What the EU does
The EU and its Member States work together to support young people, as outlined in the EU Youth Strategy, which focuses on 3 core areas of action:
- Engaging – encouraging young people to be active in society and participate in decision-making
- Connecting – providing opportunities for young people and youth workers to participate in learning mobilities and volunteering, and facilitating cooperation and learning among youth organisations
- Empowering – supporting the development of quality youth work
Young people in the EU
Source: Eurobarometer on Youth and Democracy, 2024
Areas of action
A forum for reflection and consultation on the follow-up of the EU Youth Strategy
Youth Policy Dialogues bring together young people and Commissioners to exchange views on EU policy initiatives
Non-formal and informal learning experiences for young people and youth workers
Opportunities for young people to volunteer or work on projects that benefit communities and people around Europe
EU programme that helps provide European entrepreneurs with the skills necessary to start and run a small business
An initiative providing young people with the opportunity to meet the Commission President and share their thoughts on issues that matter to them
Key achievements
- Erasmus+, one of the EU's most successful initiatives, has provided millions of young people with opportunities to study, train, volunteer, and work abroad, fostering intercultural exchange and skills development.
- Through initiatives such as the European Year of Youth, European Youth Week and the European Youth Portal, the EU has encouraged young people to engage in civic activities, elections, and policymaking.
- With the 'youth check', the EU aims to ensure that EU policies consider the impact on young people during the policy design phase.
- The EU Youth Stakeholders Group includes youth organisations, national youth councils, youth researchers, representatives of Member States and EU institutions. The group helps to exchange knowledge and good practices, facilitate the ‘youth check’ process, convey young people's needs and serves as a sounding board for joint initiatives that benefit young people.
- Through Youth Dialogues, young people actively participate in shaping EU policies with decision-makers at national and EU levels.
In focus
More than 6,000 people took part in the European Commission’s public consultation on the EU Youth Strategy post-2027, held from April to July 2026. Their main priorities were strengthening youth participation in democracy, promoting health and well-being, and improving the transition from education to employment.
Respondents called for greater youth involvement in policymaking, better civic education and more inclusive opportunities to participate. They also highlighted the need to tackle disinformation, hate speech and harassment. The findings will help shape proposals for the next EU Youth Strategy.
Events
Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu will host her third Youth Policy Dialogue in Brussels on 10 November 2026, bringing together 16 young participants for an interactive discussion on the impact of AI on the future of work.
The Malta Skills Championships, organised by the National Skills Council in collaboration with Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology and Institute of Tourism Studies, showcase young people's vocational skills excellence and serve as selection pathway for EuroSkills Düsseldorf 2027.
This page was last updated on 16 October 2026