As spring blooms in Brussels, I want to take a moment to reflect on Your Europe, Your Say! (YEYS), the EESC’s flagship event for youth, which welcomed almost 140 young people from all EU Member States, the candidate countries and the UK.
As spring blooms in Brussels, I want to take a moment to reflect on Your Europe, Your Say! (YEYS), the EESC’s flagship event for youth, which welcomed almost 140 young people from all EU Member States, the candidate countries and the UK. It was not only a meeting of young people, but also a space for dialogue, collaboration and action. It showed that in the EESC, young people are taken seriously and given the opportunity to help shape the next EU Youth Strategy.
This year’s theme, Meaningful Connections, Active Participation and Democratic Engagement, was more than just a theme. It reflected young people’s experience of being heard and of having the opportunity to step up and develop their ideas. Something that makes me especially hopeful is that this year’s edition of YEYS attracted a strong interest not only from young people from the Member States, but especially from candidate countries and Ukraine, showing that their hearts beat in the EU.
Over two days, the participants worked on developing 17 proposals, with topics ranging from healthcare to digital awareness to youth opportunities. Through a vote, three proposals were chosen: Go big or NO home, exploring the increasingly difficult housing market, Think before you click: make privacy sexy again!, on digital-awareness and Nothing about us without us, encouraging young people to use their voice.
These three proposals show one thing: our young people want to shape the future. They want to use their voice and their passion to change the status quo. YEYS allows them to learn and to connect with other young people who are just as passionate as them. Once again, the participants have shown me that they understand the issues that shape the future and strive to improve the lives of people not only from the European Union, but from all around the world.
The EESC has been advocating for young people for years. The Committee was the first EU institution to introduce the EU Youth Test, a policy impact assessment tool designed to ensure that young people’s perspectives are considered in EU policymaking. Young people are directly involved in the consultation process on the EESC opinions that are selected for their relevance for young people. The Youth Test is now one of the 48 initiatives nominated for the European Ombudsman 'Award for Good Administration', under the category 'Excellence in diversity and inclusion'.
In 2023, the EESC set up the Youth Group, Initially envisaged to coordinate the EESC’s youth-related initiatives, its mission today goes beyond its formal mandate. In this issue, Youth Group president Nicoletta Merlo writes about the group’s ambition to become a hub where young people’s concerns, ideas and proposals can be heard and transformed into concrete policy recommendations.
We understand that young people are the future. We must not forget that they are our present too.
This is why I am very happy that this month’s newsletter will shine a spotlight on youth. We are taking a closer look at YEYS, bringing you the messages of our young speakers and members, while giving the floor to key issues facing the next generation. By exploring housing insecurity, political and civic education, the growing gender gap in support of far-right parties, intergenerational fairness, and the mental health of young people, we highlight the defining challenges for the generation, as identified by the YEYS participants themselves.
Looking ahead to May, we invite you to experience this spirit of engagement firsthand. The EESC will host an open-door, festive celebration for Europe Day, offering an opportunity to discover the workings of the Committee and learn how complex debates are turned into opinions. We hope to welcome you there.
And last but not least, I am happy to announce this year’s Connecting EU seminar, the EESC’s flagship communication event for civil society communicators. It will take place on 6 and 7 July at the University of Sofia, Bulgaria. Entitled In defence of European values: the power of civil society, the 2026 Connecting EU seminar will focus on Europe’s ability to uphold its core values as its economic priorities shift and pressure on democratic trust and civic space intensifies – and on how civil society can defend them. Mark your calendars and join us in Sofia this July!
As part of European Youth Week 2026, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) highlighted its long‑standing commitment to meaningful youth participation through direct engagement with young people and a range of concrete policy tools designed to strengthen their influence on decision‑making.
