REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy (2019-2021)
Date: 2021-10-14
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Subjects: EU employment policy, EU strategy, coronavirus disease, education policy, epidemic, social integration, social participation, student mobility, young person, youth policy

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 14.10.2021  COM(2021) 636 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy (2019-2021) {SWD(2021) 286 final} - {SWD(2021) 287 final}  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE 
COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

on the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy (2019-2021) 

Table of Contents 

1. 

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2 

2.  What is it like to be young in Europe today? ...................................................................... 2 

3. 

Insights from the youth sector ............................................................................................. 5 

4.  Progress towards the overall objectives .............................................................................. 5 

Engage .................................................................................................................................... 8 

Connect ................................................................................................................................. 10 

Empower ............................................................................................................................... 11 

5.  Main instruments to support cooperation and mutual learning ........................................ 13 

6.  Conclusions and future outlook for EU cooperation on youth ......................................... 16 

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1. Introduction 

EU cooperation in the youth field started in 2002, providing a policy framework for the EU 
youth programmes implemented since 1988. The 2019-2027 EU Youth Strategy1 is the third 
generation  framework.  It  is  based  on  a  dual  approach:  (a)  mainstreaming  youth-relevant 
initiatives across policy areas and (b) addressing the ‘Engage. Connect. Empower’ core areas 
in the youth sector. This EU Youth Report 2021 evaluates progress towards the objectives and 
priorities of the EU Youth Strategy for 2019-2021. It covers the first EU triennial Work Plan 
for Youth under the current EU Youth Strategy, spanning two Council Presidency Trios. 

2. What is it like to be young in Europe today? 

As  the  accompanying  Staff  Working  Document  on  the  situation  of  youth2  indicates,  youth 
to  opportunities,  regarding  education,  employment,  mobility  and  democratic 
access 
participation, improved leading up to the end of 2019, until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The 
pandemic resulted in a discontinuity of education, training and other learning activities, loss 
of employment and career opportunities, social isolation and mental health issues.  

Before  the  COVID-19  pandemic:  young  people  in  Europe  were  increasingly  mobile  and 
connected but with educational and socio-economic inequality gaps 
Approximately  86  million  young  people  lived  in  the  EU-28  in  20193  (one  in  every  six  was 
between 15 and 29 years-old). The share of young people in the total EU population between 
2010 and 2019 decreased by 1.8 percentage points (the highest contractions were in the Baltic 
and Eastern European regions), confirming a long-term trend of contraction in the size of the 
youth population. In parallel however, youth migration within and into Europe has accelerated 
since the 1990s.  

In 2019, one in three young people in the EU reported having stayed abroad for at least two 
weeks for studies, training, work, exchanges or volunteering4. Over 40% of young people who 
considered going abroad for learning or volunteering, but never did, declared not having the 
necessary financial means, or reported family, personal or work-related reasons.  

In  recent  years,  up  until  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  European  economies  were  on  a  path 
towards  recovery  from  the  economic  crisis.  However,  in  2019,  over  5 million  EU-28 
inhabitants between the ages of 15 and 29 were still unemployed (6.3% of all young people 
aged  15–29,  or  11.1%  of  the  youth  labour  force).  Between  2015  and  2019,  youth 
unemployment rates decreased in all EU Member States but always remained more than twice 
as  high  as  general  unemployment.  In  2020,  in  the  context  of  the  pandemic,  young  peoples' 
unemployment  rates  in  EU-27  increased  from  11.9%  in  2019  to  13.3%.  It  takes  longer  for 

1   As adopted by the Resolution of the Council of the European Union and the Representatives of the Governments of the 
Member States  meeting  within the Council on a framework  for European cooperation in the youth field: The European 
Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027, OJ C 456, 18.12.2018, p. 1–22. 

2   Definitions of young people vary but age range 15-29 is often selected for statistical purposes at EU level. 
3   When not specified, the data used in this report is extracted from the Eurostat online database: 

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database. In this context young people are defined to be between 15 and 29 years old.  

4   2019 Flash Eurobarometer 478 How do we build a stronger, more united Europe? The views of young people. This 

question excluded mobility of tourism or living with one's family abroad. 

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young  people  to  stably  integrate  into  the  labour  market  and  vulnerable  groups  remain 
disadvantaged in the working environment. 

Young people are involved in many forms of civic and political participation. These include 
civil  society  organisations  and  social  movements  or  engagement  in  non-institutionalised 
forms  of  participation  such  as  the  youth-led  global  climate  movement  “Fridays  for  Future”. 
They also value voting as an important channel of democratic participation: over two thirds of 
young people in the EU have voted at least once in local, national or European elections. The 
increasing  trend  was  confirmed  during  the  2019  European  Parliament  elections5.  Young 
people also have a fairly or very positive view of the EU and tend to trust the EU more and 
feel satisfied with how democracy works at national and European level than older adults.  

The use of the internet is an essential component in young people's lives in EU-28, 90% used 
it on a daily basis and 45% were engaged in e-learning activities in 2019. Digitalisation has 
created many opportunities for interaction, learning and participation but has also come with 
challenges  related  to  digital  skills  and  the  digital  divide,  as  well  as  potential  exposure  to 
harmful content and contact. Young Europeans, especially people in rural and remote regions 
and  with  lower  levels  of  formal  education,  consistently  report  limited  use  of  the  internet  to 
interact  with  public  authorities,  engage  in  e-commerce  and  the  collaborative  economy. 
Challenges  include,  connectivity,  broadband  access  and  availability  of  digital  devices.  As 
digital  equipment  and  an  internet  connection  have  become  indispensable  for  learning,  the 
associated costs of education have exacerbated inequality. 

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to: the acceleration of digital trends and a strong negative 
impact on education, employment and mental health  

The  COVID-19  pandemic  has  affected  and  put  unprecedented  pressure  on  education  and 
training systems worldwide and across the European Union. Restrictions have caused major 
changes  to  teaching  and  learning  and  to  communication  and  collaboration  within  education 
communities.  These  restrictions  have  had  an  impact  on  learners,  their  families,  teachers, 
trainers,  researchers  and  institution  leaders,  as  well  as  on  community  professionals  who 
support education and youth. 

