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Uključi pismo za osobe s disleksijom i ostalim poteškoćama kod čitanja
The Croatian Youth Network (CYN) is proud to announce the candidacy of its President, Marin Capan, for the position of Board Member of the European Youth Forum for the 2026–2028 mandate.
This candidacy marks an important moment for MMH and for the youth sector in Croatia. Marin’s candidacy is built on over a decade of experience in the youth field, from student representation and local activism to leadership within the Croatian Youth Network and engagement in European youth policy processes. His work has consistently focused on strengthening youth participation, supporting the recognition of youth organizations, and connecting grassroots realities with political decision-making.
Marin currently serves as President of MMH, following a previous mandate as a Board Member of the organization. Throughout this time, he has contributed to the development of youth policy, the strengthening of organizational capacities, and the defense of independent and democratic youth representation. In his application for the European Youth Forum Board, he identifies his main objective as strengthening the recognition, resilience, and meaningful inclusion of youth organizations across Europe.
1st Priority: Recognition and Safeguarding of NYCs
This candidacy is strongly aligned with the priorities that MMH sees as essential both in its own work and within the wider European youth sector. At its core are the recognition, protection, and funding of youth organizations, particularly National Youth Councils. Youth organizations and NYCs continue to face serious barriers, including a lack of institutional recognition, limited resources, political interference, and shrinking civic space, all of which weaken their ability to participate meaningfully in decision-making processes.
For this reason, Marin’s candidacy places particular emphasis on the need for youth organizations and National Youth Councils to be treated as legitimate and equal partners in policymaking. This means more than symbolic consultation. It means structured dialogue, formal recognition, and real political influence.
2nd Priority: Independence of NYCs
A second major priority of the candidacy is the protection of independent National Youth Councils and the defense of civic space for youth organizations. This is an issue that MMH itself has identified as politically urgent. Under Marin’s leadership, the organization initiated a motion on safeguarding independent National Youth Councils and guaranteeing the stability of youth policy in Europe, which was successfully adopted at the General Assembly of the European Youth Forum.
This political direction is also reflected in the support received from the Southern Youth Councils bloc, which emphasizes that Marin brings a perspective that resonates strongly with organizations operating in contexts where civic space is shrinking and independent youth representation is increasingly under pressure. His candidacy reflects a commitment to safeguarding the independence of NYCs, strengthening their recognition, and ensuring that no member organization is left behind.
3rd Priority: Funding for Youth Organizations
A third priority is sustainable and accessible funding for youth organizations, particularly in the context of the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework. Sustainable and inclusive funding, simplified administrative procedures, the removal of barriers to access, and stronger structural funding schemes that go beyond short-term project-based support remain key issues for the future of the youth sector.
For many youth organizations across Southern Europe, and especially in the Western Balkans, Erasmus+ remains a vital program for sustainability, cooperation, and youth participation. This is why the candidacy also points to the importance of a stronger youth budget in the next European financial framework and continued support for programs that are fundamental to the functioning of the youth sector.
1st Priority: Enlargement of the European Youth Forum
Alongside these external priorities, the candidacy also addresses a number of important internal priorities for the Youth Forum as a platform. One of them is the need for stronger inclusion of National Youth Councils from non-EU European countries. A more representative and truly pan-European platform must better reflect the realities and perspectives of youth organizations across the whole continent, including the Western Balkans.
2nd Priority: Horizontal Digitalization
The candidacy also recognizes the importance of digitalization as a horizontal organizational priority, as well as transparency as a condition for rebuilding trust within the platform. A strong Youth Forum must be able to represent its members externally but also remain internally transparent, accessible, and responsive. MMH sees these questions as essential to ensuring that the platform remains both politically strong and rooted in the realities of its membership.
For MMH, this candidacy is also significant because it is an opportunity for the voice of youth organizations from Croatia to be more strongly represented at the European level. Marin’s election would mark a historic milestone, as he would become the first candidate from Croatia to join the Board of the European Youth Forum.
The Croatian Youth Network believes that Marin Capan brings to this candidacy a combination of leadership experience, policy expertise, and a clear political commitment to defending youth organizations, safeguarding the independence of National Youth Councils, expanding civic space, and strengthening the inclusion of perspectives from beyond the European Union.
At a time when the space for organized youth participation is shrinking in many contexts and when the need for strong and credible advocacy is growing, the European Youth Forum must remain a platform that is close to its members, politically courageous, and organizationally strong. MMH sees this candidacy as a contribution in exactly that direction.
Feel free to reach out and talk to Marin via contact page!