Brussels, 22/11/2004 (Agence Europe) - On the sidelines of the recent General Assembly of the Youth Forum, which was held in Madrid from 11 to 13 November, its President Giacomo Filibeck and the Spanish Prime Ministers Zapatero discussed the "European Youth Pact", the joint initiative published the day before the last European Council by the French, German, Spanish and Swedish governments (see EUROPE of 3 November, p.10, and of 6 November, p.13). Mr Filibeck, who is delighted with the initiative, feels that young people should be involved more in the Lisbon Strategy as its objectives (fighting unemployment and social exclusion, promoting education and mobility, resolving demographic problems) are directly related to the problems they encounter in society. "It is no longer an option, it's an obligation", he said, adding: " "failure to achieve its aims will only compound existing social problems and give the current generation of young people a huge economic burden to cope with". Mr Zapatero, for his part, said: "We want young people to have a decisive influence on the formulation of policies, since this is the best guarantee that these policies will meet their expectations".