Learning  has  often  been  made  more  difficult  due  to  the  lack  of  close  interaction  with 
educators and fellow learners, less detail  and delays, Physical  and emotional well-being has 
been compromised, with schools and universities unable to offer structured activities or access 
to  facilities and support  services.  The socialising  dimension of education have been heavily 
affected and many youngsters have experienced feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression. 
Furthermore, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds have been more likely exposed 
to stressful home environments.  

The pandemic has highlighted pre-existent socio-economic inequalities in children’s learning 
opportunities at home. Entire groups of learners, including those from remote and rural areas, 
migrants  and  refugees,  young  people  with  special  needs  and  other  disadvantaged 
backgrounds,  have  risked  being  excluded  from  online  teaching  and  learning.  Many  families 
and  learners  have  lacked  the  necessary  competence,  resources  and  equipment  to  cope  with 

5   Of the youngest age category (i.e. the 16/18-24 age group) 42% indicated they voted, compared to only 28% in 2014. The 
increase was also notable for the 25-39 age group (up from 35% in 2014 to 47% in 2019). Older voters nevertheless 
continue to turn out more strongly than younger ones. European Parliament, The 2019 post-electoral survey, p. 22 

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distance  learning;  this  was  a  major  concern  for  those  who  would  normally  receive  targeted 
learning  support,  subsidised  meals,  or  access  to  a  variety  of  extra-curricular  activities  and 
mentoring.  

In short, while closures  of educational  institutions have affected the learning progress  of all 
learners  to  some  extent,  the  switch  to  remote  learning  has  had  a  disproportionally  negative 
impact  on  those  who  were  already  at  a  disadvantage,  increasing  the  likelihood  of  at  risk 
learners  dropping  out.  After  a  steady  decrease  of  the  share  of  young  people  not  in 
employment,  education  or  training  (NEETs)  in  previous  years,  in  2020  these  numbers  have 
returned to  the 2017 level  (13.7%). A  first  evaluation of available  evidence also  points to  a 
rise in the level of social exclusion over the past year. Young people and children emerge as 
those  most  at  risk,  especially  when  already  disadvantaged.  The  medium-  and  long-term 
effects of this disruption are not yet clear, but it may affect future rates of early school-leaving 
and the level of skills acquisition and learning outcomes. 

In  addition,  COVID-19  is  having  an  unprecedented  impact  on  young  people’s  mental  and 
emotional  health,  which  was  already  a  concern  prior  to  the  pandemic.  It  is  dramatically 
transforming  their  interpersonal  relations,  and  triggering  feelings  of  serious  concern  and 
apprehension.  Children,  adolescents  and  young  adults  have  been  extremely  affected  by 
disruptions of family and social ties, and the economic crisis provoked by lockdowns has hit 
young Europeans in particular6.  

COVID-19  has  aggravated  pre-existing  inequalities  between  young  Europeans  in  the  labour 
market compared to the rest of the working population. While unemployment rates increased 
for  all  age  groups  in  2020,  the  increase  was  more  substantial  for  young  people.  Comparing 
youth  unemployment  rates  in  2019  and  2020  shows  that  the  declining  trend  between  2013-
2019 was reversed in 2020 in all youth age groups.  

The sectors most affected by the crisis  have been those where most  young Europeans  work  
(e.g.  retail,  hospitality,  food  services).  Young  women  in  particular  are  likely  to  be  affected 
because they are employed in these sectors at higher levels than young men. Those in stable 
jobs  where  telework  is  possible  were  less  impacted  by  unemployment  than  those  with 
precarious employment contracts, especially in sectors where telework is not possible.   

As most  young people use social media to  access information  (65%, Eurobarometer, 2019), 
media literacy was supported by the Commission to help young people tackle disinformation 
including on COVID-19. When confronted with news regarding the pandemic in 2020, young 
Europeans  responded  by  trusting  scientific  sources  of  information  the  most,  followed  by 
national’ governments7 webpages. Young people have managed to show great resilience and 
have also been involved in the mitigation of the pandemic’s impact. Many have been engaged 
in volunteering and intergenerational support. 

6   OECD, 2020. Youth and Covid-19. Response, Recovery and resilience. OECD, 2020. ILO, 2020. Covid and Youth. 

Impacts on Jobs, Education, Rights and mental Well-being. ILO, 2020. Eurostat, 2020. Being young in Europe today – 
health. Statistics Explained. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-
explained/index.php/Being_young_in_Europe_today_-_health#Life_expectancy_and_mortality_rates. Accessed on 
19/03/2021 

7   European Parliament Eurobarometer, “Uncertainty/EU/hope. Public opinion in times of covid-19”, conducted in Oct 2020 

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3. Insights from the youth sector  

Youth  organisations  and  organisations  active  in  the  youth  work  area  are  contributing  to  a 
number of European policies such as education, inclusion, health and employment. They are 
also  key  partners  in  the implementation  of  the  EU  Youth  Strategy.  The  2019  ‘Study  on  the 
landscape of youth representation in the EU’8 reported that the EU youth sector is generally 
growing,  and  that  traditional  youth  structures  such  as  non-governmental  organisations 
(NGOs)  and  networks  continue  to  play  a  key  role.  These  structures  are  increasingly  using 
online  methods  for  outreach,  even  before  COVID-19.  NGOs  often  combine  online  social 
media  with  ‘on  the  ground’  physical  engagement,  such  as  engagement  with  schools,  youth 
work, and recruitment at gatherings.  

The  Commission  is  closely  monitoring  the  situation  of  the  EU  youth  work  sector  via 
dedicated  instruments  such  as  the  COVID-19  Knowledge  Hub  launched  in  2020  in 
partnership with the Council of Europe. Analysis conducted by the Hub highlight that 70% of 
organisations were unable to maintain more than 20% of their activities, almost 60% of them 
had to rethink how they operated and how to move to digitalisation and over 85% were forced 
to cancel one or more events because of the pandemic.  The effects on  youth representation, 
including severe limitations on physical engagement, still need to be further assessed.  

The  2021  ‘study  on  youth  work  in  the  EU’9  focused  on  the  needs  of  youth  workers  at 
grassroot  level  and  existing  public  policies  against  the  background  of  the  pandemic.  It 
indicates  that  the  current  situation  has  heightened  the  need  for  further  resources  to  offset 
additional  costs  or  to  compensate  for  budget  shortfalls,  and  for  greater  access  to  digital 
infrastructure and material. Stepping up the use of the potential of digital tools for youth work 
would  be  instrumental  to  foster  young  people’s  knowledge  of  digital  technologies  and 
awareness of the potential risks associated.   

