Forthcoming Policy Developments

Several developments are underway or anticipated:

• Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan (YGIP): Bosnia and Herzegovina is finalizing a state-level Youth Guarantee plan (expected completion in early 2025 or shortly thereafter), supported by the EU, ILO, and Ministry of Civil Affairs. This aims to address NEET youth through coordinated employment, education, and training measures, with pilots planned (e.g., in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina municipalities like Čitluk and Visoko in 2026). It represents the primary state-level initiative for youth employment and social inclusion.

• Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina) Youth Strategy: In February 2025, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Government accepted a proposal for a Youth Strategy 2025–2034; it is pending submission to and adoption by the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Parliament.

• Other entity-level strategies: Brčko District adopted a Youth Strategy 2022–2026 (2023); cantonal strategies (e.g., Herzegovina-Neretva Canton 2023–2028) exist. The Republika Srpska Youth Policy 2022–2026 was adopted in September in 2022.

• EU Youth Advisory Board: Established in late 2025 by the EU Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, comprising 15 young leaders to enhance youth inclusion in policymaking.

• Bosnia and Herzegovina Strategy for the Prevention and Combating Terrorism 2021–2026: Adopted in 2022, with its Action Plan adopted in 2023. This strategy includes youth-relevant components under prevention goals, such as educational programs promoting tolerance and critical thinking, early intervention for at-risk youth, socio-economic support to reduce extremism risks, online awareness campaigns, and reintegration for young returnees from foreign battlefields. It addresses radicalization prevention through social inclusion measures but is not a youth policy per se.

Ongoing Debates

Ongoing Debates

As of early 2026, key debates in the youth sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina) revolve around high youth unemployment, NEET rates (youth not in employment, education, or training), brain drain/emigration of young skilled workers, fragmented youth policy implementation due to the decentralized governance structure, and the need for greater youth participation in decision-making. 

Discussions also highlight challenges in social inclusion for marginalized youth, including those from rural areas, ethnic minorities, returnee families, and at-risk groups vulnerable to radicalization. There is ongoing emphasis on aligning youth policies with EU accession requirements, particularly through employment and education reforms.

Recent Reforms

No major nationwide youth-specific reforms have been enacted in recent years beyond entity- or canton-level strategies.