EU YOUTH DIALOGUE (EUYD)

Country: European (European Union) 

Duration: Cycles of 18 months 

Procedure for involvement: Possibility for participation at both National and European levels, by participating in the consultations and/or representing youth organisations at EU Youth Conferences. 

Specific Criteria: All young people in EU Countires 

Description: 

The EU Youth Dialogue (EUYD) is a continuous mechanism for dialogue between young people and decision-makers, taking place within the framework of the EU Youth Strategy. 

Through the EUYD, the opinions, views, and needs of young people and youth organisations are taken into account in shaping EU youth policies. 

The EUYD currently supports the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy 2019–2027, which focuses on three core areas: connect, engage, and empower. It promotes cooperation among EU Member States on all issues concerning young people. 

This participatory process involves young people and youth organisations, alongside policy- and decision-makers, experts, researchers, and other relevant civil society actors from across the European Union. 

Dialogue activities, including engagement with policymakers, take place in 18-month work cycles. Each cycle focuses on a specific theme, set by the Council of Youth Ministers, based on the European Youth Goals. During the EUYD national consultations across young people and youth organisations are conducted all over Europe. 

Furthermore, supported by Erasmus+, each chairing trio presidency organises also an EU youth Conference during the cycle. The EU Youth Conferences play a major role in the EUYD. They are the moments when ideas from young people – as represented by youth delegates – and policy / decision makers are gathered at European level, good practices and advices are exchanged, results of consultations are collected, and concrete political recommendations are formulated. 

The main actors involved in the EUYD are: 

– Young People; 

– National Working Groups (NWG) are in charge of conducting consultations and activities in their country with young people, youth organisations and policy makers. Are ideally composed of representatives of Ministries, National Youth Councils, National Agencies of Erasmus+, Youth researchers and other relevant actors according to the theme addressed and the national context. The National Youth Councils should be leading stakeholders in the National Working Groups; 

– European Steering Group (ESG), governs the process on the EU level by e.g. steering the process and providing the overall guidance of the EUYD; providing input, tools and support for the EUYD implementation where appropriate and ensuring wide dissemination of the EUYD results. It is composed by the teams of the Trio Presidencies of the Council of the European Union (Ministry and National Youth Council representatives), the European Commission and the European Youth Forum. 

– National Youth Councils (NYCs): 

• NYCs are members of the National Working Groups (NWG) and usually chair the NWG. In this framework they are activlely ivolved and/or responsible for the design and implementation of the EUYD (cosultation phase, implimentation phase and …) in their countries. 

• NYCs of the countries that have the trio-presidency of the Council of the European Union each Cycle co-chair the meetings of the European Steering Group (ESG) together with Ministry Representatives, they are actively involved in drafting the national consultations, and they also support the coordination of the ESG work and its meetings and ensure that the EU Youth Conferences are youth-led and in line with the goals defined;

– European Youth Forum (YFJ) is the biggest platform of youth organisations in Europe, representing over 100 youth organisations. provides support to the work of the European Steering Group with its expertise and by communicating with the National Working Groups and INGYOs involved in the process, ensuring that they receive the information they need, supporting them to exchange good practices, as well as bringing their concerns and requests to the European Steering Group. Similar to the National Youth Councils involved, the European Youth Forum also assists in the coordination of the dialogue within the European Steering Group; 

– International Non-Governmental Youth Organisations (INGYOs) bring in diverse European perspectives to the policy dialogue. The organisations interested in taking part in this process are selected on the basis of a call. Youth delegates from INGYOs also take part in the EU youth conferences; 

– European Commission supports the preservation of the institutional memory of the EUYD and ensures its continuity. The institution acts as facilitator, for both the work at the national level as well as for the broad dissemination of information throughout Europe; 

– Policy and decision-makers (local, regional, national, European levels) are engaged in all phases and at all levels of the EUYD. Policy and decision-makers, but also ministry representatives, should participate and engage in meaningful interaction with participants; 

– Experts European Facilitator support in the design and implementation of EU Youth Conferences. The European facilitator is selected by the ESG and its role is to ensure that there is continuity and coherence between different EU Youth Conferences throughout the cycles. 

– Researchers help developing the methodology for consulting young people, draft the guiding questions, analyse the data collected and draft the report of the consultation and implementation activities.