EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 14.10.2021 SWD(2021) 286 final COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT





Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy (2019-2021)

{COM(2021) 636 final} - {SWD(2021) 287 final}



Contents INTRODUCTION 1. ENGAGE 1.1 EU initiatives and action 1.1.1. Youth participation in society 1.1.2. Youth employment and skills 1.2. Policy priorities and cooperation needs at national level 1.3. Youth-led initiatives and actions 2. CONNECT 2.1 EU initiatives and action 2.1.1. Youth mobility 2.1.2. Youth and the Digital world 2.2. Policy priorities and cooperation needs at national level 2.3. Youth-led initiatives and actions 3. EMPOWER 3.1. EU initiatives and action 3.1.1. Quality Youth work 3.1.2. Social inclusion 3.1.3. Health and well-being

3.1.4. Education and Training 3.1.5. Culture 3.2. Policy priorities and cooperation needs at national level 3.3. Youth-led initiatives and actions 4. IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE YOUTH SECTOR 4.1. Youth organisations and their role in mitigating the disruptions of the crisis 4.2. Impact on youth work practice 4.3. Support provided to the youth work sector 5. BEYOND THE EU 5.1. Western Balkans 5.2. The Eastern Partnership 5.3. Southern Neighbourhood 5.4. Sub-Saharan Africa 5.5. Latin America and the Caribbean 5.6. Asia and Pacific region 5.7. The Youth Sounding Board for International Partnerships 6. INSIGHT INTO EU SPENDING ON YOUTH 6.1. Revised Dashboard of EU indicators in the field of youth: proposed Policy indicators for EU spending on youth 6.2. EU spending on youth main sources under the new Multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 6.2.1. Single Market, Innovation and Digital

6.2.2. Cohesion, Resilience and Values 6.2.3. Natural Resources and Environment 6.2.4. Migration and Border Management 6.2.5. Neighbourhood and the World Annexes List of main policy documents adopted in the youth field 2019-2021 List of main mutual learning and knowledge gathering activities 2019-2021

INTRODUCTION The European Union (EU) Youth Strategy is the framework for the EU youth policy cooperation. The current policy cooperation phase started on 1 January 2019 for the period of nine years (2019-2027), based on a Council resolution adopted on 26 November 2018. The EU Youth Strategy follows three-year work cycles, at the end of which the Commission draws up an EU Youth Report. The priorities and actions for the respective working periods are presented in the EU Work Plans for Youth, and the Council sets these EU Work Plans together with the Commission. The EU Youth Strategy has a strong cross-sectoral approach and calls for mainstreaming youth as a priority amongst different policy areas. The Strategy fosters youth participation in democratic life, in line with Article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. It supports social and civic engagement, and aims to ensure that all young people, within and beyond the European Union have the necessary resources to take part in society. Approximately 86 million young people live in the EU. Definitions of young people vary between countries. The age range 15-29 is often selected for statistical purposes at EU level. One in every six persons in the EU is aged between 15 and 29 years. The Member States and the Commission take forward a number of priority actions under these core areas presented in the EU triennial Work Plans for Youth, which spans two Council Presidency Trios. This EU Youth Report 2021 evaluates progress towards the objectives and priorities of the EU Youth Strategy for 2019-2021. The Strategy focuses on three core areas of action, around three key words: ØENGAGE which aims towards a meaningful civic, democratic, economic, social, cultural and political participation of young people; ØCONNECT which is to foster different and inclusive forms of mobility for young people across the European Union and beyond with a view to make new connections, relations and exchange of experience, as well as to boost intercultural understanding, engagement in solidarity and volunteering activities; ØEMPOWER which aims to encourage young people to take charge of their own lives. Youth work in all its forms is to serve as a catalyst for empowerment. The European Youth Goals, designed by young people in 2018 in the framework of the EU youth dialogue and endorsed by youth Ministers, form an integral part of the Strategy. These goals identify cross-sectoral areas that affect young people’s lives and point out challenges. The EU Youth Strategy aims at contributing to realising this vision of young people by mobilising EU level policy instruments as well as actions at national, regional and local level by all stakeholders. The EU Youth Strategy also contributes to achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal – the EU sustainable growth strategy – by supporting its call for an inclusive and just transition, including in the areas identified by young European citizens as ones that matter most to them: protecting the environment and fighting climate change. The implementation of the EU Youth Strategy is supported by several instruments, such as:

Ø Mutual learning activities

Mutual learning between Member States, the European Commission and relevant stakeholders is the preferable approach for the advancement of youth policy with regard to both core and cross-sectoral areas. Besides Expert Groups, which can develop policy guidance and practical tools and can share good practices, mutual learning activities include also peer reviews and peer counselling, high-level forums, analysis and studies. Ø Future National Activities Planners (FNAPs)

The Future National Activities Planners allow Member States on a voluntary basis to share their priorities in line with the EU Youth Strategy. The aim of the FNAPs is to increase transparency in the implementation of youth policies at regional, national and EU level. Youth policies in Member States are among the most important instruments for the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy. They are often consolidated in a national youth strategy or an equivalent youth policy planning document, as documented by the Youth Wiki . The content of such national youth strategies can be highly relevant for other Member States in allowing them to establish synergies, facilitate peer learning and help to identify and cluster different interests and specific needs of Member States in youth policy development. The Member States have already been invited twice to submit FNAPs, in 2019 and in 2021, and the main outcomes of these surveys are included in the current document. Ø EU Youth Dialogue (EUYD)

The EU Youth Dialogue is the dialogue with young people and youth organisations involving policy and decision makers, as well as experts, researchers and other relevant civil society actors. It serves as a forum for continuous joint reflection and consultation on the priorities, implementation and follow-up of European cooperation in the field of youth. It builds on the achievements of past dialogue processes (previously called “Structured Dialogue”), and it is organised into 18-month work cycles. ØEuropean Youth Portal (EYP) The European Youth Portal is the single multilingual entry point for EU level youth related information and opportunities. Its revamped version launched in November 2020 supports the EU Youth Strategy in providing content and services for young people centred around its 3 keywords of Engage, Connect, Empower as well as through a dedicated section on the EU Youth Strategy targeting youth stakeholders. Ø EU Youth Strategy Platform

The Platform is a collaborative online platform for youth stakeholders which aims to build a basis for a regular civic dialogue, offer opportunities to exchange information on activities and results, and facilitate participatory governance and coordination of the implementation of the Strategy. Ø Evidence-based tools

Evidence-based policy making requires continuous research, knowledge development and outreach to young people and youth organisations. The European Commission’s data collection sources include among others: the dashboard of EU indicators in the youth field; statistics on youth provided by the European Statistics Office (Eurostat); the Youth Wiki - the online encyclopaedia of national youth polices in Europe; public opinion surveys (Eurobarometers); research activities managed by the Youth Partnership between the European Union and the Council of Europe; as well as the European Commission studies and reports on youth policies. ØThe EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 foresees the establishment of an EU Youth Coordinator within the European Commission, with the objective of enhancing cross-sectoral cooperation, as well as knowledge development and exchange on youth issues within the European Commission services. The EU Youth Coordinator took up her functions in 2021. Focus and structure of the report In line with the Strategy’s reporting requirements, this document reports on the implementation of the first three-year cycle of the current EU Youth Strategy (2019-2021). The Council resolution provides that the EU Youth Strategy follows triennial working periods which spans two Presidency Trios. The priorities and actions for the respective working periods are presented in the EU Work Plans for Youth. The report focuses on the priorities of the two Presidency Trios for 2019-2021: “Creating opportunities for youth” and “Europe for YOUth – YOUth for Europe: Space for Democracy and Participation” and shows their linkage with the three core areas of the Strategy. This report aims at taking stock on the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy for 2019-2021. It evaluates progress towards the objectives and priorities of the strategy, with a particular focus on the EU work plan for youth set up for 2019-2021. As far as the report’s structure is concerned, the reported activities are classified under the three core areas of the Strategy: ENGAGE, CONNECT and EMPOWER and organised in three corresponding sections. A fourth section is devoted to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the youth sector. Section 5 is focused on the international dimension of the EU Youth Strategy, while section 6 provides a first insight on EU spending on youth under the new Multiannual financial Framework 2021-2027.