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Young people are often told their political turn later will come later. But they are the ones who will live longest with the consequences of decisions taken today. When political choices risk causing long-term harm and cannot easily be reversed, democratic safeguards such as intergenerational commissions and age-weighted referendums may be needed to ensure that concerns and interests of young people are not sidelined, says Nicola Mulkeen, Lecturer in Political Philosophy at UK's Newcastle University, in an EESC interview.
Young people are often told their political turn later will come later. But they are the ones who will live longest with the consequences of decisions taken today. When political choices risk causing long-term harm and cannot easily be reversed, democratic safeguards such as intergenerational commissions and age-weighted referendums may be needed to ensure that concerns and interests of young people are not sidelined, says Nicola Mulkeen, Lecturer in Political Philosophy at UK's Newcastle University, in an EESC interview.
Your research highlights the significant risks that ageing demographics pose to democratic processes. Could you explain the specific mechanisms by which an older electorate can systematically disadvantage younger generations?
In ageing democracies, older people make up a larger share of the electorate and they also tend to vote in higher numbers. This gives them more power to shape election outcomes. Politicians are usually most responsive to the groups that are largest and most able to influence public debate. The result is a political system that can become skewed towards the interests of older voters while younger people’s concerns are more easily delayed or ignored.
This would be less troubling if the decisions made under these conditions were easily reversible. Many are not. If a government delays climate action because the immediate political costs seem too high, younger generations will live with more extreme weather and deeper insecurity. If biodiversity is destroyed, the damage to ecosystems and food systems may be impossible to repair. If a government borrows to avoid present sacrifice, younger people will be left paying the bill through higher taxes, weaker services, and less freedom to respond to problems of their own. When military conscription is imposed, it is the young who are required to train, prepare to fight, and perhaps die.
So, it is not enough to say that young people will have their political turn later. By then the damage might already have been done. Some harms cannot be undone. Others can only be reversed at very great cost. Younger people are therefore not just temporarily less powerful. They are the ones who will live with the consequences the longest when they had the weakest voice.
In your paper, you propose age weighted referendums and intergenerational commissions as a dual mechanism for addressing intergenerational tensions. Could you explain how these solutions could work in practice?
My proposal is aimed at political decisions that may cause significant long-term harm and are difficult to undo. The idea is to create stronger electoral safeguards in exceptional cases where younger and future generations will carry the weight of those decisions.
In practice, the first safeguard would be an intergenerational commission, or commissioners working across government departments. This would be an independent public body made up of experts and youth representatives. Its role would be to identify laws or policies that create serious long-term risks of harm. The aim is to bring these cases out of the ordinary election cycle, where short-term pressures dominate, and to make their long-term implications clearer.
If the commission judged that a proposal created a serious risk of harm or injustice, it could trigger a targeted age-weighted referendum. One example would be a government deciding whether to approve major new oil extraction or delay climate action. In that case, everyone would still vote, but younger people’s votes would carry greater weight because they are the ones most directly exposed to the long-term consequences. The point is to level things up. Younger people are often politically weaker even though they may have more at stake in long-term decisions.
Beyond your proposed reforms, what other policy interventions, whether at EU or national level, do you see as most promising for rebalancing intergenerational equity? Are there examples from member states that you'd highlight as models worth scaling?
Beyond age-weighted referendums and intergenerational commissions, the most promising interventions are those that make long-term thinking part of ordinary democratic decision-making. No single reform can solve the problem. What is needed is a broader approach that improves the political standing of younger people, strengthens legal protections for future generations, and makes governments answerable for the long-term effects of their choices.
Some reforms can easily be introduced. Civic and democratic education is one. If younger people are to participate meaningfully in public life, they need knowledge and institutional support. Expanding youth representation also matters. Introducing youth quotas in legislatures could help address the current imbalance. Judicial review also matters where governments adopt laws that threaten the basic conditions future generations will need, such as climate stability.