4. Progress towards the overall objectives  

The Commission’s approach to achieving the objectives of the EU Youth Strategy reflects the 
growing aspirations of  young people to engage and contribute to making our societies more 
inclusive, resilient, green and digital. Young people strive to connect, exchange and cooperate 
across Europe and beyond. Ensuring young people and the youth sector has been at the core 
of the implementation of the Strategy. 

The  years  2020  and  2021  have  been  atypical  in  terms  of  international  youth  exchanges  and 
cross-border volunteering activities, with the pandemic severely affecting the implementation 
of  youth-mobility  projects.  Addressing  the  impact  of  the  pandemic  on  children  and  young 
people has therefore been high on the Commission's agenda since the outbreak. Over the last 
year,  the  Commission  adjusted  instruments  such  as  Erasmus+  and  the  European  Solidarity 
Corps, to respond to these disruptions by offering alternative solutions, especially digital ones, 
to their activities. 

8    https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/57e87ca0-900d-11ea-812f-01aa75ed71a1  
9   https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/5a8beedc-f0e1-11eb-a71c-01aa75ed71a1  

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Similarly,  the  implementation  of  the  EU  Youth  Strategy  has  been  strongly  impacted  by  the 
pandemic  in  the  years  2020-2021.  Some  actions  planned  in  the  EU  Work  Plan  for  Youth 
2019-2021 had to be modified, rescheduled or even cancelled. Youth mobility projects were 
severely disrupted by the pandemic.  

Increasing  equal  access  to  opportunities  for  young  people  –  education,  training, 
learning, employment prospects 

The  EU  has  developed  many  activities  for  and  with  youth  in  the  past  three  years,  through 
financial  programmes  in  support  of  policy  priorities  and  with  the  general  objective  of 
increasing  equal  access  to  opportunities  for  young  people.  “Creating  opportunities  for 
youth”  was  also  the  common  theme  of  the  Trio  of  EU  Council  Presidencies  Romania-
Finland-Croatia from January 2019 to June 2020. 

Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps support learning mobility, volunteering and 
democratic  engagement,  with  invaluable  opportunities  for  young  people  to  broaden  their 
perspectives, develop new skills and strengthen their sense of belonging to the EU. With an 
increased  budget  compared  to  the  2014-2020  period  and  the  inclusion  of  new  dedicated 
actions,  the  new  programmes  for  2021-2027  are  powerful  tools  to  tackle  many  challenges 
faced  by  our  younger  generation.  Based  on  lessons  learned  from  the  previous  programme, 
Erasmus+ 2021-2027 has become more inclusive and accessible, while continuing to support 
lifelong learning and innovative education and training in Europe and beyond.  

In light of the pandemic, it is as essential as ever to reduce structural barriers to learning and 
skills  development  affecting  young  people’s  employment  prospects  and  participation  in 
society. The Commission Communication  on achieving the European Education Area  by 
202510 seeks to further enrich the quality and inclusiveness of national education and training 
systems and to remove barriers to cross-border learning. The new European Research Area 
Communication11  focuses  on  the  upskilling  and  reskilling  of  researchers  to  ensure 
employability  and  effectiveness.  Synergies  are  promoted  between  higher  education  and 
research,  building  on  the  European  Universities  initiative  supported  by  Erasmus+, 
complemented  by  Horizon  2020/Europe.  The  Commission  is  also  co-creating  together  with 
stakeholders and Member States a European Strategy for Universities12, which will focus, 
among  others,  on  supporting  young  talents.  The  Commission  is  preparing  a  Council 
Recommendation on a European approach on micro-credentials, to increase the use and 
recognition of short learning courses by formal and non-formal learning providers. 

The adoption of the new Digital Education Action Plan13 supports the deployment of digital 
technologies  needed  for  education  and  training,  and  equipping  all  citizens  with  digital 
competences. The Commission has proposed in August 2021 a Council Recommendation on 
blended learning to provide better support to schools and learners affected by the digital shift 

10  https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/european-education-area_en  
11 https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/strategy/strategy-2020-2024/our-digital-future/era_en 
12 Provisional name 
13   https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/digital-education-action-plan_en 

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of the pandemic among others through additional learning opportunities and targeted support 
to learners facing learning difficulties.14  

Visual: Achieving the European Education Area  

Contributing to improving the employability of young people and supporting the youth goal 
Quality Employment for All has been a strong priority. The Council conclusions on young 
people  and  the  future  of  work15  identified  remedy  measures  to  the  precarious  working 
conditions faced by  young people such  as responsive social security,  education and training 
systems,  promoting  lifelong  learning,  ensuring  smooth  school-to-work  and  work-to-work 
transition, as well as equal access to quality jobs for all youth. 

The European Skills Agenda16 is boosting upskilling and reskilling, in line with the needs of 
the  recovery.  To  build  back  better  from  the  new  economic  downturn  triggered  by  the 
pandemic,  with  a  heavy  impact  on  young  people,  the  Commission  adopted  the  Youth 
Employment  Support17  package  in  2020.  The  Youth  Employment  Support  –  A  Bridge  to 
Jobs for the Next Generation is built around four strands: a reinforced Youth Guarantee18, a 
future-proof approach for vocational education and training, a renewed European Alliance for 
Apprenticeships and additional elements supporting youth employment. The reinforced Youth 
Guarantee  strives  to  ensure  that  all  young  people  under  the  age  of  30  will  receive  a  good 
quality  offer  of  either  employment,  continued  education,  an  apprenticeship  or  a  traineeship 
within four months of becoming unemployed or leaving education.  

The  new  European  Social  Fund  Plus  will  also  remain  important  for  investing  in  people, 
including  investments  in  support  of  youth  employment.  In  addition,  the  fund  will  support 

14   Proposal for a Council Recommendation on blended learning for high quality and inclusive primary and secondary 

education, COM/2021/455 final  

15  OJ 2019/C 189/05  
16  https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1223&langId=en 
17   https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=22829&langId=en 
18   https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1079&langId=en  

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education  and  social  inclusion  measures  for  young  people  with  a  focus  on  those  in  a 
vulnerable or disadvantaged situation. 

