EN    EN EN 
 
EN    EN  COMMISSION OF THE E UROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 27.4.2009 
SEC(2009) 548 
  
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
 
accompanying document to the 
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC  AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 
 
An EU Strategy for Youth – Investing and Empowering 
 
A renewed open method of coordination to address youth challenges and opportunities 
  
Analysis of national reports from the Member States of the European Union concerning 
the implementation of th e common objectives for a greater understanding and 
knowledge of youth 
  
{COM(2009) 200} 
{SEC(2009) 545} {SEC(2009) 546} {SEC(2009) 549}  
 
 
EN 2   EN TABLE OF CONTENTS 
1. Introduction................................................................................................................ .. 3 
1.1. Background ................................................................................................................ .. 3 
2. Common objectives...................................................................................................... 3 2.1. Objective 1: Identify - including at local  and regional level - existing knowledge in 
priority areas of the youth field and imple ment measures to supplement, update and 
facilitate access to it ..................................................................................................... 3 
2.2. Objective 2: In a second stage identify - including at local and regional level - 
existing knowledge in further priority ar eas of interest to the youth field and 
implement measures to supplement, update and facilitate access to it ........................ 8 
2.3. Objective 3: Ensure quality, comparabili ty and relevance of knowledge in the youth 
field by using appropriate  methods and tools .............................................................. 9 
2.4. Objective 4: Facilitate and promote exchange, dialogue and networks to ensure 
visibility of knowledge in the youth fi eld and anticipate future needs ...................... 12 
2.5. Consultation of young people .................................................................................... 14 2.6. Difficulties/Suggestions ............................................................................................. 14 3. Conclusions and proposals for the future of evidence-based policy-making ............ 15 
 
EN 3   EN 1.  INTRODUCTION  
On 15 November 2004, the Council adopted co mmon objectives for gr eater understanding 
and knowledge of youth1. In this Resolution the Member States committed themselves to 
report on national contributions to the implemen tation of these common objectives by the end 
of 2008.  
These national reports allow the Commission to  evaluate the progress made by the Member 
States. The Commission has prepar ed this synthesis report, which is one of the documents 
complementing the Commission Communicatio n "Youth: Investing and Empowering." 
At the request of the Member States, the Commission proposed a common structure for the 
national reports, which was endor sed by all parties, but the repor ts differ from one country to 
another. Due to the differences between the various contributions, a detailed comparative 
approach was not possible. 
This report describes the state of implementa tion of the four common objectives concerning 
greater understanding and knowle dge of young people, and pr esents a selection of good 
practices. The report finishes by drawing conc lusions on progress on and further development 
of EU initiatives in the field. Sometimes references to individual Member States are made in the text: these references are to be understood as examples, not as an attempt to rank or 
compare progress. They may not include a ll Member States having similar practices. 
At the time of closing this document 24 Member St ates have sent in th eir reports. Countries 
from the European Economic Area could contri bute on a voluntary basis. Iceland decided to 
take part in this exercise. 
1.1. Background 
One of the aims of the White Paper “A new Impetus for European Youth”
2 was to improve 
public awareness of young people’s concerns. It  recognises the central importance of 
knowledge about and understanding of youth and the realities of young people for informed 
policy making.  
The Council Resolution of 2004 recognised that  a knowledge-based approach to policy 
making is particularly valuable in the youth field, where the si tuation of the younger 
generation in Europe is evolving rapidly, a nd it identified the following general aims: 
facilitating the compilation of studies on yout h matters and the networking of research 
structures, considering what furt her work might be necessary to  support current priorities and 
agreeing on relevant topics for the fu ture as well as on common objectives. 
2. COMMON OBJECTIVES  
2.1. Objective 1: Identify - incl uding at local and regional level - existing knowledge 
in priority areas of the youth field and implement measures to supplement, 
update and facilitate access to it 
Action lines  
                                                 
1 Resolution of the Council and the Representatives of  the Governments of the Member States meeting 
within the Council on common objectives for a greater understanding and knowledge of youth, 
13997/04 of 15 November 2004 
2 COM(2001) 681 final of 21 November 2001 
 
