One of the unwritten rules of European political campaigns is that you should never bet on young voters, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations. While they may be promising sources of support for pro-EU parties, the argument goes that they rarely vote. Research by Magdelina Kitanova at the University of Southampton emphasises that “youth participation matters and the issue of youth disengagement continues to be a major one facing contemporary democracies.”

However, the higher turnout at the European Parliament elections in May this year was driven by a surge in youth participation, as highlighted in a post-election Eurobarometer survey. Higher turnout rates were found in those aged under 25 years (+14%), as well as those aged 25 – 39 years (+12%).

In addition to this, there has been a marked increase in young people getting involved in politics and running for office in recent years across the EU, North America, Africa and elsewhere. Here, European Movement Ireland looks at some of the youngest people involved in shaping the EU today.

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