Youth Forum’s Mobility Working Group identifies next steps towards free movement of youth in Europe

The European Youth Forum’s Mobility Working Group (WG) held its second meeting on the 19th and 20th October. During the two-day meeting, participants from across Europe discussed the Forum’s continuing advocacy of youth mobility without borders in the European Union (EU).

Together with the European Federation of Intercultural Learning (EFIL), the WG examined the current developments of the European Commission’s proposed revision of the visa Directive on conditions of entry of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, pupil exchange, training, volunteering and au pairing. It also explored the Commission’s evaluation process to improve the procedures for obtaining “short-stay” Schengen visas.

In addition, the WG participants reviewed the Mobility Micro Grant Projects, identified the next steps in improving youth mobility in Europe and developed a plan for the upcoming year.

For years, the Forum has campaigned for the free movement of young people within the EU. In March 2013, it published its reaction to the Commission’s proposal to revise the visa regulations for entry of third-country nationals in the EU. The Forum demands the abolition of unnecessary fees and excessively bureaucratic procedures for obtaining visas. Such requirements greatly hinder the mobility of young non-EU nationals in particular.