COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Engaging, Connecting and Empowering young people: a new EU Youth Strategy
Date: 2018-05-22
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Subjects: EU strategy, education policy, multi-level governance, voluntary work, young person, youth movement, youth policy, youth unemployment

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 22.5.2018 COM(2018) 269 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Engaging, Connecting and Empowering young people: a new EU Youth Strategy   {SWD(2018) 168 final} - {SWD(2018) 169 final}  
 
 
1.   Towards a new EU Youth Strategy 

Young people are keen to take control of their lives and engage with and support others. Yet 
many face uncertainties about their future, as a result of technological change, demographic 
trends, discrimination, social exclusion, fake news and populism with yet unknown effects on 
jobs, skills or the way our democracies work.  More than ever, they need to be resilient and 
able  to  adapt  to  these  challenges.  They  should  acquire  the  necessary  skills  to  contribute  to 
today's 
prosperous,  democratic  and  cohesive  societies 
interconnected world, many young people are concerned about global issues such as climate 
change or peace and security.  

in  Europe  and  beyond.  In 

Despite  the  economic  upturn  and  lower  unemployment,  inequalities  including  between 
generations  persist.  For  the  first  time  since  the  Second  World  War,  there  is  a  real  risk  that 
today's young generation will end up less well-off than their parents1. 29% of 16-29 year olds 
are at risk of poverty or social exclusion and 11.6% of those aged 15-24 are not in education, 
employment  or  training  (NEETs)2,  while  15.9  %  of  the  young  people  in  this  age  group  are 
unemployed  -  double  the  rate  of  the  general  population.  Socio-economic  and  democratic 
exclusion  go  hand  in  hand3.  Youth  struggling  with  disadvantages  are  generally  less  active 
citizens  and  have  less  trust  in  institutions.  They  also  benefit  less  from  mobility  experiences 
including Erasmus+.  

Europe  cannot  afford  wasted  talent,  social  exclusion  or  disengagement  among  its  youth. 
Young people should not only be architects of their own life, but also contribute to positive 
change  in  society.  The  new  European  Solidarity  Corps  is  a  testimony  to  the  eagerness  of 
many  young  Europeans  to  show  solidarity  towards  people  and  places  in  need,  a  core  value 
underlying European cooperation. 
EU  Leaders  endorsed  in  2016  the  need  for  action  in  support  of  youth4.  In  the  Bratislava 
roadmap5,  they  committed  to  creating  better  opportunities  for  youth,  ambitions  that  were 
followed up since then, for instance in the work towards a European Education Area6. 

For young people to reap the full benefits of EU actions, these need to reflect their aspirations, 
creativity and talents. In turn, young people enrich the EU’s ambitions: this generation is the 
best  educated  ever  and  among  the  most  creative  in  using  Information  and  Communication 
Technologies and social media.  

The  EU  has  already  been  running  a  dedicated  EU  Youth  Policy  cooperation  based  on  the 
principles of active participation and equal access to opportunities since 2002, in synergy with 
other  policies  targeting  young  people,  such  as  education  and  employment.  The  cooperation 
prompted  policy  and  legislative  changes  in  the  Member  States  and  contributed  to  capacity-
building  of  youth  organisations.  But  important  challenges  remain  open,  such  as  involving 
more  young  people  from  a  more  diverse  range  of  backgrounds,  including  those  with  fewer 
opportunities, and a better outreach at grassroots level.  

By  involving  and  empowering  young  women  and  men,  youth  policy  can  contribute  to 
successfully meeting the vision of a continent where young people can seize opportunities and 

1  White Paper on the future of Europe, March 2017. 
2  Eurostat, 2016. 
3  Eurofound – section on NEETs: https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/topic/NEETs. 
4   Commission Communication on Investing in Europe's Youth (COM(2016)940). 
5  http://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/21250/160916-bratislava-declaration-and-roadmapen16.pdf 
6  https://ec.europa.eu/commission/news/towards-european-education-area-2025-2017-nov-14_en  

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relate  to  European  values,  as  set  out  in  the  Commission  Communication  on  'Strengthening 
European Identity through education and culture'7.  

