The second Regional Policy Lab was conducted on 12 December 2024, online, with participation of 17 representatives from the civil society, media, academia and institutions of the Western Balkan countries – North Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, who discussed the current policies, situations and processes in the field of media literacy and digitalization in the region, through the prism of young people and their needs. The participants continued the discussion from the first reginal lab, recommending encouragement of media to adapt content for digital platforms and for young people in order to tackle the increasing gap between traditional media and young people. For creation and spreading of fake content online, they recommended teaching young people and relevant stakeholders on how to use digital mechanisms to recognize fake content.
For the lack of media literacy competences among young people, it was recommended to make sure that media literacy activities are tailored to young people’s needs; to integrate media literacy into formal education and to strengthen cooperation and sharing of experiences between countries in the region.
For the lack of mechanisms for holding big corporations accountable, it was recommended to follow the developments in the EU acquis concerning online platforms.
For the other issues not directly related to digitalization and media literacy but still relevant, the group recommended to modernize and adapt the laws so that they are more flexible, enabling smoother digital transition and providing easier access to e-services.
The group had additional recommendations as well, not directly related to just one of the areas of issues. This included:
- Taking a more strategic approach to digital literacy.
- Aligning the legislation with the Digital Service Act.
- Providing access for students to e-libraries and other digital services.
- Utilize the fact that 2025 is the year of European Digital Citizenship Education and align activities accordingly.
- To consider and follow existing European Union policies and resources related to media literacy and digitalization.
At the end, it was agreed that the discussion will continue at the 3rd regional lab happening in-person in Skopje, where the policy recommendations will be developed in more depth.
The Regional Laboratory for Youth, Media Literacy and Digitalization is part of the project “Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe – RYDE”, supported by the European Union. The project is implemented by the Center for Democracy Foundation from Serbia in cooperation with civil society organizations (CSOs) from the Western Balkans: Academy for European Integration and Negotiations and Youth Action Center (Albania), Kosovo Stability Initiative (Kosovo), Network of Progressive Initiatives (Bosnia and Herzegovina), NGO Info-center Foundation (North Macedonia) and Regional Academy for Democratic Development (Serbia).
