Working to get mobility on the map

The European Youth Forum’s Mobility Working Group met in Chisinau, Moldova 12th-13th July to discuss how best to move several directives and proposals forward with aims to make youth mobility in Europe easier.

The National Youth Council of Moldova hosted the meeting and Erasmus Student Network, International Falcon Movement-Socialist Educational International, European Educational Exchanges-Youth for Understanding and the European Federation for Intercultural Learning all participated.

The meeting focused on identifying ways to move both the Visa Directive and the Commission’s proposed revisions to the Union Code on Visas forward. As stated previously, mobility of young people and the freedom to move across borders is a fundamental precondition for ensuring that young people can contribute to community involvement, integration and growth of Europe and the world.

The group identified the need for youth organisations to work together to push Member States to adopt the Visa Directive. The Working Group will be contacting National Youth Councils with an advocacy toolkit in the coming weeks, detailing how they can concretely engage in this process.

The Working Group was also honoured to accept a visit from the Moldovan Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Octavian Bodişteanu, who was keen to find out what the group was working on and how the Ministry might be able to help.

The European Youth Forum wants to thank all of the participants for the fruitful discussions of this weekend.