Youth Goals: a vision from youth for Europe



1. ENGAGE In line with the Trio Presidency Germany - Portugal – Slovenia (July 2020 - December 2021) priority: “Europe for YOUth – YOUth for Europe: Space for Democracy and Participation”

1.1EU initiatives and action 1.1.1. Youth participation in society The EU Youth Dialogue (EUYD) is a key tool for youth engagement and participation from the EU Youth Strategy. It strives to bring together young people, youth organisations and decision makers, supported by experts and evidence. It is organised into 18-month work cycles. Each cycle focuses on a different thematic priority set by the Council of Youth Ministers. The dialogue is steered by a core group at EU level involving the Council presidencies, the Youth Forum, National Youth Councils and the European Commission. Inputs are organised by national working groups and processed with the support of a small team of researchers. The EUYD reaches in every cycle more than 50.000 young people and is one of the biggest single participatory process for citizens in the EU thanks to its capacity to mobilise young people via national platforms and youth organisations. ØThe seventh Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue The cycle under the Trio Presidency Romania-Finland- Croatia started on 1 January 2019 and lasted for 18 months until June 2020. The Romanian Presidency initiated activities to clarify the governance of the dialogue, which led to the Council Resolution establishing guidelines on the governance of the EU Youth Dialogue. The Presidency also 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 trio in cooperation with the European Steering Group of the Youth Dialogue. This scheme has generally been adopted by all presidencies since then. The common theme chosen by the Trio Presidency was “Creating opportunities for youth” with a focus on: ·Quality Employment for All ·Quality Youth Work for All ·Opportunities for Rural Youth The thematic priority was therefore directly or indirectly connected to three European Youth Goals and their targets: Quality Employment for All, Quality Learning and Moving Rural Youth Forward. The Strategy and related EU Youth Goals were adopted during this cycle. The EU Youth conference is a recurrent event organised by each Presidency, in the framework of the EU Youth Dialogue. Usually around 200 young people from the EU, youth delegates, representatives from Youth ministries, NGOs, researchers alongside other stakeholders and institutions like the Council of Europe take part. The aim of the conference is to create a platform for exchange between young people and those responsible for the implementation of youth policy on EU level. The first Youth conference to support the process of the 7th EU Youth Dialogue was held in Bucharest in May 2019 with the aim to engage young people and discuss solutions on how to improve access to decent work for young Europeans. The second Youth conference was held in Helsinki, Finland in July 2019 and had a focus on the education and training of youth workers. The third Youth Conference took place in Zagreb, Croatia in March 2020 and focused on the importance of opportunities for young people living in rural communities across the EU. An estimated 56 287 young people from all over the European Union took part in the 7th Cycle of the Youth Dialogue. The outcomes of the 7th Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue were based on several interlinked processes. National and European Youth Dialogue activities took place listening to voices of young people. Participatory approaches supported by researcher analysis to efficiently and reliably capture the opinions of these 56 287 young people were used. Methods included focus groups, survey work, participatory action research, visual methodologies and dialogue events. The findings from the National and European Youth Dialogue Activities were then elaborated in two reports: ‘ Creating Opportunities for Youth’ and ‘ Opportunities for Rural Youth’ , providing detailed findings from the common European surveys conducted within the National Youth Dialogue Activities. These findings from the National and European Youth Dialogue Activities were then summarized in one overview report , titled ‘ Creating Opportunities for Youth’ . The findings reports were then distributed and presented to the participants of the EU Youth Conference (EUYC) 2020 in Zagreb, Croatia. The EUYC 2020 Zagreb participants had a chance to build on these reports by engaging in workshop groups to further debate and elaborate on the voices of young people. The recommendations and examples of good practices harvested through these working groups as well as through the discussions and presentations of participants to the conference floor were recorded by the facilitators and researchers working on the cycle. These outcomes of the 7th Cycle of EU Youth Dialogue discussed at the EU Youth Conference in Zagreb in Croatia were published in the report. “ Creating Opportunities for Youth ” The following topics have been outlined during the 7th Cycle of EU Youth Dialogue.

Quality Employment for All • Improving young workers rights – through better regulation and reducing discrimination such as by ending unpaid internships and traineeships. • Protecting young people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing at work – as a response to the impact of precarious employment and an uncertain future of work. • Blending work and learning – by creating learning opportunities for young workers, and opportunities for students to experience work-based learning. • Promoting recognition of non-formal education and volunteering by employers – for instance, through expanding and strengthening Youthpass. • Extending careers guidance – for instance, by providing support both during and after education. • Increasing support for youth entrepreneurship – for instance, through mentoring and financial support. • Involving young people in the implementation of the Youth Guarantee – for instance, through collaboration with Youth Council. Quality Youth Work for All • Youth worker training: implementing European frameworks nationally – it was identified that the various standards, definitions and competency frameworks developed at European level, should now be implemented on a national basis, to further standardise youth work across Europe. • Continuing exchange of youth worker practices across Europe – was identified as useful such as through Erasmus+: Youth in Action programme transnational cooperation activities training. • Increasing delivery of youth work in schools – was identified as a way of giving more young people access to youth work, and reforming formal education. • Increasing visibility and publicity of youth work opportunities – so that more young people were aware of them. • Fostering more inclusive youth work – so that youth work was sensitive to a diverse range of young people's needs. • Further developing digital youth work – in order to improve the use of digital technologies in the youth sector. • Improving pay and labour conditions of youth workers Opportunities for Rural Youth • Creating employment in rural areas – to ensure rural areas are attractive to young people. • Linking farming and youth – finding synergies between agricultural and youth policy and investing in farming to better support young farmers. • Providing vocational education for rural development – to equip young people with the skills to build a rural economy that is desirable to them.

• Improving connectivity and transport – in order to increase young people's access to opportunities outside of their areas. • Promoting youth participation in rural areas – by investing in existing rural youth organisations and bringing public administration closer to rural areas. • Investing in the rural youth sector – by investing in rural youth centres and piloting new approaches to delivering youth work in rural areas. • Improving access to information on youth opportunities – ensuring young people in rural areas are aware of existing schemes such as Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps. ØThe eight Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue In line with the Trio Presidency Germany - Portugal – Slovenia (July 2020 - December 2021) priority: “Europe for YOUth – YOUth for Europe: Space for Democracy and Participation The 8th Cycle, under the Trio Presidency of Germany - Portugal – Slovenia, started on 1 July 2020 and will last until 31 December 2021. The topic of the 8th Cycle is “Europe for YOUth - YOUth for Europe: Space for Democracy and Participation” and is linked to Youth Goal 9 “Space and Participation for All”. The first EU Youth Conference of this cycle took place under the German Presidency in Berlin in October 2020 in a virtual setting and was organised by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth together with the German Federal Youth Council. 200 participants from about 40 European countries explored, discussed and worked on the topics youth, democracy and participation and developed ideas and demands on how the Youth Goal #9 “Space and Participation for All” could be realised. The programme of the conference followed a participatory approach, guiding the participants through different phases of open brainstorming, elaboration and discussion, dialogue with political decision-makers and reflection, and finally culminating in the formulation of seven concrete political demands by young people, one for each target of Youth Goal #9. In the final participatory format of the conference, participants had the opportunity to review and complement the gathered outcomes of the conference. These outcomes were structured and divided according to the seven targets of Youth Goal #9 and were discussed in small groups. Based on these discussions, each group formulated one concrete political demand which can contribute to the implementation of Youth Goal #9 at European level and in the Member States. In the end a harvesting summary was compiled with the main ideas, demands and solutions brought up by the participants of the EU Youth Conference concerning Youth Goal #9. The seven Targets of Youth Goal #9 and the respective political demands are as follows: Target 1 Ensure young people can adequately influence all areas of society and all parts of the decision-making processes, from agenda setting to implementation, monitoring and evaluation through youth-friendly and accessible mechanisms and structures, ensuring that policies respond to the needs of young people. • Political Demand: [We] demand co-decision-making processes on all levels with young people and youth organisations, implemented through a rights-based approach. Target 2 Ensure equal access to everyday decision making for all young people from different backgrounds. • Political Demand: Decision-makers should encourage and invest in dedicated processes which amplify young minority voices and ensure their direct engagement. Target 3 Increase youth participation and thus equal representation in the electoral process as well as in elected bodies and other decision-making organs at all levels of society. • Political Demand: Ensure young people's access to formal decision making by lowering the age of voting and political candidacy to 16 in all elections, while ensuring all youths have the opportunity to gain sufficient skills and motivation to participate actively and passively in elections, as well as removing all barriers to voting. Target 4 Provide youth-led physical facilities and infrastructures called youth spaces defined by being autonomous, open and safe, accessible to all, offering professional support for development and ensuring opportunities for youth participation. • Political Demand: We demand a new EU Fund to set up and sustain youth spaces.