By  the  end  2021  the  Commission  will  launch  an  evaluation  of  the  2014  Council 
Recommendation on the Quality Framework for Traineeships which urges EU countries 
to  improve  the  quality  of  traineeships,  in  particular  the  learning  content  and  working 
conditions, in order to ease the transition to work.  

An  overview  of  the  main  EU  actions  during  the  first  phase  of  the  EU  Youth  Strategy, 
structured according to the three pillars, follows below. 

Engage  

Strengthening young people’s democratic participation 

Strengthening young people’s democratic participation and providing dedicated youth spaces 
in all areas of society is also key to maintaining a vibrant civil society in Europe. The Trio of 
EU Council Presidencies Germany - Portugal – Slovenia (July 2020 - December 2021) have 
chosen “Europe for YOUth - YOUth for Europe: Space and Participation for All”  as a 
common theme in connection with the European Youth Goal 9 “Space and Participation for 
All”. This is also the topic of the eight Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue. 

The Council conclusions on fostering democratic awareness and democratic engagement 
among young people in Europe19  reflect  the ideas and opinions gathered  at  the EU Youth 
Conference in October 2020. At the event young people from all over Europe discussed topics 
with political leaders and developed concrete demands on how the European Youth Goal #9 
"Space and Participation for All" could be implemented.  

The  Council  conclusions  on  strengthening  the  multi-level  governance  promotes  the 
participation  of  young  people  in  political  and  other  decision-making  processes  at  local, 
regional,  national  and  European  levels20.  The  Council  conclusions  invite  Member  States  to 
empower young people through education and training, youth-oriented information, feedback, 
non-formal  and  informal  learning  and  youth  work.  The  conclusions  also  invite  the 
Commission  to  organise  peer  learning  activities  (an  activity  on  a  rights  based  approach  to 
youth  policies  took  place  in  June  2021)  and  to  build  knowledge  and  capacity  on  youth 
participation in decision-making processes at multiple levels. 

At  the  initiative  of  the  Romanian  Council  Presidency,  the  2019  Council  Resolution 
established new guidelines on the governance of the EU Youth Dialogue21. A methodology 
was developed for working groups to design their local, national and European dialogues. The 
involvement of researchers in the cycle (supporting the preparation of consultation toolkits or 
analysing  youth  contributions)  has  been  a  great  asset  for  improving  the  quality  of  these 
processes, and could prove key to improving the outreach in the post-COVID-19 context.  

Over 56,000 young people from all over Europe took part in the seventh Cycle of the Youth 
Dialogue  focusing  on  the  topic  ‘Creating  Opportunities  for  Youth’  which  was  built  on  the 
achievements of the previous dialogue, notably the adoption of the EU Youth Strategy and the 

19   OJ 2020/C  415/09  
20   OJ 2020/C, https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-8766-2021-INIT/en/pdf 
21   OJ C 189 

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European Youth Goals. The Council Resolution on the outcomes of the 7th Cycle of the EU 
Youth Dialogue22 adopted in May 2020 presents the main recommendations of this cycle. 

The  revamped  version  of  the  Commission’s  European  Youth  Portal  launched  in  2020 
includes  a  dedicated  section  on  the  EU  Youth  dialogue  process.  The  Portal  is  used  for  the 
publication of online consultations, such as the  survey of the eight cycle of the EU Youth 
Dialogue. This survey launched in Spring 2021 aims to understand young people’s views on 
the topic of “Space and participation for all”23. Over two thirds of the 8 500 respondents felt 
they have no or little influence on public policy and political decision making, and expressed 
the  need  for  more  spaces  for  participation  and  for  citizenship  education.  A  Flash 
Eurobarometer  will  also  be  launched  in  the  last  quarter  of  2021  to  survey  young  people's 
participation in social and civic life and collect their ideas about the future of Europe. 

The EU  actively promotes  youth  participation in policy-making globally, building on the 
experience of the EU Youth Dialogue. The Regional Youth Cooperation Office for example, 
is  a  joint  inter-governmental  initiative  of  the  six  Western  Balkan  candidate  and  potential 
candidate countries aiming to promote the spirit of reconciliation and understanding between 
the youth in the region through intra-regional youth exchanges and cooperation. In 2021, the 
Commission  also  launched  a  call  to  establish  a  Youth  Sounding  Board  for  International 
partnerships  to  create  a  space  for  the  meaningful  involvement  of  young  people  in  the  EU’s 
international  cooperation  policy.  The  selected  25  board  members  will  contribute  to  making 
EU action more participatory, relevant and effective for young people in EU partner countries. 

Supporting the fair green transition 

The EU Youth Strategy contributes to achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal by 
supporting  its  call  for  an  inclusive  and  just  transition,  including  areas  identified  by  young 
Europeans as ones that matter most to them: protecting the environment and fighting climate 
change.  Since  2019,  civic  participation  and  engagement  by  young  people,  in  particular 
through the global climate movement, shows the importance young people assign to tackling 
climate change and achieving climate justice. 

The  green  dimension  has  also  been  integrated  as  an  overarching  priority  in  the  new 
Erasmus+  and  the  European  Solidarity  Corps  programmes.  In  line  with  the  European 
Green Deal and in response to young citizens’ growing concerns on the deteriorating state of 
the  climate  and  environment,  the  Commission  is  implementing  and  preparing  a  number  of 
initiatives.  The  European  Climate  Pact  was  launched  in  2020  to  connect  people  from  all 
walks of life, including youth, to improve their understanding of the challenges of the green 
transition, to invite all Europeans to participate and benefit, to develop solutions big and small 
and to trigger and scale up positive change.24 Following the adoption of the EU Biodiversity 
Strategy  for  2030,  the  Commission  is  preparing  a  Council  Recommendation  on 
encouraging  cooperation  in  education  for  environmental  sustainability,  first  step  in 
helping EU countries to cooperate on this topic. A dedicated youth engagement campaign on 
nature and biodiversity will be implemented in the run-up to the UN Biodiversity Conference. 
The Education for Climate Coalition, a bottom-up initiative for a climate-neutral society led 

22   OEUJ 2020/C 212I,  
23   https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/EU-YOUTH-DIALOGUE-8TH-CYCLE  
24 COM(2020) 788 final 

9 

 
 
                                                 
by  pupils  and  students  with  their  schools,  universities  and  community  includes  pledges  for 
concrete action. 