EN 4   EN Seven action lines were agreed for the implementa tion of this objective, four of which address 
the national, regional and local leve ls and three the European level. 
Those referring to the nationa l, regional and local levels concern the identification and 
organisation of existing knowledge in the youth  field for participation, information and 
voluntary activities; the augmentation and regul ar update of knowledge on such themes, (also 
taking into consideration practical knowledge), the facilitation of access to knowledge on such 
themes and information on the corresponding actors, as well as activities to ensure the user-
friendliness of relevant information.  
The European level action lines encourage maki ng the best use of av ailable and relevant 
instruments – such as current and future pr ogrammes in the youth field, Eurobarometer, 
Eurostat and the current and future framewor k research programmes, the dissemination of 
information collected to interested actors, a nd making the best use of  any instrument being 
developed by the Commission in co-ope ration with the Council of Europe.  
Measures taken by Member States  
National strategy and policy on youth related information and knowledge 
There is a significant variety am ong the Member States in relati on to the presence or absence 
of a legal basis, specific strategies, policies a nd systems to encourage ac tivities and structures 
working for better understanding and knowledge of  young people. Few c ountries have robust 
policies and structures in place. One has even explicit support of data obtainment written into 
its Constitution. Two have recently introduced ne w legal acts consolidating the statutory basis 
of youth policy, and thus creating a more system atic approach to youth policy including data 
collection and knowledge provision . Where such robust policies a nd structures exist, results 
are better in term s of increased cooperation between those who provide knowledge and data. 
They also allow for a better fo cus on priority areas. A stronger cross-sectoral approach can 
also be noted.  
The fact that research on young people falls unde r the remit of a number of areas is also a 
challenge, alongside with different  approaches applied by diffe rent governmental bodies and 
institutions. This makes it difficult to iden tify the full range of research outputs. 
It appears that while data and research on yout h are available in all countries, coordination 
and a systematic collection are lacking in most. In addition there often persist also difficulties between the different levels (local, regional, national).  
Institutional ownership and structures in the field of youth research and data collection, 
updating, systematisa tion and dissemination 
The national reports present a significant variety among the Member States in relation to the 
set of institutions engaged in knowledge genera tion on youth related issues. Only in few cases 
there is evidence of a central co-ordination.  
A group of countries have one single body in char ge of youth research, such as specifically 
appointed specialised academic  or other bodies that are re sponsible for undertaking and 
coordinating youth research and data collect ion, sometimes in cooperation with other 
stakeholders. 
In other countries there is a cen tral coordination with a signifi cant part of youth research and 
data being produced by universi ties, specialist research bodi es and networks, government 
agencies, national statistics offices, advisory  councils etc. One c ountry estab lished an 
observatory on young people. Sometimes th e coordination body's remit includes the 
 
EN 5   EN collection, compilation and processing of data and information on young people, as well as 
analyses and publication of data, communicati on of results and support of decision making. 
There are also countries where various gove rnmental institutions, NGOs and research 
organisations are engaged in producing youth re lated research and da ta collection. A few 
countries are rather still at the beginning of th e process, with a regular data collection and 
reporting on youth just starting.  
Existing knowledge in priority  areas of youth policy (inclu ding local and regional): 
participation, information and voluntary activities 
The information available in the national repo rts does not allow getting a comprehensive 
picture of the existing knowledge on the EU pr iorities of participation, information and 
voluntary activities of young people. A general observation is that ex isting knowledge in the 
Member States does not necessarily seem to be organised by priority areas, as proposed by the 
common objectives and action lines. 
Ad hoc reporting, mainly as a contribution to  EU-wide studies and a few national studies, 
seems to be typical for a number of countries.  
Specific Member State actions and measures on information organisation and access to 
knowledge  
The range of actions and measures used by the Member States includes the development of 
national registers, data bases, information systems, on line po rtals accompanied by interactive 
and networking tools, information and couns elling, technical assist ance to the national 
Eurodesk offices, inventories of available re search, developing online reference points and 
special reports that also include lists of releva nt institutions and webs ites as well as available 
EU tools, such as the European Youth Portal. 
National registers and database s are developed to organise and make available knowledge 
about existing volunteering and yout h organisations, with others  providing online networking 
possibilities and information about resear chers working on youth issues. Web-based 
information systems assembling research, stat istical and up-to-date information about youth, 
including interactive tools, are be ing developed in some countries. 
There are examples where the inter-ministeria l young people’s portal was created as a direct 
result of the adoption of the common EU objectives on youth policy. New Member States report about the recent opening of new online portals with information on events, youth policy 
matters, projects, data bases of youth organisations and yout h affair coordinators and 
interactive tools. One country is developing a frame of reference on youth research, building 
an inventory of existing resear ch, facilitating access to existi ng materials and developing new 
research topics. 
Measures at European level
 
The Commission aimed at making the best use of available and relevant instruments. Several 
Eurobarometers on youth were launched, the most recent one in 20073. It gave a good 
overview of young people's interests, views and be haviours in a series of  areas relevant to 
them. Cooperation with Eurostat proved to be fr uitful throughout the year s, and in particular 
when preparing the first European Youth Report,  that is also an a nnex to the Communication 
"Youth: Investing and Empowering".  
                                                 
3 "Looking Behind the Figures: The main results of the Eurobarometer 2007 survey on youth", Office of 
Official Publications of the European Commun ities, Luxemburg, 2007, ISBN 978-92-79-05540-9 
 
