Communication from the Commission to the Council - Follow-up to the White Paper on a New Impetus for European Youth. Proposed common objectives for the participation and information of young people, in response to the Council Resolution of 27 June 2002 regarding the framework of European cooperation in the youth field
Date: 2003-04-11
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, European citizenship, European cooperation, access to information, dissemination of information, social participation, young person, youth policy

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 11.4.2003
COM(2003) 184 final

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL

Follow-up to the White Paper on a New Impetus for European Youth. Proposed
common objectives for the participation and information of young people, in response to
the Council Resolution of 27 June 2002 regarding the framework of European
cooperation in the youth field

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL

Follow-up to the White Paper on a New Impetus for European Youth. Proposed
common objectives for the participation and information of young people, in response to
the Council Resolution of 27 June 2002 regarding the framework of European
cooperation in the youth field

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.

1.1.

1.2.

1.3.

2.

2.1.

2.2.

Introduction.................................................................................................................. 3

Proposals to follow up the White Paper on Youth....................................................... 3

Proposals which reflect the will to work together........................................................ 3

Proposals to complement other political measures ...................................................... 4

Common objectives to enhance the participation of young people ............................. 5

Greater participation by young people in the life of the community in which they live6

Greater participation by young people in the mechanisms of representative
democracy .................................................................................................................... 6

2.3.

Learning to participate ................................................................................................. 7

3.

3.1.

3.2.

3.3.

Common objectives to improve information for young people ................................... 7

Improving young people’s access to information services .......................................... 8

Provision of quality information .................................................................................. 9

Enhancing young people's participation in the shaping and dissemination of
information................................................................................................................... 9

4.

Implementing and monitoring mechanisms ............................................................... 10

2

1.

INTRODUCTION

1.1.

Proposals to follow up the White Paper on Youth

These proposals for common objectives follow on from the  White  Paper on  a  New
Impetus for European Youth1, approved by the Commission on 21 November 2001,
and the Council Resolution of 27 June 2002 setting a new framework for cooperation
in the youth field2.

In  this  Resolution,  the  Council  calls  for  an  open  method  of  coordination  to  be
applied, initially, to two priorities, the participation and information of young people.
The Council gives the Commission a mandate to draw up draft  common objectives
on  the  basis  of  a  report  on  the  situation  in  all  the  Member  States.  The  present
Communication proposes common objectives to the Council, in accordance with this
mandate.

The Member States' decision to apply the open method of coordination in the field of
youth  policy  to  these  two  priorities  is  an  indication  of  their  desire  to  enhance
cooperation on policy implementation and monitoring in these two areas. Their view
is that it must be applied "with a flexible approach in a manner suited  to the youth
field, with due regard for the competencies of the Member States and the principle of
subsidiarity”.3

In accordance with its mandate, the Commission drew up a detailed questionnaire for
each  of  these  two  priorities,  in  consultation  with  the  Member  States.  These
questionnaires were sent to the Member States and also to the candidate countries, as
the  Council  Resolution  provides  for  candidate  countries  to  be  “associated  with  the
framework of European cooperation in the youth field”.

The  questionnaires  are  based  on  a  common  approach  and  have  the  same  general
structure;  they  start  with  basic  information  on  the  situation  and  legislation  in  each
country  and  go  on  to  ask  about  general  trends  in  current  national  policy  and
examples  of  good  practice.  Finally,  Member  States  are  asked  to  specify  their
expectations at European level.

In view of the commitment made to consult young people, the consultation methods
adopted nationally also have to be specified.

The Commission,  for its part, consulted the European Youth Forum  before  making
its proposals.

1.2.

Proposals which reflect the will to work together

The  ways  in  which  the  questions  were  handled  and  the  answers  given  varied  from
one country to another,  depending on  national  youth  policy  and  the  ways  in  which
young people were involved. The data, arguments, proposals and examples of good

1

2

3

COM (2001) 681 final.
OJ C 168, 13.07.2002.
Council Resolution of 27.06.2002.

3

                                                
practice constituted a wealth of interesting material  for the  Commission services to
use in their analytical report.4

The  proposed  common  objectives  are  a  result  of  analysing  the  answers  from  the
countries  consulted.  In  its  Resolution  of  27.06.2002,  the  Council  invites  the
Commission “to draw up […] a questionnaire for each priority, including key issues,
[…] to prepare, on the basis on the answers of the Member States, a synthesis report
for  each  priority  […]  and  to  present  to  the  Council  drafts  for  common  objectives
[...]”. These objectives are based on the Member States' answers to questions about
their  own  situation  and  their  expectations  at  European  level.  They  are  the  result  of
the  common  approach  developed  by  all  the  countries  consulted  and  reflect  the
consensus resulting from analysis of the answers. An overall objective, divided into
three sub-objectives, is proposed for each of the thematic priorities.