Connect 

Mobility activities heavily impacted by the pandemic  

The  COVID-19  outbreak  had  a  strong  impact  on  many  Erasmus+  learning  mobility 
experiences. One quarter of the students on mobility at the time had to cancel their experience 
abroad  and  return  home25.  The  number  of  learners  who  started  a  mobility  abroad26  in  2020 
was half the number of learners who started one in 2019.  

Over  the  last  year,  the  Commission  has  supported  organisations  and  individuals 
participating  in  the  Erasmus+  and  the  European  Solidarity  Corps  programmes, 
addressing adverse effects  of the pandemic such as serious restrictions to  physical  mobility. 
The  Commission  has  set  up  mitigating  measures,  such  as  the  possibility  to  replace  planned 
physical  activities  by  virtual  ones,  enabling  blended  activities  or  the  possibility  to  postpone 
projects, with the safety and protection of participants as key objectives.  

The  Commission  has  also  taken  targeted  actions  to  assist  Member  States  in  their  efforts  to 
mobilise  support  for  distance  learning,  in  particular  digital  solutions.  Two  extraordinary 
Erasmus+ calls were launched in August 2020 to support “digital education readiness” 
and “creativity”, including for the  youth sector, each providing €100 million to respond  to 
educational COVID-19 challenges through collaborative projects.  

Mobility opportunities in the 2021-2027 programmes  

25   Survey conducted by the Erasmus Student Network, March 2020 
26   Erasmus+  data,  concerning  mobility  experiences  abroad  in higher  education or  vocational  education  and training  for  at 

least one month 

10 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
The 2021-2027 Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps and Horizon Europe programmes offer 
plenty  of  opportunities  for  young  people  and  young  researchers  to  connect  and  experience 
exchanges, cooperation, cultural and civic action in a European context.  

With an almost  doubled budget,  the new  Erasmus+ programme offers reinforced and new 
opportunities for transnational learning mobility and cooperation for all sectors of education 
and training, introducing mobility opportunities also for school pupils. DiscoverEU, a recent 
successful pilot initiative that gives 18-year-olds the opportunity to discover Europe through 
learning  experience  abroad,  has  been  integrated  into  the    Erasmus+  programme.  The  action 
does  not  only  offer  18-year-olds  a  travel  pass  but  also  encourages  connection  and  cultural 
dialogue  among  young  people  across  Europe.  Erasmus+  now  includes  youth  participation 
activities  that  provide  more  possibilities  for  young  people  outside  formal  education  and 
training to take an active role in civic and democratic processes at local, regional, national and 
European level.   

The  new  European  Solidarity  Corps  will  allow  young  people  to  help  address  societal 
challenges  through  volunteering  or  by  setting  up  their  own  solidarity  projects,  including 
volunteering in the humanitarian aid field across the world as of 2022. 

The  Commission  is  preparing  a  review  of  the  2008  Council  recommendation  on  the 
mobility  of  young  volunteers  across  the  EU  to  further  support  opportunities  for  mobility 
and  volunteering.  This  review  is  relevant  and  timely  in  the  context  of  the  pandemic  and  its 
emerging  priorities  (health  and  safety  of  volunteers,  inter-generational  solidarity),  and 
explores  new  forms  of  volunteering  including  digital  or  blended  volunteering.  Removing 
obstacles to cross-border mobility, including those of legal or administrative nature, has been 
identified as a key area of cooperation for Member States  under “Connect”. The revision of 
the Council Recommendation has been based on the outcomes of an expert group, a dedicated 
study, an evaluation and a public consultation organised throughout the years 2019-2021.  

Empower  

Promoting social inclusion and recovery  

Several  EU  actions  focus  on  the  development  of  an  inclusive  approach  with  specific 
measures for disadvantaged children and youth such as the EU strategy on the rights of the 
child,  the  Child  Guarantee  initiative,  Erasmus+,  the  European Solidarity  Corps  and  the 
European Social Fund Plus, or with  measures related to  the  inclusion of young migrants 
and  refugees.  The  Commission  is  preparing  a  Council  Recommendation  on  Pathways  to 
school success, targeting disadvantaged learners. 

The EU strategy on the rights of the child27, adopted in March 2021, recognises the impact 
that  the  COVID-19  pandemic  has  on  children  and  includes  targeted  actions  to  foster  the 
promotion and protection of children’s rights. The participation of children and young people 

27 COM(2021) 142 final 

11 

 
 
 
                                                 
to EU political and democratic life is  also one of the six thematic priorities of this strategy, 
resulting from the views of more than 10 000 children aged 11-1828. 

Supporting  the  Youth  Goal  Opportunities  for  Rural  Youth,  the  Council  conclusions  on 
raising  opportunities  for  young  people  in  rural  and  remote  areas29,  adopted  during  the 
Croatian  Council  Presidency,  encourage  the  exchange  of  best  practices  in  using  the 
opportunities  provided  by  youth-related  programmes  and  policies 
the 
employability, mobility  and participation of young people. They promote approaches aimed 
at reducing inequalities between urban and remote/rural areas. 

improve 

to 

The two Coronavirus Response Investment Initiatives (CRII and CRII+) allowed Member 
States to mobilise and redirect the available resources under the EU cohesion policy funds to 
address the COVID-19 pandemic including its impact on young people. This EU support was 
supplemented by the REACT-EU (Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of 
Europe) package of EUR 50.6 billion,  which continues and extends the  crisis  response  and 
repair measures and provides a bridge to the long-term green, digital and resilient recovery of 
the  economy.  Member  States  will  use  these  additional  resources  to  help  young  people  in 
terms of access to employment, quality education and training and social services. 

Quality youth work for all  

The European Youth Strategy gave a clear signal on the need to invest, recognise and frame 
youth  work.  The  Finnish  Council  Presidency  focused  on  supporting  and  developing  youth 
work with two sets of Council conclusions. The conclusions on digital youth work30 invite 
Member States and the Commission to encourage the exchange of best practices, to promote 
and  make  use  of  EU  funding  instruments,  peer-learning  activities  and  research,  and  to 
improve  digital  competences  through  non-formal  learning  and  training.  In  the  Council 
conclusions  on  education  and  training  of  youth  workers31,  Member  States  and  the 
Commission are invited to carry out further research, to foster the recognition of non-formal 
learning in youth work and to explore options to further develop the education and training of 
youth workers. 

