Brussels, 18/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - Following the large scale European consultation of youths in view of the drafting of a White Paper on Youth Policy that began with the Paris meeting in October 2000 (see EUROPE of 13 October, p.15), the Commissioner for Youth Viviane Reding will very soon present the College, and as foreseen, her proposals for a new youth policy. A last policy debate on this issue will take place in the Education Council next 28 May and the final document will be presented to the Education Council at the end of the November, and should thus be adopted under the Belgian Presidency of the EU.
This should soothe the fears formulated by the European Youth Forum which, in a press release, thinks that the Commission could not produce a White Paper on youth policy (the term "White Paper" risks being replaced by another name while maintaining the same content). Thus the Forum calls on Mrs Reding to "firmly undertake to publish the White Paper on youth policy, during the Council of Education Ministers on 28 May, without which she risks loosing the support of European youth and discrediting herself as Youth Commissioner.
Scandalised by such statements, Viviane Reding felt that this was a political manipulation. There is no desire by the Commission to reduce its undertaking to publish a document on European youth policy, added the Commissioner when recalling that it was thanks to the Commission that youth had for the first time been heard and understood by Ministers (see EUROPE of 13/14 November, p.11). Also concluding that the wide ranging consulation process with youths had only brought very few contributions from the associations representing youths.