There are already useful examples. Wales is often highlighted because its Well-being of Future Generations Act encourages public bodies to consider long-term consequences. At EU level, the appointment of a Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness suggests these questions are receiving more serious attention. Germany’s 2021 Constitutional Court ruling on climate policy is a really important example because it recognised that governments should not be free to pass harmful burdens on to younger and future generations. None of these examples is a complete solution, but they show that democratic systems can be redesigned to take longer-term responsibilities more seriously.
Your work focuses on structural reform, but we have seen that social change also requires a shift in attitudes. What do you see as the most effective ways to build intergenerational solidarity rather than framing this as a zero-sum conflict between age groups?
I think it’s really important not to frame intergenerational fairness as a conflict between the young and the old. The deeper problem is that many political systems are structured for the short term. They respond to immediate pressures and electoral demands more easily than to long-term risks. This means that they often fail to give proper weight to young people. If we want to build intergenerational solidarity, we need to move away from the language of trade-offs.
One of the best ways to do that is to recognise that properly investing in younger people is not a loss for older generations. In ageing societies, younger generations will be central to sustaining the institutions and services on which everyone depends. They will make up a large part of the workforce, support public finances, and provide care. So, investing in education, healthcare, and work opportunities for young people should be seen as a way of strengthening society. It is not about favouring one group over another.
Nicola Mulkeen is a Lecturer in Political Philosophy at Newcastle University. Her work sits at the intersection of politics, philosophy, and economics, with a particular focus on intergenerational justice and institutional reform for younger and future generations.
Be architects of Europe’s present, not just its future, and join forces with other young people to make your voice heard! These were the words young activists and speakers Carolin Hochstrat and Boris Gurzhy left with 2026 YEYS-ers in Brussels. If you missed their speeches at Your Europe, Your Say (YEYS), Carolin and Boris recap their messages in EESC Info.
Be architects of Europe’s present, not just its future, and join forces with other young people to make your voice heard! These were the words young activists and speakers Carolin Hochstrat and Boris Gurzhy left with 2026 YEYS-ers in Brussels. If you missed their speeches at Your Europe, Your Say (YEYS), Carolin and Boris recap their messages in EESC Info.
Carolin Hochstrat: Young people are often introduced with the phrase: 'You are the architects of Europe's future.' And while well-intentioned, I'd push back on that framing ─ because you are not only the architects of tomorrow's Europe. You are already part of Europe today. That was the foundation of my message to the YEYS participants, built around three core ideas.
First: when people tell you that you're too young, they're wrong. You are already a member of society, already shaping the communities around you. The idea that engagement starts at some future threshold, when you're older, more experienced, more credentialed, is a myth. You are already here, and that means you are already relevant.
Second: discomfort is a signal, not a warning. If you want to change the status quo, you have to challenge it. And challenging the status quo is unsettling, for you, and for those around you. But when you notice that people are reacting, that something is shifting, that emotions are being stirred, that's not a sign to stop. That's a sign you're on the right track.
Third: you will never feel fully ready, and that's okay. There is no perfect moment to raise your voice or take your seat at the table. What matters is that we need your voice. Your generation's issues deserve space in policy rooms, not as a footnote to older agendas, but as central concerns in their own right.
It can feel daunting. But we are fighting together for a stronger Europe, and that is worth stepping beyond your comfort zone!
Boris Gurzhy: My message to the participants of YEYS 2026 was simple: make your voice count by joining forces with others. At a time when demographic change is reshaping many European societies, it is more important than ever that young people are not only heard, but are actively involved in shaping the future.
In my opinion, the most effective ways to take part in public discussion and create real impact is through organised civil society. That is why I encouraged participants to look closely at the opportunities already available in their city or country: youth organisations, student-led initiatives, NGOs and other spaces where young people can come together around shared ideas and concerns.
These experiences allow young people to meet each other, learn from one another, develop responsibility and strengthen their collective voice. They show that participation is not only about speaking up once, but about building communities that can be heard consistently and effectively.