The European Youth Work Agenda was a top priority for the German Council Presidency, 
which  led  to  the  adoption  of  a  Council  Resolution  followed  by  the  third  Youth  Work 
Convention in Bonn. The Council Resolution32 asks the Member States and the Commission 
to take measures to integrate youth work into existing and future youth policies, recognise the 
role and the needs of the youth work community and create training, tools, applications and 
mechanisms with the support of Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. To strengthen 
and  further  develop  youth  work  throughout  Europe,  the  Bonn  Process  aims  to  align  the 
commitment of different stakeholders in the youth work community of practice.  

Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps programmes will further support youth work in 
particular  through  Transnational  Cooperation  Activities  and  Networking  Activities 

28  The  EU  Strategy  on  the  Rights  of  the  Child  and  the  European  Child  Guarantee  |  European 

Commission (europa.eu)  

29   OJ 2020/C 193/03 
30   OJ 2029/C 414/02  
31   OJ 2019/C 412/12  
32   OJ 2020/C 415/01 

12 

 
 
                                                 
among  National  Agencies,  contributing  to  the  strategic  impact  of  the  programme  and 
supporting youth work quality development at national and European level. 

Promoting a healthy and active lifestyle  

The Commission has supported Member States and stakeholders in the improvement of health 
literacy  and  the  promotion  of  a  healthy  and  active  lifestyle,  at  a  young  age,  to  help  reduce 
non-communicable diseases (such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity) at a 
later stage in life. Among EU actions specifically dedicated to the health of young people and 
children, are Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the Joint Action on Health Equity Europe 
that joins Member States efforts addressing health inequalities and social determinants.  The 
‘HealthyLifestyle4All initiative campaign launched in 2021 links sport and active lifestyles 
with  health,  food  and  other  policies.  Central  to  the  initiative  is  a  dedicated  platform  to 
showcase the commitments (pledges) by different stakeholders.  

The  Joint  Action  on  Mental  Health  (ImpleMENTAL)  will  implement  a  multi-level 
national suicide prevention programme and a system reform to strengthen community-based 
services  with  a  specific  focus  on  services  for  children  and  young  people.  To  support 
stakeholders’  efforts,  the  Commission  set  up  a  group  on  ‘COVID19  mental  health  support’ 
within  its  EU  Health  Policy  Platform33,  and  hosted  a  high-level  conference34  on  the  mental 
health impact of the pandemic in May 2021. 

5. Main instruments to support cooperation and mutual learning  

The EU Youth Strategy has enabled the development of relevant tools allowing strengthened 
cooperation and exchange of views between the Member States.  

Support to evidence-based policy-making  

The  European  tools  for  better  knowledge  have  become  key  to  supporting  youth  policy 
development.  The  Youth  Partnership  between  the  European  Union  and  the  Council  of 
Europe, besides research on participation, inclusion and youth work, also developed work on 
the impact of COVID-19 on young people and the youth sector by setting up the Knowledge 
Hub.  

The  Youth  Wiki  online  platform  provides  a  comprehensive  overview  of  national  youth 
policies  in  32  European  countries,  and  includes  a  chapter  on  youth  work  as  well  as 
comparative maps.  

The dashboard of youth situation indicators has  been reviewed for the 2019-2021 period 
by  a  dedicated  expert  group35  which  also  provided  proposals  for  new  quantitative  and 
qualitative policy indicators. The dashboard should now be made operational, notably with a 
view to better monitor EU spending on youth. 

Mutual learning activities   

33   EU Health Policy Platform (europa.eu) 
34   Mental health and the pandemic: living, caring, acting! | Public Health (europa.eu) 
35   Proposal for an updated dashboard of EU youth indicators - Publications Office of the EU (europa.eu) 

13 

 
 
                                                 
The Member States expressed strong interest for mutual learning activities, as shown by the 
high  number  of  participants  during  the  reporting  period.  This  increased  interest  highlighted 
the  advantages  in  exchanging  good  practices  and  reaching  common  understanding.  Expert 
groups  and  peer  learning  activities  allowed  consensus  on  solutions  and  their  practical 
implementation.  They  have  strengthened  cooperation  between  Member  States  and  tackled 
topics of common interest.  

Exchanges at the expert group on the mobility of youth volunteers prepared the proposal 
for  a  revision  of  the  Recommendation  on  mobility  of  volunteers.  The  expert  group  on 
indicators  came  up  with  proposals  to  revise  the  dashboard  in  order  to  better  grasp  the 
situation of young people. An expert group on youth work will kick-off in the last quarter of 
2021 as part of the implementation of the Youth Work Agenda.  

Mid  2021,  for  the  first  time,  peer  learning  activities  in  the  field  of  youth  policies  were 
organised. A peer learning activity on non-vocational qualifications for youth work at the 
initiative of France in June 2021 focused on the recognition of competences and qualifications 
of youth workers in view of facilitating cross border exchanges and mobility. Member States 
agreed on the need to  further support  youth  work exchanges as well as the formal and non-
formal education approaches to provision and recognition of non-vocational qualifications to 
youth workers.  

There was also a peer learning activity on the rights based approach in youth policy at the 
initiative  of  the  Portuguese  presidency  in  June  2021.  Discussions  highlighted  the  need  to 
mainstream  the  youth  dimension  across  different  policies,  to  step  up  the  use  of  digital 
technologies,  to  promote  the  right-based  approach  and  to  engage  young  people  and  other 
stakeholders. A peer learning activity on volunteering mobility is foreseen to happen by the 
end  of  2021  at  the  initiative  of  Estonia,  to  discuss  the  work  on  the  review  of  the  Council 
Recommendations on volunteer mobility and the establishment of national civic schemes. 

Future National Activity Planners (FNAPs) 

The Future National Activity Planners (FNAPS) introduced in 2019, allow Member States 
to share their priorities in line with the EU Youth Strategy on a voluntary basis. As part of the 
FNAPs, the Commission surveyed Member States in 2019 and in 2021 to gather information 
on  their  youth  policy  priorities  regarding  the  implementation  of  the  European  Youth  Goals 
and cooperation needs in line with the EU Youth Strategy. 21 Member States shared their 
plans in 201936 and 18 Member States offered FNAPs updates in 202137.  

