On Tuesday 23 July, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) published a report entitled ‘Youth mainstreaming, youth impact assessment and youth checks. A comparative overview’ to analyse youth mainstreaming practices and tools for evaluating policies affecting young people in 33 countries across Europe, focusing on four EU Member States: Belgium (Flemish Community), Germany, France and Austria.
Youth mainstreaming, as defined by the Council of the European Union’s conclusions in November 2023 (see EUROPE 13299/1), consists of integrating young people’s perspectives and needs into the formulation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and into decision-making processes. This approach aims to ensure that young people’s concerns are integrated across the board into general policies.
The report examines four audit tools. In Belgium (Flemish Community), the ‘JoKER’ report assesses the effects of new laws on young people and proposes alternative measures if negative impacts are identified.
In Germany, ‘ComYC’ conducts assessments independently of the government and publishes its results online.
In France, a youth impact clause is included in all new legislation to examine the effects on young people aged 16 to 25, with a focus on equality and access to services.
In Austria, an evaluation is carried out not only before laws are passed, but also 5 years after they’ve been implemented to check their real impact.
What these tools have in common is that they do not require the systematic involvement of young people’s representatives, although informal consultations may take place.
In Germany, however, the youth audit is carried out by an independent body, unlike in other countries where it is managed by the responsible ministry.
Austria stands out for requiring a systematic assessment of legislation’s impact 5 years after its implementation.
The report shows that integrating young people’s perspectives into policy-making can strengthen their trust in institutions. This approach also promotes inclusive and sustainable policies for young people in Europe, based on evidence-based practices and encouraging the exchange of best practices between countries.
Read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/d5c (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)