The EU Youth Dialogue allows for communication and exchange between young people, policy makers, and youth organizations in the European Union. This dialogue guarantees the consideration of the opinions and needs of young people, then developed by EU youth policies.
The EU Youth Dialogue is an important part of the EU Youth Strategy, which focuses on three core areas:
And overall, the EU Youth Strategy promotes cooperation among EU member states on all issues related to young people.
That’s what this article will examine: the EU Youth Dialogue and its role in the EU Youth Strategy.
The Council of Youth Ministers sets the theme for each 18-month work cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue. The current cycle, running from the beginning of 2022 to mid-2023, is “Engaging together for a sustainable and inclusive Europe.”
This theme is directly linked to Youth Goals 3 (Inclusive Societies) and 10 (Sustainable Green Europe) of the EU Youth Strategy.
The EU Youth Dialogue involves a range of activities, such as consultations with young people and youth organizations at a national level, as well as EU-level events and conferences. In each member state, national working groups organize the process, which are responsible for conducting consultations and activities with young people, youth organizations, and policy makers.
The EU Youth Conferences, which take place twice a year and are hosted by the country holding the EU Presidency, discuss, analyze, and compile the results of the EU Youth Dialogue activities.
Youth representatives and policy makers work together at conferences and present their common message to the EU. The Council of the European Union may adopt a policy document containing the views of young people based on the EU Youth Dialogue’s conclusions.
For example, the previous cycle in 2018 helped defining 11 Youth Goals for the EU Youth Strategy. These goals are:
The EU Youth Strategy is designed to help realize the vision of young people by mobilizing EU-level policy instruments and encouraging stakeholder action at the national, regional, and local levels.
The EU Youth Dialogue plays a crucial role in this process by facilitating communication and exchange between young people and decision makers. It also ensures EU youth policies to take in consideration the needs and perspectives of young people.
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