Brussels, 19/04/2000 (Agence Europe) - The executive committee of the European Youth Forum gathers on 15 April in Ponta Delgada (Acores, Portugal). The Portuguese Secretary of States for Youth Miguel Fontes took part in the meeting to discuss notably with 150 youths the preparation of the future White Paper on European Youth policy. The forum reaffirmed that it is necessary to enable all the youths to take part in the "youth consultation", so that they may express their hopes, aspirations and opinion in the areas of political actions that directly concern them.
During last December's Youth Council, the European Commissioner responsible for Education Viviane Reding proposed to make the youth participate in the defining of Community youth policy and called on each Member State to organise a "national youth parliament" or "a national youth conference" to discuss it. Under the French Presidency of the Council there will be a great European Youth Conference that will contribute to the drafting by the European Commission of the White Paper on the future youth programme. This White Paper must be launched in 2001 after a wide consultation with experts in the area and youths (see detail in EUROPE of 25 November 1999).
It is in this context that the Youth Forum formulated some comments. Firstly, the Forum worries over the way the youths will be chosen to take part in the national consultation processes and being the true spokesperson for their pears. Then the forum would like to avoid that the Commission's intention to make poor youth participate does not lead to a staging and a use of these youths and also that the Commission ensure the participation of youth NGOs at a European level. Finally forum feels that the youth from applicant countries must also take part in the consultation, as the White Paper will formulate the priorities for the youth policy for the next ten years, priorities that will therefore concern a widened Europe.