Resolution of the Council and of the representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on the outcomes of the 9th cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue 2023/C 185/04
Date: 2023-05-15
Institutions: Council of the European Union, Representatives of the Governments of the Member States
Subjects: EU strategy, European cooperation, education policy, governance, political participation, social dialogue (EU), social participation, young person, youth movement, youth policy








C_2023185EN.01000401.xml










26.5.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 185/4






Resolution of the Council and of the representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on the outcomes of the 9th cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue
(2023/C 185/04)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL,
RECALLING THAT:








1.


The aims of this resolution are to ensure that the outcomes of the 9th cycle of the European Union Youth Dialogue (EUYD) are recognised and followed up by relevant stakeholders at local, regional, national and European levels, and to ensure quality and continuity in the implementation of the EUYD process and its outcomes. This document further aims to contribute to increased transparency in the EUYD and to provide feedback from the work that has been done within the 9th cycle and previous cycles.












2.


This resolution builds on the Resolution on the European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027 (1) and its European Youth goals, as well as Annex I of the Resolution establishing guidelines on the governance of the EUYD, and the outcomes of the previous cycles of the EUYD. The EU Youth Strategy calls for a greater involvement of young people in dialogue with decision-makers, and for the engagement of young people from diverse backgrounds and social groups.












3.


The decision (EU) 2021/2316 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 December 2021 on a European Year of Youth (2022) (hereinafter ‘EYY’) highlights the need to give young people opportunities for a future that is greener, more digital and more inclusive.












4.


The EUYD is a participation mechanism for young people in the EU. It serves as a forum for continuous joint reflection and for consultations on the priorities, implementation and follow-up of cooperation at EU level in the field of youth between decision-makers, young people and their representative organisations as well as researchers. The EUYD makes possible a continuous partnership in the governance of these processes at local, regional, national and European level.












5.


The outcomes of the 9th cycle of the EUYD are based on the cycle’s three EU Youth Conferences, on feedback from national and European qualitative consultations and events from the dialogue phase, and on the results from the implementation phase in the Member States and at European level. These outcomes contribute to mainstreaming the multi-level and cross-sectoral implementation of Youth Goal #10 ‘Sustainable Green Europe’ and of Youth Goal #3 ‘Inclusive Societies’ under the title ‘Engaging Together for a Sustainable and Inclusive Europe’.












6.


The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact (2) on the participation of young people and increased inequalities between groups of young people. Furthermore, the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and the consequent energy crisis, increased migration and global inflation have serious effects on young people and communities in Europe. The fact that young people with fewer opportunities have less access to human and especially social rights than young people with more opportunities became even more evident during these crises.












7.


The invitation from the 8th cycle to the European Commission and the Member States is to






—


strengthen long-term institutional memory and continuity of work between EUYD cycles;










—


call for regular exchanges and coordination that is youth led and adequately supported between the Presidency trios, the Commission and the European Youth Forum to be organised, and for the documentation of the European Steering Group to be made public in the European Youth Portal;










—


provide continuous feedback to young people and youth organisations involved in all stages of the EUYD process in order to ensure meaningful dialogue and youth participation at all levels;










—


prioritise and give visibility to the EUYD in national and EU-level events and promote youth participation in decision-making processes at all levels.
















8.


The 9th cycle EUYD toolkit provided means for the National Working Groups to collect data on plans they created for the cycle, and on good practice examples they identified in the five key domains, namely:






a)


information and education,










b)


action and empowerment,










c)


governance,










d)


mobility and solidarity,










e)


access to infrastructure.
This process collected the opinions of young people and contributed to the development of working methods and best practices, facilitating the implementation of the 9th cycle of the EUYD.








ACKNOWLEDGING THAT:








9.


The EUYD is based on the leadership and shared ownership of the National Working Groups, where possible, coordinated by the National Youth Councils. This enables a diversity of young people to participate in the dialogue and connects different national, regional and local stakeholders with the process.












10.


The contribution of International Non-Governmental Youth Organisations (INGYOs) is important in bringing a range of perspectives from across Europe to the policy dialogue and in ensuring quality input on the transnational dimension of the EUYD process.




CONSIDER THAT:








11.