EN 6   EN In cooperation with the Council of Europe th e Commission created th e European Knowledge 
Centre (EKCYP) to: 
- transfer knowledge from res earch to policy and practice; 
- provide country information on youth  policy and monitor youth policy;  
- follow up on the implementation of the common objectives under the OMC;  - enhance exchange between researcher s, policy makers and practitioners.  
Its information derives from national correspon dents who provide data and information on 
their countries based on ques tionnaires. EKCYP is financia lly supported by the Youth in 
Action Programme. 
EKCYP was launched in June 2005 under Luxembour g's EU Presidency. It was presented to 
the Youth Ministers at a conf erence in Budapest in Sept ember 2005. Following its launch, 
EKCYP entered into a pilot phase that wa s followed by a number  of improvements. 
Nevertheless, EKCYP does not yet respond to all expectations. The main problems are 
incomplete or not-up-to date country informa tion; need for a more comprehensive overview 
of youth research; lack of compar ative research and a quite vary ing degree of availability of 
correspondents from different Member States . Significant progress has been made in 2008. 
Conclusions
 
Member States have taken a variety of different approach es to identifyi ng, augmenting, 
updating and providing access to information on youth. Policy and institutional frameworks 
and structures are in place or are being deve loped in many countries, and a significant amount 
of valuable research on youth exists. Reporting systems show wi de variations – from regular 
national reports to ad hoc activities focuse d around EU reporting cycles. The EU reporting 
requirement acted as a stimulus encouraging c ountries to engage in youth research and to 
develop and organise existing knowle dge around the agreed priorities. 
However, in many countries work remains to be  done to achieve synerg ies across the various 
policy areas of relevance to youth.  It would also be important to promote, stimulate and 
facilitate wider co-ordination and deeper co -operation between res earch actors and to 
strengthen research networks. 
Significant challenges also remain in terms of achieving a common European understanding 
of descriptors and definitions, which would allow trans-national comparative analysis. 
 
EN 7   EN  
Good practice examples 
Finland has made significant progress in terms of achieving clos er cooperation between the 
formerly unconnected domains of children,  family and youth policy research and 
development. The stress on horizontal youth policy in the Youth Pact in particular stimulates 
increasing research cooperation between youth a nd other social policies.  Youth research is 
coordinated by the Youth Rese arch Society. The Youth Res earch Network, the Advisory 
Council for Youth Affairs, the National Research and Developm ent Centre for Welfare and 
Health (STAKES) and Statistics Finland coope rate in producing youth data and research.  
In France the National Institute of Young People a nd Education (INJEP) promotes research 
in the field of young people and education, pro duces regular reviews containing quantitative 
and qualitative information. INJEP also hos ts the National Observatory on Young People 
(ONJ), which was created in 2008 and has a rem it to collect, compile and process data and 
information on young people, analyse and pub lish data, communicate results and support 
decision making.  
In Flanders in Belgium JOP (Youth Research Platform) play s a central role. Its aim is to 
develop a frame of reference for youth research in Flanders, prepare an inventory of existing 
research, facilitate access to existing mate rials, and develop new research areas.  
Sweden  is in the process of developing an incr easingly cross-sectoral  youth policy and youth 
research approach. Aspects of youth policy are broadly mainstreamed across the full range of 
national policies, and the coll ection, analysis and dissemina tion of knowledge on the living 
conditions of young people is fundamental to  national policies on youth. Approximately 
fifteen government agencies provide data on 80 quality of life indica tors for young people in 
their annual reports. These reports are sent to  the National Board for Youth Affairs, which 
carries out annual in-depth thematic analyses of one or more priority areas. 
In the  Netherlands, “Youth Monitor”, introduced in 2007, is  the main source of statistical 
information. An initiative of the Ministry for Y outh and Families, in collaboration with other 
ministries and Dutch municipali ties, “Youth Monitor” provides information on the situation 
of children and young people concerning importan t policy areas such as  health, diversity, 
justice, lifestyles, education and employment. “Youth Monitor” applies seven indicators that 
give a general overview of the state of youth, while the total set of 60 indicators provides a 
comprehensive picture. 
Forum 21 is an information and communicati ons project implemented jointly between 
France , Germany  and the UK. It has published two reviews:  a European review on the 
politics of children and young people and a Europ ean review of research on children and 
young people. 
Luxembourg has started developing indicato rs in the youth field that re late to concrete issues 
such as the situation of youth on the labour market, violence or  drug use. In the field of non-
formal learning, the validation of the voluntar y service has led to considerations about 
indicators to make compet ences acquired through non-fo rmal learning measurable. 
Poland  has launched a series of research either  exclusively on youth or focusing also on 
youth, such as a survey on career pathways and participation in cultu re and it is planning 
another one on health. 
 
