Brussels, 04/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - 450 youths from 15 to 25, from the 15 Member States and candidate countries, will meet, from the 5 to 7 October in the Cité des Sciences in Paris, to take stock of the national consultations that have involved thousands of youths since May 2000. They will formulate to the Commission and the Youth Ministers from the EU Member States joint proposals on the priorities to be implemented in favour for youth policy in Europe. They will broach five themes: a) participation, b) employment; professional training and social integration, c) education; well being, personal independence and culture (housing, own revenue, drugs, family etc.), d) European values, e) mobility in Europe.
This European meeting forms the key stage in the drafting of a "White Paper on youth policy" that the Commission will publish in the second quarter of 2001, and which will cover the situation of youths, their concerns and desires. The drafting of the White Paper will be preceded by a wide consultation of youths, national youth leaders, experts and civil society.
Participation in the meeting in Paris with Marie-Georges Buffet for the Council Presidency of the Union, Viviane Reding for the European Commission , and European Youth Ministers, MEPs, and representatives from other European institutions and local and national institutions as well as international organisations. A delegation of youth will present the results of these days to the EU's 15 youth Ministers gather in Council next 9 November. The French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin will, this Thursday, meet the participants of this meeting.
The debates of the closing plenary session (Saturday 7 October at 15pm) will be broadcast live on the Internet: http://www.jeunes-europe.org or http://www.youth-europe.org .