February 2018 #FivePointsOn Youth in Southeast Europe Access to Education Employment Outlooks Disillusionment with Politics Anxiety about the Future Low Levels of Social Trust The traditional narrative in the new democracies of Southeast Europe(SEE) – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina(BiH), Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia – frequently blames young people for their precarious situation. However, these states and societies as a whole have not met the challenge of providing equal oppor­tunities for the development of youth. Disillusionment and a sense of powerlessness deprive youth of their future and may undermine the prospects of SEE societies in general. If SEE countries are to stem mass emigration and prosper as societies, there is a need for a substantial paradigm shift in the policies and instruments deployed towards youth in different areas of life. This publication features the key findings of youth surveys conducted between 2011 and 2015 by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES) in nine SEE countries.