As prepared for delivery
Esteemed ministers, ambassadors, colleagues from the Western Balkans Fund, dear friends
It is my privilege to join you this afternoon at the opening conference LEADBALKANS, strengthening partnerships among young leaders of the diaspora and the Western Balkans.
I am proud to say that common understanding, when talking about Visegrad, often means that Visegrad is connected to the Western Balkans. We have several cities named Visegrad in Europe: one in Hungary, one in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one in Czechia… Some of you have heard about the Visegrad Group, which celebrated its 35th anniversary recently, on the 15th of February, and some of you are aware of the activities of the International Visegrad Fund.
But do we really know what the difference is between the Visegrad Group and the Visegrad Fund? Why is that important? For several reasons. One key element why it makes a real difference is that the Fund does not only possess the resources for cooperation projects, but also has expertise in cooperation in and with the Western Balkans region.
The International Visegrad Fund has a common fellowship program with the Western Balkans Fund and runs the Civil Servants Mobility Program for people from Western Balkans state and regional administrations to travel to the V4 countries and receive tailored training for their, not only, EU accession needs.
Moving from brain drain to brain gain, both Visegrad states and the Western Balkans states have experienced raising our kids in our countries—being healthy, successful, full of energy, ideas, and potential—only to suddenly see their backs as they head to “Western” Europe for studies, for work, for life. There are many examples of how to make our kids return to their home countries, but let us be honest: sometimes we are the ones responsible for pushing the youngest generation out of the country.
One of the best working practices is to make communities functional. Besides GDP numbers, gross national product, and average prices of accommodation and groceries, there are factors such as family, community, and the feeling of being at home. The Visegrad Fund finances, among others, projects focused on investment in people and human capital through building partnerships; projects aimed at supporting resilient living environments; supporting job creation analysis; economic, gender, and financial inclusion; training for refugees mostly from Ukraine, etc.
In the Fund, we believe that to save communities, we have to believe in ourselves, in the attractiveness of our countries, and in our benefits, such as drinking water, safety, and tolerance.
I believe that the upcoming discussion will not only bring speakers together, but that we will hopefully return to our homes with inspiration and a SEED of solutions. Thank you for your attention.
