Prishtina, 17 September 2025
This morning, at the Government Building, the Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, welcomed young people from Kosovo as well as from neighboring countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. Within the framework of the Berlin Process, the Youth Forum is held every year, and for the first time this year it is being held in Prishtina. On this occasion, the Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction that the Forum is taking place in Kosovo, considering it the right place for young people to meet, to engage in discussions about the past, and to work together for a better future.
He recalled the progress achieved within the Berlin Process and the five regional agreements signed in the last three years that facilitate mobility, especially for students and workers, highlighting in particular the “Agreement on Higher Education” and the “Recognition of Professions.” He expressed his pleasure that young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina did not need a visa to come to Kosovo, while underlining that the obstacle preventing young people from Kosovo from traveling visa-free to Bosnia and Herzegovina must be removed.
Prime Minister Kurti emphasized the Government’s commitment to creating opportunities for youth through free public education, scholarships, and dual education, as well as the importance of democracy, media freedom, and open debate. He encouraged young people to participate in exchanges, cultural and sports activities, and to learn each other’s languages. “With an open mind and a willingness to listen, you can face even the most difficult debates and still find common ground,” he said, wishing them a productive Forum and a pleasant stay in Prishtina.
Full Speech of Prime Minister Kurti:
Dear RYCO Secretary General, Mr. Vladimir Obradović,
Dear Dardane, Acting Head of RYCO Local Branch Office in Kosova,
Dear Donika, our representative on the RYCO board.
Dear young leaders,
It is my pleasure to welcome you this late summer morning here at our government building, where we can have an inclusive and open discussion about our future but also to discuss important topics within the process of European integration for Western Balkans Six. I invite you to feel free and to also mingle with some of the government representatives here. I hear that yesterday you had the opportunity to meet with our Speaker of Parliament, but the executive branch is also important.
I am delighted to host you and to have the chance to speak with you about the important work you are doing in bringing young people from across our region together.
The Regional Youth Cooperation Office – RYCO was inspired by the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO), which was created sixty years ago to foster reconciliation and friendship after a difficult history of second World War. In the same spirit, RYCO promotes exchanges, joint programs, and cultural projects that unite young people from across the Western Balkans Six.
That is why I am especially pleased that the RYCO Youth Forum is being held for the first time in Kosova. I believe this is the right place for youth to gather, to have necessary and sometimes difficult conversations about our past, and to think together about how best to build a shared future. As we know, we cannot change geography or history, but we can definitely change our future for the better.
I encourage you to visit as many places as you can during your stay. Learn about our history, witness the present reality, and use this knowledge to enrich your debates.
This Forum is taking place alongside the Berlin Process ministerials, with the Youth Ministerial in Tirana next month. And on October 22nd, we will gather in London for the Berlin Process Summit, where we will continue building on the progress we have made, with more deliverables on the Common Regional Market and the Green Agenda.
And we have made progress. In the last three years, we have signed five agreements that remove barriers to mobility, especially for young people. One of the first was the Agreement on Higher Education Institutions, signed on November 3rd, 2022, which reduces waiting times and costs for diploma recognition and aligns our legislation with EU standards. Together with the Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Professions, they are at the core of both student and worker mobility.
Freedom of movement is a basic freedom. I am glad that young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina were not required to obtain a visa to enter Kosova. Unfortunately, the same does not yet apply to our youth who wish to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, a barrier we must overcome.
We are a small region. To catch up with the EU, our economies need strong growth. The EU has set an ambitious goal of 10% annual growth for the next decade. To achieve this, we must continue removing barriers both between our countries and with the EU. That is the purpose of the EU Growth Plan and the Common Regional Market.
Here in Kosova, we are doing our best to create opportunities, especially for young people – and we have them a lot, average age of population in Kosova is 35. We have made public higher education free, expanded scholarships, advanced dual education in vocational schools, and through our membership in the European Youth Card Association (EYCA) have given young people access to opportunities across Europe. We are also committed to ensuring the inclusion of young women and minority communities in education and employment.
But we must be aware that economic growth without democratic progress is incomplete. Growth alone cannot secure freedom, justice, or equality. That is why our goal, and your goal, must be to build societies where independent institutions uphold the law, where citizens are protected from arbitrariness, and where everyone can fully exercise their rights.
We must defend media freedom, safeguard open debate, and nurture a culture where people are free to think and speak without fear. With the rise of social media, the spread of misinformation has become a major challenge. Anyone can post content online without verification, but democracy depends on well-informed citizens. That is why it is crucial that youth learn to seek out verified, credible sources of information. This is one of the greatest tasks of your generation.
Our vision for the region is clear. We need regional cooperation but a pre-requisite for that are good neighborly relations. Not only because they are a requirement for EU membership, which we aspire to, but because they are essential for peace and prosperity.
That is why I encourage you to engage in more exchanges between schools and universities, more cultural and sporting events, and more opportunities to learn each other’s languages. Because language is not just a tool of communication, it is a key to deeper understanding of history and culture. With an open mind and a willingness to listen, you can face even the most difficult debates and still find common ground.
With that message, I wish you a productive Forum, a pleasant stay in Prishtina, and fruitful discussions.
Enjoy your breakfast and thank you very much.
