Brussels, 24/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - At the opening of a European Youth Conference, which is being held in Luxembourg from Tuesday 22 to Thursday 24 September, Luxembourg's prime minister, Xavier Bettel, encouraged young people in Europe to participate more and take an interest in their own future and the evolution of society. Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Commissioner Tibor Navracsics called for young people from all backgrounds to get involved in democratic life.
The conference was arranged under the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU and ends the current cycle of structured dialogue on the involvement of young people in politics. It aimed to finalise the conclusions document published by the previous conference in Riga in March 2015. The recommendations to be adopted after Thursday's conference will be submitted to EU youth ministers for approval at the next sitting of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council in Brussels on 23 and 24 November 2015.
In his speech, Xavier Bettel stressed the importance of creating good starting conditions for the young generation, pointing out that active citizens were needed, who participate and take interest in their own future and the evolution of society. Tibor Navracsics said that Europe needed to face a big challenge with its 27 million young people, who would remain subject to the risk of poverty and social exclusion as long as the crisis lasts. He said that unemployment among under-25-year-olds was still 50% in some member states. Getting young people interested in active participation in democratic and political life remains a real challenge since only one in three young voters turned up to vote in the last European elections. The Commissioner called for an extension of the structured dialogue that some 40,000 young people are currently involved in. The Commissioner said the structured dialogue should be representative of all young people from all backgrounds. In this connection, he announced the creation of open, interactive platforms on the web where young people could discuss their concerns. (Original version in French by Isabelle Lamberty)