Brussels – The 5th Bridging the Gap on youth political participation took place in Brussels from 23 to 24 June 2026, bringing together young parliamentarians, civil society representatives and young leaders from the Western Balkans Six and the EU to discuss key priorities linked to democratic engagement, regional cooperation, and the EU integration process. The event was organised by the European Parliament and Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST) in cooperation with Regional Cooperation Council’s (RCC) EU-funded Western Balkans Youth Lab 2 Project (WBYL 2). 

“We firmly believe that young people should not only be beneficiaries of policies, but active participants in shaping them. That is why creating meaningful spaces for dialogue between policy makers, civil society, and youth remains at the heart of our work,” said Igor Šoltes, Head of the RCC Liaison Office Brussels, during the opening remarks delivered together with Valentina Superti, Director of the Western Balkans Directorate, Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood of the European Commission and Joanna Placzek, Head of Mediation and Dialogue Support Unit, Directorate for Democracy Support, Directorate-General for External Policies of the European Parliament.

The conference included an open and direct exchange with Members of the European Parliament and participants who had the opportunity to hear first-hand perspectives from EU parliamentarians and engage in discussions on the key policy priorities. Youth Policy Lab workshops focused on disinformation, youth participation and mental health were organised as a two-day event during the conference, providing a structured recommendations on shared regional challenges.

Concluding remarks were delivered by Ognjen Marković, WBYL 2 Team Leader; Tonino Picula, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament (AFET) Working Group on Western Balkans; Marta Udina, Head of the Parliamentary Capacity Building Unit at the Directorate for Democracy Support, Directorate-General for External Policies of the European Parliament; Enrica Chiozza, Deputy Head of Unit for Western Balkans Regional Strategy and Investment at the Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood of the European Commission; and Andia Ulliri, Young Political Leaders alumna. The speakers reflected on the role of young people in political and democratic processes, underscoring the need to sustain structured dialogue, strengthen opportunities for meaningful participation, and ensure that young leaders’ perspectives are more effectively reflected in policymaking at both regional and EU level.

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The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)’s Western Balkans Youth Lab 2 (WB Youth Lab 2) is an EU-funded project that promotes a sustained and structured regional dialogue between young people and policy-makers. 

More on the project - https://www.rcc.int/youthlab