At the beginning of 2008, Moldova and Lithuania will sign a new five-year cooperation agreement in the area of youth policies. Olga Pascenco, Foreign Relations Coordinator at the Youth Division of the Ministry of Education and Youth, told Info-Prim Neo that the experience of this country is very important for Moldova because in Lithuania the state together with the NGOs have created very strong youth strategies and policies. According to her, “we share a common past and similar problems with the Baltic States. They succeeded in settling their problems in a short period of time, in particular concerning the youth policies”. The first cooperation agreement between Moldova and Lithuania in the domain of youth policies, signed for a 2-year period is now expiring. In order to sign a new agreement, a delegation of the Youth Division of the Ministry of Education and Youth visited the Lithuanian Youth Department and studied the existing youth structures, agencies, associations and NGOs. After the visit, the Moldovan part worked out the draft of an action-plan for 2008, within the Cooperation agreement, which is to be coordinated with the Lithuanian part. The plan focuses on the importance of international cooperation, particularly the possibility of including Moldova, with the help of Lithuania, as partner-country in the Youth in Action European Program. The plan also provides for the eventual creation of Eurocabinets in Moldova, which would serve as information points for youngsters interested in the European Union, its values, principles, institutions, as well as the process of Moldova’s democratisation. The action plan also stipulates that Lithuania will assist Moldova in creating business information and training centres for future entrepreneurs, as part of the Project of Youth Social-Economic Rehabilitation, implemented by UNICEF and financed by the World Bank, Government of Japan and the Ministry of Education and Youth. The project offers grants to young people who intend to start their own business. Olga Pascenco says that the action plan also provides for eventual information and experience exchange, study visits to the Lithuanian Youth Centres and those 82 Resource Centres for Youth. Moldova will share with Lithuania its experience of creating 300 local youth councils, which interested the Lithuanians very much. This week a Lithuanian delegation visited Moldova, meeting with the members of the National Youth Council, the Prime Ministers Club, the Moldova Students Alliance, Basarabeasca Youth Resource Centre and the youth organisations which promote school newspapers and the development of youth mass media – Young Journalist’s Centre and Media Centre. Darius Skusevicius, senior specialist at the Youth Department of the Lithuanian Ministry of Social Protection, told Info-Prim Neo that his general impression of the Moldovan youth is that it is a very active group promoting initiatives. On the other hand, there is a narrow understanding of the youth policies by the authorities, which don’t go further than entertainment events and manifestations. However, he says that what happened in Moldova in the last two years in the domain of youth policies represents an important step forward and the created structures should be promoted with the help of the Government and international cooperation. Darius Skusevicius added that in Lithuania, the state does nothing for the youth because they can take care of themselves. The state approved the law and the strategy of youth policies’ development and the government declared the priority of youth policy, but everything is due to the activity of youth organisations which are competent in working out projects and implementing them. This is the experience young Lithuanians wish to share with the Moldovan youth. Olga Pascenco mentioned that Moldova tries to establish cooperation relations with each of the Baltic States and that a study visit to Estonia is planned for the beginning of 2008. In the domain of youth policies, Moldova signed cooperation agreements with Azerbaijan, Greece and Russia. In 2008, an agreement with Italy is to be signed. Moldova is member of GUAM Countries Youth Forum, which also brings together Georgia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan. Starting 2006, the National Youth Council is part of the European Youth Forum.