Target 5 Ensure safe virtual youth spaces are accessible to every young person which provide access to information and services as well as ensure opportunities for youth participation. • Political Demand: We request that the European Commission puts the creation of safe digital spaces for young people, along with the support and funding of developing digital literacy activities, as one of the top priorities in all programmes along with prioritising it horizontally at European level. Target 6 Ensure sustainable funding, common recognition and development of quality youth work in order to strengthen youth organisations and their role in inclusion, participation and non-formal education. • Political Demand: We demand funds to be made available for permanent structures of participation. Target 7 Provide youth-friendly, relevant, comprehensive information, also developed by and with young people, in order to enable youth participation. • Political Demand: We demand critical thinking to become a part of the obligatory private and public school curriculum for at least one hour a week from the ages 10–16 in order to fight fake news and disinformation with media and information literacy and to encourage youth participation/motivation to be a part of the debate. In the framework of the Portuguese Presidency, the Portuguese Ministry of Education and the National Youth Council hosted a virtual Youth conference in March 2021. In this implementation phase of the 8th Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue the conference participants had the task to come up with concrete proposals, and debate and shape these into a toolbox of actions, measures and political recommendations to help achieve the European Youth Goal #9 and its seven targets. The main ideas coming from the Conclusions of the seven working groups were: Influence on policy-making - Taking inspiration from the EU Youth dialogue, Member States should set up similar mechanisms at national/local level. Inclusive participation - Encourage youth from minority backgrounds to become active citizens using peer-to-peer non-formal learning. Voting and electoral processes - Lowering the voting age at 16 at all levels of voting Physical youth spaces - Youth centers should be led by youth Digitalised youth spaces - Providing feedback to young people on their proposals coming from online consultations Funding - Create a platform to assist bottom up, youth led initiatives Youth information - Implementation of non-formal education in critical thinking learning in schools by bringing the NGOs in. A “Toolbox for the Implementation Phase” is elaborated in the Conference report of the Portuguese Presidency. Simultaneously with the EU youth conference, a 48-hour EU Youth Digital Hackathon "SOLVE THE GAP " also took place. Organised by the Portuguese Presidency and the Portuguese National Youth Council, it aimed at promoting and supporting the development of youth-led innovative digital solutions to tackle the barriers young people find daily in participating in the democratic political decision-making, with the creation of a digital tool to boost young people's participation. The winning project was the " European Policy Hub ” from the NGO European Youth Energy Network (EYEN). This digital tool aims at setting up a One-Stop-Shop to facilitate the understanding of the policy-making processes, help young people discovering the role of the European and national institutions, find volunteering and job opportunities and engage with youth organisations that are already active. The winning team received a prize and technical support to finalise the prototype of their project. The winning project will be presented at the EU Youth Conference in Maribor, Slovenia in September 2021 where the participants will be its first users and multipliers. The third and last EU Youth Conference of the 8th Cycle planned for September 2021 will be looking at the whole cycle and the first results of the implementation phase. What has worked well? Where are changes visible? What influence did the 8th Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue have and what is still missing in order to create “Spaces and Participation for all”?

An online survey of the 8th Cycle EU Youth Dialogue has been conducted between March and June 2021 in order to understand young people’s views on the European Youth Goal No 9: Space and participation for all. The consultation was supervised by the European Steering Group of the EU Youth Dialogue, whose members are representatives from Youth councils, Youth ministries, the European Youth Forum and the European Commission. More than 8 500 young people shared their views on the topic of Space and participation for all. Over two thirds of the respondents felt they have no or little influence on public policy and political decision making, and expressed the need for more spaces for participation and for citizenship education. The results of the survey will feed into the Council Conclusions on the Outcomes of the 8th Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue put forward by the Slovenian Presidency. ØCouncil conclusions on fostering democratic awareness and democratic engagement among young people in Europe The Conclusions have been drafted in the framework of the EU Youth Dialogue topic chosen by the German-Portuguese-Slovenian Trio Presidency “Europe for YOUth-YOUth for Europe. Space and Democracy and Participation”, linking it to Youth Goal number 9 “Space and Participation for All”. Its aim is to ensure that consultations are inclusive and cover young participants with diverse backgrounds, interest and abilities. The Council Conclusions reflect on the ideas and opinions gathered at the EU Youth Conference in Berlin in October 2020 where young people from all over Europe discussed with political leaders and developed the seven concrete demands (as mentioned above) on how the European Youth Goal #9 "Space and Participation for All" can be implemented. The seven demands have found their way into EU policy as they are reflected in the Council Conclusions. The document serves as a strategic framework for political work at the European level and aims to promote awareness of democracy and democratic engagement among young people. It also articulates what EU Member States and the European Commission can do to achieve this goal. ØCouncil Conclusions on Strengthening the multilevel governance when promoting the participation of young people in decision-making processes The Portuguese Presidency had put youth participation high on its agenda and proposed Council conclusions, which focus on strengthening multilevel governance in the participation of young people in decision-making processes. The Conclusions are inspired by the EU Youth Dialogue topic chosen by the German-Portuguese-Slovenian Trio Presidency on “Europe for YOUth - YOUth for Europe. Space and Democracy and Participation”. The Council Conclusions emphasise the importance of providing young people with quality citizenship education and equal opportunities for participation, involvement and empowerment in relevant decision-making processes at all levels. The Conclusions invite Member States to empower all young people through education and training, youth-oriented information, feedback, non-formal and informal learning, youth work and other practices that contribute to informed and critical participation in multilevel decision-making processes. They also invite Member States to support the setting up or improvement of sustainable multilevel governance structures, to facilitate youth participation in decision-making processes. The Conclusions invite the Commission to organise a peer-learning activity to promote the effective participation of young people in decision-making processes at all levels and in all policy areas, thus creating a common understanding of the concept of multilevel governance. The Commission is also invited to build knowledge and capacity on youth participation in decision-making processes at multiple levels, including through the Youth Wiki , youth research networks and cooperation with international organisations such as the Council of Europe, the United Nations and the OECD and other relevant bodies. ØEurobarometer findings The Flash Eurobarometer “How do we build a stronger, more united Europe? The views of young people” published in April 2019 surveyed more than 10 000 young people across the EU aged between 15-30 years old on what the EU priorities should be as well as on which areas education and training should focus in the years to come. Additionally, the survey provides an overview on young people’s trends regarding their social and civic participation. Finally, it illustrates the situation regarding youth mobility and helps to identify the main reasons that possibly impede young people from taking part in a learning experience abroad. The results of this Youth Eurobarometer show that for more than two thirds of young people (67%), priority number one for EU action over the next ten years should be protecting the environment and fighting climate change. The second and third priorities they identified are improving education and training, including free movement of students, apprentices or pupils (56%) and fighting poverty, economic and social inequalities (56%). In addition, 72% of young people interviewed say that, from the moment, they were allowed to participate in elections until today, they voted in local, national, or European elections The survey also shows that three out of four 15 to 30 year-old Europeans have been actively engaged in some form of organised activities or movements, 58% took part in volunteering activities or local community projects and 35% in campaigns, strikes or street protests. ØStudy on landscape of youth representation in the EU The "Study on the landscape of youth representation in the EU” was commissioned by the European Commission in 2019. It mainly focused on the changing landscape of youth representation to feed into the implementation of the European Youth Strategy 2019-2027, in particular the core area ‘Engage’ which aims to support youth participation in democratic life. This study helped identify the patterns and contemporary trends of youth participation with special focus on gaps between the EU and local/regional youth organisations, as well as outreach towards non-organised or excluded youth. The study focused on the following four key objectives: to map EU youth NGOs and networks; to assess the contribution and impact of EU funding; to identify the new trends in youth participation; and to make future funding recommendations. In-depth interviews were conducted aimed at understanding the opportunities and challenges for young people to participate in democratic life at EU, regional and local levels. As part of the study, the Commission was also interested in understanding how EU grant funding was used to engage young people, and the impact of the funding. The results display interesting findings on the relation between digital evolutions and youth participation. The digital world has played an increasing role in young people’s lives and their engagement with democratic life. But youth is not a homogenous group, and young people of different ages use a combination of different social media and online channels to structure their participation. Thus, successful strategies for facilitating youth participation include a balanced mix of offline and online channels. The study reports that the EU youth sector is in general growing, and that traditional youth structures such as NGOs and networks continue to play a key role. These structures are increasingly using online methods for sourcing affiliations and outreach. NGOs often combine social media with ‘on the ground’ engagement with schools, youth work, and recruitment at gatherings. The study was conducted before the pandemic, therefore the effects of the pandemic on youth representation, limiting physical engagement, still need to be assessed. ØActivities of the EU-CoE Partnership in the field of youth on political participation

