Background

In April 2018, over 250 young people and policy makers from 40 countries gathered at the European Union Youth Conference to discuss young people’s priorities for a sustainable and successful future. Following the 2-day event, 11 EU Youth Goals were developed, based on the opinions and ideas of the 43,389 young people who participated in a consultation process on Youth in Europe.

The Youth Goals are a set of objectives that will be used by the European Commission as a reference in drafting the new EU Youth Strategy.

The ESN Perspective

The Erasmus Student Network has provided an overview of the 11 EU Youth Goals, and has examined its compliance with their objectives. The Goals cover areas such as gender equality, environmental sustainability, democratic participation and employment. For example, on Connecting EU with Youth, the goals emphasise the importance of fostering the sense of youth belonging to the European project, and building a bridge between the EU and young people to increase participation. Meanwhile, on Quality Employment for All, the goals stress the importance of guaranteeing an accessible labour market with opportunities that lead to quality jobs for all young people.

Next Steps

Austria will host the next EU Youth Conference in September, where youth delegates will provide feedback and finalise a set of joint recommendations for EU Youth policy.

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