The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has welcomed the declaration of 2022 as the European Year of Youth but has warned it should go beyond mere promotional activities and should contribute towards the EU's youth strategy with clear plans and engagement. The initiative must reach the most vulnerable young people and those in disadvantaged areas.

To achieve this, the EU should develop clear indicators and goals focusing on policies for young people and on work across different sectors, so that the activities that are organised do not become an end in themselves, the EESC said in the opinion on the European Year of Youth 2022.

"The EESC is looking forward to engaging positively with the European Year of Youth 2022. We want it to produce concrete outcomes for European youth in policy areas that impact on their lives," said the rapporteur for the opinion, Michael McLoughlin.

The EESC expressed concern, however, that the agenda and priorities for the year appeared crowded, as they contain a very large number of commitments, references to other initiatives, budgets and policy areas.

"It is important to have clarity and focus in the proposal. Sometimes less is more and there may be a fear that a long list of policy areas and shared responsibilities can obscure a clear focus on outcomes, responsibility and results," Mr McLoughlin stressed.

The EESC agrees that the timing and the context in which the decision was taken to designate 2022 as the Year of Youth were right. The COVID-19 crisis has been particularly harsh on young people and will have long-lasting consequences for their education and their social, financial and mental well-being. However, the EESC also fears the proposal has been developed at breakneck speed.

This presents the danger of important youth-related initiatives becoming more about high-profile political announcements than long-term systematic development.

It also presents a challenge for the implementation of the Year at national level, as time has been extremely tight for national authorities to draw up actions in the different Member States. They may also struggle with funding to cover the costs of the activities envisaged for the Year.

The EESC therefore proposes a budget totalling EUR 10 million, instead of the proposed EUR 8 million, of which two million would be earmarked for coordination at national level. This is necessary in order to ensure sufficient impact and encourage participation. (ll)