In September 2019 the partnership between the European Commission and the Council of Europe in the field of youth organised a symposium “ The future of young people’s political participation: questions, challenges and opportunities ”. Over 120 participants explored current tensions, questions, challenges and opportunities regarding the political participation of young people in today’s changing world and created a space for learning and inspiration among actors involved in this topic. The symposium aimed to: ● offer space and possibilities for participants to share and explore examples of young people’s political participation in a changing world; ● empower participants from different fields and levels to address this theme in their work on supporting young people’s democratic values and political engagement; ● connect different actors working on these themes, from within and beyond the youth sector, to continue, develop or innovate in relation to that work; ● produce knowledge relating to the trends of youth political participation, their reasons and implications The knowledge gathered and produced throughout 2019 and as a follow up to the Symposium include the literature review on political participation, young people’s Visions of the Future , the Compendium of practices , report from the Symposium, videos and animated videos , infographics and webinars. One of the more interesting takeaways from the symposium are the forward-looking broad points about what young people think about the future of political participation: •DIVERSE: young people engage in politics in a diversity of ways, including through conventional means of participation, such as voting and membership in political parties or youth organisations, voicing their opinions and influencing decision making processes through formal structures. On the other hand, they also participate using alternative channels, digital tools, activism, even civil disobedience. They increasingly engage through youth movements, take part in campaigns and protests, strongly advocating for issues such as climate emergency. •SUBVERSIVE: many young people are not keen to conduct politics as usual and they seek to critique the hypocrisies that they see in the status quo with humour and irony. This is accelerated by social media and digital technologies, where memes and political satire are the political language of the day. Young people create new things and processes, and are creative in using what exists. •INCLUSIVE: open and pluralistic participation was one of the top priorities for young people at the symposium, who were committed to finding ways to make their organisations and movements more diverse. Participation was also seen as a key method to making our societies more inclusive. We can anticipate more interest from youth-led civil society in initiatives that specifically target seldom-heard young people. •EMPOWERING: the Symposium participants, through the Cubes exercise, have also raised the educational and empowering aspect of political participation. Participating requires a certain level of competences but it is also learned by doing. Sharing the power may empower both sides: young people and other stakeholders, as it gives opportunity to perceive things from a youth perspective, to rethink the ways in which they work and to reinvigorate the decision-making. •COLOURFUL: while artistic activism was only represented among a small group of participants at the symposium, its impact was felt in a big way. A one-man play about civil disobedience. Painted t-shirts with protest slogans for the Fridays for Future march. A song written and performed spontaneously by one of the participants about political participation. Young people are moved in an emotional way by the social issues that matter to them, and their artistic expression in turn moves others in society •FLEXIBLE: there is no one right way to do participation. Whether it is sitting on an advisory council, protesting on the street, or painting a mural with a political message, participants at the symposium treated all forms as equally valid, each with its own potential. There exists opportunities for collaboration and cross-over between the methods, and this may be something to watch out for in the future. •UNCOMPROMISING ON KEY VALUES: while young people showed themselves to be exceedingly flexible about the types of political participation that are valid, they do not compromise on the values that they felt political participation should be based upon: democracy, human rights, diversity, and respect. It can be anticipated that youth-led civil society will take up more initiatives that are explicitly values-based in this direction. There will also be a greater need for strategies on how to engage with youth who are drawn to authoritarian, right-wing extremist and/or xenophobic movements, and how to create spaces for free and critical thinking, while being also promoting human rights and democratic citizenship. ØEU Youth programmes and youth engagement The EU youth programmes such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, will continue to be important tools to support the involvement of young people in policy processes. The programmes put strong focus on horizontal priorities – social inclusion, green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life. The new 2021-2027 Erasmus+ has a 7-year budget of more than €26 billion complemented by €2.2 billion from the EU external cooperation instrument. The programme will provide even more funding opportunities in the field of youth and an enhanced accent on youth participation. The newly featured youth participation activities will provide more space and possibilities for young people to take an active role in civic and democratic processes, thereby contributing to strengthening their sense of European identity and to building more bridges between young generations and decision-makers on both a European and national level. The programme will also feature new formats of participation for organisations such as the accreditation system that will facilitate long-term involvement. With a dedicated budget of just over EUR 1 billion for 2021-2027, the new European Solidarity Corps programme will offer opportunities for at least 270 000 young people to help address societal and humanitarian challenges through volunteering or by setting up their own solidarity projects. For the first time, the programme will also allow young people to volunteer in the humanitarian aid field across the world. The European Solidarity Corps offers an opportunity for young people to not only make a meaningful contribution to society, but also gain invaluable experience and develop new skills. 83% of volunteers report that during their European Solidarity Corps volunteering they gained additional skills and knowledge that they think will be useful in their future career. At the same time, the programme promotes European values, enhances intercultural understanding, inclusion and a sense of belonging to a community, the European community. Cooperation with civil society organisations in the youth field is essential in realising the principles of youth participation in democratic life as laid down in article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the EU Youth Strategy. Youth civil society organisations are targeted within all Key Actions of the Erasmus+ programme.

Under Key Action 3 (KA3), Support to policy development and cooperation, the specific call Civil Society Cooperation in the field of youth provides operating grants to European NGOs and EU-wide networks. In 2021, 70 beneficiaries were funded from a budget of EUR 3,4 M. The European Youth Forum is also foreseen an operating grant for their activities and for the coordination of the Youth Dialogue process. Key Action 3 aims to support the active involvement of civil society networks and non-governmental organisations in policy implementation, and includes also the European Youth Together call with separate lots for grassroot and experienced organisations. Training and cooperation activities (TCAs) are crucial support activities under KA3, targeting potential beneficiaries and potential participants, practitioners and stakeholders in the field of youth. Through TCAs the National Agencies provide trainings, thematic and research activities, support and contact seminars, which are key to ensure quality implementation of the programme and to build closer links with the relevant elements of policy development. Key Actions 1 and 2 offer possibilities for mobility and cooperation projects for civil society organisations and their staff. A separate call secures as of 2021 a designated budget for cooperation partnerships for Youth European NGOs. The Capacity building in the field of youth supports international, multilateral cooperation projects between organisations active in the field of youth in Programme and Partner countries to strengthen cooperation and policy dialogue in the youth field and non-formal learning, as a driver of sustainable socio-economic development and well-being of youth organisations and young people. ØYouth participation across all sectors Conference on the future of Europe The Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) is a call for a European democracy that is more vibrant, interactive and relevant to citizens. The central premise behind the idea of the Conference is to help increase legitimacy and trust in our Union by giving Europeans a greater say on what the Union does and how it works for them. The official opening of the conference was on 9 May 2021 in Strasbourg and it is planned to reach conclusions by spring 2022. Ahead of the opening, an interactive multilingual digital platform was launched on 19 April 2021. This platform allows citizens and stakeholders to submit ideas online, and help them participate in or organise events. A feedback mechanism will ensure that the ideas expressed during the Conference events result in concrete recommendations for EU action. By reaching out to citizens, empowering them, giving them the space to speak up, and showing them that their views are valued, the EU institutions aim to enhance their participation in political life, which is essential for Europe’s democracy. Citizens are invited to use the multilingual digital platform that is fully interactive and multilingual. People can engage with one another and discuss their proposals with fellow citizens from all Member States, in the EU’s 24 official languages. Furthermore, they can access a map of events and sign up to participate or upload information about own events organised by them. In order to structure contributions to the platform, a list of topics has been selected in line with the EU's headline ambitions, as set out in the Commission's Political Priorities and the European Council's Strategic Agenda. These topics provide a sufficiently broad framework to allow citizens to focus on what they consider important. The field of education, youth and culture is one of the main priorities for the Conference. Other priorities include physical and mental health; climate change and the environment; a stronger economy, social justice and jobs; digital transformation, the EU’s role in the world; values and rights; migration and how to strengthen the democratic processes governing the EU. However, citizens are also free to raise any topic of concern to them via an ‘open box' on the multilingual digital platform for cross-cutting ideas or topics other than those listed above. The key ideas and recommendations from the platform will be used as input for the European citizens' panels and the Conference Plenaries and be included in the Conference's conclusions. In the framework of the Conference, the European Commission wants to give young people a special role in the debates, as the Conference addresses issues that are particularly relevant for their future, such as climate change, a stronger economy and the growing importance of digital technologies. It is young people who will be most affected by any decision taken today on the future direction of the EU. For this reason, it is important for them to have a word on the future pace of the EU and to involve them as much as possible in these debates. The existing structures for youth consultation under the EU Youth Dialogue allows European youth organisations and national platforms in all EU Member States to get involved in the Conference. The current trio Presidency (Germany, Portugal, and Slovenia) is dedicating the ongoing cycle to youth involvement in democracy and participation. This will result in young people’s views on issues that are most likely relevant for the Conference on the Future of Europe. Questions will address how young people are experiencing democracy and participation, citizenship education and young people’s self-initiated action with regard to societal change and democracy. The EU Youth Strategy Stakeholders Platform is being mobilised to ask the involved stakeholders for a further promotion within their networks. The “EU Youth Strategy Stakeholders Platform” is one of the instruments of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 to facilitate participatory governance and coordination of the implementation of the Strategy. It is a collaborative platform for the youth stakeholders composed of Ministries, National Agencies, National Youth Councils, youth NGOs, youth organisations, youth workers, and youth researchers. Key youth stakeholders, like the Eurodesk and EYCA networks, are engaged in the Conference on the Future of Europe. The Eurodesk Network is composed of more than 1600 youth information centres and a key multiplier. The European Youth Card Association (EYCA) launches a youth-led campaign to promote participation in the Conference on the Future of Europe as #STANDFORSOMETHING. The initiative offers a framework for youth seminars, workshops, debates and other activities, which will run until the end of 2021 organised by young people. A new action format focusing on youth participation has been launched under the Erasmus+ 2021-2027. Thanks to its low-threshold and flexible design, it offers funding for a vast range of activities in the field of youth participation, including potential projects linked to the Conference on the Future of Europe. The participation of young people in the Conference on the Future of Europe is also in line with the EU strategy on the rights of the child, which fosters the participation of children (up to 18 years old) in the EU political and democratic life. More than 10 000 children (11 to 18 years old) participated to a consultation ahead of the adoption of the strategy to influence its priorities and actions. In 2020, the European Commission commissioned a study on child participation in EU political and democratic life. The report covers 27 Member States and the UK, looking at child participation at the national level. For 10 countries, the researchers also looked at the local level. The report includes 12 case studies. More than 200 children and young people shared their opinions and experiences in interviews and focus groups that were organised. European Democracy Action plan/Democratic literacy The European Democracy Action Plan (EDAP), adopted in December 2020, sets out measures for strengthening the resilience of EU democracies, addressing areas in which our systems and citizens are most vulnerable. The Action Plan sets out a reinforced EU policy framework and specific measures to: promote free and fair elections and strong democratic participation; support free and independent media; and counter disinformation.

