Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) from Kosovo met and had a discussion with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, during his visit to Kosovo. The YEAs presented their network and explained its purpose and their motivations for becoming Young European Ambassadors.

Following the initial presentation, the discussion moved on to regional and global issues such as the recent conflict in Ukraine and the importance of peace. In the final part of the discussion, YEAs raised the topic of freedom of movement for youth from the Western Balkans and agreed with the President on the importance of programmes such as ERASMUS+ and other EU-funded initiatives and programmes for further personal and professional development of young people in the Western Balkans.

The YEA platform is a creative network of young activists from across the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia). YEAs come from different backgrounds, yet they all share a common vision: the Western Balkans united in diversity. They learn about each other and the EU together, pursue creative projects, acquire new skills, connect via social media, and organise inspiring events – always driven by the idea that activism in youth is the most powerful force of social change.

The aims of the network are: to share EU values; to raise awareness about the EU’s cooperation with its Western Balkan partners; to showcase the tangible results of this cooperation; to contribute to policy dialogue on various topics; and to help increase civic activism.