RCC’s WBYL Project organizes its mid-term conference and Youth Fireside talks with high officials at the ESG Adria Summit 

Tivat – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretary General Amer Kapetanović took part in the ESG Adria Summit 2025, that started today in Tivat, delivering a keynote speech focused on advancing regional cooperation as a key to the European future of the Western Balkans. On the margins of the Summit, the RCC’s Western Balkans Youth Lab (WBYL) Project organized a Regional Mid-Term Conference on the Green Agenda. The WBYL Project is set to host a Regional Fireside Talk with high-level officials and young people from the region, organized together with Sustineri Partners.

“The latest Balkan Barometer shows that 82% of Western Balkan citizens support regional cooperation. That number speaks for itself – people recognise that when we work together, standards rise, markets open, and opportunities multiply. We have come a long way — from a fragmented landscape to the beginnings of a Common Regional Market. This is not just a bureaucratic term. It is a roadmap of how we move forward — step by step, reform by reform, result by result. It is not optional, but necessary. Regional cooperation is not a warm-up act – it is the main show. It’s a bridge to the EU single market and a stepping stone to integration, a foundation for our future,” said RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović during his keynote.

Highlighting the RCC’s continued support for youth engagement, RCC Secretary General also addressed participants at the WBYL’s Regional Mid-Term Conference on the Green Agenda. “In our region, 44% of youth are deeply worried about the economic situation. At the same time, 55% of them cite air pollution as their top environmental concern. This tells us one thing: we are in urgent need of innovative, inclusive and forward-looking solutions. It’s time to make youth not just part of the conversation, but part of the decisions,” said Kapetanović.

The Mid-Term Conference brought together youth and policymakers to assess the progress made through WBYL's Green Agenda Working Groups, which are currently active in all six Western Balkan economies. These groups are co-developing concrete initiatives, including the introduction of green seats in youth councils, environmental dictionaries for schools, and studies on youth engagement in environmental policy. The activities aim to foster participation and co-creation, ensuring that young people help shape a greener and more resilient Western Balkans.

RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović joined President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, at an informal gathering with young participants of the ESG Adria Summit’s NextGen programme and the Co-Chairs of the Western Balkans Youth Lab on Green Agenda. The discussion focused on the role of youth in shaping regional and green policies, further reinforcing the importance of intergenerational dialogue and inclusive decision-making in the Western Balkans.

To conclude its activities at the ESG Adria Summit, RCC’s WBYL project will host a Regional Fireside Talks with High-Level Officials tomorrow. The event will gather over 30 young participants from across the Western Balkans, who will engage in an open and informal exchange with top-level officials including Johann Sattler, EU Ambassador to Montenegro; Biljana Braithwaite, CEO of Sustineri Partners; Maida Gorčević, Minister of European Affairs of Montenegro; and RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović. The Fireside Talks will serve as an open platform to discuss green policies, EU integration, and the role of youth in decision-making, reaffirming RCC’s commitment to inclusive dialogue and future-oriented cooperation.

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The Western Balkans Youth Lab (WB Youth Lab) is an EU-funded and RCC-implemented project aimed at fostering a long-term structured regional dialogue between youth and policy-makers. This dialogue is designed to jointly develop policies that enhance youth participation in decision-making and improve the overall socio-economic environment for youth in the Western Balkans (https://www.rcc.int/youthlab). 

The ESG Adria Summit is the premier international business summit in South East Europe dedicated to advancing sustainability, including standards related to EU trade and accession. Organized by Sustineri Partners and Porto Montenegro, in partnership with the Government of Montenegro and under the auspices of the President of Montenegro, this Summit brings together senior leaders from business, government, international organizations, civil society, and experts from the Adria region and beyond (https://summit.esgadria.org/en/2025).