The inclusion of young people guided the morning of the EU Ministers for Youth, who met in Brussels for an Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (EYCS) on Monday 15 May. On the agenda was the European Youth Dialogues (EUYD), political participation by young people and the integration of young Ukrainians.
An inclusive EUYD
For example, ministers had discussions with youth organisations at an informal breakfast about how to involve young people from all backgrounds in the EUYD.
This initiative “should not be seen as Brussels talking to Brussels”, defended the European Commission Vice-President responsible for promoting the European way of life, Margarítis Schinás. They said the EU should also reach out to “those outside of the system”, i.e. young people with fewer opportunities (people with disabilities, people living in rural areas, etc.) or those who are less familiar with the European institutions.
Noura Berrouba, President of the Swedish National Youth Council, and Christiana Xenofontos, Vice-President of the EU Youth Forum, asked ministers to promote a coordinated communication strategy, to exploit the potential of digital platforms, and to better communicate the results of these dialogues in order to appeal to more participants. Furthermore, they stressed the importance of civil society organisations in reaching out to those groups of young people who are more vulnerable or marginalised, advocating for making the dialogues more inclusive, for example by simplifying the language that is used.
Following on from this, the Ministers adopted a resolution on the 9th EUYD cycle, which will end at the same time as the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council. The text is specifically based on the conclusions of the March Youth Conference in Växjö (Sweden) and partly takes up the demands of representatives of youth organisations (see EUROPE 13155/19). The resolution can be seen here: https://aeur.eu/f/6w6
Political participation
In parallel, the EU Council adopted conclusions on the social dimension of a sustainable Europe for youth (see EUROPE 13130/20). Equally in this regard, the issue of inclusion remains at the heart of the promises and demands of the ministers.
The text therefore aims to encourage the political participation of young people in all categories, particularly regarding issues of inclusion and sustainable development. “We need to ensure that the next generation plays a meaningful role at every level in policy-making on issues relating to sustainability”, said Swedish Minister for Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed.
The findings also highlight the importance of mental health. See the text: https://aeur.eu/f/6w7
What about young Ukrainians?
Ministers also discussed ways to encourage the active participation of young people in society and, more specifically, ways in which to integrate young Ukrainians who have fled the war.
While thanking the Member States for their efforts, the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Andriy Chesnokov, who was present at the discussions, therefore noted “a lack of general vision” regarding the inclusion of young Ukrainians.
Furthermore, while he advocates that young Ukrainians should be active members of EU societies, the Deputy Minister also believes that they should maintain their Ukrainian identity. “Integration in EU countries should not mean assimilation”, he insisted, stressing that his government was counting on them returning to Ukraine to help with the reconstruction.
Furthermore, he noted that, for the time being, Ukraine does not have access to the “key actions” of the Erasmus+ programme. “All Eastern Partnership countries are excluded, when western Balkan and south Mediterranean countries are eligible”, he said. Mr Schinás confirmed that he had received his request and suggested that he might be able to bring “good news” during his visit to Kiev in June. (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)