How youth policy is funded

At national level, the BiH 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 BiH. 

According to the provisional financial plan for 2023, the RS Government have planned to allocate BAM 266,389,000 for the implementation of the RS 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.

The FBiH has allocated BAM 400,000 for its youth program in the 2023 Budget.

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 RS Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports has the RS Youth Policy in place since 2006, and youth organizations and programs for young people have been financed through its implementation. The RS 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 website. Guidelines, application form 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 assessment and decision on the projects’ acceptance and funding. After the decision, 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.). 

The Ministry finances the following youth projects in 2022, as set out in the RS Budget 2022: 

• Support to projects of construction of facilities for children and youth, EUR 1 030 00.

• Subsidies to youth housing, EUR 1 150 00.

• Public institutions dealing with youth grant, EUR 7 500.

• Youth Policy programs, EUR 100 000.

• Programs for rural youth, EUR 17 500.

• Youth mobility programs, EUR 17 500.

The FBiH Budget 2023 has a budget line dedicated to youth called Transfer for Youth managed by the FBiH Ministry of Culture and Sport, as support to youth organizations and planned amount is BA 400,000.  

Financial accountability

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

Use of EU funds

As a country with the status of a candidate, BiH 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).

Generally, EU funds are not allocated to individuals or legal entities without the conduct of appropriate public procurement procedures for EU external aid actions. These procedures are initiated at the level of the EU Delegation to BiH or at the level of EU services in Brussels in the appropriate form:

• Service procurement,

• Call for proposals/grants,

• Goods or works procurement,

• Twinning contracts.

Advertisements are posted on the website of the EU Delegation called EU Delegation Tenders and on the EuropeAid website. To learn more about the procedures for EU external aid actions and the steps involved for any of the mentioned contracts, consult the Practical Guide to Contract Procedures for EU External Actions for Services, Supplies, Works, and Calls for Proposals/Grants.