EN 8   EN 2.2. Objective 2 : In a second stage identify - incl uding at local and regional level - 
existing knowledge in further priority areas of interest to the youth field and 
implement measures to supplement, update and facilitate access to it 
Clarification  
Concerning this objective the focus is on the co ntent of the research, which relates to other 
priorities in the youth field than the ones c overed by the first common objective, namely on 
areas such as autonomy, non-formal learni ng, discrimination, education and training, 
employment, entrepreneurship, creativity, transi tion from education to employment, social 
inclusion and health.  
Action lines  
Seven action lines were agreed for the implementa tion of this objective, four of which address 
the national, regional and local levels and three at the European level. 
Those referring to the nationa l, regional and local levels concern the identification and 
organisation of existing knowledge in the youth field for further priority areas of interest such 
as autonomy, non-formal learning, discrimi nation, education and training, employment, 
entrepreneurship, creativity, transition from e ducation to employment, social inclusion and 
health; the augmentation and regular update of knowledge on such themes, (also taking into 
consideration practical knowledge ), the facilitation of access to knowledge on such themes 
and information on the corres ponding actors, as well as activities to ensure the user-
friendliness of relevant information.  
The European level action lines encourage maki ng the best use of av ailable and relevant 
instruments – such as current and future pr ogrammes in the youth field, Eurobarometer, 
Eurostat and the current and future framewor k research programmes, the dissemination of 
information collected to interested actors, a nd making the best use of  any instrument being 
developed by the Commission in co-ope ration with the Council of Europe.  
Measures taken by Member States  
In terms of the information provided in the national reports, there is a lack of specific 
information regarding existing knowledge on priori ties targeted by this objective. Where these 
priority areas are mentioned, they cover a wide  range of topics relating to young people, such 
as values, student rights, employment, transiti on between school and the labour market, social 
integration, social inclusion, training, edu cation, service for young people, marginalised 
youth, recreation and leisure, family life, peer s and relationships, young Roma, health and 
lifestyles of young people. Other research topi cs include inter-gener ational relationships, 
evaluation of the politics of engagement of  young people, independen ce of young people, the 
situation of adolescents and pre- adolescents in society, and the Eur opean awareness of young 
people.  
Structures and processes that  facilitate knowledge mainstream ing in policy making processes 
exist in some countries. An example for such  a structure is a body c onsolidating knowledge 
about youth that is also in ch arge of providing support to y outh policy-making at municipal 
level, which eventually led to the development of a youth service system. Knowledge about youth is also disseminated via conferences an d seminars. Some count ries report that youth 
organisations are involved in these and are consequently consulte d in decision-making.  
Measures at European level
 
The Commission incited that scientific evidence  on issues such as employment, health and 
life-styles be taken on board of EKCYP. The collec tion of data is finalised; they are currently 
 
EN 9   EN being interpreted and will be uploaded into EKCY P at the latest by the end of the year. Other 
topics already covered by EKCYP, apart fr om above-mentioned and apart from the OMC 
priorities, are non-formal learning and antidiscrimination.  
The Youth in Action Programme funded a study on the existing national  practices regarding 
the access of young people to culture. Anothe r “Thematic study on policy measures 
concerning disadvantaged youth” deals with issues , which relate very specifically to one of 
the strands of the European Youth Pact. The Co mmission produced a synthesis of the research 
activities in the youth field, carried out un der the 6th and 7th Research Framework 
Programmes4. 
Conclusions  
Member States routinely collect, compile and make  available a range of statistical data which 
include information about young people – for example health, employment and education. The extent to which this data is  used to conduct res earch on youth in the fu rther priority areas 
is not clear from the reports.  
Cooperation in the youth field goes beyond these issues and as youth policy advances, the 
need for scientific evidence evolves. It is therefore important that research on new priorities is launched and existing and new research is regula rly uploaded into EKCYP so that all Member 
States, European institutions, researchers a nd civil society can easily find and access the 
existing knowledge. 
Good practice examples 
In Ireland  there were a number of publicly supporte d research initiatives and publications 
which have enhanced understanding of diverse aspects of young people’s lives and lifestyles, 
including the priority and ‘further priority’ areas. The latter include the first full-length 
academic text book on young people in Ireland5. It provides a synthesi s of existing research 
into young people in Ireland along with a comme ntary and analysis, and places the Irish 
findings in a comparative European and international context.  
In Slovenia the Youth Office invited several rese archers, youth organisations and young 
people to discuss the issue of qualitative spending of leisure time activities. As a follow-up, a 
publication with contributions fr om different stakeholders was published. The Youth Office is 
also planning a comprehensive research project on youth. 
2.3. Objective 3: Ensure quality, comparability and relevance of knowledge in the 
youth field by using appr opriate methods and tools  
Action lines  
Five action lines were agreed for the implemen tation of this objective,  two of which address 
the national, regional and local leve ls and three the European level. 
Those referring to the national, regional and local levels concern: the development of 
appropriate tools and methods to reinfor ce understanding and knowledge of young people and 
facilitate the exploitation of results as well as the promotion of education and training of 
youth researchers and experts as well as of any other actors developing knowledge in the 
youth field. 
                                                 