Explore what already exists and get involved. And where such opportunities do not yet exist, create them yourselves. It does not have to be a Junior Enterprise; it can be any form of organised youth initiative. What matters is that young people come together, take ownership, and make their perspectives visible in society.
Carolin Hochstrat is a political communicator and Co-Founder of The Democratic Spin, a strategic communications consultancy for democratic impact. In her work, she advises institutions and democratic actors on how to translate complex policies into narratives that resonate with younger generations in a digital public sphere. She has gained professional experience in the European Parliament, the German Bundestag and in political journalism. Alongside her advisory work, she is an EU content creator engaging young Europeans online.
Boris Gurzhy studies Business Administration and Statistics at Humboldt University Berlin. He joined a Junior Enterprise in his first year in university and later became involved with Junior Enterprises Europe (JE Europe), a network representing 35,000+ students across 325 Junior Enterprises in 16 countries. He now serves as Treasurer & Head of Public Affairs at JE Europe, representing young entrepreneurs at European institutions.
By Jennifer Hall, Ledia Lazeri and Joao Breda, WHO Regional Office for Europe
Suicide is the leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29 in the World Health Organization European Region, which spans 53 countries across Europe and Central Asia. At the same time, one in seven children and adolescents under 19 lives with a mental health condition, and the numbers are rising. Yet despite this growing burden, one in five countries still lacks a dedicated policy for child and adolescent mental health. In its latest report, the World Health Organization calls for urgent action to strengthen mental health care for young people.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29 in the World Health Organization European Region, which spans 53 countries across Europe and Central Asia. At the same time, one in seven children and adolescents under 19 lives with a mental health condition, and the numbers are rising. Yet despite this growing burden, one in five countries still lacks a dedicated policy for child and adolescent mental health. In its latest report, the World Health Organization calls for urgent action to strengthen mental health care for young people.
By Jennifer Hall, Ledia Lazeri and Joao Breda, WHO Regional Office for Europe
Mental health is an integral part of our well-being and general health, and impacts on our ability to learn and be part of a community. Yet across the WHO European Region, it is estimated that one in seven children and adolescents live with a mental health condition, and far too many continue to struggle in silence.
Since 2010, children and young people aged 0-19 years old living with a mental health condition has increased by one third (34%). Of particular concern is the increase in the percentage of children and young people living with anxiety conditions, which has almost doubled since 2010. Females, older adolescents and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to report negative outcomes.
Suicide remains a major public health concern
Suicide is the leading cause of death for young people aged 15-29 years old. However, on a positive note, suicide rates among children and young people have decreased since the year 2000.
Environments are not adequately supporting the mental health and well-being of young people
The environment within which we live profoundly impacts our mental health and well-being. An emotionally supportive environment can strengthen brain development and social and emotional skills, setting the ground for a child to thrive across their lifespan.
However, environments contain many stressors for today’s youth. Approximately half of children and young people are exposed to adverse childhood experiences (such as abuse, neglect, war), school satisfaction is decreasing over time and one in five report no social support. Online environments also contain potential stressors, including limited regulation, exposure to cyberbullying, and addictive design features.
Countries are not adequately equipped to respond to these growing needs
One in five countries across the WHO European Region lack a policy or plan for child and adolescent mental health, and data on child and adolescent mental health is scarce.
Despite calls from young people for services to be delivered in community-based settings that are free from stigma and easy to access, child and adolescent mental health services remain primarily based in hospitals and inpatient settings, with one in four countries lacking community-based outpatient services. Only one in three countries report having school-based services.
The workforce is not adequate to meet the population’s increasing needs. For each psychiatrist, there are 76 000 children and adolescents (inclusive of those with and without mental health conditions).
The type of care received varies greatly depending on where a child or young person is based
Existing data show huge variations in the types of treatment received (e.g. medication and psychosocial interventions), the type of service (community-based, hospital-based), the cost of accessing services, and treatment rates between countries. A child or young person’s access to treatment, and the quality of care they receive, may completely differ depending on where they live.
