Luxembourg must unblock progress on visas and anti-discrimination legislation

On the first day of its presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Youth Forum calls on Luxembourg to unblock key processes that are stopping young people from having full access to their rights and perpetuating discrimination, whilst thanking the Latvian Presidency for the positive steps taken on youth issues.

The Youth Forum calls on the Luxembourg Presidency to make the Horizontal Directive on Equal Treatment, combatting discrimination based various grounds, one of its priorities and ensure that protection from age-based discrimination is not watered down in the proposal. After negotiations for many years, this key directive is still stuck by a few member states. It must now be adopted without further delay.

Another key area for young people, where progress is still blocked, is the freedom of movement to travel into the European Union. This Presidency must push the Visa Code and Visa Directive through, ensuring the legislation effectively removes the huge barriers that young people currently face when traveling into Europe- so that young people can be fully active global citizens.

The Latvian Presidency has made important achievements over the last six months, particularly in the youth sector. There have been Council Conclusions on youth work and on taking an approach across policy sectors that could pave the way for youth policy having the priority at European and national levels, that it deserves. In order to improve the situation of young people in Europe, all policy areas must work together to make sure that youth policy does not fall between the gaps!

Johanna Nyman, President of the European Youth Forum, comments:

“There has been real progress on youth issues during the Latvian Presidency, but a lot of work remains for Luxembourgish Presidency to make the most of this momentum. We are looking forward to seeing young people, their concerns and voices, being heard and fully reflected in the Presidency’s work. We call on this Presidency to truly grasp some of the difficult processes, such as visa liberalisation and the anti-discrimination directive, and help to unblock these in order to make life better, not only for young people but for all of our society.”

The Youth Forum calls on the Luxembourg Presidency to follow one of its own priorities and put 'the citizen at the heart of the European project’, particularly when it comes to the Council Conclusions on youth empowerment for participation in democratic life reflecting the results of the “structured dialogue” with youth and the EU Youth Conference, the EU Youth Report 2015 and the new Work Plan for Youth 2015-2018.

The Luxembourg Presidency should also seek to ensure a nuanced debate around the inclusion of young people into society, in the debate around so-called “radicalisation”. The Youth Forum calls on leaders at national and EU level to help combat the marginalisation of young people, not to stigmatise through the fear of young people as potential terrorists, but instead look into the root-causes of extremism leading to violence. The Youth Forum would welcome national and European initiatives leading to citizenship education in formal curricula, in order to support youth organisations and youth work in fighting consequences of poverty, unemployment and discrimination.

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Notes to the editors:

About the structured dialogue

The Structured Dialogue with young people originates from the renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field adopted in 2009. Since then, this tool of joint reflection on the development of youth policy, which is meant to engage equally young people and decision-makers, has been repeatedly revised. The current Team Presidency of Italy, Latvia and Luxembourg decided to further strengthen the link between Structured Dialogue and processes taking place in the Council. In two successive EU Youth Conferences in Rome and Riga, youth representatives and decision-makers together transformed the vast amount of input received from young people across the EU into a set of concrete proposals. Amongst them: the implementation of the vote at 16, the reinforcement of citizenship education and the need for alternative and innovative forms of political participation. In Luxembourg the 4th Cycle of the Structured Dialogue on Youth will be concluded with a EU Youth Conference feeding into Council Conclusions on young people’s participation in political life.

About the European Youth Forum

The European Youth Forum is the platform of youth organisations in Europe. Independent, democratic, youth-led, it represents 99 National Youth Councils and international youth organisations from across the continent. The Forum works to empower young people to participate actively in society to improve their own lives, by representing and advocating their needs and interests and those of their organisations towards the European Union, the Council of Europe and the United Nations. For more information, visit www.youthforum.org