Youth voice has been heard by Council

The European Youth Forum welcomes the adoption of the Council Recommendations of the EU Youth Conference of the Luxembourg Presidency on “youth empowerment for political participation”, which take on board several of the proposals made by young people. The Youth Forum now calls on national Governments to act on these recommendations and take them into account when shaping youth policy in their countries.

Yesterday, Ministers of the 28 EU Member States met in Brussels, and adopted several documents aiming to advance EU youth policy. These included the proposals made by thousands of young people through the process known as the “Structured Dialogue with Youth”, a massive 18-month consultation with young people across Europe.

The European Youth Forum welcomes the adoption of the Council Recommendations; in particular it is very pleased to see that giving the vote to 16 and 17 year olds is finally mentioned in a Council document, which recommends “considering the appropriateness” of voting at 16 starting with local and regional elections. The document also highlights citizenship education, recommending that the formal education system work closely with youth organisations and the non-formal sector to develop citizenship education programmes, something the Youth Forum has been calling for.

The conclusions also acknowledge the need for clear and accessible communication with young people from the side of decision-makers. The Youth Forum welcomes the focus of these recommendations on decision-makers and that the responsibility of engaging young people in politics is shared.

Luis Alvarado-Martinez, Vice President of the European Youth Forum, said:

“It is great to see that an in-depth process consulting and debating between young people and policy makers over 18 months has led to some concrete proposals in order to empower young people through political participation. Whilst some recommendations could have been stronger – such as the lowering of the voting age to 16 – it is a step in the right direction. Now is the moment for national governments to step up and ensure that these conclusions actually shape youth policy and make a difference to the lives of young people.”

The Council also adopted the EU Work Plan on Youth 2015-2018, which reveals the priorities in the youth field for the next three years will be around social inclusion, participation, transition to the labour marker, mental health and well-being, youth and the digital area and migration. The EU Work Plan on Youth is a vast program for the EU and Member States, whose progress in implementing youth policy can be found in the joint EU Youth Report 2015, a third document adopted by the Council yesterday.

The European Youth Forum published its own Shadow Report on Youth Policy last month to ensure that the view of young people and youth organisations is taken into account, since youth organisations' views are not specifically reflected in the EU Youth Report 2015. The Youth Report 2015 prioritises the inclusion of young people as a major challenge. In its Shadow Report the Youth Forum stresses that youth policy must keep a comprehensive approach and reflect the fact that policy areas affecting young people are very interlinked, and therefore employment should remain a priority, together with inclusion and education.

During yesterday’s discussions Ministers also debated the current challenge of youth migration in Europe. According to Eurostat, 81% of the 689,000 people who applied for asylum in EU countries this year (until August) were under the age of 35. The Ministers agreed that youth policy and youth work play a major role in integrating young migrants. They also stressed that the Erasmus + programme must play a key role in funding projects and activities that include migrants and foster social inclusion.

The Council also adopted the 2015 Joint Report on the implementation of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education & training (ET2020). The Youth Forum welcomes this report on which it was consulted, amongst other stakeholders, and contributed to the mid-term review of the strategy.

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Notes for editors

For further information, please see:

EU Work Plan on Youth

Council Conclusion on Participation

EU Youth Report 2015

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