4 http://www.ec.europa.eu/research 
5 Lalor, de Róiste and Devlin, 2007 
 
EN 10   EN The European level action lines concern coopera tion to identify and de fine common concepts 
and minimum core content in order to re inforce a common understanding of the defined 
priority themes; co-operation to determine quan titative and qualitative evaluation methods to 
exploit and compare results on commonly id entified themes; and cooperation to better 
identify indicators to evaluate the impact of current and future programmes in the youth field. 
Measures taken by Member States  
Methods and tools to ensure quality, co mparability and relevance of knowledge 
Quality  
Only a few Member States have fairly structur ed processes for quality assurance in place. One 
country reports about an extern al review commission that monito rs the progress and quality of 
youth research. Another Member St ate has an orientation committee in place that carries out a 
pre-quality check in order to  ensure the quality and cohesion with its youth and families 
research programme. Statistical offices re gularly check the quality of their data.  
Some countries make specific reference to evaluation methods. They  report evaluating the 
quality and quantity of research. Where indicators are used they focus on qualitative and statistical indicators. Member States report appl ying indicators on issues such as child well-
being, socio-demographic developments, educat ion outcomes, health, social and emotional 
behaviour, etc. 
Another means of striving for better quality is to ensure that youth research is in the hands of 
professional researchers, that they engage in  continuing professional development and that 
young researchers are supported and helped in their development. Support of young 
researchers once they have obtained their doc tor's degree is one means to interest young 
people in research and make them consider this as their life pathway. There exist also 
measures in the Member States to strive for a higher educational level of those working with 
youth. Other measures aim at improved mobility and exchanges of students and researchers.  
Comparability
 
Advances in information technology have helped ma king in particular data , such as statistics, 
but also research findings more accessible and use r-friendly but also easi er to compare. They 
also allow for an easier coope ration and exchange between th ose who develop statistics.  
Countries also repo rt that a means to gain a greater unde rstanding and knowledge and thus the 
chance to put their own research into a European context, is to participate in European statistics, longitudinal studies, samp le surveys and youth opinion polls.  
At national level the measures to ensure the re levance of youth research vary. One recurrent 
approach is the establishment of committees, pl atforms or expert groups that take stock, 
analyse, synthesise, publish and support exchange, which help s raising the visibility and 
enlarge the outreach of youth research.  
Measures at European level
 
At EU level EKCYP provides tools and networ ks for cooperation to identify and define 
common concepts and minimum core content in order to reinforce a common understanding 
of the defined priority them es. These goals are also su pported by the Commission and 
Member State peer learning activities on participation, information and health. 
The active participation of researchers in European networks such as the European 
Knowledge Centre for Youth Policy (EKCYP) is qualified as being bene ficial for contributing 
to the European database and development of youth policy, but also to  put the own research 
into relation to research activities of other Member States. 
 
EN 11   EN In order to ensure cooperation to better identify indicators to evaluate the impact of current 
and future programmes in the youth field, a Me morandum of Understanding between Eurostat 
and DG EAC was signed in 2006. 
Conclusions  
A range of methods and tools is being applied to youth research across Europe, and the results 
are disseminated in a variety of ways. Some progress has been made in individual Member 
States on developing indicators to monitor and evaluate research. Measures are in place to 
support and develop research capacity on youth issues. 
The impression persists that systematic appro aches are rather rare. The situation of youth 
research appears to be tight in many c ountries, and there are still not enough young 
researchers. 
At EU level more comparative resear ch and descriptors would be needed. 
Good Practice examples 
In its process of developing and drafting  a national youth strategy Hungary  makes sure to 
include quality indicators.  
Austria aims at securing the  quality of statistical data through a se ries of measures, such as 
the introduction and application of international standards a nd scientific validation, the 
promotion of mobility of researchers,  and financial support for research.  
In Germany  the Youth Welfare Association ( Arbeitsgemeinschaft Jugendhilfe , AGJ) 
provides an institutionalised and broad exch ange network for youth researchers and youth 
policy makers. 
Latvia has a system of indicators which was crea ted to evaluate local youth policy and to 
facilitate its implementation. Municipalities can use the indicators to evaluate the local 
situation with respect to youth work, identify fields where developments can be made and 
ensure implementation of targeted youth policy. The indicators include both qualitative and 
quantitative data. 
The German-speaking communit y, and in particular the Jugendbüro  (Youth Office), of 
Belgium  attributes importance to th e use of international compara tive studies, such as the Pisa 
study, exchanges with yout h research experts from other regi ons in Belgium as well as from 
other countries. 
In the Czech Republic  quantitative and qualitative surveys on various topics of relevance to 
young people are used to monitor the situation of young people. Th e results of these surveys 
are published and made public, which helps achie ving a higher visibility of youth research. 
In Lithuania  the Department of Youth Affairs has promoted youth research among young 
people by implying them directly into research pr ojects. It financed proj ects and initiatives for 
youth and youth organisations by  launching a call for proposals on “Participation of Youth in 
the Creation of Knowledge Society”. This resulte d in a number of pilot projects in several 
regions and municipalities, wh ere the situation of youth was analysed and comprehensive 
knowledge gathered. This pilot project encourag ed other municipalities to carry out similar 
analyses on their own initiativ e. It thus contributed to making youth research known to a 
larger public and in particul ar to those concerned by it. 
Malta  plans to launch a major youth research projec t this year in which it will invest a 
significant amount of funding and whose aim is to facilitate the coll ection, analysis and 
 