This contributed to an increased transparency on national youth priorities and identification of 
common  needs.  It  is  recommended  that  these  surveys  should  be  conducted  at  least  once  in 
every Cycle of the trio Presidencies with  options for countries to  update their FNAPs when 
the need arises. 

In  2019,  the  three  main  common  challenges  for  youth  policy  listed  by  the  responding 
countries in the FNAPS were 1) the need to increase youth participation, 2) access to quality 

36  https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/FNAP    
37  https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/FNAPSurvey2021 

14 

 
 
                                                 
education and professional development,  and 3) the development of digital skills and media 
literacy.  

In  2021,  the  responses  strongly  focus  on  the  impact  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  on  young 
people. Two thirds identify youth mental health as the major challenge. Obstacles regarding 
professional  growth  and  young  people's  unemployment  remain  highly  ranked.  Member 
States also express the need to focus more on employability and acquiring skills, especially 
for those with fewer opportunities or living in socially excluded areas.  

  Engage 

Supporting  the  EU  Youth  Dialogue  to  include  diverse  voices  of  young  people  in  decision-
making processes, followed by the need to encourage inclusive democratic participation in 
society  and  democratic  processes,  and  the  development  of  opportunities  for  'learning  to 
participate' are priorities for European cooperation in the FNAPS 2021 (as in 2019).  

Transnational cooperation activities38 under the Erasmus+ programme have been identified 
by Member States as their preferred cooperation tool for this area, followed by expert groups 
and  peer  learning.  Collaboration  between  the  trio  of  EU  Council  Presidencies,  the 
Commission  and  the  European  Youth  Forum  on  the  8th  cycle  of  EU  Youth  Dialogue  is 
showcased in the FNAPs as an example of good practice.  

  Connect 

Under this area, two main cooperation topics for the future are identified by Member States in 
their  FNAPs:  1)  enabling  access  for  all  young  people  and  youth  workers  to  cross-border 
mobility  and  volunteering  opportunities  with  special  attention  to  youth  with  fewer 
opportunities  and  2)  sharing  best  practices  and  further  work  on  effective  systems  for 
validation  and  recognition  of  competences  gained  through  non-formal  and  informal 
learning. 

In  2021  the  transnational  cooperation  activities  under  the  Erasmus+  programme  were 
mentioned  as  the  most  preferable  tool  for  cooperation  by  60%  of  the  responding  Member 
States. 

  Empower 

Two  thirds  of  the  replies  from  the  2021  FNAPs  exercise  confirmed  quality  youth  work  as 
the  most  relevant  topic  for  cooperation,  followed  by  the  need  to  implement  the  European 
Youth Work Agenda. In this core area, priority is given to the use of peer learning focused 
on policy development, chosen by more than half of the respondents. 

Dialogue with stakeholders   

The  EU  Youth  Strategy  Platform  was  launched  in  2019  to  facilitate  participatory 
governance  and  the  coordination  of  the  strategy’s  implementation,  in  both  real  and  virtual 
settings.  It  brings  together  representatives  of  the  EU  institutions,  Member  States,  National 
Agencies  of  Erasmus+  and  the  European  Solidarity  Corps,  youth  organisations,  local  and 
regional authorities as well as other stakeholders. The Platform builds the basis for a regular 

38 Transnational Cooperation Activities (TCA) encompasses a range of events which enable Erasmus+ National Agencies  to 
collaborate  and  share  best  practice  across  Europe,  and  aim  to  improve  the  quality  and  impact  of  the  programme  at  a 
systemic level. 

15 

 
 
                                                 
civic  dialogue,  gives  stakeholders  a  greater  role  in  coordinating  the  implementation  of  the 
strategy  and  offers  opportunities  to  exchange  information  on  activities  and  results.  The 
Commission  has  mobilised  this  platform  during  the  pandemic  to  allow  exchange  between 
stakeholders on information and evidence on the pandemic impact on the youth sector. 

The  first  EU  Youth  Coordinator  was  nominated  in  June  2021.  The  role  is  to  reach  out  to 
young  people  and  youth  organisations  and  listen  to  their  concerns.  The  aim  is  also  to  help 
increase  the  internal  cooperation  between  different  EU  policy  areas  having  an  impact  on 
youth, and to strive for the youth perspective to be taken into account in relevant EU policies.   

Monitoring of funding on youth: EU programmes and funds 

the  Strategy.  The  accompanying  Staff  Working  Document  on 

Monitoring  of  EU  spending  on  youth  is  part  of  the  transparency  on  EU  action  approach 
supported  by 
the 
implementation of the EU Youth Strategy reports on the past multiannual financial framework 
activities  in  2019-2020,  but  also  presents  the  opportunities  for  funding  on  youth  under  the 
new  2021-2027  multiannual  financial  framework  combined  with  the  temporary  recovery 
instrument,  NextGenerationEU. The opportunities for funding under this framework include 
the  new  Erasmus+  programme  with  a  double  budget  to  offer  even  more  funding 
opportunities in the field of youth, the European Solidarity Corps, the Youth Employment 
Initiative, the European Social Fund Plus and Horizon Europe.  

Communicating the EU Youth Strategy 

In  2019,  communication  material  was  developed  in  several  languages  in  order  to 
communicate on the Strategy, particularly on the internet and through social media. 

The European Youth Portal39, which is the one-stop-shop reference multilingual portal for 
young people in Europe, now offers a broad range of information on the EU Youth Strategy. 
With the help of the network of Eurodesk and Eurodesk Brussels Link, the Portal provides 
inter  alia  youth  information  on  opportunities  for  mobility  and  exchange  projects  and  on 
democratic  participation  activities  in  policy  areas  such  as  employment,  human  rights  or 
peacebuilding.  

6. Conclusions and future outlook for EU cooperation on youth 

Looking back at the first three years of implementation and despite the disruptive impact of 
the  COVID-19  pandemic,  the  2021-2027  EU  Youth  Strategy  has  shown  that  it  provides  a 
strong  and  impactful  roadmap  to  foster  cooperation  between  EU  Member  States  and 
support  youth  policies  both  at  EU  and  national  level.  The  youth  sector  could  rely  on  the 
instruments developed over the last years, as well as on key European youth programmes, to 
implement the strategy.  

