Youth Law, harmonized with EU standards

The Minister of State for Youth and Children, Bora Muzhaqi presented today to the Assembly, the draft law on some amendments to Law No. 75/2019 “On Youth”. Minister Muzhaqi said that this bill comes as a promise kept to young people, as well as to conclude a four -year cycle of reforms in the field of youth, which have turned youth into policymaking, at local and national level.

« Over the past 4 years, as a result of the adoption of the bylaws of the Law on Youth, today a network of structures, institutions, and programs that support young people in different fields have been set up and tangible results have been achieved, and of course the presentation of legal changes today would not be complete, without mentioning the achievements of this 4 -year -old in the field of youth, »

According to Minister Muzhaqi, the Draft Law on Youth contains a number of innovations and advantages in support of youth for the protection and promotion of youth rights in a comprehensive way. This draft law brings three youth programs that will launch for the support and activation of young people.

1- The National Work Practices Program, an existing program that will come with a new approach, just like European programs. For the first time, practitioners in public institutions will receive food treatment during 3-month practice. This program will include for the first time also digital and interpersonal skills training, preparing 600 young people each year for the labor market. Young people will have the opportunity to develop professionally by developing their first work experience, and will be financially supported during the practice of practice.

2-The program of youth talent will support young people in cultivating and promoting their talent in the fields of art, culture, education, technology and sports, by covering the costs of participating in international officials and activities, as well as the provision of financial reward, based on the evaluation of the results achieved by the youth.

3-The program of community initiatives will empower young people to implement small projects that improve the life of the local community, such as schools, universities or cities. AKR funding will cover creative and transformative ideas implemented by young people themselves, whether part of the local youth council or non-formal groups of young people with the desire to make the difference.

The draft law presents the concept of youth center as a legal entity, aiming to deepen the interaction of youth municipalities and organizations and for young people in the creation of well -functioning and financially sustainable youth centers, as well as increasing opportunities to establish them throughout the country. Proposed adjustments aim to increase the possibility of youth centers to benefit from foreign donor funding and applications in international projects. The draft law regulates the recognition and determination of the competencies and professional training that youth employees must have. The draft law paves the way for the AKR support for the participation of sector employees who will want to be certified as youth staff in the professional programs to be established by law.

Minister Muzhaqi announced that “thanks to our investments, 15 youth centers and libraries are already serving 230,000 young people. By the new law, this number will reach 250,000 within 2025, expanding opportunities for young people across the country.  » Today, is the last session ahead of the May 11th general elections and I believe that in this context, this bill gives everyone the opportunity to make an act of both political and civic by voting in favor of this draft law that is entirely and at any point of it, for the benefit of the interests of Albanian youth, the minister said. There is no room for excuses or other reasoning, so I invite you to vote for this bill for every young man you know, to leave a positive trail in their future, ”Muzhaqi concluded.