Young people are Croatia's biggest potential and it is essential to invest in schools, infrastructure, the social space and all that is essential to them, while they should participate more in democratic processes, a conference marking the European Year of Youth said in Zagreb on Monday.

The European Year of Youth 2022 underlines the important role of young people in building a better, more sustainable, more inclusive and more digital future.

Croatian Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs said events such as these were important because young people were the country’s future.

“One should speak up, try and eliminate lethargy or disinterest. Young people should articulate what troubles them and participate in democratic processes in terms of change and creating the future society,” he added.

Fuchs said the government was doing all it could, through investment, measures and laws, to create the prerequisites for young people and young families to achieve their education and career ambitions and stay in Croatia.

A World Youth Alliance Croatia survey shows that 50% of young Croatians occasionally or frequently think about emigrating. Fuchs said this was not the government’s fault “because large migrations also occur outside Europe.”

“Borders are disappearing, people can circulate. I don’t think that’s negative, but the trend should be reversed by attracting workers from other countries to come here, which I think will happen relatively soon,” he added.

Croatia has invested a lot in young people in the last five years, said Zeljka Josic of the Central State Office for Demography and Youth.

She underlined a significant increase in the number of young people with permanent employment contracts, which now stand at 131,000.

Josic said a national youth programme would be adopted this year and that it was important to ensure good conditions so that young people would stay or return to Croatia. This, she added, is being done by investing in education, the labour market and housing. She also said emigration had decreased.

Josic called on young people to be active and vocal so that good policies could be created together.

Speaking of youth emigration, European Commission Vice President Dubravka Suica said Croatia’s EU accession in 2013 made free movement possible and that it was normal for people to try and live elsewhere.

They will come back if good economic conditions are created, she said, adding that the Commission has adopted a strategy on rural areas which cover 80% of European and Croatian territory, yet where only one third of the population live, in order to make those areas more attractive for living.