Young people from the Danube Region visit the CBSS Secretariat

On 28 October the CBSS Secretariat hosted a visit from the European House organization and young people from all around the Danube region. Their visit was part of the EU4MYREGION, a project designed to inform citizens about EU cohesion policy.

The CBSS, as one of the main political fora in the Baltic Sea Region, is very interested in engaging in exchange with other EU macro-regions to develop synergies and ensure a continuous and trustful dialogue.

The representatives of the CBSS Secretariat gave presentations on youth engagement, regional identity and provided an overview on the Secretariat as well as activities related to the EUSBSR. Project Coordinator for Regional Identity, Aline Mayr, introduced the EU macro-regional strategies, focusing on activities in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and opportunities for youth involvement in the Baltic Sea Region, such as the Baltic Sea Youth Platform. Project Coordinator Franziska Seufert gave an overview of the Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue and engaged listeners with interactive tasks for learning. Core Team intern Vendela Gebbie introduced the CBSS and its core activities.

Questions and discussion initiated by the presentations covered cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region within multiple fora, implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region as well as intra-regional cooperation. The internship programme and other opportunities within the CBSS attracted attention.

The students were interested in the Baltic Sea Region experience and best practices that could be adapted for regional, national, and local cooperation in the Danube Region.

Youth matters was another topic that sparked a lot of interest and engagement. Experiences in youth engagement were exchanged and remarks about similar challenges within the Baltic Sea and the Danube Region were made. The young people stated that they were ready to get involved in decision-making when given sufficient opportunities and that they want to continue the exchange between the two macro-regions.