With the “Engage” core area the EU Youth Strategy also aims towards a meaningful economic and social participation of young people, hence the need to make sure that they can benefit from optimal transitions towards the labour market. In the youth field, the Council conclusions on young people and the future of work adopted in May 2019 highlighted insecurity, the lack of social protection and precarious working conditions as the main problems facing young people in the current and future labour environment. A number of measures to address these problems were identified in the conclusions: adaptable and responsive social security and education and training systems, the promotion of lifelong learning, ensuring smooth school-to-work and work-to-work transition, as well as equal access to quality jobs for all young people. In the employment and skills field, the EU has developed a whole set of activities going in that direction. ØYouth Employment Support – YES The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan of March 2020 sets as sub-target to decrease the rate of NEET aged 15-29 from 12.6% (2019) to 9% by 2030, namely by improving their employment prospects. The EU supports Member States in reducing youth unemployment and inactivity. The aim is to help young people develop their potential to shape the future of the EU and propel the digital and green transitions forward. During the aftermath of the global 2008 financial crisis, youth unemployment went up from 16.0% in 2008 to a peak of 24.4% in 2013. Since then, the figures improved dramatically with record lows of 14.9% just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. However: ·youth unemployment always remained more than twice as high as general unemployment ·a stable labour market integration started to take longer, with many job-to-job transitions and spells of precarious work ·vulnerable groups, such as youth of racial and ethnic minorities or young people with disabilities, continued to be disadvantaged throughout this period ·youth inactivity did not decrease nearly as much as youth unemployment. To build back better from the new economic downturn triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission adopted a Youth Employment Support (YES) package in July 2020. The Youth Employment Support – A Bridge to Jobs for the Next Generation is built around four strands that together provide a bridge to jobs for the next generation: ·A reinforced Youth Guarantee ·A future-proof approach for vocational education and training ·A renewed European Alliance for Apprenticeships ·Additional elements supporting youth employment. The reinforced Youth Guarantee The Youth Guarantee, launched in 2013 and reaffirmed by the European Pillar of Social Rights, is a commitment by all Member States to ensure that all young people under the age of 30 receive a good quality offer of employment, continued education, apprenticeship or a traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving education. It has opened up opportunities to over 31 million young people and has been a driver for structural reforms and innovation in Member States. The Youth Guarantee was reinforced in October 2020. In addition to its broadened target group, it caters for the millions of youth at risk of unemployment unable to enter today’s labour market, without losing sight of activating the hardest-to-reach who may face multiple obstacles. The reinforced Youth Guarantee does all this through tailored, individualised approaches; providing young people with the appropriate levels of guidance and helping them find crash courses if upskilling proves to be necessary. The Youth Guarantee approaches take into account local labour market intelligence shaped by COVID-19 ramifications, acknowledging also the opportunities provided by the accelerating digital and green transitions. Partnerships will play a central role in all stages of the implementation of the reinforced Youth Guarantee. National resources are key in supporting youth employment measures in each Member State. However, the EU supports the implementation of the Youth Guarantee through substantial funding (see following sections below). The Commission’s aim is that at least EUR 22 billion will be dedicated to youth employment over the 2021-2027 financing period.

In addition to financial support, the EU provides policy support and mutual learning activities to help Member States strengthen the infrastructure and measures for the reinforced Youth Guarantee, for example through the Youth Guarantee Knowledge Centre . The EU also monitors progress across Member States in the context of the European Semester, through specific data collection and in cooperation with the Employment Committee. Vocational Education and Training Vocational education and training (VET) helps young people get ready for their first job and supports adult career and skill development. During the recovery, VET will be essential for helping young people’s entry into the workforce. This is confirmed by the 2020 Council Recommendation on vocational education and training , which defines key principles and concrete objectives to ensure that VET supports sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience. The Recommendation sets concrete objectives related to VET learners’ employability, exposure to work-based learning and international mobility. In the Osnabrück Declaration (November 2020), Member States, EU Candidate Countries and EEA countries, the European social partners and the European Commission, together with VET providers’ associations and learners’ representatives, committed to concrete deliverables in the period 2021-2025 to fully realise VET’s potential as an enabler of the recovery and just transitions to digital and green economies. The European Training Foundation supports the candidate countries with monitoring of progress with VET reforms. Renewed European Alliance for Apprenticeships While quality apprenticeships have a vital role to play in preserving and creating youth employment, they have been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 lockdowns. Many SMEs are no longer in a position to accept candidates due to a lack of resources and activity. Since its launch in 2013, the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) has brought together 36 EU, EFTA and candidate countries and over 355 stakeholders (businesses, social partners, chambers, vocational education and training providers, regions, youth representatives or think tanks) who so far pledged 1 034 476 apprenticeship places to strengthen the quality, supply and image of apprenticeships in Europe, and to enhance apprentice mobility. The European Training Foundation facilitates the engagement of the Western Balkan countries in the EAfA. With the Youth Employment Support Package, the Commission launched a renewed EAfA, which now focusses on six new priorities and targets important horizontal issues such as gender, social inclusion, health and safety, as well as internationalisation of vocational education and training: °committing to quality and effective apprenticeships, and encouraging Member States and companies to do so, by fostering national apprenticeships coalitions. °incentivising support to SMEs for providing a stable supply of quality and effective apprenticeships. °mobilising local and regional authorities as catalysts for apprenticeships within the local business environment. °strengthening social dialogue through a more active involvement of national social partner organisations. °engaging European sectoral social dialogue committees in apprenticeships proactively, with a view to agree on joint sectoral pledges. °supporting the representation of apprentices in the Member States by relaunching the European Apprentices Network. The European Apprentices Network In 2017 the Commission launched the European Apprentices Network (EAN) , together with the European Youth Forum (YFJ) and the Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU). They agreed on the following tasks for the network: °To clarify the perception of young people on apprenticeships through exchanging experiences, discussing challenges and sharing information. °To function as an informal consultative body for the Commission on apprenticeships. °To promote apprenticeships as a worthwhile career choice (e.g. through ambassadors for apprenticeships). °To facilitate contacts between youth organisations and other actors in apprenticeships, especially members of the EAfA. The network includes fifteen members from twelve countries. They collectively identified seven priorities for the next years, including on quality education and quality assurance. In 2020 EAN set up a new structure to expand its membership which is currently based on individuals only. The idea is to be a representative voice towards institutions and stakeholders at all levels on issues concerning apprenticeships and to engage national bodies and other organisations in developing the quality of apprenticeships. A Council Recommendation on a European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships , adopted in March 2018, sets out 14 criteria on learning and working conditions, as well as on framework conditions, that improve the quality and effectiveness of apprenticeships, to the benefit of learners, companies and society. The Commission will report on the implementation of the Framework in summer 2021. ØThe European Skills Agenda The European Skills Agenda adopted by the Commission in July 2020 sets a five-year plan to support the development of more and better skills. The Skills Agenda calls upon Member States and stakeholders to invest major efforts in up- and reskilling, for a sustainable and inclusive recovery in the context of the green and digital transition. This will contribute to achieving the target of 60% of adults – both young and old – participating in learning by 2030 set in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan , adopted in March 2021, and endorsed by the Porto summit of May 2021. All of the Skills Agenda’s 12 flagship actions are relevant for young people, but certain actions outlined below in particular will help improve prospects for young people to make successful transitions from education to quality and rewarding work and to set the foundations for lifelong learning. Action 1 – a Pact for Skills