A renewed EU youth cooperation can help overcome the current participation paradox. Young 
people  show  an  interest  in  politics8  and  are  socially  active:  53%  engage  in  organised 
activities,  nearly  one  third  are  active  volunteers  and  others  support  a  cause  through  media 
attention  or  consumer  choice.  Yet,  they  tend  to  turn  away  from  traditional  forms  of 
participation.  Youth  at  risk  of  social  exclusion  are  underrepresented  across  the  board. 
Decision-makers need to make participation a reality for all young people: to be transparent 
about actions in their favour, to reach out and communicate in an accessible way through their 
preferred channels (like social media) and to promote their involvement in decisions. 

The  Commission  committed  to  boosting  youth  participation  beyond  2018  in  its  December 
2016  Communication9.  The  Council,  in  turn,  called  to  'maintain  and  enhance  effective 
European cooperation in the youth field post 2018'10. 

Thus,  the  Commission  proposes  a  new  EU  Youth  Strategy  to  mark  the  joint  commitment 
between the Commission and Member States to this policy in full respect of subsidiarity. To 
align  youth  policy  even  more  effectively  with  EU  funding  supporting  its  objectives,  the 
strategy should run until the end of the next Multiannual Financial Framework. Its priorities 
draw  upon  solid  data  sources11,  an  external  evaluation12,  positions  expressed  by  European 
institutions and consultations carried out in 2017 as part of the 'Year of Listening'13 and the 
‘New  Narrative  for  Europe’14.  These  unanimously  underline  that  EU  youth  cooperation  has 
brought  tangible  benefits  and  point  to  its  potential.  The  new  strategy  will  build  on  the 
achievements of the previous one, improving its accessibility, visibility and impact to ensure a 
better participation of young people. 

Summary of main actions 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Improve cross-sector cooperation across policy areas, including through an EU 
Youth Coordinator, to give youth a voice in shaping EU policies 

Track EU spending on youth; 

Launch a new and more inclusive EU Youth Dialogue, with a focus on youth with 
fewer opportunities; 

Remove obstacles to and facilitate volunteering and solidarity mobility; 

Implement a youth work agenda to increase recognition of non-formal learning; 

7  Commission  Communication  on  Strengthening  European  Identity 

through  Education  and  Culture 

(COM(2017)673). 

8  Flash Eurobarometer 455. 
9  Commission Communication on Investing in Europe's Youth (COM(2016)940). 
10  Council  Conclusions on  strategic perspectives  for  European  cooperation in  the  youth field  post 2018,  May 

2017. 

11  Flash Eurobarometer 455; Eurostat (http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/youth/data/database).  
12  SWD(2017) 280 and SWD(2017) 281 on the evaluation of the EU Youth Strategy. 
13  Opinions  from  Member  States,  the  European  Parliament,  the  European  Committee  of  Regions  and  the 
European Economic and Social Committee as well as the outcomes of the structured dialogue, focus groups, 
online consultations and a stakeholder conference. See accompanying Staff Working Document on the results 
of the open method of coordination in the youth field 2010-2018 
14  http://europa.eu/youth/have-your-say/new-narrative-for-europe_en 

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- 

Reinforce the link between EU youth policy and related EU programmes (Erasmus+ 
and European Solidarity Corps). 

2. 

Engage. Connect. Empower. 

EU  youth  cooperation  shall  make  the  most  of  youth  policy's  potential.  It  can  foster  youth 
participation in democratic life, in line with Article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of 
the EU. It can also support social engagement, as well as civic and socio-educational activities 
(youth work) that give young people life skills and act as a bridge to society, especially for 
disadvantaged youth.  

In the coming years, the strategy strives to: 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Enable young people to be architects of their own lives, build their resilience and 
equip them with life skills to cope in a changing world; 

Encourage young people to become active citizens, agents of solidarity and 
positive change for communities across Europe, inspired by EU values and a 
European identity; 

Help prevent youth social exclusion;  

Improve the impact of policy decisions on young people through dialogue and 
addressing their needs across sectors. 

To this purpose, youth policy cooperation will undertake activities grouped around three areas 
of action. 

ENGAGE: Fostering youth participation in democratic life 

CONNECT:  Bringing young people together across the EU and beyond to  foster voluntary 
engagement, learning mobility, solidarity and intercultural understanding 

EMPOWER: Supporting youth empowerment through quality, innovation and recognition of 
youth work 

The strategy will pay special attention to: 

Reaching  out  to  all  young  people:  it  should  strive  to  improve  the  prospects  of  all  young 
people regardless of their background or social status. Erasmus+ Youth is equipped to reach 
out to those with fewer opportunities, who make up over 36% of its beneficiaries15. Yet, more 
action is needed for EU youth policy and the Erasmus+ programme to be truly inclusive. 