EN 12   EN dissemination of information about youth on the Maltese islands. The results will be collected 
and analysed and political and practi cal action will be taken accordingly. 
In the Slovak Republic  an expert group focusing on youth research was established in 2007 
under the supervision of the National Youth In stitute (IUVENTA) and the Slovak Agency for 
Youth Research. This expert  group monitors and evalua tes surveys among young people, 
provides methodological help and individual consultations, pub lishes research outcomes but 
also information about theoreti cal and methodological issues and procedures and standardised 
research techniques for different  areas of young people’s lives. In  this way it has helped to 
raise awareness, visibility a nd relevance of youth research and has improved its quality. 
2.4. Objective 4: Facilitate and promote exch ange, dialogue and networks to ensure 
visibility of knowledge in the youth  field and anticipate future needs  
Action lines  
Four action lines were agreed for the implementa tion of this objective, three of which address 
the national, regional and local leve l, and one the European level. 
Those referring to the national, regional and lo cal levels concern: the development of national 
networks between policy makers, resear chers, young people and their organisations; 
discussing future needs, trends within thes e networks and identifying new priorities and 
methods; and promoting cross-sectoral c ooperation, exchanges and dialogue between 
different sectors and knowledge areas (t hrough conferences, seminars and events). 
The European level action line concerns coor dination of the national networks through the 
setting up by the Commission in cooperation w ith the Council of Europe, of a European 
Union Network of Youth Knowledge. 
Measures taken by Member States  
The situation concerning networks between policy makers, researchers, young people and 
their organisation differs from one country to an other. At best networks  of all relevant youth 
stakeholders exist. Sometimes specific organi sations are set up, such as youth institutes, a 
youth curator, a consultative commission, a council for youth affairs or for youth policy 
coordination or a research gr oup. There are also countries that have neither formal nor 
permanent networks but which organise regular  meetings with stakeholders, seminars or 
consultations. 
The work of networks, structures or consultin g bodies, where they exist, is extensive and 
comprises advising the government on policy development, developing research and 
procedures in the youth field, dialogue, mutual exchange and information but also training 
and project-based work.  
When it comes to cross-sectoral cooperation, it ta kes at best place in the framework of cross-
sectoral, multi-disciplinary netw orks of policy-makers, research ers and civil society. Some of 
the countries that do no have fully-fledged co operation structures in  place ad hoc dialogue, 
exchange and cooperation on youth issues take place across different policy and research 
fields. 
It is interesting to not e that scientific coopera tion between different countries seems to be well 
developed, as countries refer to trans-national or inte rregional interdiscip linary networks, such 
as between Scandinavian countries. The Eu ropean Youth Information and Counselling 
Agency (ERYICA) is mentioned as posit ive example for providing European-wide 
information and knowledge about youth and to  provide a useful exchange network. 
Measures at European level  
 
EN 13   EN The Commission has created the European Network of Youth Knowledge (EUNYK), the 
network of policy makers, young people and resear chers to help with the implementation of 
the common objectives. This network gathers in Brussels at least once a year. It advices the Commission on youth policy issues and contribute d to the reflections on the future of youth 
policy. Member States reported that EUNYK has in spired the setting up of  research structures 
at national level.  
In July 2006 the Finnish Presidency organise d, in cooperation w ith researchers and young 
people, a youth event in Hyvinkää that was co-funded by the YOUTH programme. This event 
enabled tripartite discussions between po licymakers, researchers and young people.  
Conclusions
 