The Pact for Skills is a shared engagement model for skills development in Europe: companies, workers, national, regional and local authorities, social partners, cross-industry and sectoral organisations, education and training providers, chambers of commerce and employment services all have a key role to play to up and reskill the workforce. Through the Pact, public and private organisations join forces and take concrete action to upskill and reskill people in Europe. The Pact includes individual commitments as well as large-scale partnerships in the industrial ecosystems and regional partnerships. Concrete commitments can be new training opportunities for employees; including tailored training and career development for those at the early stage of their careers. Action 10 - A European approach to micro-credentials Within Europe, a growing number of citizens, including young people, need to update their knowledge, skills and competences in view of the needs of a fast-changing society and labour market. The recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and the green and digital transitions require people to upskill or reskill, to maintain and acquire the competences that enable them to participate fully in society, ensure their personal, social and professional empowerment. Increasingly, young people and workers are undertaking short and tailored training and need to get recognition for that. Micro-credentials recognise the results of such short courses. They can make learning more adapted to individual needs, thus fostering more innovative and inclusive approaches to lifelong learning and employability through targeted, relevant learning, facilitating access to the labour market and job transitions. To date no European definition or standards exist to support the quality, transparency and take-up of micro-credentials across the EU, limiting their potential. For that reason, the Commission aims to develop a common definition and approach to description of micro-credentials by the end of 2021, so micro-credentials can be used more widely and recognized across Europe. The report from the Micro-credentials higher education consultation group , published on 14 December 2020, provides a strong basis for broader and wider consultations with all relevant stakeholders, including formal and non-formal education and training providers throughout 2021. The Commission launched a public consultation until 13 July 2021, accompanied by targeted stakeholder consultations. Action 11 – New Europass platform Once someone has a certificate proving their skills, they need to be able to communicate them when applying for a job or further learning. New technology opens up possibilities for communicating skills beyond the traditional CV and for linking people up with learning and job opportunities. The new Europass is an open framework of online tools and information to support people to manage their careers in a fast-changing labour market. Europass helps people to communicate their skills, qualifications and experiences so that they can be understood across Europe. It is available free-of-charge and in 29 languages. Validation: Making skills visible in a changing labour market and society The need to promote agile validation approaches to promote more inclusive, more flexible and more individualised learning pathways, also in order to support transitions in the labour market, is more crucial than ever. It is estimated that 85% of learning during our lifetime takes place outside formal learning, mostly during adult years. However, despite EU and national policies promoting validation, validation of skills is not yet always possible, and therefore the full potential of validation as a way to give visibility and value to all learning, regardless of where and how it happens, has not yet been reached. As set out in the Skills Agenda, the Commission will provide a strategic framework for the recognition of transversal skills to support validation practitioners in the European Union and develop resources to support validation of transversal skills by employers and employment services. This will build on the work undertaken in the context of the Council Recommendation on validation of non-formal and informal learning of 2012 . The Commission will also, together with CEDEFOP, continue to regularly update the European Guidelines on validation , as a tool to promote a shared understanding of validation in Europe. ØEURES targeted mobility schemes (TMS) The overall objective of the EURES TMS action is to support jobseekers over 18, with a special focus on young people, to find a job, a traineeship or an apprenticeship in another EU/EEA country. Thanks to the direct financial support to jobseekers to contribute to the costs linked to moving to another country, i.e. for language training, interviews, relocation allowances, recognition of qualifications, the EURES TMS action promotes fair mobility, tackles intra-EU mobility challenges and sustains jobseekers who need support in working in another country. The action ensures also customised employment services to jobseekers such as matching of job vacancies and CVs, and information and guidance for jobseekers and employers. With a view to helping jobseekers to exercise their right of freedom of movement across the EU, and to addressing labour markets' imbalances and skills shortages, EURES TMS is an instrument to enhance young people's employment, to support older and vulnerable people, and to help employers in finding abroad the skills lacking in their national labour markets. Notably for young people, the EURES TMS action may also contribute to facilitating transitions from education to work. SMEs can receive financial contributions to the costs related to an integration programme for recruited people. The EURES TMS projects can also provide other support measures, i.e. tailor-made and free of charge training, mentoring and assistance to jobseekers. From 2015 to 2020, the Targeted Mobility Schemes helped more than 10.000 young people to find a sustainable job in another EU/EEA country. ØThe European Social Fund (ESF), Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) and European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) support to youth employment Over the 2014-2020 programming period, the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) and the European Social Fund (ESF) have invested at least €15 billion in youth employment and labour market integration measures, as well as over €26 billion in education and training measures with young people likely being the main beneficiaries of this funding. In the 2021-2027 period, the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) with a budget of over €99 billion will integrate the YEI, making it the key EU funding instrument to support the implementation of the Youth Employment Support (YES) package, including the reinforced Youth Guarantee. The ESF+ will promote sustainable and quality youth employment and mobility by supporting activation measures of unemployed young people and youth not in education, employment or training (NEET), vocational education and training (VET), apprenticeships and traineeships, support for self-employment and entrepreneurship and modernisation of labour market institutions. ØEuropean Regional Development Fund investments in labour market integration

The support to sustainable and quality employment and labour mobility under ERDF for 2014-2020 amounts to EUR 3.4 billion. These investments, which might have also targeted youth, have focused on improving employability and raising activity level amongst disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, supporting competitiveness of the labour force, promoting self-employment and entrepreneurship, and fighting discrimination. Furthermore, supported measures include infrastructure, equipment and fostering access to labour market services and investment support for self-employment, SMEs, business/jobs creation, social innovation and social entrepreneurship. Examples of projects and initiatives co-funded by ERDF: The ERDF-co-funded Coopcity project aims to foster social innovation and social entrepreneurship to support the Brussels Capital Region in its path of becoming a “smart city”. The region faced a series of paradoxical trends such being Belgium’s leading employment area yet 40% of young people were unemployed. To address these, Coopcity has set up a social, cooperative and collaborative entrepreneurship centre, through which it provides guidance, advice, support, and training services in the form of five support programmes that meet the needs of projects throughout all of their development stages. The centre also facilitates coworking space for such projects. As of 2020, Coopcity has supported more than 100 projects, created more than 40 new enterprises, generated 77 employment positions, received over 200 applications, and welcomed almost 3700 participants in its workshops. As part of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) , the POPRI international competition supported entrepreneurial idea among young people from 9 countries of the Adriatic-Ionian macro region with the support of the European Commission (DG REGIO) and the Interact Interreg programme. The competition started in Slovenia, where 3,494 participants have taken part in it so far, assisted by more than 500 mentors and 300 institutions. Young people who participate are offered new skills, advice on idea and business model development, feedback on their entrepreneurial ideas through the evaluation of a commission of experts, and the opportunity to present in front of an international jury. The award ceremony took place during the EAUSAIR Forum, attended by leaders from 9 European countries on 11 and 12 may 2021. In the context of the Bavarian Forest Future Region — Šumava 2020 + project, EUREGIO is particularly important not only to get the opinion and views of politics, public administration and business, but also to give young people a say in the field of regional development. It is funded by the European Union and aims to identify the future regional funding priorities for the new INTERREG programming period starting in 2021 and to provide the necessary guidance for further directing cross-border cooperation. The EUREGIO Youth Fora are part of the project’s work. 1.2.Policy priorities and cooperation needs at national level ØFuture National Activity Planners (FNAPs) The Future National Activity Planners (FNAPS) are an instrument introduced in 2019 allowing Member States to share on a voluntary basis their priorities in line with the EU Youth Strategy. As part of the Future National Activity Planners (FNAPs), the Commission surveyed Member States in 2019 and a lighter version in 2021 to gather information on their youth policy priorities regarding the implementation of the European Youth Goals and cooperation needs in line with the EU Youth Strategy. 21 Member States shared their plans in 2019 and 18 offered updates in 2021. As part of the Future National Activity Planners exercise in 2019, EU Member States have identified the three main topics where they would like to cooperate with others in a European context under the core area ENGAGE: ·Almost one third of them focused on the use of the EU Youth Dialogue in order to include diverse voices of young people in decision-making processes. ·The need to encourage and promote inclusive democratic participation of all young people in society and democratic processes, mentioned by half of the countries; in particular, via development of youth representations at local, regional and national level. ·Another topic that was highly mentioned by the Member States is the promotion of innovative and alternative forms of democratic participation e.g. digital democracy tools. In most cases, that was linked with the digital area and the need to find new ways to engage young people based on their needs and interests. The results of the Future National Activity Planners (FNAPS 2021) also highlight the need to support and convey the EU Youth Dialogue in order to include diverse voices of young people in decision-making processes (mentioned by half of the countries) as the top cooperation priority under the core area ENGAGE. It is followed closely by the need to encourage and promote inclusive democratic participation of all young people in society and democratic processes. Also, more than a third of the Member States expressed their wish to cooperate in order to support and develop opportunities for 'learning to participate', raising interest in participatory actions and helping young people to prepare for participation. Responding Member States could choose between various cooperation tools to support implementation of priorities: evidence building/research, expert group at EU level, peer learning focussed on policy development, Transnational cooperation activities under the programme and peer counselling. The most popular tools among Member States under the core area ENGAGE in 2019 have been: Evidence building/research and the Peer learning focussed on policy development followed by the Transnational cooperation activities under the Erasmus+ programme. With more than a half of the total Member States replies of FNAPS 2021 exercise, Transnational cooperation activities under the programme has been chosen as a favourite cooperation tool, followed by Evidence building/research and Peer learning focused on policy development. Some more specific proposals arising from the 2021 outcomes: ØSlovenia underlines the importance of the cooperation in the Expert group at EU level on youth work as an important tool of Member States cooperation, followed by the peer learning in terms of exchange of experiences and transnational cooperation in different projects of mental health, local development of youth work, etc. Related to that, collaboration with Germany and Portugal together with the European Commission and the European Youth Forum on the 8th Cycle of EU Youth Dialogue as part of the Trio Presidencies is showcased by Slovenia as an example of good practice. ØFrance is also highlighting the importance of the Expert groups at European level and Peer learning counseling in terms of active engagement of young people, youth organisations and other organisers of youth work in the development, implementation and evaluation of policies affecting the lives of young people on local, regional, national and European level.