There is a need for action
Every child and young person requiring mental health support has the right to access high-quality care.
WHO Regional Office for Europe is actively working towards this through the WHO European Progamme on Quality of Child and Adolescent Mental Health care, an innovative workstream hosted by the WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens in collaboration with the WHO European Mental Health and Well-being team, supported by the Government of the Hellenic Republic.
Under this workstream, WHO has developed the first WHO quality standards for child and youth mental health, hosted an annual Autumn School for Ministry of Health nominated experts, set up a young researchers forum with over 700 members, and has published over 10 scientific publications. With partners, WHO has also co-developed proposed actions to strengthen quality of child and youth mental health care, some of which are below for consideration by governments:
Adopt a “mental health in all policies” approach to ensure that national actions plans and strategies jointly call for higher-quality mental health services.
Develop and implement evidence-based standards, protocols, and clinical guidelines to standardize care.
Engage young people and communities meaningfully in co-designing services and policies that better meet their needs.
Invest in a stronger child and youth mental health workforce.
A whole-of-society approach to strengthening the quality of child and youth mental health care can foster supportive environments and services that enable children and young people to thrive, contributing to a more resilient population and a better future. Behind every number is a young person with hopes and potential, and the future health and prosperity of our societies depend on how well we respond to their needs and their right to high-quality care.
The WHO report was developed under an innovative WHO Regional Office for Europe workstream dedicated to strengthening quality of child and youth mental health care, hosted by the WHO Athens Office on Quality of care and patient safety in collaboration with the WHO European Mental Health and Well-being team and supported by the Government of Greece. The article authors Jennifer Hall, Ledia Lazeri and Joao Breda are staff members of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this publication and they do not necessarily represent the decisions or the stated policy of the World Health Organization.
Civic education looks very different when it is led by young people themselves. In this interview with EESC Info, European Youth Parliament’s Ali‑Maeve FitzGerald explains how the EYP approaches civic education differently, focusing on participation, practice and peer‑to‑peer learning rather than theory alone.
Civic education looks very different when it is led by young people themselves. In this interview with EESC Info, European Youth Parliament’s Ali‑Maeve FitzGerald explains how the EYP approaches civic education differently, focusing on participation, practice and peer‑to‑peer learning rather than theory alone.
As a youth-led organisation, you see firsthand how young people's relationship with politics is evolving. What major shifts have you noticed recently, particularly in the level of interest and in the methods that spark meaningful engagement?
I believe that we are seeing a resurgence of young people who want to be involved and actively participate in politics. However, we are also seeing division and polarisation growing amongst young people and political ideologies.
Social media has made it increasingly easy to mobilise large groups of people, particularly the younger generation, with issues they are deeply passionate about, giving them access to political information beyond your traditional school textbooks. However, we can also see how the echo chambers of polarising opinions on social media can further sow division amongst young people, and the risks of misinformation and disinformation in the growing age of generative AI.
Because of our representation in 40 countries across Europe, our events bring together a huge diversity of young people, opinions, and backgrounds. We are seeing that engagement is increasingly issue-driven, with the youth wanting their actions to have tangible impact, no longer satisfied with just being a part of the conversation.
Because of this, civic spaces like the European Youth Parliament are increasingly vital. We are a non-partisan platform for civic education, intercultural encounters, and the exchange of ideas – run by young people, for young people. Our mission is to inspire and empower a young generation of informed, open-minded, responsible, and active citizens who shape society and drive impact.
Annually, we bring together over 25,000 young people, creating a space where bridges across divides can be built, young people can become informed about the world around them, and how they can take a real seat at the table, and not just be heard.
The approach by the European Youth Parliament goes beyond traditional school curricula by using non-formal learning methods. In your experience, is there a specific 'missing piece' in standard school civic education, and do you have an idea how this could be changed?
