Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on the Outcomes of the 7th Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue

European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027

(2020/C 212 I/01)

THE COUNCIL AND THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL,

RECALLING THAT:

1. The Resolution on the European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027 ( 1 ) sets overall objectives, guiding principles and a basis for further cooperation in the field of youth at EU level, with special focus on the EU Youth Dialogue, the Future National Activities Planner, the European Youth Goals and EU Work Plan for the period 2019-2021, the latter indicating activities of the incumbent and incoming Trio Presidencies.

2. The Strategy recognises the great potential of young people; strives to enable young people to be architects of their own lives; encourages and equips them with the necessary resources to become active citizens as well as to contribute to policy making and bring positive change in youth policy and other relevant policy areas at local, regional, national and European levels.

3. The Resolution establishing the Guidelines on the governance of the EU Youth Dialogue ( 2 ) identifies the main actors, their roles, as well as the organisational framework.

ACKNOWLEDGING THAT:

4. The 7th Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue during the Romanian, Finnish and Croatian Presidencies under the common theme ‘Creating opportunities for youth’ is a highly participatory process, with outcomes based on the feedback from national and European consultations as well as from EU Youth Conferences.

5. The present Resolution reflects the opinions and expectations of young people garnered throughout the 7th Cycle of the EU youth dialogue, and proposes concrete policy measures. In this context, the role and autonomy of social partners in each Member State must be respected, in accordance with national practices.

6. The Romanian Presidency focused on exploring the challenges faced by young people regarding the future of work in the subtheme ‘Quality employment for all’, directly related to European Youth Goal No 7 ‘Quality employment for all’. At the same time, the Romanian Presidency developed a methodology with a thematic framework for working groups to design their local, national and European dialogues. As a basis for further national consultations, guiding questions were developed after discussions held by delegates at the EU Youth Conference in Bucharest (March 2019) and finalised by the RO-FI-HR Trio in cooperation with the European Steering Group ( 3 ) . The Conclusions on Young People and the Future of Work ( 4 ) were adopted by the Council in May 2019.

7. The Finnish Presidency put an emphasis on improving the quality of youth work in the subtheme ‘Quality Youth work For All’. Through the organisation of the EU Youth Conference in Helsinki (July 2019), it further developed multiple requirements for youth workers in order to deliver high-quality youth work in various contexts, tackling different European Youth Goals ( 5 ) . Furthermore, the issue of education and training of youth workers was also examined in the Conclusions on Education and Training of Youth workers ( 6 ) adopted by the Council in November 2019.

8. The Croatian Presidency’s subtheme explored different opportunities for rural youth, in line with European Youth Goal 6 – Moving Rural Youth Forward. During the EU Youth Conference in Zagreb (March 2020), the findings of EU Youth Dialogue consultations were discussed further and proposed, along with recommendations for further implementation under each of the three subthemes. The outcome of the Conference fed into the Conclusions on Raising Opportunities for Young People in Rural and Remote Areas ( 7 )

WELCOME:

9. The extensive scope of consultations within the EU Youth Dialogue conducted by National Working Groups and the European Working Group resulted in the active participation of more than 56 000 young respondents throughout the European Union. The consultations involved the use of surveys, focus groups, large youth dialogue events, workshops, participatory action research and participatory visual methods. The innovative approach helped enhance participation.

10. The outcomes of the EU Youth Conferences held during the Trio RO – FI – HR Presidencies, as well as the findings of the 7th Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue under the title ‘Creating Opportunities for Youth’ ( 8 ) , including the subthemes ‘Quality Employment for All’, ‘Quality Youth Work for All’ and ‘Opportunities for Rural Youth’, which encompass a number of key recommendations formulated by young people that have been incorporated, as appropriate, in the following invitations ( 9 )

INVITES THE MEMBER STATES, WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE SPHERES OF COMPETENCE AND WITH DUE REGARD FOR THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY, TO ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING:

11. ‘Quality Employment for All’ a) promote and facilitate fair treatment of young people in the labour market and strive to eliminate all forms of discrimination and inequality within the workplace; b) ensure the provision of equal opportunities to develop the skills necessary for the labour market needs so as to create better access to quality and sustainable jobs with fair and healthy working conditions; c) promote specific education and information of young people and relevant labour market actors about young workers’ rights; d) promote and preserve a healthy lifestyle of young people (including mental health) by shaping the conditions for resilience on the labour market and well-being of young people at work; e) promote decent working conditions, including flexible in-work arrangements, where appropriate, in order to achieve better work-life balance (10); f) undertake action to prevent employment relationships that may lead to precarious working conditions and to vulnerability and insecurity of young workers; g) commit to protect young people’s working rights, taking into account the changing nature of work, and promote access to adequate social protection of young people while bearing in mind their diverse backgrounds; h) continue to include in their national education and skills policies key competences for life-long learning, as well as different practical, vocational and transversal skills of young people relevant to the labour market needs; i) enable better access for young people to work-based learning opportunities, such as internships, apprenticeships, international training and job-shadowing – including for those who cannot access these opportunities due to financial constraints – while providing appropriate support during learning programmes; j) promote improved career orientation, guidance, services and vocational re-training opportunities for young people, before and throughout their professional career, in cooperation with employers and by means of different mentoring programmes, such as those run for young social entrepreneurs; k) promote access to open-ended labour contracts by implementing EU and national long term projects designed to promote the employment of young people, with a view to ensuring decent employment opportunities.

