EESC Youth Test nominated for the 2026 European Ombudsman Award for Good Administration

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has been nominated for the 2026 European Ombudsman Award for Good Administration for its Youth Test, a pioneering initiative that has increased meaningful youth participation in EU policy-making. 

The public vote for the 2026 European Ombudsman Award is open until 15 June. Citizens are encouraged to support the EESC Youth Test by casting their vote online.

Launched in 2024 by the EESC Youth Group, the Youth Test made the EESC the first EU institution to introduce a structured mechanism for involving young people directly in its core advisory work. The initiative was co‑created with the European Youth Forum, Europe’s largest platform of youth organisations, ensuring credibility, relevance and a strong grounding in young people’s real‑life experiences.

At the heart of the Youth Test is a network of 73 youth organisations from across Europe and beyond. Every month, these organisations can express interest in upcoming EESC opinions. Based on this input, the EESC section bureaux select opinions to be ‘youth‑tested’. Youth representatives then participate in study group meetings, providing concrete contributions that feed directly into the opinion‑drafting process.

Since its launch, the impact of the Youth Test has been strong and measurable: around one quarter of all EESC opinions have been youth‑tested, totalling 77 opinions to date. The initiative has also inspired wider institutional change, with the European Commission introducing its own Youth Check, and other administrations at EU, national, regional and local level looking to the EESC as a reference point for meaningful youth participation.

This nomination recognises the collective effort of EESC members and staff who have been supporting and implementing the Youth Test on a daily basis, and reflects the Committee’s commitment to strengthening its relevance, credibility and connection with current and future generations.