Conférence Générale de la Jeunesse du Luxembourg : Presidency! Priorities! Participation!

Since the 1st of July 2015 Luxembourg is in charge, for the twelfth time, of the rotating presidency of the European Union. As was the case for the 2005 Presidency, the General Conference of Luxembourg Youth (CGJL-d'Jugendkonferenz) is a premium partner of the Luxembourg Government. Under the Luxembourg Presidency, the CGJL, the umbrella organisation for youth organisations in Luxembourg, representing 27 member organisations, has set the goal of improving and encouraging the political participation of young people and their organisations in today's society.

Aware of its great responsibility in the preparation, implementation and monitoring of the youth field within the Luxembourg Presidency in 2015, the CGJL, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth and the European Youth Forum, has obtained the necessary means to monitor European policies for youth.

With its partners, the CGJL has been working for more than a year on the preparations ahead of this Presidency. There were several meetings over the course of the year with the Luxembourg Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, the Minister for Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, members of the Luxembourg Parliament, and with the Luxembourg MEPs, in order to maintain good relations and dynamic exchange between the CGJL and politicians at national and European levels. The CGJL also monitors youth and employment issues, as was the case recently in an interview with the Minister of Labour and Employment Nicolas Schmit. During this working meeting an interim report was prepared and the participants had a fruitful exchange on the "Youth Guarantee", implemented in the Grand Duchy in 2014.

The main event during the Luxembourg Presidency will be the European Youth Conference (EUYC, September 21 to 24, 2015), focussing on the important issues to do with young people and the actors involved in the field of youth policy at national and European levels. The EUYC brings together over 200 representatives of youth and experts from ministries and administrations from countries across Europe to discuss the recommendations to be transmitted to policy makers at higher levels on the topic of “Youth Empowerment for Political Participation”, the current theme set by the European Union under the 4th cycle of the "European Structured Dialogue".

Ahead of the Council of Ministers of 23 November 2015 the CGJL will be working with political leaders to ensure that the recommendations made during the EUYC Luxembourg are taken into account, respected and, above all, that there is effective follow-up regarding their implementation at European and national levels. The final recommendations, adopted in Luxembourg, will be submitted to the EU Council that will be in charge of integrating them into a Council resolution in December 2015, at the end of the cycle.

Under the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU Council, the CGJL, the representative umbrella organisation of Luxembourg Youth associations:

• Advocates for a transversal approach in the field of youth policy.
• Stresses the importance of the work of youth organisations in the implementation, on the medium and long term, of coherent policies for youth at national and European levels.
• Stresses the importance of non-formal education in order to develop a culture of participation, not only regarding the young people themselves but also for non-governmental youth organisations.
• Emphasises the importance of not losing sight of the problem of youth unemployment, including the systematic monitoring of the "Youth Guarantee" scheme.
• Will be involved as the main interlocutor at the European level as regards of the maintenance of a regular, fruitful and dynamic exchange. For this, the CGJL plans to include this European aspect in its core competences far beyond the 2015 Presidency.

More info:
- Visit the CFJL website.