1.3.Youth-led initiatives and actions ØEncouraging and promoting inclusive democratic participation of all young people in society and democratic processes By fostering meaningful youth participation within their organisations, democratic processes become something natural for young people involved in these structures. This is also the case for the values of cooperation, compromise and working together to achieve common goals. All this translates into a better understanding of democratic processes and the importance of defending them inside and outside their organisations. Participants learn the importance of getting engaged and acquire the competences to be able to critically analyse the information they are given and to make independent decisions about the world they live in and their own lives. Moreover, by enabling and encouraging travel and mobility, youth organisations and European Non-Governmental Youth Organisation (ENGYOs) in particular can increase the value young people attach to learning other languages and provide opportunities for young people to learn other languages. Many youth organisations are fostering a diverse membership and are finding ways to bring young people from different geographical, linguistic, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds working and thinking together, making the promotion of diversity one of their main strengths. Inclusion and representation of young people from underrepresented minorities such as youth from rural and EU ultra-peripheric regions and other remote regions such as the EU Arctic region , young people with disabilities, LGBTQI youth or migrant youth is also a priority of many youth organisations. The Erasmus+ annual reports show that the youth sector in general is involving on average more participants with special needs or/and from disadvantaged backgrounds than other parts of the programme. Youth organisations actively look into promoting this diversity not only through specific activities and projects but also through their organisational structure and values, focusing on enabling members from all socio-economic backgrounds to fully participate in their organisations. Most of them seek to fully cover all expenses related to their statutory meetings and internal structures and have put in place processes to make sure that their governing structures (such as the board or secretariat) are as representative as possible not only in terms of gender but also underrepresented youth. ØActively engage in the development, implementation and evaluation of policies affecting the lives of young people on local, regional, national and European level Youth organisations play a key role in ensuring that young people are actively engaged in all policies that affect their lives from local to European level. For example, European Non-Governmental Youth Organisations (ENGYOs) organise 10 to 15 activities per year for the capacity building of their membership on different policy topics. Capacity building of their members is thus a crucial part of the work of ENGYOs, providing it through regular training and working groups for their members. Many ENGYOs also provide these training sessions to non-members and unorganised youth as well. Many members of ENGYOs are also members of their respective national youth councils or even members of municipal councils, regional and national parliaments and the European Parliament, allowing them to make sure that the voice and ideas of young people are part of the debates on youth policy. They also prepare them to communicate about youth issues to stakeholders outside the youth field, becoming ambassadors for EU youth policy and quality youth work in Europe and beyond. For example, ENGYOs and their members engage young people throughout the Structured Dialogue process, gathering the input of young people in each cycle but specifically providing European perspective. They also run their own regular consultations on EU relevant topics in order to understand the needs and concerns of young people and bring them to decision makers at EU level through the European Youth Forum. Here below some contributions from National Youth Councils and youth organisations: Contribution from the National Youth Council of Spain Young people in general, and Spanish youth in particular, are characterised by their social commitment: they get involved in volunteer projects, they are very aware and sensitive to all the issues that affect our planet and its progressive degradation (climate change, sea pollution, deforestation...), social inequalities; they look for a sustainable alternative to the society of indiscriminate consumption in which we live and care for the most inclusive and supportive values, which revolve around the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals in order to make the world a more pleasant, connected and humane place for everyone. Implementation measures carried out during the year: During the 8th Cycle of the European Youth Dialogue Programme, framed under the theme of the 9th Youth Goal “Europe for Youth - Youth for Europe: space for democracy and participation” the main concern of the different working groups in this programme is the creation of spaces for young people to actively participate in the decision-making process. At present, 203 young Spanish Ambassadors and Coordinators (161 Ambassadors and 42 Coordinators) are participating in this Cycle. The Ambassadors are working, at regional and local level, to organise events in their communities and municipalities that can extend this tool of dialogue between young people and decision-makers in order to be more present in the discussions on youth issues that directly influence them. Although as participatory agents they take the lead in their activities, programming, consultations, events with politicians or other youth decision-makers, their work is coordinated and followed up by the National Working Group (hereafter NWG), and the Spanish Youth Council, in collaboration with the Spanish Institute for Youth. These three active agents monitor the work and drive the design and implementation of the next events. To promote, assist and support this initiative, in November 2020, the first Training of Embassies for Dialogue with Youth of the VIII Cycle of Dialogue took place. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the training took place through virtual platforms and with the facilitation of the Training Exchange of the Spanish Youth Council. The online format also made it possible to reach more people than in the past. During the training sessions, the young people enrolled had the opportunity to learn in depth about the programme, the actors involved, as well as the deadlines for the development and implementation of the 8th Cycle of Dialogue. Work was also carried out in groups made up of the NWG, Regional Councils and Embassies, an ideal moment for the members of each one to meet their representatives and to learn about the activities for the coming months aimed at disseminating the youth surveys on the theme of the Cycle. This training was followed, in December 2020, by a 2nd Embassy Training with the participation of 50 young people representing the 19 regions of the national landscape. During the training, carried out by the Spanish Youth Council’s pool of trainers, they were able to work with the questions of the online survey in order to present them to the representatives of the General Directorates of each region and to explain the work that the embassies do in the territory.

On 8 and 9 May, the third Training of Embassies was held, which focused on tools for political advocacy, public policies and the generation of discourse, issues raised as the needs by the embassies themselves. Contribution from the National Youth Council of Romania As a National Youth Council, one of our core priorities is ensuring youth participation at all levels. As a general direction, we monitor youth policies related to the youth sector and come up with concrete measurements. One example of such position is one of the most complex youth-related document in our country, the Romanian Youth Resolution 2020-2027, a strategic document initiated by our NYC and other 27 important organisations from Romania, created on the basis of the European Youth Objectives, followed by a set of concrete measurements that can be implemented by the Romanian Government. In the Resolution, each EU Youth Goal has a dedicated chapter initiated by different organizations that are experts in the field. To ensure qualitative youth participation in the process, we co-organised the annual Youth Summit during which we had consultations with young people from all over Romania for each EU Youth Goal. This way, young people and youth organisations had the chance to go deep in each subject and shape the objectives together. By this way, we have coagulated the civil society in finding measures for the future of youth with legislative measures, a long-term strategy for which all the civil society will advocate. Contribution from YMCA Europe In 2020, YMCA Europe sought to support young people in a moment of great isolation, during the height of COVID-19 crisis. For this reason a platform was created to connect young people, YMCA Connects, and to take advantage of the shared space to share best practices on how to volunteer and support communities during the pandemic, digital youth work tools and tips, and mental health support during those challenging times YMCA Europe also started a campaign, together with other 6 organizations, called Youth Matters, asking to include young people, youth work, non-formal education and youth organisations in the post COVID Recovery Plans. YMCA Europe implemented in 2019 and in 2020 its Leadership Academy. The project “Leadership Academy'' is created to empower young people to take action as active citizens and to equip them with skills so they can promote social change and strengthen their movements as bearers of democratic values and change makers. The participants are leaders of Civil society organizations, 18-35 years old, who take governing or managing positions in their organizations or are developing to apply for them. The aim of the training is to promote European active citizenship, build a common European identity and encourage youth advocacy actions from local to the European level. The aim is to empower young people to become engaged in their organizations and to engage their organizations in becoming advocates for disadvantaged groups. The 2020 session, which took place online, also focused on digital tools for activism and participation. The programme engaged a total of 65 young people from 25 countries, and created a total of 20 cross border mini projects engaging more than 591 young people across Europe, and indirectly benefiting 25.000. YMCA Europe implemented in 2019 and 2020 its peacebuilding programme Roots for Peace . In particular, the activity Be a Voice, not an Echo, was dedicated to raising awareness about the spread of hate speech in online mediums and equip participants with knowledge and skills on how to combat it through value-based positive narrative. This was done in cooperation with Ted-Ex, creating an informal network. Contribution from Network of European Youth Capitals During the pandemic, the Network of European Youth Capitals engaged through its local partners over 7 700 young people through the Happy City research. Beyond the content provided through young people’s engagement, there was a large-scale willingness in providing answers, reaching young people who are not involved in youth organisations or youth activities on a permanent basis. Main conclusions of the research were the following: 1.During the pandemic, young people felt less happy and thought the city itself was less happy than the usual. They also felt the city was less proactive. There was an overall 2 point-decrease in the sense of happiness on a 10-point scale. 2.Leaving the house: 4 of 5 youngsters left their home during the pandemic at least once every week (31% 1-2 times / week, 26% at least once per day, 21.8% 3-6 times / week). 3.Main activities that caused leaving the house: 3 of 4 young people used their time out of home for groceries shopping, 1 out of 3 for individual physical activities and 1 out of 4 for job activity. 4.Post-pandemic concerns: 2 out of 5 pointed to the resumption of social and development activities as the top concern, 1 out of 3 pointed to the resumption of physical connections with friends and/or family. 1 out of 4 youngsters listed taking care of own health of the health of a family member, looking for a new job, resuming work or retrieval of courses/information related to studies. 5.City’s management of the pandemic crisis: 4 out of 5 youngsters think the situation was managed effectively or rather effectively. In their perception, things like law enforcement, additional measures, provision of “sanitary infrastructure” and ensuring the correctness of law enforcement were aspects that should’ve been better taken care of. 6.Youth for the city: 2 out of 5 youngsters think they have done something for their city. Regarding what they have done, they named the rules following, support for disadvantaged/elderly/in need people, volunteering activities and donations of money, goods and blood. 7.What do young people think they could do to help the city: compliance with the law, having a job in their city, involvement, new ideas, supporting local businesses and causes and volunteering. The main target-groups mentioned were the environment, the youngsters, the elderly and the disadvantaged people. 8.During the pandemic, youngsters thought their city was cleaner than usually.

