Commission gives young people a stronger voice in EU policymaking as a legacy of the European Year of Youth

Young Europeans will have greater influence on EU policies. Building on the achievements of the 2022 European Year of Youth, today the Commission announced several actions that give young people a greater say in the decisions that affect them and deepen the youth dimension in a range of EU policies.

Putting the needs of young people centre stage, these actions engage young people in a meaningful way ahead of the 2024 European elections and beyond.

Reflecting the youth perspective in EU policies

When designing EU policies, the Commission will apply a ‘youth check’ which will ensure that their impact on young people is systematically factored in. This will be done by making sure that the existing Better Regulation tools, including consultations and impact assessments, are used to their maximum potential.

These tools will be complemented with several youth-specific instruments under the 2019-2027 EU Youth Strategy. Other initiatives that go hand-in-hand with the youth check include policy dialogues between young people and Commissioners, a series of dedicated youth mainstreaming roundtables and a new youth stakeholders’ platform that will facilitate a continuous exchange with youth organisations, youth researchers, Member State representatives and other EU institutions. The Commission will also strenghen the EU Youth Dialogue, the largest youth participation mechanism in Europe aligning the dialogue’s focus more closely with the Commission’s work programme.

Addressing young people’s concerns in key policy areas

In addition, the Commission has put forward several concrete actions addressing young people’s concerns in five policy fields that are of key relevance for them: health and wellbeing, environment and climate change, education and training, international cooperation and European values, and employment and inclusion.

As part of these measures, the Commission will, for example:

• Take forward the work towards a joint European degree in 2024, in line with the European Strategy for Universities;
• Set up a platform for regular dialogue and consultations with youth organisations worldwide through the Youth Dialogue Platform in EU external action;
• Update its quality framework for traineeships in 2024 to address issues including fair remuneration and access to social protection;
• Prepare guidelines on wellbeing in schools, to be published in 2024;
• Reach out to young people through the Commission’s upcoming campaign on climate and democracy ahead of the 2024 European elections;
• Increase volunteering opportunities for young people to address the green transition, by topping-up the 2024 European Solidarity Corps call from Horizon Europe;
• Further implement the ALMA initiative (aim, learn, master, achieve) to help disadvantaged young people aged 18-29 years to integrate into the society and labour market through a work-related learning experience abroad.

European Youth Week 2024

As part of the Commission’s effort to bring the EU close to young people, the 2024 European Youth Week will take place from 12 to 19 April and will focus on democratic participation and elections, two months ahead of the European Parliament elections. The week will celebrate and promote youth engagement, participation and active citizenship through a series of activities all over Europe.

Background

The actions announced today are based on insights from the 2022 European Year of Youth. The Year featured over 13,000 activities organised by more than 2,700 stakeholders across the EU and beyond, among them EU institutions, EU Member States, organisations working with and for young people, and young people themselves. As part of the Year, the Commission identified more than 130 policy initiatives for young people, many of which were developed in close cooperation with them.

Today’s action to support a youth dimension in EU priorities and policies responds to requests by the European Parliament and the Council, as well as key stakeholder organisations such as the European Youth Forum.