“#EUandYOU – Your story, our future” will be presented today during an online event
“#EUandYOU – Your story, our future” is the first integrated campaign developed under the European Union’s Regional Communication Programme for the Western Balkans. The campaign aims to promote opportunities and benefits provided by EU programmes available for young people in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
These cover the areas of education, training and sport (ERASMUS+), entrepreneurship (COSME – Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises), culture and creativity (CREATIVE EUROPE), and research and innovation (HORIZON 2020). The campaign is designed to encourage greater participation in these programmes by showcasing success stories, results and benefits.
Speakers at the launch event include Ms Genoveva Ruiz Calavera, Director for Western Balkans, European Commission, Mr Luigi Soreca, EU Ambassador to Albania, and Mr Johann Sattler, EU Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The event will also feature six young people who will recount their experiences of participation in an EU programme. The final session will take the format of a Q&A with six Young European Ambassadors from the Western Balkans selected earlier this year.
Speaking ahead of the event, Ruiz Calavera said: “Young people across the Western Balkans face many challenges, not least high levels of unemployment and lack of job opportunities. That’s why we are promoting this campaign. We want to raise awareness of the opportunities that the EU offers in the region that can help them to overcome these challenges, gain new skills and contribute to the positive growth of their region.”
“#EUandYOU – Your story, our future” is the first of three regional awareness campaigns which will be rolled out by the European Commission over three years. It comprises a vibrant multimedia mix, including testimonials from programme participants and animated video clips on each of the four EU programmes. TV, radio, outdoor advertising, web and social activity started on 16 November will run for one month.
The campaign launch coincides with the publication of www.webalkans.eu. This new web portal has been designed to offer a user-friendly experience and serve as a one-stop-shop for stories, news, funding opportunities and related information on cooperation between the EU and Western Balkans.
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence
More information
- Event programme
pomilio.blumm.it/uploads/originals/western-balkans/Western_Balkans_Launch_Event_Agenda_def_1.pdf - WeBalkans.eu
www.webalkans.eu - Campaign webpage
www.webalkans.eu/en/campaign/ - ERASMUS+
ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/about_en - COSME
ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/cosme_en - CREATIVE EUROPE
ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/
- HORIZON 2020
ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en
Contact
For all press-related enquiries, please contact the WeBalkans project team Press Office: g.cellini@blumm.pomilio.com orufficiostampa@pomilio.com
Background
The EU Regional Communication Programme for the Western Balkans was launched in January 2020 and will run for three years. The objective is to inform diverse target audiences about EU values, policies and programmes. The programme comprises three integrated components:
- three region-wide communication campaigns
- an online portal WeBalkans.eu
- a Young European Ambassadors network
Pomilio Blumm, a communication agency that specialises in relationships between governments, public administrations and citizens, is implementing the project.