The National Working Groups and the INGYOs used a variety of methods, such as dialogue and round table events (both online and offline), social media polls and targeted activities with young people with fewer opportunities.












12.


Putting young people and youth organisations at the core of the design, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and follow-up of the cycle and all its activities, for example by ensuring that the presidency’s National Youth Councils had the right to co-chair the European Steering Group, was a key aspect of the implementation of the 9th cycle of the EUYD.




NOTE THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EU YOUTH CONFERENCE (3):








13.


Recommendation for subtheme 1 on information and education: ‘We request that Member States ensure equal access to user-friendly information on sustainability and climate change through inclusive and empowering non-formal and formal education fostering intergenerational dialogue and learning’.












14.


Recommendation for subtheme 2 on action and empowerment: ‘We urge Member States to guarantee independent advisory boards on a local level (e.g., youth councils) consisting of, and selected by, young people with an intersectional emphasis on young people with fewer opportunities, taking a sustainable approach’.












15.


Recommendation for subtheme 3 on governance: ‘We recommend developing legislation ensuring accountability and transparency in environmental and sustainable development policymaking processes and supporting participation and evaluation mechanisms which enable this (e.g., youth bodies, youth tests) at local, regional, and European level’.












16.


Recommendation for subtheme 4 on mobility and solidarity: ‘We urge the European Commission and the Member States to create action plans, aimed at the formal education sector and at the labour market, in order to ensure formal recognition of experience and key competences acquired through participation in volunteering and learning mobility’.












17.


Recommendation for subtheme 5 on access to infrastructure: ‘We recommend the European Commission and the Member States to provide an affordable and accessible “Youth Climate Ticket” as a universal multimodal tool for public transportation at the regional, national, and international levels, and the European Commission to support Member States in advancing sustainable ways of public transportation’.




RECOGNISE THAT:








18.


The participants of the EU Youth Conference emphasised the need in making all aspects of the EUYD more inclusive and diverse and to improve its outreach to various groups of young people, including through a long-term communication strategy e.g., by a common logo, widescale promotion of results and accessible and youth-friendly information, reaching beyond the conference delegates and core participants at the EUYD.












19.


The participants of the EU Youth Conference further stressed that efficient cross sectoral co-operation at both national and EU level was important to bring the results of the EUYD outside of the youth policy sphere to create impact beyond the youth sector. It was further noted that Member States and National Working Groups had a key role in providing systematic monitoring and feedback in order to enhance the internal transparency of the process.




WELCOME:








20.


The decision on a European Year of Youth (2022) (4), drawing attention to young people and their important role in society as well as empowering and restoring confidence to the young generation that suffered the most during the COVID-19 pandemic.












21.


The evolution of the European Youth Portal and its reaffirmed function as a one stop shop for the EUYD and related documents as a contribution to ensuring the institutional memory between cycles.












22.


The conclusions of the Council on fostering engagement among young people as actors of change in order to protect the environment, especially the emphasis put on supporting young people in their engagement to the environment and their agency in the ongoing development of society as a whole.












23.


The conclusions of the Council on promoting the intergenerational dimension in the youth field to foster dialogue and social cohesion, in particular highlighting the benefits of bringing together the experience and competencies of different generations in building peaceful and cohesive societies.












24.


The emphasis of the 8th cycle of the EUYD on the Youth Goal #9 ‘Space and Participation for All’ and the participatory process that led to the approval of the Council conclusions on strengthening the multilevel governance when promoting the participation of young people in decision-making processes and the Council conclusions on safeguarding and creating civic spaces for young people that facilitate meaningful youth participation.












25.


The active participation of young people and of the National Working Groups in the 9th cycle of the EUYD and the inclusion of youth organisations in a variety of events providing feedback throughout the cycle and the implementation of the EYY. Further, the youth participation in the informal meeting of Ministers for Education and Youth in Strasbourg, in the seminar on the participation of young people in the European Project in Strasbourg, and in the conference ‘Claim the Future’ in Brussels to summarise the achievements of the EYY and to reflect upon its legacy.




INVITE THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION, IN LINE WITH THE SUBSIDIARITY PRINCIPLE, AND WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE SPHERES OF COMPETENCE, TO:








26.


Consider, where appropriate, the recommendations mentioned above in paragraphs 13 to 17 when implementing and evaluating relevant policy responses relating to subthemes 1 to 5 of the 9th cycle of the EUYD.












