How youth policy is funded

At national level, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Civil Affairs administers the Budget allocated to administrative and staff costs for the Ministry and the Commission for Coordination of Youth Issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Commission’s annual budget managed by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Civil Affairs is BAM 55.000, but it has not been used since 2016 due to the Commission’s inactivity.

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Culture and Sports has a total budget of BAM of 16.6 million for 2022. From this, BAM 40,000 per year (2022–2024) is specifically allocated to developing the Youth Strategy and youth-related action plans. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has allocated BAM 400,000 for its youth program in the 2023 Budget. In 2024, funding for the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Youth Council increased significantly to BAM 50,000, an almost 80% rise compared to previous years. 

According to the provisional financial plan for 2023, the Republika Srpska Government has planned to allocate BAM 266.389,000 for the implementation of the Youth Policy 2023-2027. This policy outlines four strategic goals with a total of 15 priorities and 44 measures, as well as three strategic projects.

There are no specific allocations for youth policy in the Brčko District Budget. Brčko District Youth Law and Youth Strategy mandate funding for required youth needs research, but exact funding figures are not disclosed.

What is funded

Youth issues are the responsibility of entities.  The relevant institutions responsible for youth issues fund the programs for young people and youth organizations.  The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska still maintain targeted funding through defined mechanisms, showing strong prioritization of youth strategy, cultural engagement, sport, and civic participation. Brčko District’s youth-related expenditure is mandated but less transparent, relying on strategy implementation funding and external support. Public calls and ministry budget lines function as key enablers across all entities to support youth-oriented programs and organizations.

The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Budget for 2025 includes a dedicated budget line for youth entitled Transfer for Youth, managed by the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports, with a planned allocation of BAM 600,000 to support youth organizations and youth-related programs.

Within this framework, the Ministry financed the program “Support for projects of youth organizations and projects intended for young people” with BAM 520,000 in 2025, aiming to strengthen the institutional capacity of youth associations and promote networking within the youth sector. In addition, the Ministry allocated BAM 80,000 in 2025 to the Youth Council of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina through the program “Support for the establishment and work”, ensuring continued support for youth representation and participation at the federal level.

The Republika Srpska Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports has had the Youth Policy in place since 2006, and youth organizations and programs for young people have been financed through its implementation. The Ministry of Family, Youth and Sport provides support, funding, and co-funding for youth organizations’ projects through regular annual public calls. 

The Ministry finances projects in accordance with the “Regulation on conditions and criteria for funding programs and projects for the improvement of the position of young people and the improvement and development of youth organizing”. All funding opportunities are published in daily newspapers and on the Ministry’s website. Guidelines, application forms and supporting tender documents are also posted on the Ministry’s website. The guidelines contain information on the rules of competition, criteria for applicant's application, criteria related to the content of the projects, the amount of funds for the project implementation, timeframe, project eligibility criteria and projects scoring table. The Ministry makes evaluations and decisions on the projects’ acceptance and funding. After the decision is made, the Ministry signs contracts with organizations, controls the execution of projects and the expenditure of funds in accordance with the signed contracts. The Ministry also provides support through participation in project activities, ensures technical, advisory, and other support during the project implementation (participation in round tables, promotions, fora, conferences, etc.). 

For the 2022–2026 period, the Brčko District government has funded strategy-related activities, such as youth needs research and Action Program development, though exact figures are not publicly disclosed.

Brčko District implements public funding calls for youth initiatives and service area programs (employment, civic engagement, health), supported by budget and public measures.

Financial accountability

Users of grant funds to support youth organizations in Republika Srpska submit financial reports and project implementation reports to the Republika Srpska Ministry of Family, Youth, and Sports in accordance with the Regulation on Conditions and Criteria for Financing Programs and Projects for the Improvement of Youth Position and Youth Organizational Development from 2012. Users of youth grant funds in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina submit reports with complete documentation on the earmarked use of funds to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Culture and Sports within the timeframe specified in the grant agreement in accordance with the Guidelines for Beneficiaries of Funds of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Culture and Sports for Financial Implementation and Reporting dated May 13, 2022.

In Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the monitoring and reporting of youth grants is regulated through general budgetary rules and individual grant agreements, rather than a dedicated youth-specific regulation, with beneficiaries reporting to the competent District departments in accordance with contractual obligations.

Use of EU funds

The EU provides funding for youth-related initiatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina via several instruments:

In the 2024–2025 period, the European Union continues to support youth-related initiatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina primarily through the IPA III programming framework (2021–2027), which replaced IPA II. Funding under IPA III supports reforms and investments in employment, education, social inclusion, youth participation, green transition and regional cooperation, including actions relevant to young people.

Cross-border cooperation programs also continue under the Interreg IPA III CBC framework, including programs involving Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighboring countries (e.g. Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia). These programs support joint projects in employment, environmental protection, social inclusion, tourism and local development, with youth as one of the key target groups, although no new standalone youth-only envelope has been introduced compared to the 2014–2020 period.

The Youth Guarantee remains a key EU policy framework for the Western Balkans. Following the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans (2020), the Youth Guarantee continues to be an obligation for enlargement countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina.

However, as of 2024–2025, Bosnia and Herzegovina has not yet adopted a fully operational Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan. The European Commission Progress Reports (2023 and 2024) continue to highlight limited progress in this area, noting weak coordination, insufficient institutional ownership and delayed implementation. Bosnia and Herzegovina remains among the lowest-ranking countries in the region regarding Youth Guarantee implementation.

The Erasmus+ Program (2021–2027) remains one of the most significant EU funding instruments for youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024–2025.

Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to participate in the Program as a Partner Country, with strong engagement in the following key actions:

• Capacity Building in the Field of Youth,

  • Youth participation activities,

  • Youth exchanges and mobility, and

  • Erasmus+ Key Action 3 – Support to Policy Development and Cooperation.

Key Action 3 continues to support policy dialogue, evidence-based youth policy development, capacity building of public authorities and civil society, and exchange of good practices in the youth field. No major structural changes to KA3 were introduced in 2024–2025, but calls increasingly emphasize youth participation, inclusion, green transition and democratic resilience.

Main funded initiatives

In 2025, EU-funded initiatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to prioritize youth employment, cross-border cooperation and policy dialogue, particularly through IPA III programs and advocacy activities related to the Youth Guarantee.

• The European Union, through the IPA II Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro cross-border cooperation program, finances the “Your Job” project with grants of around EUR 360,000. The “Your Job” project aims to increase the employability of young people in the cross-border area of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, both through professional orientation, quality professional guidance, first work experience, and entrepreneurial practice, as well as through encouraging dialogue between young people, organizations civil society, companies and public institutions. The project is implemented by Caritas in Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with partners - Mozaik Foundation and Association for the Development of Competences “S.K.I.L.L.S.” from Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), as well as with Caritas of the Archdiocese of Bar and Business Start Center Bar (Montenegro).

• Youth Employment Fair in Mostar (May 2024) was IPA II–funded event to connect 350+ young job seekers with employers across the Bosnia and Herzegovina–Montenegro region. The goal of this fair was to give young people an opportunity for education, employment and improvement of professional skills. The youth employment fair is part of a wider program of creating employment opportunities for young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, which the European Union finances through the IPA II Bosnia and Herzegovina-Montenegro cross-border cooperation program.

• A forum entitled “Why is the Youth Guarantee Important in Bosnia and Herzegovina?” was held at Europe House in Sarajevo in January 2025. The forum was organised as part of the project “Youth for EU Integration: Advocating the Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan” and implemented by the Association PROI with support from the Foundation Centre for Democracy within the project “Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe,” funded by the European Union. The event gathered young leaders from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, representatives of government institutions, international organizations, civil society, and academia.

As a country with the status of candidate, Bosnia and Herzegovina currently has access to the following financing opportunities:

• European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR).

• EU Programs (former Community programs) and other instruments of the European Union, such as TAIEX, People to People (P2P), Local Administration Facility (LAF), Instrument for Stability (IFS).