OOrganised by the regional communications project WeBalkans and the European Union delegation to Montenegro, on November 5th and 6th in Podgorica, the second edition of HINA was held EU With YOU Creative Hub.
Over two days, through personal stories and experiences from various countries in the region, the concrete impact of European Union support was introduced on citizens’ lives.
The event gathered human rights advocates, journalists, digital content makers, artists, young activists and representatives of EU delegations from around the region.
The goal was to introduce European values through human history and concrete experiences.
Through this second edition, the EU With YOU campaign, ( EU with TY) Part of the WeBalkans General Directorate for Enlargement and Eastern Neighborship project reiterated the importance of human history and concrete examples to show how European Union values and support affect the lives of Western Balkan citizens.
Raluca Costache, chairman of the WeBalkans programme, stressed the importance of presenting basic EU values through real history, which put people in the centre.
The most powerful accounts for the support of the European Union are born where fundamental rights are combined with daily life, showing what has changed, who has benefited, and why it matters, said Costache.
The fundamental values of the European Union, which have an important role in the reform and European integration process, include human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and respect for human rights.
Montenegrin writer and columnist Brano Maususus persecuted these values from a particular perspective, focusing on the importance of freedom of expression.
Freedom of speech is not something once and for all. It’s not just something written on paper. She keeps changing. We once thought the story was over, but that assessment turned out to be premature. I think today we’re in the middle of history again, I’m being persecuted.
The programme continued with discussions on panels, where participants shared concrete experiences on human rights protection, social inclusion and the European Union’s contribution to advancing these values in the region.
Suad Skyeri, programme manager in the Romalico organisation from Northern Macedonia, spoke of the importance of including the Roma community in society.
Finally, the difference is seen when we see that our neighbor or neighborhood has changed, when people we love and care about live better, have equal opportunities and are treated with dignity, Skyer said.
And Anja Basha, from the Albanian Human Rights Group organisation in Albania, stressed that her organisation has been working not only for representation of citizens in the judicial system but also for the creation of communications bridges between citizens and institutions.
Speaking of financial support, Bulza Capriqi, of the Kosovar Civil Society Foundation ( The KCSF stressed that the perception that civil society organisations need only financial means is wrong.
They also need skills and capabilities to use these tools meaningfully and influentially, Capriqi said.
Branko Ceq, journalist and former director of the Centre for Investigative Journal in Serbia, spoke of the younger generations of journalists who are building their careers in the media, as well as of young people in the region who are being organised more and more and are more openly expressing their political and social demands.
That stance was supported by Slobodan Blagojcanin of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who stressed that young people today have the best ability to verify information.
We should not underestimate their ability to be critical of what they see, he said.
The second day of Creative Hub was dedicated to developing stories and media content by journalists, media professionals and digital content makers from the region. They also participated in this process
The new European ambassadors from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia and Serbia.
The event in Podgorica followed the first edition of Creative Kub, held in Belgrade in April.