27.


Consider the outcomes of the 9th cycle of the EUYD, when implementing and evaluating current youth policies and designing future youth policies, in synergy with all policies affecting young people. Explore further ways of implementing European Youth Goals #10 and #3 and their sub-targets.












28.


Encourage, acknowledge and, where appropriate, financially support actions and programmes initiated and led by young people in sustainable development, particularly those combating climate change and increasing inclusion, so that they can be agents of change within society as a whole.












29.


Strengthen and improve the EUYD process by considering and, where possible, applying best practices from the 9th cycle of the EUYD and the principles that guided its implementation, in particular by putting young people and youth organisations at the core of the process and ensuring that the EUYD is a youth-led process in which young people and decision-makers have a constructive solution-seeking dialogue.












30.


Empower the National Youth Councils, where applicable, in their role as leading stakeholders in the National Working Groups to enable them to coordinate and implement the EUYD at the national level.












31.


Call on relevant parties to ensure stable administrative and financial support, as well as the necessary tools, to the National Youth Councils for co-chairing the European Steering Group, where applicable, to enable them to take on a leading role in the EUYD during the presidency term of their Member State, especially through the Youth chapter of the Erasmus+ programme in line with its legal basis and the EU Financial regulation.












32.


Encourage young people, youth organisations and other stakeholders in the youth field to make more use of the funding possibilities offered by the Youth chapter of the EU programme Erasmus+ in order to strengthen youth participation and youth dialogues at local, regional and national level and, where appropriate, to link them more closely to the EUYD process.












33.


Recognise the involvement and contribution of INGYOs in the EUYD process as important actors for ensuring that the dialogue has a strong European dimension and, where appropriate, provide necessary preconditions for their active participation and involvement in the EUYD process.












34.


Continue the work that was done at all levels during the EYY to prioritise and increase the visibility of the EUYD in local, regional, national and EU-level events and promote inclusive youth participation in decision-making processes at all levels in line with best practice for youth inclusion.












35.


Ensure that there is a long-term communication strategy at European level to increase outreach regarding the EUYD in a youth friendly manner and, where appropriate, provide National Working Groups with additional support to enhance their own EUYD communication. The communication strategy should preferably be created under the co-leadership of youth organisations, including a common EUYD logo, labelling all EUYD actions, at European, national, regional and local level.












36.


Take appropriate measures to mainstream meaningful youth participation across all relevant policy fields, in line with the activities carried out during the EYY, to foster a youth perspective in all relevant policy areas. The youth policy area should act as a bridge to other areas of policymaking, to ensure that the voices of children and young people are amplified and included in other sectors.












37.


Further develop monitoring and feedback related to the outcomes of the EUYD to increase transparency and to ensure meaningful youth participation in all parts and at all stages of decision-making processes.












38.


Provide support as well as targeted tools and methods to reach and prepare young people who usually do not participate, including young people with fewer opportunities, in the EUYD. These could be tailored to specific groups needs on a case-by-case basis. The objective would be to provide simple communication tools to explain the EUYD and the role of the European institutions in a youth friendly way and provide appropriate support throughout the process.












39.


Where appropriate, develop methods and implementation tools at local, regional, national and EU levels on how to take action on the messages and demands that emanate from the EUYD and the EU Youth Conferences, as well as from the EYY.




INVITE THE COMMISSION, IN LINE WITH THE SUBSIDIARITY PRINCIPLE, TO:








40.


Further develop the EU Youth Portal and other relevant communications tools in a youth friendly manner in order to increase the user-friendliness and visibility of the EUYD, building on good practices from the EYY and the 9th cycle of the EUYD.












41.


Further engage the EU Youth Coordinator in mainstreaming youth participation across all relevant EU policy fields in line with the EYY legacy and give increased visibility to the EUYD as an instrument for mainstreaming youth participation.




AND FURTHER NOTE THAT:








42.


The overall topic priority of the next trio presidency (Spain, Belgium and Hungary) is ‘WE NEED YOUTH’.












43.


The ambition is to further develop and strengthen the EUYD during the 10th cycle taking account of the results, recommendations, celebration and evaluations of the previous cycles.