9.Per city, these differences can be correlated with the measures taken in order to manage the pandemic crisis. 10.The most satisfied youngsters seem to be part of the below 14 age category, while the least satisfied are part of the over 30 age category. 11.The most satisfied young people by employment status are not employed, while those that are, are the least satisfied at almost all indicators. 12.The most satisfied youngsters by last graduated studies are primary education graduates, while the least satisfied are the PhD ones. This survey provided a good starting point for cities to plan short and medium-term action for young people for an upcoming post-pandemic time. Additional work was conducted on local level regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people. As a specific example, the city of Cluj-Napoca decided to use the opportunity coming from necessity and to apply a holistic approach regarding research on the health, learning, agency and enabling environment for young people. Three complementary research processes were conducted (Profile of Young People, LEAP interdisciplinary research and the local Happy City survey). Out of this work, several strategic projects emerged on local level. On “Engage”, the municipality developed together with professional partners a new concept called Cluj Youth Rapid Response. Through this idea the city is pursuing the creation of a technology-based, collaborative solution that functions at an urban and metropolitan level as an interface between young people who need help/assistance/support and the corresponding, city-wide stakeholders/service providers who can address/assist/provide support to them in solving their problems. The project concept was built in such a way that it will involve participatory mechanisms through which young people will co-design this solution. The European Youth Forum has voiced the youth perspective on the “The Future of Work” through a dedicated publication in 2019 emphasising the medium to long-term impacts of the future of work, in terms of social and economic inclusion of young people. Social and economic inclusion work remains also high on the agenda of the European Youth Forum. In 2020, the Youth Forum co-edited the report ‘Youth and COVID-19’ based on the ILO-led Global Survey on Youth and COVID-19 and co-organised the global launch event. A workshop, “Not another lost generation: Real solutions to tackle youth unemployment and social exclusion in Europe” was co-hosted at the German Presidency Conference ‘Our Social Europe - Strong Together’ with two Member Organisations, and the outcome recommendations were shared in plenary. Finally, the Youth Forum published the results of a consultation within and beyond the European Youth Forum on Quality Standards for the Youth Guarantee and continued advocacy work on the topic.



2. CONNECT (In line with the Trio Presidency Romania-Finland-Croatia (January 2019 - June 2020) priority: “Creating opportunities for youth”) 2. 2.1EU initiatives and action The new EU Youth Strategy gave a clear impetus to mobility and connecting young people across Europe and beyond and building networks of young people from different regions. To achieve this goal, EU level cooperation focused on: ·Supporting the implementation of the European Solidarity Corps through policy cooperation and community-building, in particular through updating and expanding the 2008 Council Recommendation on the cross-border mobility of volunteers, and further strengthening the potential of the European Youth Portal / European Solidarity Corps portal in reaching out to youth and helping build a community; ·Increasing participation in cross-border learning mobility and solidarity under Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps with an emphasis on young people with fewer opportunities. During the reporting period 2019-2021, the cross-border youth mobility programmes, including youth exchanges under Erasmus+ and cross-border volunteering under the European Solidarity Corps, continued to be unanimously considered as a great success with a high interest among young people. Even in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, interest for such an experience remained high confirming that solidarity is at the heart of the European values. 2.1.1.Youth mobility ØEU programmes creating new opportunities by supporting youth mobility and volunteering: Erasmus+ (including the new action ‘DiscoverEU’), the European Solidarity Corps and the European Social Fund Plus

Under the core area ‘Connect’, the EU Youth Strategy is promoting and facilitating connections, relations and exchange of experiences between young people as a pivotal asset for the future development of the EU. By supporting the learning mobility of people, and in particular the younger generation, Erasmus+ is providing them with unparalleled opportunities to broaden their perspective on Europe and the world, while developing essential transversal skills, fostering learning and innovation, boosting employability, promoting excellence, and increasing participation in democratic life. Higher education student mobility between Programme Countries (funded under Key Action 1 – Learning Mobility of individuals of the Erasmus+ programme) is the biggest exchange scheme of young people in Europe. In the academic year 2019-2020, 97.4% of the students taking part in stays abroad for study or traineeship purposes were below 30 years old. These young students benefited from a total of 324 000 Erasmus+ student mobility activities. Of those young students, 61% were female and 39% male. Youth Exchanges (funded under Key Action 1 – Learning Mobility of individuals of the Erasmus+ programme) contribute to foster these connections. In the period covered by this report, around 250 000 participants took part in Youth Exchanges and acquired or further developed skills, competences and European values. With a budget allocation of more than EUR 155 million, the action funded more than 6 000 projects, involving participants from Erasmus+ programme and partner countries from all backgrounds, proving the success of this mobility opportunity and the important and stable interest of youth organisations and young people. DiscoverEU started as a citizen’s initiative. As they were travelling across Europe with Interrail, Herr and Speer - two young Europeans - had the idea of providing free travel passes to all 18-year-olds in the European Union. The idea was taken up by the European Parliament, which supported it financially as a Preparatory Action to be implemented by the European Commission. Through the financial support of the European Parliament, the DiscoverEU initiative was born, and it provided 18-year-old young people from all backgrounds with the opportunity to travel around Europe, learn from other cultures, build new friendships with fellow Europeans, and explore their European identity. Organised for the first time in June 2018, young Europeans embraced the opportunity with enthusiasm. Nearly 350 000 young people applied on the European Youth Portal for the almost 70 000 travel passes available over four application rounds in 2018-2019. The rounds foreseen to take place in 2020 had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the young people who were eligible in 2020 will be able to apply under the round foreseen in October 2021. Due to the success of the initiative, the action has been integrated into Erasmus+ (2021-2027), which will allow 18-year-olds from all Erasmus+ programme countries to explore Europe. DiscoverEU aims at fostering the sense of belonging to the European Union of the participants and allows them to explore its cultural diversity. It also seeks to equip the young participants with skills and competences of value to their future lives, as well as inspire them to embrace sustainable travel in particular and environmental conscience in general. Here is what Anna Sophia from Austria says about her experience with DiscoverEU: ‘I learned how to manage my finances well (I used an app for this), how to organise all train connections and overnight stays and most of all I learned about myself. I have become more spontaneous and confident. In addition, I was also able to improve my English.’ TRAVELLED TO SLOVENIA, BULGARIA, CROATIA AND GREECE | Based on lessons learned from the previous programme, the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 is even more inclusive and international. It continues to support lifelong learning and innovative education and training activities in Europe and beyond. It offers reinforced opportunities to take part in learning experiences abroad and cooperation, including new mobility opportunities for school pupils, students, and sport staff. 70% of the Erasmus+ budget supports mobility opportunities in a lifelong learning perspective. The European Student Card Initiative is fundamental in making it as easy as possible for both students and higher education institutions to participate in the Erasmus+ programme. By replacing the paper processes used across Europe to facilitate student mobility with digital and streamlined processes, the initiative constitutes a revolution for the management of student mobility in Europe, making it simpler, more efficient and greener. As part of continuous commitment to increase outreach to young people and youth organisations, the European Commission has launched in November 2020 a revamped European Youth Portal. It aims to be a single multilingual entry point that gives young people and the youth sector an easy access to EU level information and opportunities. The content is adapted to its user needs and based on the new EU Youth Strategy. In a near future, it will also a host a space for exchange and networking. The European Youth Portal remains in the top visited websites of the europa.eu domain with an average of more than 400 000 monthly visits since the revamp and peaks of 1 million visits during DiscoverEU rounds. Major milestones achieved in 2020 included the creation of a revamped Erasmus+ Mobile App, the one-stop-shop for students to access all the information and services they need before, during, and after their exchange abroad. The app allows for a user-friendly and inclusive Erasmus+ programme. Some of its new features include access to information and services, the ability to share tips and deals with other students, as well as trace the mobility of the participants abroad. Up to now, the app has been downloaded over 112 000 times. The European Solidarity Corps mobile app also plays a key role in disseminating information about volunteering opportunities and in enhancing the community building around it. With the app, young people can: ·Apply for volunteering opportunities directly; ·Access a chat feature to exchange with other registrants; ·Publish pictures about their volunteering experience; · Take part in contests.

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