022 is the European Year of Youth. “The COVID-19 pandemic limited many opportunities for young people. It is therefore important to mark this year for youth, to fix the situation caused by the pandemic crisis and create other opportunities for young people with RYCO and through other EU programmes,” he concluded. 

The projects supported by RYCO and the EU within the fourth RYCO open call across the Western Balkans fostered reconciliation and regional youth cooperation, as well as strengthening civil society capacity to adapt to the COVID-19 environment. They were implemented from February to October 2021. Almost 130 applications were received, creating 400 partnerships from the region. The overall financial envelope for the call was €333,000.