ZAGREB, Sept 24 (Hina) - Croatia's Minister for European Integration Ljerka Mintas-Hodak on Friday met the Working Group for the Council of Europe project Euro-26 Youth Card. The Working Group included Agneta Derrien, secretary to the
Working Group and head of the Council of Europe Youth Directorate, Erno van der Schaff, Working Group's vice president and vice president of the Euro-26 Youth Card (EYCA), and Pat McMenamin, a member of the Working Group and EYCA's coordinator for central and east Europe. The meeting was also attended by Stefanija Bortek-Knesaurek, director of the State Institute for the Protection of Family, Maternity and Youth, Ruzica Tadic, head of the Institute's youth department, and representatives of the Croatian Youth Holiday and Hostel Association, Goran Beus Richembergh and Tihomir Plejic. On January 22, 1998 the Croatian Government accepted an incentive by the State Institute a
ZAGREB, Sept 24 (Hina) - Croatia's Minister for European
Integration Ljerka Mintas-Hodak on Friday met the Working Group for
the Council of Europe project Euro-26 Youth Card.
The Working Group included Agneta Derrien, secretary to the Working
Group and head of the Council of Europe Youth Directorate, Erno van
der Schaff, Working Group's vice president and vice president of
the Euro-26 Youth Card (EYCA), and Pat McMenamin, a member of the
Working Group and EYCA's coordinator for central and east Europe.
The meeting was also attended by Stefanija Bortek-Knesaurek,
director of the State Institute for the Protection of Family,
Maternity and Youth, Ruzica Tadic, head of the Institute's youth
department, and representatives of the Croatian Youth Holiday and
Hostel Association, Goran Beus Richembergh and Tihomir Plejic.
On January 22, 1998 the Croatian Government accepted an incentive
by the State Institute and signed an agreement on the youth card
project on the level of the Council of Europe (Partial Agreement on
the Youth Card). In Croatia, the project is being implemented by the
non-government and non-profit organisation Croatian Holiday and
Hostel Association, with the support of the State Institute.
The project currently includes 31 European countries and youth
cards are being used by some 3.5 million young Europeans aged
between 14 and 26. Benefits from the card are various - services in
culture, transport, crafts, sports, tourism, trade, and
information.
According to Mintas Hodak, the Euro-26 project shows that well-
thought-out projects can help cooperation between the Council of
Europe and countries in transition.
Mintas Hodak was also interested in the Council of Europe's
assessment of the process of implementing the project and the
participation of young people in it.
Derrien said the results achieved so far were still not
satisfactory, but one could expect them to improve since special
programmes for the training of persons conducting the projects in
individual countries had been started.
(hina) rml