Skopje, 2 May 2023 (MIA) – Twelve young people from the EU and the Western Balkans will attempt to share the opportunities created by the EU – Western Balkans partnership and their impact on people’s everyday lives by telling their stories on social media as part of the 42-day campaign “Made of Us – EU-Western Balkans road trip”.

Six young people have been chosen, one from each Western Balkan country, as well as six from the EU member states.

Two young bloggers – Elena Vasilevska from North Macedonia and Nick Van Putte from Belgium, were introduced at a press conference Tuesday in Skopje. As part of the campaign, they will visit several cities and get acquainted with the EU-funded projects in North Macedonia, while sharing their impressions on their Instagram profiles.

The EU Ambassador to North Macedonia, David Geer, said this is an excellent initiative that can connect people and show what the country can offer, and advised Elena and Nick to use the trip to learn something about the country and the EU.

“I would especially advise Nick to approach everything with curiosity. I am sure that this will be the case and I also hope that during your discussions and visit you will both learn a lot about Europe, and I think that through your trip you will better understand why our future should be together, and that you will better understand the motto and the logo of this campaign – ‘Made of Us’,” said the EU Ambassador.

Young European Ambassador Dona Srdikj, who is working on the campaign, said that some of its goals are to raise awareness about EU values, to secure informed public debates over the benefits of EU accession, but also to demonstrate the way in which the EU invests in the region with the goal of a better future for everyone.

“The message that the campaign is trying to send is that the Western Balkans is growing, is developing with EU investments, especially those carried out by young people. Nick and Elena will have a chance to visit many EU-funded projects in North Macedonia this week, and see what the EU has already offered to the people, especially young people in North Macedonia and the way in which this has impacted their lives,” said Srdikj, stressing that this is the first campaign to connect young people from the region and the EU.

During the seven-day trip which begins in Skopje, Elena and Nick will visit Bitola, Ohrid, Struga, Kichevo, National Park Mavrovo and Tetovo, as well as EU-financed projects implemented in those areas. 

“We will offer two different stories because we use different styles of photography, so the content that we prepare, the texts that we write, will be different. However, at the end of each day we will work on a blog on the webalkans platform together, where we will share our own impressions of the day,” said Elena.

The campaign is making use of various tools such as websites, social media, TV, billboards and PR events. It began on April 18 in Montenegro, and will finish on May 30.