Straddling  levels  from  global  to  local:  young  people  are  committed  to  address  global 
challenges, in particular the sustainable development goals. Conversely, youth empowerment 
starts at the grassroots level and depends on the diverse situation of young people. EU youth 
cooperation should better connect with policy makers and practitioners at regional and local 
level and encourage grassroots initiatives by youth. 

…  and  the  virtual  world:  digital  technologies  have  revolutionised  young  people’s  lives  in 
many  ways  and  policies  need  to  consider  both  opportunities  and  challenges,  by  tapping  the 
potential  of  social  media,  equipping  youth  with  digital  skills  and  fostering  critical  thinking 
and media literacy. 

15  Erasmus+ Annual report 2016. 

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2.1.   ENGAGE 

Against  the  backdrop  of  reflections  on  the  future  of  Europe,  now  is  the 
time to listen to young people and empower them to turn their dreams 
into reality.  

Many  want  to  be  involved  in  political  life,  but  expect  their  opinion  to 
count. Often less engaged than older groups in voting or political parties, 
they  declare  an  interest  in  politics  and  have  the  most  positive  feelings 
towards the EU. The sense of being an EU citizen is stronger among people born after 1980 
(73%) than those born before 1946 (54%)16. As stressed in the EU Citizenship Report 201717, 
youth engagement is crucial in view of the 2019 European Parliament elections. 
EU youth policy today engages with young people through the Structured Dialogue18 which 
has  reached  over  200,000  of  them  since  2010.  Whilst  it  has  become  an  influential  tool,  the 
Commission proposes to go a step further and renew it. Building also on lessons learnt from 
the  'New  Narrative  for  Europe',  it  should  enlarge  its  outreach  beyond  youth  organisations 
active in EU matters and embrace a more diverse audience, including at local level. It should 
better  target  disadvantaged  groups,  for  example  by  building  on  the  inclusion  and  diversity 
strategy19 under Erasmus+, while also tapping the expertise of young experts and researchers. 
In addition to the appreciated EU Youth conferences and meetings, the EU Youth Dialogue 
will  embrace  new  and  alternative  forms  of  participation,  including  online  campaigns, 
consultations via digital platforms connected to the European Youth Portal. The dialogue will 
be  coordinated  at  EU  level,  fed  by  youth  at  all  levels  and  supported  by  National  Working 
Groups  with  improved  monitoring  arrangements.  It  should  be  transparent  and  visible  in 
terms of impact. To allow young people to form their opinion based on facts and arguments, 
access to quality information is essential.  

EU level cooperation will focus on: 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Launching a new EU Youth Dialogue for diverse youth voices to contribute to EU 
policy decisions; 

Consolidating the European Youth Portal as a digital single entry point for young 
people to engage with the EU; 

Stepping up youth participation in democratic life including access to quality 
information validated by trusted sources, and promoting participation in European 
and other elections; 

Supporting ‘learning to participate’ and raising interest in participatory actions 
across Europe and beyond through Erasmus+.  

Member States are encouraged to focus on: 

- 

Promoting dialogue and participatory mechanisms at all levels of decision-
making, for example through youth councils, paying special attention to feedback 
mechanisms and outreach to youth with diverse backgrounds. This could include 

16  Standard Eurobarometer 86, 2016. 
17  http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-118_en.htm 
18  Structured dialogue is the consultative process for youth under the 2010-2018 strategy.  
19  http://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/youth/library/reports/inclusion-diversity-strategy_en.pdf 

4 

 
                                                 
support to public authorities to take up participatory practices, for instance via 
toolkits;  

Encouraging social and civic engagement of young people including participation 
in youth organisations or online activism; 

Helping prepare young people for participation, through youth work, youth 
parliaments or simulations, actions around civic education and media literacy in 
synergy with formal education and public authorities; 

Exploring innovative and alternative forms of democratic participation; 

Using tools to promote debate about the EU, such as the toolkit developed under 
the 'New Narrative for Europe'. 

