Under the topic of integration in times of crises and the role of youth in this process, on 8 October BBA was part of coffee talk meeting with Mr Peter Zingraf, German Ambassador to Albania. In the frame of the German October days, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Tirana organized a discussion meeting among the German Ambassador in Albania, Mr. Peter Zingraf and National Youth Congress, held in the premises of German Embassy in Tirana with participation of 10 youth organization representatives of NYC and youth political forums.

The focus of this meeting was the youth perspective and its role in the transformative and integration processes in the EU, while focusing on the actual crises and the status quo. Very important topics raised up and discussed during this meeting, which are crucial for youth at this stage, were the following:

-       The interconnection of education with the labor market

-       The digitalization challenges and the pandemic situation,

-       The structured dialogue with the institutions and putting youth policies in the decision makers agenda,

-       EU Integration and the role of youth in the process,

-       Migration, challenges and consequences,

-       Regional collaboration as a development tool for Albania

As part of the national youth umbrella organization, National Youth Congress, BBA was represented in this meeting by Ms. Irena Topalli. During the discussion with the ambassador she highlighted the importance of the youth sector in the integration process by saying “If youth and youth organizations are not or don’t become part of the integration process, we as a society are losing a lot!”, to further continue in asking the Ambassador Zingraf, about the support mechanisms that the German Presidency shall put in place to support and make sure that Albanian youth are in the focus of the decision makers and EU public policy. She further discussed on the employment policies for youth in Albania while stressing out that the German investments in this field in Albania are crucial and have given a very good support to the reformation of VET in the country, while there is for sure a lot more to do in these regards. Ms Topalli also mentioned the process of Tirana European Youth Capital 2022, as a positive example that clearly showed that structured dialogue and fruitful cooperation among the youth sector and the Municipality, can bring about positive examples that benefit not only the youth sector in Tirana, but in the whole country, and that these examples need to be promoted more. On her last intervention she discussed on the importance of nvloving youth organiations and young people in the public policy making, with regards to employability and entrepereneurship, but also in every policy procees that impacts the life of youth, whom are the tomrrow's citizens in the EU. 

The meeting was also streamed online in Facebook in the pages of the organisers and is available HERE.