Context and importance
Regional cooperation in the Western Balkans has slightly moved away from being seen as only an externally driven process but it is nurtured through political practice and concrete initiatives in the region. It is the key criterion for the membership to the EU and inclusion in the regional and international processes.
However, the last crisis in Ukraine showed that narratives can quickly change and revoke all steps done to raise standards through cooperation. We see day by day the return of negative past trends in the form of authoritarianism, nationalistic politics with dangerous rhetoric and reemergence of inter-ethnic issues. On top of the socio-economic situation, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with growing instabilities, we - youth have little incentive to not flee the region and take a one-way ticket.
Building a true and enduring reconciliation involves a process that brings together individuals, groups and societies. Through shared experience, cooperation and ongoing exchange, new pathways can be built to reconcile people who would otherwise remain trapped in the past. This is why regional cooperation in the Western Balkans must be constantly nurtured through political and social practice.
On the regional level, further depoliticization of cooperation and a general rethinking about the importance of regional cooperation and political dialog, not only as part of the EU accession process but as an asset in itself, is considered paramount.
Goals
- We want to inform about the importance of regional cooperation and mobility as the only alternative to move further.
- We want to raise awareness about the benefits of regional cooperation in light of the new dark events in Europe
- We want to question the mindset of the WB6 youth and contribute to the development of critical thinking towards the processes in our societies.
- Target audience is youth - 18 to 30 years old and exchange with experts and diverse stakeholders in WB6.
- The campaign will follow a human-centered approach, where successful young people personal stories will be put in the center of the design and will be the driving force of campaign message on regional cooperation and mobility
Outcome
Support WB6 youth to be part of the processes in our societies that will strengthen regional cooperation and fortify European values of peace, solidarity and prosperity.
Campaign Structure
Phase I: Planning
The roadmap that lays down everything that we need to execute a marketing campaign. This includes a set of goals and objectives, a marketing strategy to achieve them and marketing tactics that will put everything in action.
Phase II: Creative development
This includes developing the campaign messaging framework, the “ Big idea” that will capture audience interest, influence their emotional response and inspire them to take action. It is a unifying theme that will be used across the campaign message, call to action, communication channels and audiences.
Phase III: Promotion Plan
This summarizes the key point of the campaign promotion that includes the media plan and mapping the platforms of the campaign message dissemination including the Social Media
Phase IV: Launch
This includes the campaign execution, an excited opportunity to directly engage with the audience and monitoring the campaign message overall influence.
Action Plan:
1.Three online events (Workshops and roundtable discussions)
2. 6 local event per each country of the WB6 (physical or online tbc)
3. Continues promotion (6 month)
- Boost social networks of Cross border factory and project ‘One way ticket now more’, posting on all aspects of the project and related topics.
- Including offline and online marketing tools as well as digital media channels
4. One final physical regional event involving diverse stakeholders from WB6 (location tbc)
Time Frame
April-September 2022
Launch of the campaign: September 2022
Title: Kosovo – Bosnia and Herzegovina visa regime
Project Context:
Bosnians and Herzegovinians are asked to apply for and pick up their Kosovo visa in Podgorica, Skopje, Tirana or Zagreb. So instead of driving directly to Kosovo they need to calculate with a longer route. But at least most of them get their visas. For holders of Kosovo passports, Bosnian-Herzegovinian visa is most likely to be rejected, often with no explanations given. Such administrative obstacles violate the freedom of movement, prevent mobility, and harm regional cooperation.
At the same time, the EU member states prohibit Kosovo citizens from travel to the EU without a visa despite the fact that in 2018, the European Commission confirmed that Kosovo had fulfilled all the benchmarks of the visa liberalization roadmap. Therefore, the EU should take their long-overdue step to allow visa-free travel for Kosovo citizens. We believe that the regional cooperation and mobility – next to further economic integration and making trade easier – could be a way to slow down youth emigration and enhance brain circulation.
Mobility and regional cooperation could also serve as a driver to peace and prosperity. The region needs to raise the proportion of students and university professors going to the EU and universities in the Western Balkans to develop valuable skills and expand horizons to study or undertake training. This knowledge contributes to increasing social inclusion and nondiscrimination and helps bridge skill gaps by boosting specific skills needed in the modern labor market
Project goal:
- To raise awareness about the current obstacles young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo face when applying for the visa of Kosovo or Bosnia and Herzegovina
- To inform the public about the freedom of movement obstacles people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo face when crossing the border of the two countries
- To bring a youth perspective to the forefront of the debate on abolishing the visa regime
- To create an environment and contribute to a joint decision to abolish the visa regime and enable the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo to travel without any obstacles
- Counter the potential criticism against the decision to abolish the visa regime coming from the right-wing nationalist political circles
- Share a series of human-centered stories and personal experiences of young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo who have experienced visa obstacles to travel to Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Key Project Activities:
- Panel discussion with artists, business sector representatives, policy-makers, and young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo about the consequences of the visa regime
- Video campaign showcasing a virtual visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, followed by a series of TV interviews involving the main protagonists
- Open call for young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo to submit short videos on the topic of „My struggle to get a visa“
- Online award ceremony for the three best videos submitted to the prize competition “My struggle to get a visa”
Time frame
To be aligned with the social media campaign of the project
Results:
If we want to build a common future for our youth, bureaucracy and politics should not pose an obstacle, but act as a bridge towards bringing us together and building a Western Balkans that unites, and not divides our young generations.
Our group of 12 youth leaders from the WB6 argues that the existing barriers to freedom of movement within the region and throughout the Schengen Area have been breaking family ties, harming businesses, inhibiting student and academic exchange, and preventing regional cooperation and development.
Team members: Adi Ćerimagić, Blina Salihi, Egzona Bokshi, Samir Beharić