The  EU  Youth  Dialogue  has  succeeded  in  bringing  together  young  people  and  policy-
makers to discuss ideas and feed into youth policy and to boost young people’s involvement 

39   https://europa.eu/youth/home_en 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
in the democratic process by ensuring that their voices count. There were efforts to reach out 
to  more  young  people,  particularly  from  various  backgrounds  and  profiles.  However,  the 
outreach  to  young  people  from  different  backgrounds,  beyond  the  traditional 
representation,  can  be  further  improved.  The  inclusion  and  diversity  strategy  of  the  new 
Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes will provide a solid framework to step 
up actions towards this objective and encourage new forms of participation, designed to boost 
the  involvement  of  young  people  from  disadvantaged  backgrounds.  The  European  Social 
Fund  Plus  places  a  special  focus  on  supporting  youth  NEET  and  other  disadvantaged  or 
vulnerable young people. 

The EU also appears to be a source of inspiration for other regions in the world when it 
comes  to  developing  policies,  programmes  and  initiatives  for  young  people.  Processes 
inspired by the EU Youth dialogue were set up outside the European Union, to engage with 
young people, such as within the Eastern partnership countries. 

The opportunities for young people and the youth sector offered by the EU youth programmes 
remained  popular  and  attractive,  even  during  the  pandemic.  The  co-creation40  approach 
implemented by the Commission to build the new programmes in the field of youth allowed 
the  introduction  of  flexibility  measures  during  the  pandemic  to  fit  the  needs  of  the  youth 
sector. The Commission could therefore take rapid action to support the sector in adapting to 
new challenges such as reduced physical mobility, and digital and hybrid formats.  

Yet, the pandemic has also underlined the importance of reflecting on the role of democracy 
in society and has highlighted the key role of civic education, media literacy, awareness of 
disinformation  and  youth  work  to  promote  the  active  participation  and  engagement  of 
young  people.  The  massive  shift  towards  online  education  and  digital  youth  work  has 
emphasised  the  need  for  quicker  reforms,  capacity-building,  teacher  and  youth  worker 
training, skills development, new pedagogies, and increased digital readiness, but also the 
fundamental importance of in-person activities for some categories of young people. 

The 2021-2027 Erasmus+, European Solidarity  Corps programmes and the European Social 
Fund  Plus  are  apt  to  respond  to  the  necessary  digital  and  green  transformations  of  the 
economy  and  society.  The  programmes  will  be  more  inclusive  and  encourage  positive 
changes  to  make  the  education  and  training,  youth  and  sport  more  resilient  to  changes,  in 
close alignment with the priorities to achieve the European Education Area and those of the 
Digital Education Action Plan. 

With regards to the future, the Commission is committed to further mainstream youth related 
issues,  as  demonstrated  by  the  recent  nomination  of  the  EU  Youth  Coordinator.  The 
Coordinator  will  strive  for  the  concerns  of  young  people  to  be  better  heard  in  EU  policy-
making and for better synergies and knowledge-sharing between the different policy areas at 
European level affecting youth. 

The Commission is also increasing its efforts in involving youth in key European initiatives. 
Young people have an active role to play in the Conference on the Future of Europe, which 
addresses relevant issues such as climate change, a stronger economy including the future of 
work and jobs, education, training and  youth policies and the growing importance of digital 

40   The co-creation involved youth stakeholders in the design of the programmes. 

17 

 
 
                                                 
technologies. Young people are invited to play an active role in the new European Bauhaus 
initiative, a movement to co-design and co-develop new ways of living and in harmony with 
the planet.  

Despite  the  diversity  of  national  situations,  the  Youth  Strategy  has  allowed  Member 
States  to  identify  common  challenges  and  priorities,  mainly  through  the  mutual  learning 
activities and particularly in the context of the pandemic.  

For  the  next  period,  the  Strategy’s  tools  could  be  used  towards  better  engaging,  connecting 
and  empowering  young  people,  including  further  strengthening  youth  participatory 
processes  and  reaching  out  to  more  young  people  beyond  the  usual  representation,  as 
well  as  rolling  out  the  implementation  of  the  European  Youth  Work  Agenda  and  the 
future Council recommendation on the mobility of young volunteers. The Strategy’s tools 
and instruments could also be used to address specific future challenges including the impact 
of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  on  youth  education,  employment  and  mental  health, 
particularly for disadvantaged youth, and the increased need for digital youth work. 

These  current  priorities  will  feed  into  the  new  Work  Plan  for  the  triennial  2022-2024 
period, which will primarily focus on the  resilience and recovery of youth and the youth 
sector  in  the  post  COVID-times.  EU  programmes  and  funds  such  as  the  Erasmus+,  the 
European  Solidarity  Corps,  Horizon  Europe  and  the  European  Social  Fund  Plus  can 
strongly  contribute,  as  they  have  been  reinforced  and  adapted  in  line  with  recent 
developments. Furthermore additional funding from NextGenerationEU with strong support 
to  many  policy  fields  affecting  young  people  (education,  skills,  employment,  climate,  etc.) 
can have a big impact. 

Ensuring  that  all  young  Europeans  have  equal  access  to  opportunities  and  giving  them  the 
necessary support to live, work, learn and thrive remains at the heart of EU youth cooperation 
and policies. The 2021-2027 EU Youth Strategy is vital to achieve these goals. Setting up this 
strong  policy  framework,  enabling  exchange  of  knowledge  and  mutual  learning  between 
Member  States  as  well  as  channelling  funding  from  Erasmus+  and  other  EU  programmes 
towards  the  three  strategic  pillars  ‘Engage.  Connect.  Empower’  will  enable  many  young 
people in Europe to reach their full potential, be prepared for the green and digital transitions 
and shape a brighter and fair future for them.  

On  15  September  2021,  President  von  der  Leyen  announced  in  her  State  of  the  Union 
Address41  that  the  European  Commission  will  propose  to  make  2022  the  European  Year  of 
Youth “a  year dedicated to  empowering those who have dedicated so much to  others”. The 
Year  will  aim  to  boost  the  efforts  of  the  Union,  the  Member  States,  regional  and  local 
authorities  to  honour,  support  and  engage  with  youth  in  a  post-pandemic  perspective  as 
“Europe needs all of its youth”. 

41 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_21_4701 

18