The Capital City of Podgorica has submitted its application for the title of European Youth Capital 2028.The initiative for Podgorica’s candidacy for this prestigious title was launched last year in cooperation with numerous partners from the Ministry of Sports and Youth, institutions, the civil sector, and international organizations. During this process, the President of the City Assembly, Dr. Jelena Borovinić Bojović, brought together all interested parties to ensure the highest quality preparation of the application.
The European Youth Capital is an initiative of the European Youth Forum, an international youth organization, based on empowering young people, improving their participation, and strengthening European identity in cities. The initiative promotes European cooperation among youth, with a special focus on enhancing the everyday lives of young people in the city awarded the title, not only during the event itself but also in the long term.
The preparation and application process for this prestigious title was demanding, especially considering that during the crucial period when all capacities needed to be focused on preparing a quality application, the Capital City was functioning in a technical mandate. Nevertheless, despite these limitations, we prepared a strong application. A Working Group was formed, bringing together representatives from the Capital City, the Youth Office, the Ministry of Sports and Youth, and the NGO sector, who diligently worked on incorporating comments and suggestions received from numerous partners during the previous period. I am grateful to everyone who has participated in shaping the application from the very beginning, and special thanks go to the consultant who ensured that these proposals were adequately represented in the application and contributed significantly to the entire process. We hope Podgorica will become the youth capital of Europe in 2028, stated the President of the City Assembly.
The cities advancing to the next phase of the candidacy will be announced in April, when the Capital City will also receive feedback on the application itself. The initiative for Podgorica’s candidacy for European Youth Capital will contribute in the long term to promoting the city at the European level, improving the lives of young people, strengthening infrastructural and organizational capacities, and aligning with European standards.