In general Member States acknowledge the EU's  driving force in the matter and the common 
objectives' impetus for the development of national networks. 
The national reports reveal a diverse range of ne tworks, from formally established ones to ad 
hoc groups. Member States recognis e the necessity of youth resear ch, yet it would need to be 
organised in a more systematic way in most countries. 
At EU level EUNYK was created, but need s more support from Member States.  
Good Practice 
In Spain  INJUVE, a public institute unde r the Ministry for Equality brings together different 
administrative departments and act ors in the youth field with th e aim of promoting activities 
in favour of young people. It also aims at fac ilitating international exchange and access to 
knowledge and experiences in the youth field. It has also created  a prize for researchers who 
focus their doctoral thesis on youth  
In Bulgaria  the State Agency for youth and sports developed “Compass”, a national network, 
which provides the opportunity for online exchange of information between actors in the 
youth field at national and region al level. This networking faci lity was used when a national 
debate entitled “Structured Di alogue and Young People in Bulgaria” was held. A result of the 
discussions and suggestions made was the drafting of a Y outh Declaration.  
Greece has established a network focusing on youth entrepreneurship. This Observatory for 
Youth Entrepreneurship and Yout h Entrepreneurship Structures brings together the relevant 
actors in this particular field, aiming at encouraging young people to become young 
entrepreneurs. It promotes information a nd gives guidance on youth entrepreneurial and 
employment issues. Apart from th at it also offers training.  
Portugal  has created a web portal in the youth fiel d that aims at setting up a virtual youth 
community and at strengthening links, also at in ternational level. It contains a wealth of 
information about the youth field.  
In Estonia  the Ministry of Education and Resear ch is developing a network of youth 
researchers. Its main partner is the Youth Res earch Institute. There are also a number of 
research groups established that conduct rese arch projects, which deal with knowledge 
creation in the youth field; these are financed  from both the Estonian science financing 
schemes and the international financing schemes.  
Italy is, through ISFOL - Istituto per lo sviluppo della formazione professionale dei 
lavoratori  (Institute for the development of professional training of workers) actively engaged 
in international research and information ne tworks, such as “ReferNet”, a structured, 
decentralised, networking system of collection,  documentation and dissemination of research 
and information. "ReferNet" contributes to developing a common approach to research 
 
EN 14   EN through exchanges and with the aim of transpar ency, synergies and dissemination of national 
and European vocational education and traini ng research through a specific database. It 
involves raising awareness and di sseminating results of  the activities of th e European Centre 
for the Development of Vo cational Training (Cedefop). 
Iceland  reports that a major turning point for yout h research was the establishment of an 
Institute of Educational Studies which c onducted a landmark nationwide survey among youth 
aged 14 to 20 years. With the more general youth surveys being later handed over to the 
Icelandic Centre for Social Research and Analys is, a non-profit research centre specialising in 
youth research and special research for policym akers, and its association to the School of 
Health and Education at Reykjavik Universit y, Iceland has good experien ces with the creation 
of research structures that explici tly allow for a focus on youth research. 
2.5. Consultation of young people  
There is very little evidence that Member States have consulted young people when their 
reports on the implementation of the common objectives on better kn owledge and greater 
understanding were prepared. Only few Member St ates refer to such c onsultations and most 
of those which do give information about how young people are consulted in general in their 
countries. 
2.6. Difficulties/Suggestions  
Difficulties  
Changes of administrative structures at all leve ls and reorganisations are sometimes perceived 
as a reason for the lack of ability to build con tinuous and permanent structures in the 
knowledge of the youth field. 
A lack of cross-sectoral coope ration on youth issues and conse quently also on youth research 
is mentioned by a number of countries. Reasons mentioned are a lack of coordination between 
different departments, lack of cooperation be tween relevant institutions but also between 
different research fields and researchers themselves. Member States express themselves in 
favour of a better integration of youth activities, including better kno wledge across policy 
areas. There is also the wish for improved c ooperation between youth policy, youth research 
and youth work.  
Other difficulties that Member States report ar e a lack of reliable and comparable data. There 
is also regret of a lack of studies, surv eys and opinion polls aimed at young people. The 
balance between qualitative and quantitative research is a ddressed. Some find national 
evaluation for the identification of new youth resear ch areas insufficient a nd regret the lack of 
central steering and coordination of contents of youth research. Anothe r weakness highlighted 
is the lack of a young generation of  researchers, which is partic ularly problematic given that 
"youth" is the subjec t matter in question. 
Suggestions  
Reliable and comparable data concerning youn g people are one major demand of Member 
States. Another demand was that for the elabor ation of a European youth report – a proposal 
that the Commission has anticipa ted by presenting the first Eur opean Youth Report as another 
annex to the current Communication "Youth: Investing and Empowering", to which this 
report is also an annex.  
 