- 

- 

- 

- 

2.2.   CONNECT 

The  Youth  Strategy  will  underpin  opportunities  for  young  people  to 
experience exchanges, cooperation and civic action in a European context 
first hand. 

Erasmus+,  one  of  the  EU's  most  successful  instruments,  helps  young 
people  expand  their  horizons  and  build  bridges  across  the  continent  and 
beyond. From 2014 to 2020 more than 500,000 participants will have gained experience and 
skills abroad through youth exchanges and volunteering. The Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges20 
enable  dialogue  between  youth  in  the  EU  and  in  Southern  Mediterranean  countries.  Such 
experiences  enhance  employability  and  help  develop  an  understanding  of  European  values 
and  tolerance21.  The  EU  should  expand  innovative  ways  of  bringing  young  people 
together, whilst capitalising on well-tested formats such as youth exchanges and cooperation 
between youth organisations. 
Young people are increasingly getting engaged in volunteering22, yet only 8% do so abroad. 
The  EU  has  been  supporting  volunteering  for  more  than  20  years.  This  support  is  now 
proposed to be  expanded to  offer new opportunities for youth  to  express  solidarity (such as 
jobs  or  traineeships)  under  the  European  Solidarity  Corps.  To  realise  its  full  potential  and 
ensure  that  national  schemes  allow  for  cross-border  experiences,  the  Commission  and 
Member  States  should  cooperate  on  a  supportive  policy,  legal  and  administrative 
environment.   

20  https://europa.eu/youth/erasmusvirtual 
21  http://www.researchyouth.net/documents/ray_policybrief_2014.pdf 
22  31%  of  young  people  have  taken  part  in  voluntary  activities  in  the  last  12  months  (6-point  increase  since 

2014, Eurobarometer 455). 

5 

 
 
 
                                                 
EU level cooperation will focus on: 

- 

- 

- 

Connecting  young  people  across  Europe  and  beyond,  taking  into  account  the 
experience from ‘European Youth Together’23, building networks of young people 
from different parts of Europe, the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges and other actions 
under Erasmus+ Youth; 

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 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  those  with 
fewer opportunities.  

Member States are encouraged to focus on: 

- 

- 

- 

Encouraging  young  people's  engagement  in  solidarity:  Promoting  support 
schemes and capacity-building of organisations active in this area, raising awareness 
of  opportunities  and  providing  information  about  rights  and  benefits  when 
volunteering  or  in  a  civic  service.  When  developing  national  schemes,  Member 
States  should  seek  complementarity  and  synergies  with  the  European  Solidarity 
Corps;  

Reviewing  and  removing  legal  and  administrative  barriers  to  cross-border 
solidarity:  Member  States  should  identify  and  undertake  to  remove  obstacles  for 
young  people  willing  to  engage  in  cross-border  volunteering  (in  terms  of  social 
benefits, health insurance, etc.); 

Promoting  recognition  of  volunteering  experiences  and  validation  of  learning 
outcomes: the skills that volunteers develop deserve to be recognised in the labour 
market, besides the intrinsic value volunteering brings to society. 

2.3.   EMPOWER 

Youth  work  brings  unique  benefits  to  young  people  in  their  transition  to 
adulthood24,  providing  a  safe  environment  for  them  to  gain  self-
confidence,  and  learn  in  a  non-formal  way.  Youth  work  is  known  for 
equipping  youth  with  key  competences  and  skills  such  as  teamwork, 
leadership,  intercultural  competences,  project  management,  problem 
solving and critical thinking. In some cases, youth work is the bridge into 

education, training or work, thus preventing exclusion.  

To  reap  these  benefits,  there  is  a  greater  need  for  recognition  of  non-formal  learning 
through youth work, especially beneficial to those with little formal qualifications, as a way to 

23  https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding/european-youth-together-eacea162018_en 
24  Expert  group  on  the  'contribution  of  youth  work  and  non-formal  and  informal  learning  to  address  the 
challenges  young  people  are  facing,  in  particular  the  transition  from  education  to  employment'. 
http://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/youth/library/reports/contribution-youth-work-summary_en.pdf 

6 

 
                                                 
improve  employability  and  entrepreneurial  skills.  Recognition  can  be  improved  by  a  more 
systematic use of quality tools.  

