Spain, which will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 July, has prepared draft conclusions on integrating youth into public policy. Presented to the relevant working group on Monday 3 July, the text calls for the introduction of “youth tests” and a stronger role for youth coordinators.
“Youth Tests”
So, for the future Spanish Presidency, the “youth tests” should include two elements.
On the one hand, a set of indicators drawn up by EU institutions, Member States and representatives of youth organisations. Their aim is to help provide a detailed, cross-disciplinary analysis of the effects of the various public policies aimed at young people.
On the other hand, once these effects and any difficulties have been identified, they should be accompanied by “mitigating measures” to compensate for them.
Youth Coordinator
The draft conclusions also highlight several times the role of the EU Youth Coordinator in ensuring effective coordination and cooperation on youth policies.
It suggests, for example, that this coordinator should help the European Commission to systematically adopt a section dedicated to young people in the design, monitoring and evaluation of European public policies.
It also proposes that the coordinator should work alongside the Commission to consolidate a European framework for youth, and believes that the Member States should designate an “equivalent national figure”.
Finally, following the example of a series of conclusions adopted under the Swedish Presidency on social issues and sustainable development (see EUROPE 13182/5), the text stresses the importance of involving young people and their representatives in drawing up policies that concern them.
Draft conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/7uo (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)