As  in  the  case  of  the  open  method  of  coordination  in  the  field  of  education,  the
measures which are proposed to achieve these objectives are indicated.

1.3.

Proposals to complement other political measures

Europe of knowledge

The development of political cooperation in the youth field, a key element of which
is  the  setting  of  objectives,  will  help  to  implement  the  strategic  objective  of  the
European  Councils  of  Lisbon  and  Barcelona  to  make  Europe  “the  world’s  most
competitive and dynamic knowledge economy”.

Lifelong learning is an important part of this strategy, which is designed to improve
knowledge  and  professional  qualifications  and  also  to  enhance  the  awareness  and
civic and social commitment of citizens.

In  this  context,  non-formal  and  informal  education  is  fundamental,  not  only  to
improved  competitiveness  but  also  to  social  integration,  personal  development  and
active citizenship.5

Youth policies contribute greatly to the non-formal education of young people. These
policies - and young people themselves - give priority to two areas, participation and
information.

The  common  objectives  proposed  are  also  inspired  by  experience  of  the  YOUTH
programme and will be taken into account when the new generation of programmes
on education, training and youth are being prepared.

4

5

Analytical  report  of  the  responses  of  the  Member  States  to  the  Commission  questionnaires  on
participation  and  information  of  young  people  —  working  document  for  the  Commission  services
(SEC(2003) 465).
Council Resolution of 27 June 2002 on lifelong learning, OJ C 163, 09.07.2002.

4

                                                
Citizenship and governance

Information is a prerequisite for the participation so eagerly sought by young people.

Enabling  young  people  to  play  a  fuller  part  and  providing  them  with  more
information  will  contribute  to  the  broader  objective  of  active  citizenship  and  will
help to "bring citizens,  and primarily  the  young, closer  to the  European design  and
the European institutions”.6

The  "openness"  and  "participation"  objectives  of  the  White  Paper  on  Governance
also  include  youth  participation  and  information.  According  to  the  White  Paper  on
Youth, "youth is an area in which ... these principles should apply":

– 

– 

openness:  providing  information  and  active  communication  for  young
people, in their language, so that they understand the workings of Europe
and of the policies which concern them;

participation: ensuring young people are consulted and more involved in
the  decisions  which  concern  them  and,  in  general,  in  the  life  of  their
communities.

2.

COMMON OBJECTIVES TO ENHANCE THE PARTICIPATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE

We all know that, in a rapidly evolving social context, where the long-term trend is
towards  ageing  European  populations  and  young  people  becoming  increasingly
removed  from  traditional  forms  of  political  life,  the  active  citizenship  of  young
people is in jeopardy.

The  concept  of  active  citizenship  for  young  people  implies  full  and  complete
participation in society, commitment and an ability to practise that citizenship.

The  way  in  which  young  people  participate  in  society  evolves  with  changes  in  the
state  of  representative  and  participatory  democracy  and  the  ways  in  which  it  is
practised.

If  young  people  are  to  be  active  and  responsible  citizens,  on  a  par  with  the  rest  of
society,  it  is  essential  to  recognise  and  support  the  various  ways  in  which  they  do
participate  within  their  own  environment,  to  enhance  their  relations  with  the
mechanisms  of  representative  democracy  and  to  help  them  take  advantage  of  the
available opportunities for participation.

The Commission proposes, as an overall objective for participation, that measures
to encourage young people to be active citizens should be instituted and supported
and  that  their  effective  participation  in  democratic  life  should  be  reinforced.  To
achieve this overall objective, the following three sub-objectives are proposed:

– 

greater  participation  by  young  people  in  the  life  of  the  community  in  which
they live;

6

Laeken Declaration, 14-15.12.2001.

5

                                                
– 

greater  participation  by  young  people  in  the  mechanisms  of  representative
democracy;

– 

learning to participate.

2.1.

Greater  participation  by  young  people  in  the  life  of  the  community  in  which
they live

Citizenship  develops,  in  the  first  instance,  through  a  young  person's  experiences  in
the  immediate  environment  -  family,  school,  leisure  time  and  work.  The  local
voluntary sector and NGOs also have a major role to play. It is important to ensure
that  young  people,  regardless  of  their  social,  economic  or  cultural  situation,  their
habits and the places they frequent, have an opportunity to play a greater part in the
life of their community.

The following lines of action are proposed:

(cid:1)  promote  the  involvement  of  young  people  in  participatory  structures  (NGOs,
associations,  voluntary  organisations,  etc.)  and  support  youth  NGOs,  while
respecting their independence and their autonomy;

(cid:1)  recognise  young  people  as  citizens  and  independent  people  by  supporting
activities, measures  and projects which  involve  young  people  directly  in  finding
solutions to local problems;

(cid:1)  be  more  aware  of,  publicise  and  support  the  work  done  for  young  people  by

parents, social workers and other relay persons;

(cid:1)  identify  more  carefully  the  obstacles  which  prevent  specific  groups  from
participating and foster measures and mechanisms which will encourage all young
people to take part in the life of a citizen, bearing gender issues in mind.