I think that the major ‘missing piece’ in standard school civic education is that it remains largely theoretical. Young people learn about political systems, but not how they can play a role in these systems, or, indeed, change them. The model of a classroom, where students sit and listen to a lecture, leaves them disengaged and passive in shaping civic society.
This is what sets us, the European Youth Parliament, apart. We operate in committees of young people, at each of our 400+ events a year, assigned a key topic or issue in the world today, and are tasked with consensus-building to prepare a resolution of solutions that can be presented to decision makers as the young people's voice for change.
What is often missing in civic education is practical skill-building: how to have constructive debate, how to build consensus with opposing views, and how to navigate complex disagreements and deliberate. These stand as core democratic skills, but not something that can be taught from a textbook.
Young people need skill-based learning, and this is what we aim to develop at our events. We focus on giving young people the platform they need to develop skills in critical thinking, media literacy, public speaking, and much more. We aim to fill the gap in traditional civic education curricula, by taking the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom into the real world, and equip young people with the skills and tools they need to be active citizens.
Peer-to-peer learning is a core strength of the European Youth Parliament. Why do you think young people connect so strongly with learning from their peers? And how can this approach best complement, rather than replace, formal civic education in schools and universities?
Peer-to-peer education is successful because it creates a genuine, relatable, and engaging environment. When you are learning from people your own age, it feels accessible, and the traditional hierarchy of teacher and student is broken down. It allows you to be honest, open, and question your own opinions. It shifts the role: young people are no longer passive, sitting in the back of a classroom, but being active contributors to discussions and decision making, giving them a powerful sense of ownership.
It also is a hugely successful model of integrating intercultural learning. It is no longer theory, but practical: what better way to learn about the history of Europe than to find yourself in a room with young people from every country in Europe, what better way to learn geography than travelling to our events, held in every corner of Europe, in regions you might never otherwise dream of seeing? It brings culture, history, geography, and civic education to life. We are truly by young people, for young people.
Yet, we don’t aim to replace formal civic education, but believe we perfectly complement it. Inside the classroom, you learn foundational knowledge, and we build the bridge by offering an open forum for youth to develop soft skills like leadership, adaptability, communication, and teamwork. We rely on schools and Universities to support our aims by giving young people the fundamental knowledge, helping us in hosting our events, and pushing their students to take part actively in our events in order to translate their knowledge into action.
Looking five to ten years ahead, what would 'success' in political and civic education look like to you? Are there specific gaps you'd like to see addressed, whether in school curricula, funding, or how the public perceives these issues?
In the future, I believe that success would be seeing civic education recognised as essential, and not optional, for development. This doesn’t necessarily mean a fundamental restructuring of our education systems, nor do I see that as feasible, but we do need stronger support for organisations like the European Youth Parliament that are already effectively doing this work in non-formal peer-to-peer civic education. We are volunteer-driven, so what we need most of all is stable, long-term funding to achieve our mission, not just short-term, project-based support, so that we can continue to grow and make our work accessible to young people from all backgrounds and corners of Europe.
Accessibility is key. Success in ten years would mean that participation in civic society and active citizenship initiatives like ours would be available to everyone, not limited by geography or socioeconomic status. It would also mean a shift in public perception, when youth engagement can be seen as valuable and constructive, and where young people, in turn, feel heard and represented at all levels.
Importantly, success would mean stronger partnerships with European institutions, such as the EESC. We see the European Youth Parliament as a bridge, and a platform to connect young people with policymaking spaces. Success for me would be when this bridge is fully recognised and supported, and when young people can not only understand how to influence policy that will shape their futures, but are uplifted and actively given the opportunity to do so.
