By stepping up know-how transfer on good practices and introducing a European youth report the quality of life of young people in Europe. "Regular European-level reports will condense important information and knowledge about young Europeans and provide us with the basis for sustainable youth policy in Europe. We aim to provide fair opportunities to as many young people as possible," said the president-in-office of the Council, German Minister for Family Affairs, Ursula von der Leyen, during the adoption of Council conclusions on future youth policy cooperation in Europe at today's EU Youth Council meeting in Brussels.
"We have to go down to grass roots level if we want to discover the opportunities and problems associated with the vocational and social integration of young people. We then have to ensure the cross-border availability of the knowledge that we gain in this process if we want to support an integrated Europe," continued von der Leyen. "I'm delighted that the Youth Council has agreed to the proposal that a stable framework for these activities will be created over the next few years."
The Youth Council has also adopted a resolution on "Equal opportunities and unrestricted participation in society for all young people." Von der Leyen continued, "Europe has to offer positive prospects for all young people. Demographic change and the need to promote social cohesion make this is one of the biggest social challenges in Europe today." The Youth Council believes that young people, particularly those who are disadvantaged by a disability or their socio-economic, cultural or geographical background, should be put in a position that gives them equal opportunities to participate in society. The Council emphasised the necessity to promote equality to a greater extent in youth-relevant areas of the EU and its Member States. The resolution also refers to the results of the youth event that was organised by the Council Presidency in Cologne this April.
The Federal Minister for Youth Affairs was joined by her Finnish, Slovenian, Portuguese and French colleagues, as well as EU Commissioner Ján Figel, to talk with a group of young people from various European Member States in advance of the council meeting. They discussed the outcome of the first European Youth Summit in Rome and the Council Presidency's youth event in Cologne for around one and a half hours. Germany is the second presidency after Finland to organise this kind of structured dialogue that involves young people in the process of policymaking to a greater extent.