EN 15   EN EU Research should be reinforced. Cooperatio n with the Commission' s Directorate-General 
for Research has led to different youth specific projects under the 5th and 6th Research 
Framework Programme, and DG Research has r ecently finalised a Policy Review "European 
Research on Youth", which distils some common recurring themes which are of interest to 
policymakers Under the 7th Research Framework Programme the programme on research for 
socio-economic sciences and humanities includ ing youth has launched in 2008 a cluster of 5 
research projects on "Youth and social exclus ion", testifying to the importance the EC 
attaches to this domain. Further projectys in  "Democratic ownership and participation" are 
ongoing and proposals on "Education and Training" have been invited In order to further 
reinforce the EU's Research e fforts, priorities, such as yout h and entrepreneurship, youth and 
health, youth and culture, economic value of volunt eering, trends in polit ical participation, 
education and employment,poverty could featur e in the research working programme 2010-
2013. The Youth in Action Programme could support studies relevant for the EU strategy for 
young people. 
Another proposal of the Member  States targets a strong and su stainable infrastructure for 
youth research; some call it an observatory fo r youth research. From this point of view 
EKCYP is a good starting point for the collection of data. Based on stru ctures like Eurydice 
and in cooperation with the Council of Europe  a better exploitation of those data will be 
considered by the European Commission.  
A strengthened cooperation between policy, practi ce and research at national and European 
level is proposed, with a stronge r implication of civil society and young people. There is also 
strong desire to develop better tools for shari ng research results between the Member States, 
to create more opportunities for meetings a nd exchanges between researchers and for more 
joint working between researchers from Member  States. Apart from that the promotion of 
regional cooperation networks is proposed. 
3. CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSALS FOR THE FUTURE OF EVIDENCE -BASED POLICY -
MAKING  
Evidence-based policy making is appropriate, it ev en is a necessity, but in order for policy to 
actually make use of scientific  evidence the latter must be timely and respond swiftly to 
concrete needs as they occur. Po licymakers must have the tools to be able to rapidly respond 
to societal challenges. In order to identify a nd anticipate them, it is primordial to bring all 
actors together on a regular basis.  
Member States evaluate the common object ives for better knowledge and a greater 
understanding as a useful incen tive towards stepping up evidence-based policy making in the 
youth field. The common objectives  appear to have supported c ountries with an already well 
developed research approach and network to fo cus their efforts and to reinforce their cross-
border cooperation within the EU . In countries with a relative ly new or less developed youth 
research they incited action and he lped orientate their efforts.  
While progress has been made since the adoptio n of the common objectives in 2004 and lots 
of good practices exist, much is still to be done in this field. As a firs t measure it is proposed 
to confirm the common objectives and to identify  action lines on which the focus would be in 
the coming years.  
The major challenge seems to be a coordinated a pproach to youth research  that brings all the 
actors in the field – policy makers, research er, civil society, youth workers, young people, 
business and private sponsors, a nd any other relevant actors – t ogether in a joint effort to 
identify, streamline and focus youth research. Anot her issue is the identification of topics for 
 
EN 16   EN youth research. Of course, there will always be  specific national research needs, but there 
should also joint content priorities  be set. In th is context it is proposed to  focus scientific work 
in the youth field on the new topics proposed in the Communi cation "Youth: Investing and 
Empowering". 
The creation of networks that encompass all relevant actors in the youth field and in other 
policy fields of relevance for youth is an inev itable pathway towards be tter bringing together 
needs for scientific evidence and actual research projects. 
It appears to be important  that a cross-sectoral and, in the be st case, a cross-bor der approach is 
chosen. Cooperation between researchers from diffe rent disciplines and countries needs to be 
encouraged. The involvement of  young researchers as well as their development should be 
reinforced and future career perspectives should be made much more attractive.  
Once the research has been carried  out, it is important to make it known to the largest possible 
public across the EU. To this end all actors sh ould develop the habit of putting new research 
on the European Knowledge Centre for Youth Po licy (EKCYP). Only in this way it can live 
up to its convocation of becoming a real  centre of European youth policy knowledge. 
Research costs money. Member States report about  financial and human resource difficulties 
when it comes to youth research. New ways of thinking are encouraged; new sponsors, such 
as foundations, charities and even from i ndustry need to be found, cross-sectoral, 
multidisciplinary and cross-border cooperation might help share costs and knowledge. New 
ways and means of communication and new technologies need to be used more. 
The need for descriptors/indicators in the yout h policy field has been underlined by Member 
States in their reports. While Member States are encouraged to develop national indicators, 
the Commission will set up a group of interested Member States, researchers and stakeholders 
to elaborate indicators. This group will ta ke the work of the peer learning group on 
participation and information further, but will no t exclude elaborating indicators also for other 
priorities.  
EKCYP has helped facilitate acces s to scientific research in th e youth field but it has not yet 
achieved fully its objectives. It is proposed to not create ne w structures. Correspondents must 
be able to dedicate time to update and upload information regularly. A strong commitment from all Member States towards EKCYP is nece ssary to concentrate on the core tasks, which 
are to: 
- Complete country information  - Enlarge youth policy information  - Provide more and comparative research  - Improve availability of correspondents. As Member States expressly approve of the EUNYK network, it is proposed to reinforce it. 
Apart from the annual meetings it is proposed to also call meetings on specific topics, as 
occasions arise and according to new developments.  
It is proposed to launch a pilot project with Eurydice
6 The pilot project c ould consist of the 
production of an overview of existing major ev idence on important issues of youth policy, 
such as participation, information, voluntary activities, health, etc.  
                                                 
6 An EU institutional network for gathering, monitoring, processing and circulating reliable and readily 
comparable information on education systems and policies 
 
EN 17   EN Concluding, it can be stated that  a paradigm shift is needed from collecting better knowledge 
to actively promoting the outreach of the special ised scientific eviden ce in the youth field to 
other policy areas.