2.2.

Greater  participation  by  young  people  in  the  mechanisms  of  representative
democracy

Representative democracy is one of the cornerstones of our societies. A lot depends
on  young  people  taking  an  active  part.  Society  must,  therefore,  provide  a  better
response to the aspirations and needs of young people if it wants them to accept the
traditional  mechanisms  of  democracy.  This  cannot  be  done  without  a  change  in
attitude and behaviour. For young people to hold sway in places of decision-making
and political influence, dialogue, above all, is essential. The political authorities must
make sure that young people are more involved in the mechanisms of representative
democracy.

The following lines of action are proposed:

(cid:1)  intensify and develop regular and structured dialogue between political bodies and
young  people  and  their  representative  structures  (national  and  regional  youth
councils, European Youth Forum);

(cid:1)  ensure  that  this  dialogue  also  includes  young  people  who  are  not  in  structured

organisations, and that these organisations take their needs into account;

6

(cid:1)  support  mechanisms  to  develop  all  types  of  dialogue,  in  order  to  bring  young

people closer to political decision-making;

(cid:1)  improve  the  links  between  the  various  levels  of  representation  and  dialogue  at

both local and European level;

(cid:1)  ensure  that  young  people  carry  more  weight  and  have  a  greater  presence  in
electoral  processes:  encourage  young  people  to  register  as  electors;  encourage
them to go along and vote; open the political parties to young people; make sure
there are more young people in elected bodies;

(cid:1)  identify  more  carefully  and  study  the  obstacles  to  the  participation  of  young
people  in  the  mechanisms  of  representative  democracy  and  foster  measures  and
mechanisms  which will encourage  all  young people  to  take  part,  bearing  gender
issues in mind.

2.3.

Learning to participate

All  young  people  should  be  able  to  develop  their  potential,  find  their  identity  and
develop their ability to play an active part in society. Education plays a decisive part
in this process because the ability to participate is learnt, particularly at school, which
is  one  of  the  first  places  where  young  people  socialise  outside  the  family.
Experiences in the field of non-formal education also make a major  contribution to
personal  development  and  active  citizenship.  The  conditions  for  learning  to
participate must be created.

The following lines of action are proposed:

(cid:1)  develop and intensify training in participation within the formal education systems
(in line with the objectives approved for the open coordination method applied to
education);

(cid:1)  support  the  development  of  action  in  the  field  of  non-formal  and  informal

education to enable young people to play an active role;

(cid:1)  develop interaction between formal, non-formal and informal education;

(cid:1)  foster  experiences  of  participation  developed  in  the  places  where  young  people
live, whether this is within  the  family  or  at  school,  university,  other  educational
institutions or work;

(cid:1)  promote awareness of the benefits to all of the participation of committed young
people  and  combat  prejudices  against  young  people  which  prevent  them  from
playing an effective part;

(cid:1)  analyse  more  carefully  the  phenomena  which  lead  to  the  exclusion  of  certain

groups and encourage approaches focused on prevention.

3.

COMMON OBJECTIVES TO IMPROVE INFORMATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Information  tailored  to  the  needs  of  young  people  enables  them  to  participate  in
public life and develop an active sense of citizenship. This is a necessary  condition

7

for participation, albeit an insufficient one. Such information is also aimed at those
who come into contact with young people, such as parents, teachers, youth workers,
young leaders, youth information officers, librarians etc.

Member  States  are  primarily  responsible  for  keeping  young  people  informed  –
 including on European issues. They nevertheless voice the need to enhance learning
from  each  other  through  a  structured  exchange  of  experience  and  good  practice,
thereby strengthening the European dimension of youth information.

With regard to information, the Commission proposes a global objective: improving
young  people's  access  to  quality  information  in  order  to  enhance  their
participation in public life and their development as active and responsible citizens
in an enlarged European Union. This global objective should be achieved through
the implementation of the following three sub-objectives:

– 

– 

– 

improving young people’s access to information services;

provision of quality information;

enhancing  young  people's  participation  in  the  shaping  and  dissemination  of
information.

3.1.

Improving young people’s access to information services

Many Member States have developed specific youth information services responsible
for the  shaping and dissemination of  information  and  advice.  Very  often,  however,
these  services  are  not  adequately  developed  and  there  is  a  lack  of  coordination
between  the  various  actors  and  levels  involved.  Access  to  information  services  for
young people, especially those who are disadvantaged, must be improved.

