Council Conclusions on the follow-up of the Commission White Paper entitled "A new impetus for European youth"
Date: 2002-05-22
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU programme, European citizenship, consultation procedure, young person

C 119/6

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

22.5.2002

on the follow-up of the Commission White Paper entitled ‘A new impetus for European youth’

COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS

(2002/C 119/04)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Whereas:

(1) The Commission White Paper entitled ‘A new Iimpetus for
European youth’
is the outcome of an extensive consul-
tation process which has been ongoing since the end of
1999. This initiative, which has received the unqualified
backing of the Member States, successive presidencies and
the European Parliament, suggest a new framework for
European cooperation in the youth field.

(2) The Council (Education and Youth) of 29 November 2001
under the Belgian Presidency welcomed with considerable
interest
the White Paper and the
proposals contained in it and proposed further in-depth
discussions aimed at defining the framework for future
cooperation.

the publication of

(3) The White Paper was presented at the seminar in Ghent
from 26 to 28 November 2001, where its importance as a
first stage in the process of establishing a more compre-
hensive, consistent and intersectoral youth policy was
emphasised, in particular by the young.

(4) At the Director-Generals' meeting on 10 December 2001,
discussions on the priorities and methods proposed in the
White Paper, consultations with the young and the desire
to involve candidate countries in the debate were taken a
stage further and the need to define positions and to adopt
decisions in so far as is possible under each Member State's
internal consultation process was put forward,

HAVING REGARD TO the answers given by the Members States
to the questionnaire established by the Presidency on the key
issues of the White Paper:

1. RECOGNISES that the European Commission's White Paper
‘A new impetus for European Youth’, drafted following
extensive consultation with all the relevant actors in the
youth sector and welcomed by the Council (Education and
Youth) on 29 November 2001, implies the creation of a
new European cooperation in youth affairs and provides the
basis for initiating a framework in this sector.

2. CONSIDERS that the approach proposed by the Commission,
namely cooperation in the youth field using the open
method of coordination in a specifically adapted way, and
taking the youth dimension into account in other sectoral
policies are both appropriate and feasible with a view to
intensifying cooperation among States and making the
youth dimension more visible and transparent among
young people throughout Europe.

3. AGREES with the importance of the priorities proposed by
the White Paper in the specific youth field: participation,
volutary service, information and research.

4. WELCOMES the adaptation to the youth field of the open
method of coordination proposed by the White Paper, the
to be defined by the
implementation of which is still
Council, while fully respecting Member States' competence
and in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity,
in
order to strengthen the policy of cooperation in youth
affairs using a flexible approach.

5. STRESSES the need to include the youth dimension in
sectoral policies and programmes both at national and
European level,
in accordance with the priorities set out
in the White Paper, and the need to explore further the
concept of autonomy of young people with a view to
adopting appropriate measures.

6. RECOGNISES the importance of the role of young people in
participating in the cooperation process both at the national
and at the European level.

7. AFFIRMS moreover that the candidate countries be included,
as appropriate, in the cooperation process in the youth field
proposed by the White Paper.

8. UNDERTAKES to pursue work towards drawing up a
timetable, working methods
framework (common goals,
and follow-up)
for cooperation in youth affairs with a
view to adoption at the Council (Education and Youth) at
its forthcoming meeting on 30 May 2002.