Youth workers themselves, on the other hand, need to adapt to changing needs and habits of 
young  people  and  technological  change.  Youth  workers  have  to  upgrade  their  skills  to 
understand  the  issues  youth  face  online  and  exploit  new  opportunities  offered  by  digital 
learning,  in  line  with  the  European  Digital  Competence  Framework  for  Citizens25  and  the 
Digital Education Action Plan26. Youth work has suffered from funding cuts in many parts of 
Europe27, such investment is therefore often challenging. 

EU  level  cooperation  will  focus  on  implementing  a  Youth  Work  Agenda  for  quality, 
innovation and recognition of youth work: 

- 

- 

- 

Developing and disseminating practical toolkits for quality youth work; 

Supporting  grassroots  activities  addressing  recognition,  innovation  and  capacity-
building of youth work under Erasmus+; 

Supporting  mutual  learning  and  evidence  building  on  digital  youth  work,  youth 
worker skills and financing of youth work. 

Member States are encouraged to focus on: 

-  

-  

- 

- 

  Developing  quality:  quality  tools  and  systems  to  be  used  in  the  training  of  youth 
workers  should  correspond  to  the  changing  circumstances  of  young  people's  lives 
and be embedded in a broader quality approach to empower organisations. 

Adapting  to  digital  opportunities:  the  structure,  methods  and  communication 
channels  of  youth  work should  adapt  to  the  digital  world:  it  should  use technology 
and pedagogical practices to increase access and help young people cope with digital 
means. Digital youth work should be incorporated into youth workers' training and – 
where they exist – youth work occupational and competence standards. 

Promoting recognition: to underpin the value of youth work for those young people 
involved in it, appropriate and accepted recognition tools should be developed in line 
with  the  Council  Recommendation  on  the  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal 
learning and the agenda on skills development28. 

Reaching out to all young people, in particular those with fewer opportunities: 
youth  work  has  a  unique  potential  to  reach  out  to  the  most  vulnerable  ones  and 
address their individual needs. 

25  Also known as DigComp  
26
  COM(2018) 22 final. 
27  Study  'Working  with  young  people:  the  value  of  youth  work  in  the  EU',  ICF-GHK,  2014,  European 

Commission. 
'Education and Training 2020' (2015/C 417/04), A New Skills Agenda for Europe, COM(2016) 381. 

28 

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3.   Effective, focused and joined-up implementation across sectors 

3.1.   Working across sectors 

The  situation  of  youth  in  Europe  is  diverse  and  marked  by  challenges  to  be  addressed  in 
different  policy  areas.  Despite  positive  trends  such  as  greater  participation  in  higher 
education, a drop in the share of those leaving school early and decreasing (though still high) 
youth unemployment rates29, big challenges, often inter-related, persist. Among these are very 
high  youth  unemployment  in  certain  Member  States,  regions  and  groups,  growing  youth 
poverty, precarious employment, unequal access to quality education or health issues.  

In  this  context,  tackling  youth  unemployment  and  high  rates  of  young  people  not  in 
employment,  education  or  training  (NEETs)  has  been  an  EU  priority,  supported  by  specific 
initiatives:  more  than  3.5  million  young  people  have  benefitted  each  year  from  the  Youth 
Guarantee launched in 2013. The European Social Fund and the Youth Employment Initiative 
together  invest  €14.5  billion  directly  in  youth  employment  measures  from  2014  to  2020. 
Despite  progress,  the  EU  Youth  Strategy  and  the  evaluation  report  on  the  Youth  Guarantee 
implementation  in  Member  States  emphasised  the  need  to  build  bridges  between  the  youth 
and employment sectors and to reach out more effectively to NEETs facing multiple barriers. 
In  addition,  the  Action  Plan  on  the  integration  of  third-country  nationals30  and  the 
Communication on the protection of children in migration31 acknowledged the importance of 
supporting the integration of young migrants and refugees.  
Not all eight fields of action32 delivered similarly positive results; according to the evaluation 
they were too broad. No Member State addressed all of these fields, as they did not have the 
same relevance across the board.  