The following lines of approach should be taken:

(cid:1)  enhancing  the  development  of  structured,  holistic,  coherent  and  coordinated
information  supply  services  in  the  Member  States  which  take  into  consideration
the specific needs of young people, particularly by

– 

– 

effectively  coordinating  and  linking  the  various  services  at  the  various
national, regional and local levels;

establishing links with existing information services at European level in
order  to  improve  dissemination  of  European  information  at  national,
regional and local levels;

(cid:1)  providing  information  services  on  the  spot  which  are  free  of  charge,  easily
accessible and geared to the behaviour, environment and needs of young people;

(cid:1)  enabling  particularly  disadvantaged  young  people  to  have  equal  access  to
information, and avoiding any form of discrimination or exclusion for economic,
social, cultural or geographical reasons;

(cid:1)  developing  national  and  regional  youth  portals  linked  to  the  European  Youth

Portal and thus contributing to:

8

– 

– 

the  development  of  a  network  of  interconnected  youth  information
portals;

the relaying  of information  on European issues to the national,  regional
and local levels.

3.2.

Provision of quality information

The information products offered to  young people are often of poor quality,  do  not
always  reach  the  target  group  in  question,  fail  to  make  adequate  use  of  new
technologies  and  make  only  a  limited  contribution  to  enhancing  young  people’s
participation in society. In addition, staff working in the fields of youth information
and counselling need to be trained. High quality is a prerequisite for providing young
people with information efficiently.

The following lines of approach should be taken:

(cid:1)  developing  a  code  of  standards  in  the  area  of  information  provision  and
counselling  services  for  young  people,  particularly  by  establishing  common
quality criteria and quality control mechanisms, and improving the education and
training  of  those  working  in  the  field  of  youth  information,  particularly  with
regard to

– 

– 

– 

the use of new technologies;

the acquisition of language skills; and

enhancing the European dimension of youth information;

(cid:1)  improving  the  link  between  information  and  counselling  with  the  aim  of
encouraging  a  learning  and  capacity-building  process  among  young  people  on
how to obtain, select and evaluate information in order to become informed users
of information;

(cid:1)  encouraging greater use of the “new media” such as the Internet, mobile phones,
video, cinema etc. in youth information in order to reach as many young people as
possible.

3.3.

Enhancing  young  people's  participation  in  the  shaping  and  dissemination  of
information

In  order  to  ensure  that  youth  information  is  readily  accessible,  non-discriminatory
and  geared  to  young  people’s  environment  and  needs,  especially  those  who  are
disadvantaged, youth organisations and young people themselves have to be involved
at  all  levels  in  the  preparation  and  implementation  of  youth  information  strategies
and participate in the shaping and dissemination of information.

The following lines of approach should be taken:

(cid:1)  involvement  of  youth  organisations  at  European,  national,  regional  and  local
levels in the development and implementation of youth information strategies;

9

(cid:1)  appropriate involvement of young people in the provision of youth information in

order to

– 

– 

produce  understandable  and  user-friendly  youth  information  products
adapted to the needs of young people; and

target  youth  information  at  specific  groups  of  young  people,  especially
those who are disadvantaged.

(cid:1)  encouraging  greater  involvement  of  young  people  in  the  dissemination  of  youth
information  (particularly  in  youth  information  centres,  schools,  clubs  and  the
media)  and  in  counselling  their  peers,  especially  those  who  have  difficulties  in
gaining access to information and advice.

4.

IMPLEMENTING AND MONITORING MECHANISMS

Implementing  and  monitoring  the  common  objectives  is  part  of  the  open
coordination  method,  particularly  the  method  set  up  in  the  Council  Resolution  on
Youth.

Implementation  and  monitoring  must  be  flexible  and  adapted  to  young  people  and
must respect the competences of the Member States and principle of subsidiarity, in
the  same  way  as  the  setting  of  objectives,  in  line  with  the  Council  guidelines.  The
following principles and mechanisms are proposed:

The  Member  States  must  agree  to  achieve  all  the  common  objectives  proposed  for
participation and information, which form a coherent and indivisible whole.

Each Member State must decide on the implementing and monitoring measures to be
applied at national level, on the basis of its own situation in relation to the common
objectives.

The principle of mutual information and regular exchanges between Member States
on  their  approaches, progress achieved  and  good  practice  could  be  applied  through
regular meetings between the Directors-General for Youth, according to a timetable
set in advance. Any preparatory work required could be done by working groups on
the basis of the lines of action set out.

The  principle  of  involving  young  people  and  their  representative  structures  in  this
work at national and European level must be respected in an appropriate way by the
relevant authorities.

It  is  proposed  that  the  Member  States  should  draw  up  national  reports  on  the
implementation  of  the  two  priorities,  participation  and  information,  in  2005.  The
Commission will then use these as a  basis for  drawing up a progress report  for the
Council. On the basis of the Commission's proposals, the Council will confirm, adapt
or amend the common objectives for these two priorities.

These proposals for common objectives will be sent to the European Parliament, the
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.

10