12. ‘Quality Youth Work for All’ a) promote increased access to research, knowledge and expertise on youth work and to implement the principles and measures proposed in different European policy documents in the field of youth work, so as to further develop its quality, accessibility and recognition at all levels; b) support and facilitate access to quality youth work through continued cooperation between non-formal learning and formal educational institutions as well as through enhanced visibility; c) promote quality standards for youth work and other quality assurance frameworks for youth work; d) promote cross-sectoral and multi-professional cooperation between youth field and other sectors that are relevant to young people’s lives at local, regional, national and European levels; e) further promote digital youth work, including digital platforms and smart solutions, which can contribute to improving the overall level of digital skills and competences of young people; as well as other forms of youth work and facilities such as youth centres, info-points, youth work corners in schools and higher education institutions; f) increase efforts to further empower and motivate youth workers by improving their working conditions and ensuring fair remuneration (11) g) further promote the important role that youth work plays in supporting active youth participation; h) encourage young people in engaging and shaping of various forms of youth work; i) promote more inclusive youth work through specific, diversified and continuous education and training for youth workers, including on the needs of different disadvantaged groups. This can be, where appropriate, supplemented through outreach youth work.

13. ‘Opportunities for Rural Youth’ ( 12 ) a) enhance connectivity to facilitate young people’s access to educational and job opportunities as well as other necessary services, including leisure time activities, for instance through improved means of public transport, including eco-friendly means and, where possible, co-sharing of private transport; b) promote vocational careers and life-long learning programmes responding to the needs of local communities, for instance by offering scholarships, programmes or providing additional relevant information; c) explore different forms of work and promote rural areas as suitable places for new businesses, start-ups and green jobs (13) , including sustainable farming and related agricultural activities. Where appropriate, search for better links between education and training opportunities and agricultural issues, for example through traineeship and entrepreneurship programmes; d) consider incentives and support for young people to facilitate the choice to remain in their local communities during and after their studies, and ease their transition between education/training and employment; e) improve access to information on employment, education and training opportunities, including those related to youth entrepreneurship programmes, as well as on relevant EU programmes, such as European Solidarity Corps and Erasmus +, to create additional opportunities for personal and professional development; f) increase opportunities for youth participation through different means such as local and regional youth work, volunteering, creation of youth spaces and access to digital tools; g) promote a variety of youth-related facilities, where appropriate, through more decentralised youth work services, spaces and info-points for young people; h) promote positive images and narratives of rural areas and rural customs and traditions.

INVITES THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION, WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE SPHERES OF COMPETENCE AND WITH DUE REGARD FOR THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY, TO ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING:

14. ‘Quality Employment for All’ a) promote non-formal learning methods and explore ways in which to secure formal recognition of non-formal education/learning and volunteering activities. For instance, improvements can be made to the Youthpass and similar available tools; b) further support and facilitate meaningful youth participation in the development and evaluation of labour market policies, with an emphasis on the development and implementation of the Youth Guarantee.

15. ‘Quality Youth Work for All’ a) consider measures to further develop quality youth work through, for instance, quality standards and other quality assurance frameworks, increased recognition, promotion of youth research and digital skills and competences; b) continue to promote and exchange experience on good youth work practices across the EU by all available means, including through relevant EU programmes such as Erasmus +; c) promote practices and tools used in different Member States at national or regional levels.

16. ‘Opportunities for Rural Youth’ a) support meaningful youth participation through different means available at all levels, for instance through supporting local youth councils or rural youth representation networks, and creating synergies with relevant EU programmes such as LEADER (CLLD) (14) , the European Solidarity Corps and Erasmus + as well as with EU structural instruments such as European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund.

17. Take into consideration the ‘The 7th Cycle of EU Youth Dialogue Findings from EU Youth Dialogue Activities in the Member States and across Europe – Creating Opportunities for Youth’ ( 15 ) when designing and implementing future youth policies, in synergy with other policies affecting young people, such as education and training, employment, social affairs, culture, digitalisation, environment, climate, sport and health; and explore further ways in which to develop and achieve the relevant European Youth Goals targets.