To increase effectiveness, the Commission proposes a two-fold approach: 

1) Strengthen the youth perspective across policy areas at EU level, by:  

  Ensuring  the  concerns  of  young  people  are  heard  in  EU  policy  making,  notably 
through  an  EU Youth  Coordinator  who  would  be  a  European  Commission  contact 
and  visible  reference  point  for  young  people.  The  EU  Youth  Coordinator's  mission 
would  be  to  provide  advice  on  youth  policy  to  the  Commissioner  in  charge;  to  help 
ensure coordination and coherence, and raise awareness of the EU's action in the area 
in close co-operation with EU institutions and agencies as well as with Member States; 
and to share outcomes of the EU Youth Dialogue and give feedback to young people, 
including via the European Youth Portal and the EU Youth Strategy Platform33; 

29  Accompanying Staff Working Document on the situation of young people in the EU. 
30  COM(2016) 377 
31  COM(2017) 211 final 
32  Education  and  training,  Employment  and  entrepreneurship,  Health  and  well-being,  Participation, Voluntary 

activities, Social inclusion, Youth and the world, Creativity and culture. 

33  The  EU  Youth  Coordinator  would  be  an  adviser  working  in  the  services,  supported  by  the  Directorate-
General  in  charge  of  youth  policy.  The  Coordinator’s  tasks  would  include  leading  the  new  EU  Youth 
Dialogue  on  the  Commission  side,  processing  views  of  young  people  and  the  results  of  the  EU  Youth 
Dialogue to share them with relevant Commission services as well as relating with the European Parliament 
and national policy-makers. The Coordinator would also serve as a first contact point for young people and 
their  representatives  and  steer  information  and  communication  actions  directed  at  young  people,  in 
cooperation with other relevant parts of the Commission.  

8 

 
                                                 
  Enhancing  transparency  on  EU  action  for  young  people,  including  tracking  of  EU 

spending on young people34; 

  Promoting participatory models of policy-making involving young people, such as 

Youth Policy Labs35; 

  Supporting  Member  States  in  developing  youth  policies,  through  gathering 
evidence,  mutual  learning  and  sharing  good  practices,  including  new  tools  such  as 
peer reviews and peer counselling; 

  Contributing via youth cooperation instruments such as mutual learning, evidence, the 
Coordinator or the Dialogue, to cross-sectoral initiatives for youth, such as the Youth 
Guarantee,  the  European  Apprentices  Network36  and  the  Tartu  call  for  a  Healthy 
Lifestyle37. 

2)  Sharpen  the  strategy's  focus:  the  Commission  invites  Member  States  to  concentrate  on 
targeted actions translating EU priorities into the national context, to be identified in National 
Action Plans.  

These plans should draw on cross-sectoral cooperation between youth and other policy areas, 
building  on  existing  governance  mechanisms,  for  instance  as  part  of  the  delivery  of  the 
national Youth Guarantee scheme. 
They should ensure strong links between transnational cooperation activities38 of National 
Agencies implementing the Erasmus+ programme and the areas identified in National Action 
Plans to enhance the coherence between policy and programme implementation. 

Cross-sectoral cooperation should be reinforced at all levels of decision-making searching 
synergies,  complementarity  between  actions,  and  including  greater  youth  involvement. 
Member States should encourage youth and other stakeholders to set up joint initiatives, for 
example in education, employment, digital, sport, sustainability and international cooperation, 
using the full potential of EU funding. 

During the 2017 'Year of Listening', stakeholders raised the following challenges which could 
serve  as  areas 
- 
entrepreneurship;  health,  including  mental  health;  poverty  -  social  exclusion;  integration  of 
youth with a migrant background39; internet - media literacy; sustainability - climate change. 

for  mainstreaming  actions:  education 

training;  employment 

- 

34  This  would  concern  funding  targeting  individuals,  also  using  estimates  in  order  to  avoid  creating  extra 
administrative  burden  in  terms  of  reporting  and  data  collection  notably  for  programmes  such  as  currently 
named  Erasmus+;  European  Solidarity  Corps;  Employment  and  Social  innovation  Programme;  Horizon 
2020;  Creative  Europe;  Europe  for  Citizens;  Rights,  Equality  and  Citizenship  Programme;  EU  Health 
Programme; Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (COSME); Youth Employment Initiative; European Structural 
and Investment Funds;  Young Farmers' Scheme (Common Agricultural Policy); EU Aid Volunteer; European 
Neighbourhood Instrument. 