(1)  Resolution of the Council and of the representatives of the Member States meeting within the Council establishing guidelines on the governance of the EU Youth Dialogue — European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027 (OJ C 189, 5.6.2019, p. 1).

(2)  Eurofound (2021), impact of COVID-19 on young people in the EU, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.

(3)  These are the recommendations formulated at the EU Youth Conference in March 2023 at the end of the 9th cycle of the EUYD. See further supporting abstracts to recommendations 1 to 5 in Annex II to the annex.

(4)  Decision (EU) 2021/2316 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 December 2021 on a European Year of Youth (2022) (OJ L 462, 28.12.2021, p. 1).




ANNEX I
REFERENCES






—


Bárta O., Moxon D. (2023). EUYD9 Implementation Phase Report. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7696299.










—


Conclusions of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on strengthening the multilevel governance when promoting the participation of young people in decision-making processes (OJ C 241, 21.6.2021, p. 3).










—


Conclusions of the Council and of the representatives of the governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on fostering democratic awareness and democratic engagement among young people in Europe (OJ C 415, 1.12.2020, p. 16).










—


Council conclusions on fostering engagement among young people as actors of change in order to protect the environment, (OJ C 159, 12.4.2022, p. 9).










—


Council conclusions on promoting the intergenerational dimension in the youth field to foster dialogue and social cohesion, (OJ C 495, 29.12.2022, p. 56).










—


Council conclusions on safeguarding and creating civic spaces for young people that facilitate meaningful youth participation, (OJ C 501 I, 13.12.2021, p. 19).










—


Council Resolution on the Structured Dialogue and the future development of the dialogue with young people in the context of policies for European cooperation in the youth field, post 2018 (OJ C 189, 15.6.2017, p. 1).










—


Eurofound (2021), Impact of COVID-19 on young people in the EU, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.










—


Resolution of the Council and of the representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on the outcomes of the 8th cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue (OJ C 504, 14.12.2021, p. 1).










—


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).










—


Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on the Outcomes of the 7th cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue: European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027 (OJ C 212I, 26.6.2020, p. 1).










—


Resolution of the Council and of the representatives of the Member States meeting within the Council establishing guidelines on the governance of the EU Youth Dialogue - European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027 (OJ C 189, 5.6.2019, p. 1).









ANNEX II
SUPPORTING ABSTRACTS TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUBTHEMES 1-5 OF THE 9TH CYCLE OF THE EU YOUTH DIALOGUE:
The implementation phase of the 9th cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue (EUYD) built on the five subthemes selected by the participants of the EU Youth Conference in Strasbourg, France, in January 2022. The analyses of the implementation phase took place in February and March 2023, providing insights and concretisation of the two main areas of the implementation reporting, namely the range of implementation activities, and the impacts identified as a result of the implementation activities of the 9th Cycle of the EUYD. The implementation phase report (1) served as a basis for the discussions at the EU Youth Conference in Växjö, Sweden, in March 2023.
This annex contains the supporting abstracts to the recommendations for subthemes 1-5 of the cycle that were drafted by the participants of the Conference.
1.   Information and education

‘The aim of our recommendation is to secure trustworthy and inclusive information on sustainability and climate change. Such user-friendly information accessible to people from different ages/stages of life help us achieve a greener Europe. We need to integrate information on these topics into all types of educational content, both non-formal and formal. It is important to learn together and from each other, taking different perspectives into consideration like various cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. Therefore, climate justice should be taken into consideration. It is not fair to burden young people with the consequences of the policies that they, themselves, did not make. We must have all generations actively involved in education about climate change and the solutions needed.
Young people need the skills, knowledge, and platforms to take meaningful action. It is important to utilise the potential of non-formal education and recognise the practical benefits. We foresee the implementation through an interdisciplinary approach and make use of the potential and knowledge of youth organisations and youth information services already available. It is necessary to provide resources for educators to receive the appropriate training and capacity to perform their role. As this is a living process, it needs to be a continuous process of evaluation, monitoring and improvement.’
2.   Action and empowerment
‘Time and time again young people are disregarded and excluded in decision making processes that have a grave impact on their future. In order to tackle this issue, we urge the betterment of local bottom-up participation mechanisms through empowering young people, especially those with fewer opportunities.
Although these [advisory boards] currently exist in some countries such as Finland, Estonia, and Sweden, we recognise the need for a Europe-wide framework to establish more efficient models for effective co-decision processes between local youth and decision-makers. This approach needs to be taken in a sustainable and intersectional lens, to ensure both the continuity of the processes, and the inclusion of youth from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. Taking an intersectional approach implies that a person might be experiencing several forms of discrimination and marginalisation at the same time.
These boards shall be formed through democratic and youth-led processes in which young people choose their own representatives. The exact process and its logistics can be reflective of the respective local context. The members of the boards will act as the voice of the local youth before, after and during the local policy making processes.
It is crucial that Member States prioritise the inclusion and representation of young people in decision-making processes. By implementing independent advisory boards on a local level and empowering young people, especially those with fewer opportunities, we can create a better future for all.’
3.   Governance