18. Give priority and visibility to the EU Youth Dialogue and promote the implementation of its outcomes, as well as the possibilities for youth participation online via the European Youth Portal, given that the Dialogue is a key instrument on European level for promoting meaningful participation of young people from diverse backgrounds and to promoting better cooperation between youth organisations, youth researchers and policy makers, including stakeholders from other relevant sectors.

19. Further strengthen cooperation between the various stakeholders involved in the implementation of the EU Youth Dialogue, including the Trio Presidencies, the European Steering Group, the National Working Groups, International Non-Governmental Youth Organisations to add a European perspective where appropriate, and the Pool of European Youth Researchers from the Council of Europe/EU Youth Partnership.

INVITES THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING:

20. ‘Quality Employment For All’ a) pay particular attention to young people in the development of employment and social policies, in order to facilitate young people’s access to quality employment, through (preferably remunerated) internships, better cooperation between and involvement of all relevant stakeholders, including educational institutions and social partners

21. ‘Quality Youth Work for All’ a) intensify the cooperation with the Council of Europe in order to enhance the education and training of youth workers and thus improve the quality youth work in Europe

22. ‘Opportunities for Rural Youth’ a) take into account the European Youth Goals and the findings of the EU Youth Dialogue when exploring synergies between relevant policy and programme areas, such as agricultural and youth policy by, for example, establishing multi-sectoral pilot programmes in order to increase opportunities for young people in different regions

23. Promote and use the EU Youth Dialogue as a tool on EU level for consultation of young people, for example in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe, the European Green Deal, the European Climate Pact and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

AND FURTHER NOTE THAT:

24. Versatile participatory methods should be part of the consultation process in order to deliver relevant outcomes and enhance outreach to young people, especially those with fewer opportunities. In addition to EU Youth Dialogue, the use of a wide range of methods is of utmost importance when consultation processes are held in a difficult context, such as a global crisis (e.g. COVID-19), with the aim of developing a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable society. Researchers in the field of youth should be involved, as appropriate.

25. The focus of the future trio Presidencies during the next Cycles of EU Youth Dialogue should be, where appropriate, to further build on the mainstreaming and multi-level and cross-sectoral implementation of the European Youth Goals, increasing their visibility, as an inspiration for young Europeans.

26. The overall topic priority of the next Trio Presidency DE – PT – SI is ‘Europe for YOUth – YOUth for Europe: Space for Democracy and Participation’.

References

1. European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027 (16)

2. Guidelines on the Governance of the EU Youth Dialogue (17)

3. Conclusions on Education and Training of youth workers (18)

4. Conclusions on Young People and the Future of Work (19)

5. The 7th Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue: Findings from the EU Youth Dialogue Activities in the Member States and across Europe – Creating Opportunities for Youth (20)

6. Creating Opportunities for Youth – Outcomes of the 7th Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue from the EU Youth Conference (Zagreb, 9-11 March 2020) (21)

(1) Resolution of the Council of the European Union and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on a framework for European cooperation in the youth field (OJ C 456, 18.12.2018, p. 1).

(2) Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council establishing guidelines on the governance of the EU Youth Dialogue (OJ C 189, 5.6.2019, p. 1).

(3) See Resolution on the Governance of the EU Youth Dialogue, paragraphs 8 and 9 (OJ C 189, 5.6.2019, p. 2).

(4) OJ C 189, 5.6.2019, p. 28.

(5) Report on the EU Youth Conference: ‘Youth work (education) in flux – contemporary challenges in an erratic Europe’, by Tomi Kiilakoski & Marko Kovacic.

(6) OJ C 412, 9.12.2019, p. 12.

(7) OJ C 193, 9.6.2020, p. 3.

(8) https://europa.eu/youth/sites/default/files/euyd_youth_dialogue_findings_-_version_for_general_release_24th_feb_2020_1.pdf

(9) Marked in italics in the text.

(10) Working methods such as telecommuting, remote working and home office are of special relevance during situations caused by crisis such as COVID-19.

(11) Without prejudice to the role and autonomy of the social partners, in accordance with national practices.

(12) The subtheme is further developed in the Conclusions on Raising Opportunities for Young People in Rural and Remote Areas.

(13) ‘Green jobs’ are work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development, administrative, and service activities that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality (UNEP, 2018).

(14) https://enrd.ec.europa.eu/leader-clld_en#_edn1

(15) Ibid footnote 8.

(16) OJ C 456, 18.12.2018, p. 1.

(17) OJ C 189, 5.6.2019, p. 1.

(18) OJ C 412, 9.12.2019, p. 12.

(19) OJ C 189, 5.6.2019, p. 28.

(20) Ibid footnote 8.

(21) https://europa.eu/youth/sites/default/files/creating_opportunities_for_youth_-_outcomes_report_27mar2020_v3.pdf