35  The 

first  Youth  Policy  Lab 

took  place 

in  2017  with 

three  neighbourhood 

countries: 

https://blogs.ec.europa.eu/eupolicylab/ 

36  http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1147 
37  https://ec.europa.eu/sport/news/20170922-ewos-navracsics-health-call-tartu_fr 
38  Activities organised by Erasmus+ National Agencies. 
39  Foreign-born young and native with foreign-born parent represented 20% of those aged 15-29 in the EU in 
2014,  and  this  share  is projected  to  increase  quickly  due to  inflows of migrants  since  the  beginning  of  the 
2000s. 

9 

 
                                                 
3.2.   Multi-level and participatory governance 

Governance will be improved by:  

Evidence-based  policy  making  and  monitoring:  Effective  implementation  relies  on  strong 
evidence.  The  Dashboard  of  youth  indicators  has  become  an  appreciated  tool  to  monitor 
trends in the situation of youth. EU cooperation should additionally explore the use of policy 
indicators  to  monitor  the  implementation  of  the  strategy40.  A  policy  review  of  EU  funded 
research projects will be conducted in 2019 to extract relevant findings for this area.  

Focus  and flexibility:  The  strategy will  focus  on  shared  EU  youth  priorities  across  Member 
States, while allowing flexibility in pursuing mainstreaming actions to adapt EU priorities to 
national  circumstances.  The  Council  is  expected  to  set  tri-annual  EU  Work  Plans  with  the 
Commission. 

Participatory  governance:  A  new  platform  will  give  stakeholders  a  greater  role  in 
coordinating  the  implementation  of  the  strategy,  offering  opportunities  to  exchange 
information  on  activities  and  results.  The  Commission  will  organise  dedicated  meetings  for 
representatives of youth organisations, civil society organisations, EU institutions, and social 
partners.  

Streamlined reporting and evaluation: The Commission will report on implementation every 
three  years,  based  on  information  provided  by  Member  States,  the  Youth  Wiki41  and 
indicators. This will include information on the use of the EU programmes in reaching policy 
objectives.  The  Commission  will  conduct  an  interim  evaluation  in  2023,  and  possibly  a 
review in 2024. Member States are encouraged to do the same. 

Mutual learning and dissemination: Expert groups will continue to develop policy guidance, 
practical tools and share good practices; the strategy will offer new tools for mutual learning, 
such  as  peer  reviews  and  peer  counselling.  It  will  pursue  a  more  systematic  approach  to 
quality youth information, outreach and dissemination, building on its existing networks. 

Mobilising  EU  programmes  and  funds:  The  strategy  will  promote  effective  use  of  EU 
programmes  and  funds,  such  as  Erasmus+,  the  European  Solidarity  Corps,  European 
Structural  and  Investment  Funds,  Horizon  2020,  including  the  Marie  Skłodowska-Curie 
Actions, Creative Europe, and their successors. The Commission calls on Member States to 
explore synergies between funding sources at EU, national, regional and local levels. 

Conclusions and next steps 

Young people have legitimate ambitions for their future in Europe. In turn, Europe needs to 
offer them better life chances and act upon their concerns. 

The strategy will  forge a  stronger  link between the EU and  young people through inclusive 
and  digital  ways  of  dialogue,  bring  effective  results  through  focused  priorities  and  actions, 
and provide a more effective structure to capture and transmit young people's ideas and share 
information about actions taken in their favour.  

All this will be supported by stronger links to EU funds. The Youth Strategy will also seek 
greater ownership by stakeholders through more youth involvement and new platforms at EU 
level and beyond. Flexible setting of priorities and implementation at EU level will make  it 

40  Proposal  included  in  the  accompanying  Staff  Working  Document  on  the  results  of  the  open  method  of 

coordination. 

41  https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/en/youthwiki 

10 

 
                                                 
more  relevant  for  local  realities,  while  respecting  the  competences  of  every  level  of 
governance, and with the support of the European Commission. 

The  Commission  invites  the  Council  to  endorse  the  proposed  EU  Youth  Strategy  for  2019-
2027, building also on the Youth Goals42 proposed during the EU Youth Conference in April 
2018. 

The Council is  further invited to  adopt  a  Work  Plan  for 2019-2021, taking into account the 
measures proposed in this Communication and elaborated in the Staff Working Document on 
the results of the open method of coordination. 

42  http://www.youthgoals.eu/ 

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