‘The consultations of the 9th cycle of the EUYD showed a high level of mistrust among young people towards the effectiveness of policy making mechanisms regarding economic, social, and environmental policies. Despite aspirations and efforts to include young people in these policy making processes, young people report that their engagement is unlikely to bring about political change.
The purpose of this recommendation is to make sure that young people are included throughout the policy making process, making their voices heard, while monitoring and providing follow-up and feedback to young people on actions taken by policymakers following participation activities and publicly reporting on changes achieved or justifying the lack of changes by given deadlines. This will help increase transparency and accountability at all levels of policymaking.
The recommendation contributes to the empowerment of the role of youth bodies, including local, regional, national and European youth councils, the strengthening of the EUYD and the introduction of impact assessment tools such as the youth tests. This enables better targeted policies that are impactful, work to reduce inequality gaps and support current and future generations.’
4.   Mobility and solidarity

‘As part of the European Year of Skills 2023, an urgent need was emphasised to promote the mindset of reskilling and upskilling the workforce, contributing to sustainable growth and leading to a well-equipped formal education sector and competitive labour market. Therefore, we strongly encourage the participation of European youth in volunteering and learning mobility as an active learning-process for further skill development. In parallel, there is a growing misunderstanding not only from youth, but from policy decision-makers, formal education institutions and the labour market, preventing the recognition of the value that these experiences have or the competencies that European youth can develop from them.
Mobility is not accessible for a majority of young people due to lack of information, language barriers, insufficient financial resources and other personal duties. Hence, there is a necessity of having youth friendly and accessible information, from a trusted source, as well as a general awareness raising campaign, for all young people in Europe to recognise these opportunities, empowering a more inclusive society, according to Youth Goal #3.
The European Commission should initiate a process engaging Member States to have consultations in order to develop national action plans, in a 2-year timeframe, focusing on making volunteering and learning mobilities more accessible for young people, particularly the ones with limited opportunities. Moreover, Member States should create a framework to recognise the competences and skills learned during short and long-term volunteering and learning mobilities as part of their action plans, acknowledging these experiences as beneficial to their work and curricula.’
5.   Access to infrastructure

‘Despite existing transportation discounts, due to regional differences, transportation is still an obstacle in the daily life of many young people, especially in rural areas due to it being old and/or insufficient. Transportation affects studying, work, and the daily lives of the youth. Availability, affordability, and universal accessibility are key to advancing our public transportation systems. Utilising public transport by youth decreases rural to urban migration. This helps maintain rural population by decongestion and incentivizing youth to stay while promoting sustainable housing in both rural and urban areas.
The Youth Climate Ticket initiative aims at implementing a simple system for providing young people with accessible, affordable and available public transport on a regional, national and international scale. We believe in a holistic approach to social and environmental sustainability. We also aim at enabling young people to choose sustainable travel options more frequently and for Member States to build more sustainable infrastructure in the long term and enhance mobility and solidarity between Member States.
The EU Youth Climate Ticket is a pilot initiative that works on creating a single digital platform on three different levels: regional, national and international. The first two would be optional, supported by the European Commission only in willing Member States. The international level would be subject to EU harmonisation. The platform will have the function to adapt to national prices and will serve as a forum to showcase best practices. When it comes to sustainable public transportation, we want youth to thrive and not just survive.’


(1)  Bárta O., Moxon D. (2023). EUYD9 Implementation Phase Report. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7696299.