Moving forward, the Commission will now apply a ‘youth check’ when it is designing policies. In addition, Commissioners will speak more often to young people about current and planned policies. This way, the impact of EU policies on young people is systematically factored in, as is their perspective.
In parallel, concrete actions have been put forward to address young people's concerns, especially in the areas: health and wellbeing, environment and climate change, education and training, international cooperation and European values, and employment and inclusion. Initiatives, among others, include preparing guidelines on wellbeing in schools and increasing volunteering opportunities for young people.
From 12 to 19 April 2024, the Commission is also organising the 2024 European Youth Week, two months ahead of the European elections. This event will focus on democratic participation and elections, promoting youth engagement through a series of activities all over Europe.
All actions announced today are based on insights from the European Year of Youth, which featured 13,000 dedicated activities organised by more than 2,700 stakeholders across the EU. They are just the latest examples of the Commission’s commitment to young people, following in the footsteps of long-standing EU programmes like Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps.