Ali-Maeve FitzGeraldis a member of the European Youth Parliament’s (EYP) International Youth Board of Volunteers, and holds the portfolio for the promotion of sustainability in the EYP network. Ali joined the EYP in Ireland in 2018 and since then she has been volunteering at various events, contributing to youth engagement, policy dialogue, and sustainability initiatives across Europe. Alongside her work in the EYP, she is a research scientist with a focus on women's health and cancer. Ali-Maeve is passionate about empowering young people to engage with scientific, environmental, and societal challenges.
100 young participants in the European Economic and Social Committee’s (EESC) top youth event Your Europe, Your Say! called on the EU institutions to pay far more attention to their housing needs, challenges in the digital world and their potential in political and social life. Their proposals will feed into the EU’s next strategy for young people.
100 young participants in the European Economic and Social Committee’s (EESC) top youth event Your Europe, Your Say! called on the EU institutions to pay far more attention to their housing needs, challenges in the digital world and their potential in political and social life. Their proposals will feed into the EU’s next strategy for young people.
‘Go big or NO home’, ‘Think before you click: Make Privacy Sexy Again’ and ‘Nothing about us without us’, were voted as three best proposals among 17 created by more than a hundred young people who took part in the 17th edition of Your Europe, Your Say! (YEYS) on 19 and 20 March 2026 in Brussels.
The three winning proposals reflect the top concerns and priorities that young people consider to be crucial for the next EU Youth Strategy. They address the acute housing problem in Europe, challenges of living in a digital world and the feeling of not being heard by politicians.
The event brought together almost 140 participants, including secondary school students and their teachers, as well as young adults associated with youth organisations. Over one and a half days, the participants took part in interactive workshops, teambuilding activities and collaborative discussions, creating a dynamic youth assembly focused on meaningful connections, active participation and democratic engagement.
‘At the EESC, we believe that young people must be at the heart of shaping Europe’s future. Creating spaces where they can meet, exchange ideas, challenge perspectives and build solutions is vital’, stressed Séamus Boland, EESC President.
At the YEYS opening plenary, speakers shared insights from their social and political activism and the challenges they had faced. Carolin Hochstrat of The Democratic Spin advised young people never to let anyone persuade them that they are too young to speak out on important social issues. She urged them not to wait for others to affirm that they are ready to take action, reminding them that perfect readiness does not exist.
Boris Gurzhy from Junior Enterprise, urged young people to make their voices heard themselves, rather than simply waiting to be invited to participate in decision-making processes. ‘European politicians, from the Commission and Parliament, talk a lot about young people, which is great, but they do not really talk to them. So, it is up to us. It is up to young people to take the initiative, reach out, and participate in EU decision-making processes’, he said.
MORE ON THE THREE WINNING PROPOSALS
In the closing session, YEYS participants selected three proposals by vote, solidifying their priorities.
The first proposal 'Go big or NO home', focuses on housing and calls for stricter oversight of tourist apartments to help safeguard local community life. It includes ideas for regulating tourist apartments, renters’ rights regulations and guaranteed affordable student housing.
The second proposal ‘Think before you click: Make Privacy Sexy Again’, aims to increase media literacy in the public sphere by introducing it as a school subject, labelling AI-generated content and improving digital conditions through an EU-funded app.
The final proposal, ‘Nothing about us without us’, tackles the feeling among young people that their voices go unheard. It suggests developing an AI-based digital platform offering information on the EU and targeting underrepresented groups, such as migrants, to foster their engagement and enhance communication among young people.
All the proposals will be passed on to the European Commission to inform its work on the next EU Youth Strategy, due to be published in March 2027.
Marija Hanževački, EESC Vice President for Communication, indicated that the proposals would be reflected in the future EESC opinion on the next EU Youth strategy and the EESC’s advisory work, including through the implementation of the EU Youth Test and advisory work of the Youth Group.
Ingrid Bellander Todino, Head of the Youth and Volunteer Solidarity Unit in DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, further pledged to focus on the proposals and recommendations formulated as part of the European Commission’s work on the next EU Youth strategy.
A recap on YEYS 2026 is captured in the event’s wrap-up video.
