Conclusions by the Council of 21 February 2005 on Youth in the framework of the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy
Date: 2005-02-21
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: European Council, youth policy

7.4.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 85/5

CONCLUSIONS BY THE COUNCIL

of 21 February 2005

on Youth in the framework of the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy

(2005/C 85/02)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to:

the objective, set by the Lisbon European Council on 23
and 24 March 2000 and reaffirmed by the Stockholm
European Council on 23 and 24 March 2001, of making
the European Union ‘the most competitive and dynamic
knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable
economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social
cohesion’;

the White Paper ‘A new impetus for European youth’,
adopted by the Commission on 21 November 2001,
which recognises that
‘This strategy sets new goals for
different policy fields which are closely related to youth, such as
education, employment, social inclusion, information and civil
society’;

the Council Resolution of 27 June 2002 adopting, on
the basis of the aforementioned White Paper, the open
method of coordination as a new framework for coop-
eration in the youth field and proposing the inclusion of
the youth dimension in other policies and programmes;

for multicultural integration in terms of competitiveness,
sustainable growth and social cohesion;

8.

9.

the importance of a concerted, cohesive and cross-
cutting policy focused on young people;

in this context, of the White Paper on
the relevance,
youth, especially the open method of coordination and
the inclusion of youth in other policies, as well as the
need to strengthen synergies and complementarity
among the different policies and programmes affecting
youth;

10.

that a better understanding of youth and young people's
living conditions is a precondition for identifying effec-
tive measures to encourage young people to make the
most of their potential;

11.

that the Lisbon Strategy needs the support of young
people to succeed,

SHARES:

the conclusions of the European Council of 4 and 5
November 2004, taking note of the letter of the Heads
of State or Government of France, Germany, Spain and
Sweden pointing out the importance of demographic
factors in shaping the future economic and social devel-
opment of Europe and calling for the elaboration of a
‘European Pact for Youth’;

12.

13.

the Commission Communication to the Spring European
Council 2005 (‘Working together for growth and jobs
— A new start for the Lisbon Strategy’) on the mid-term
review of the Lisbon Strategy, which states that ‘we still
need a vision for society which can integrate both the ageing
and the young’ and underlines ‘the need for urgent action’,

in this connection, the belief expressed by the Commis-
sion that the Lisbon Strategy must ‘ensure that the reforms
proposed help to give young people a first chance in life and
equip them with the skills needed throughout their lives’;

the concern expressed by the Commission,
in its
Communication to the Spring European Council 2005,
that young people should be targeted within the frame-
work of certain key areas such as employment,
the
conciliation of family and professional life, investment in
human capital and research and development,

UNDERLINES:

6.

7.

the importance of a youth perspective in the Lisbon
Strategy, having regard to the demographic, economic,
social and political development of the European Union,
and in particular its ageing population;

the contribution made by youth's innovative capacity,
spirit of initiative and enterprise, mobility and capacity

CONSIDERS THAT:

14.

15.

on the basis of the existing instruments and mechanisms,
such an approach,
targeted towards young people,
should be effectively integrated in the policies envisaged
by the Lisbon Strategy;

the specific efforts in favour of young people must take
account of gender equality and apply equally to young
people with fewer opportunities,
in particular in the
fields of education, employment, social integration and
mobility;

C 85/6

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

7.4.2005

16.

the active participation of young people in society is
both an objective and a method guaranteeing the invol-
vement of European citizens in the Lisbon objectives
and contributing to the personal development of young
people, their social
integration and social cohesion in
general. Consequently, it constitutes an additional factor
for the success of the Lisbon Strategy,

INVITES THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL TO:

17.

include, in the framework of the Mid-Term Review of
the Lisbon Strategy, and of
the discussions on the
Commission's communication to the Spring European
for
Council 2005,
Youth, encompassing particularly the fields of employ-
ment, social cohesion, education, training, mobility, as
well as the conciliation of family and professional life;

the initiative of a European Pact

18.

19.

20.

define orientations for the concrete measures required to
implement this initiative in all sectors concerned;

take note of
communication on this initiative;

the Commission's intention to adopt a

entrust the Commission and the Member States with the
task of ensuring that young people and youth organisa-
tions, inter alia, via the ‘European Youth Forum’, are fully
involved in this approach;

21. monitor the implementation of the European youth Pact
the Lisbon
through the
Strategy, and call on the Council
(Education/Youth/
Culture) to contribute to the monitoring of those aspects
coming within its competence.

reporting mechanisms of