PLATFORMA and the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania (ALAL) recently travelled to Moldova to facilitate exchanges between the municipalities of Joniskis (Lithuania) and Ungeni (Moldova) and to meet representatives of the Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova (CALM) in Chisinau.

As part of the PLATFORMA Eastern Neighbourhood programme, ALAL successfully organised a seminar to strengthen city-to-city cooperation between twinned municipalities Ungeni and Joniskis. On 27 August, Participants discussed their experiences on how to encourage and enhance youth participation in the decision-making process, addressing the associated challenges and opportunities.

The Lithuanian experience on youth policies

The participants learnt about Lithuanian youth policies thanks to the presentations of Vaida Aleknaviciene and Aivaras Rudnickas, both Deputy-mayors of Joniskis and Ieva Andriulaityte, ALAL adviser. They were acknowledged about specific programmes that Joniskis municipality implements to reinforce youth engagement in the decision-making process, such as local youth affairs councils and municipal coordinators for youth affairs.

There are several ways of Volunteering in Lithuania, such as the “Youth Voluntary Service (JST)” program. It is an intensive 6-month volunteering program for young people aged 14 to 29. Participants volunteer for an average of 40 hours per month at a selected and accredited host organisation. They also meet once a month with the organisers of volunteering activities, have a mentor appointed by the organisation, and learn valuable skills like overcoming difficulties, reflecting on experiences, and formulating directions for improvement.

At the national level, specific programmes are a new initiative called “Lithuanian Youth Capital” and two national programmes: “Create Lithuania“ and “Bring Together Lithuania”.

The Moldovan NEET challenge

PLATFORMA Adviser – Eastern Partnership and Geographic Dialogues Bella Tskhelishvili animated a panel discussion session on “how to encourage youth participation in the decision-making process”. She pointed out that in Moldova, the number of young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) is the highest in Europe. The rate of NEET youth in the Republic of Moldova has increased by 3% compared to 2020.

The panellists included representatives from the Ungheni municipality, the regional office, high-level school managers, and the Head of the Youth Centre of Ungheni. They all agreed that youth policy should be a top priority in the country and on the need to enhance capacity building to reduce the number of young people who are neither in employment nor in education and training.

One of the main challenges identified was the lack of funds at the local level, while many creative ideas and projects deserve to be implemented. Additionally, the participants emphasised the benefits of international exchange programs with other European Union member states. Through these programs, youth can better understand how they are considered as an asset and how other municipalities work with young people to incorporate their views in the decision-making processes.

The Lithuanian Association plans to continue this series of seminars with counterparts from Georgia and Ukraine, leading to a comparative study with recommendations to be published as a follow up.

Academy for Young Elected Officials

 Bella Tskhelishvili also presented the main activities of PLATFORMA’s Eastern neighbourhood Cluster and the CEMR-PLATFORMA local and regional Young Elected Officials Committee (YEOC). She invited participants to join the first ever edition of the Academy for Young Elected Officials from 14 to 16 October, online. 

Meeting with CALM in Chisinau

The next day, PLATFORMA and ALAL representatives visited the office of their Moldovan partners. They met with experts from CALM, as well as its vice-President Violeta Crudu, the Mayor of Cruzești municipality.

During the visit, participants discussed about the seminar in Ungheni municipality, the work programme of the PLATFORMA EaP Cluster, the need for a joint advocacy strategy for the future Multiannual Financial Programme (MFF), the upcoming presidential elections in Moldova, and the forthcoming EaP events and CALM involvements.