Article 1 Subject matter
The year 2022 shall be designated as the ‘European Year of Youth 2022’ (the ‘European Year’).
Article 2 Objectives
In line with the objectives of the 2019–2027 European Union Youth Strategy and the European Youth Goals, as defined in the 2019–2027 European Union Youth Strategy and Annex 3 thereto, which have a cross-sectoral approach aiming at ensuring that the interests and needs of young people are duly taken into account in political action at all levels, the overall objective of the European Year shall be to boost the efforts of the Union, the Member States and regional and local authorities, together with civil society actors, to empower, honour, support and engage with young people, including those with fewer opportunities, in a post-COVID-19 pandemic perspective with a view to having a long-term positive impact for young people. In particular, the European Year shall aim to: (a) renew the positive perspectives for young people, with a particular focus on the negative effects that the COVID-19 pandemic had on them, while highlighting how the green transition, the digital transition and other Union policies offer opportunities for young people and for society at large, drawing inspiration from the actions, vision and insights of young people to further strengthen and invigorate the common European project and listening to young people, taking into account their needs and concerns, and support young people in developing concrete, inclusive opportunities and deliverables, while making optimal use of Union instruments; (b) empower and support young people, including through youth work, especially young people with fewer opportunities, young people from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds, young people belonging to vulnerable and marginalised groups, young people from rural, remote, peripheral and less-developed areas and young people from outermost regions, to acquire relevant knowledge and competences and thus become active and engaged citizens and actors of change, inspired by a European sense of belonging, including additional efforts at building capacity for youth participation and civic engagement among young people and among all stakeholders that work to represent their interests and involving the contribution of young people from diverse backgrounds in key consultation processes, such as the Conference on the Future of Europe and the EU Youth Dialogue process; (c) support young people to acquire a better understanding of, and actively promote the various opportunities available to them from, public policies at Union, national, regional and local level in order to support their personal, social, economic and professional development in a green, digital and inclusive world, while aiming to remove the remaining barriers thereto; (d) mainstream youth policy across all relevant Union policy fields in line with the 2019–2027 European Union Youth Strategy to encourage the bringing of a youth perspective into policymaking at all levels.
Article 3 Types of measures
1. The measures to be taken to achieve the objectives set out in Article 2 shall include the following activities at Union and, building on existing possibilities, national, regional or local level and, where relevant, in partner countries, linked to the objectives of the European Year: (a) conferences, events, both cultural or otherwise, and policy initiatives targeting young people to promote an inclusive and accessible debate on challenges, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, that young people, including those with fewer opportunities and belonging to vulnerable groups, face, such as their social situation, access to education and training, and working conditions, and on the course of action that stakeholders at different levels can take; (b) promoting youth participation and enhancing the use of existing and new innovative tools, channels and programmes that enable all young people to reach policymakers by identifying, collecting and sharing experiences and good practice and raising awareness among policymakers of those tools, channels and programmes; (c) gathering ideas using participatory methods in an effort to co-create and co-implement the European Year; (d) information, education and awareness-raising campaigns to convey values such as respect, equality, justice, solidarity, volunteering, a sense of belonging and safety and a feeling of being heard and respected in order to stimulate young people to actively contribute to building a society that is more inclusive, green and digital; (e) creating spaces and tools for exchanges on turning challenges into opportunities and ideas into actions in an entrepreneurial spirit, while fostering creativity, community and cooperation; (f) undertaking studies and research on the situation of young people in the Union, paying particular attention to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, producing and using harmonised European statistics and other relevant Union-level data, and promoting and disseminating those results at the European, national or regional level; (g) promoting programmes, funding opportunities, projects, actions and networks of relevance to young people, including through social media and online communities. 2. The Commission and the Member States may identify other activities which could contribute to the objectives of the European Year and allow references to the European Year to be used as label in promoting those activities in so far as they contribute to achieving those objectives. The institutions and bodies of the Union and Member States may also identify such other activities and suggest them to the Commission.
Article 4 Coordination at national level
Member States shall be responsible for organising participation in the European Year at national level. Member States shall appoint national coordinators for that purpose. National coordinators shall ensure that the relevant activities are coordinated at national level. They shall also ensure that young people, youth organisations and civil society organisations, including, where they exist, national youth councils, and other relevant stakeholders, are actively involved in and actively engage with co-creating, implementing and reviewing the implementation of the activities of the European Year at national level.
Article 5 Coordination at Union level
1. The Commission shall convene meetings of the national coordinators in order to coordinate the running of the European Year. Those meetings shall also serve as an opportunity to exchange information regarding the implementation of the European Year at Union and national level. Representatives of the European Parliament may participate as observers and contribute to these meetings. 2. The coordination of the European Year at Union level shall have a transversal approach with a view to creating synergies between the various Union programmes and initiatives of relevance to young people and shall be duly taken into account at national level. 3. The Commission shall convene meetings of stakeholders and representatives of organisations or bodies in the field of youth, including the European Youth Forum and other youth organisations, to assist in co-creating and implementing the European Year at Union level.
Article 6 Cooperation at international level
For the purpose of the European Year, the Commission, where necessary, shall cooperate with international partners and competent international organisations, while ensuring the visibility of the Union’s participation. The Commission shall, in particular, ensure the cooperation with the Council of Europe, including through the EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership and by establishing strong links with the Council of Europe’s ‘Youth for Democracy, Democracy for Youth’ campaign and with international youth networks and organisations.
Article 7 Monitoring and evaluation
By 31 December 2023, the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament, to the Council, to the European Economic and Social Committee and to the Committee of the Regions on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the measures provided for in this Decision. That report shall include ideas for further common endeavours in the field of youth in order to create a long-lasting legacy for the European Year.
Article 8 Entry into force
This Decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union . It shall apply from 1 January 2022.