2008 is a special year for the Youth in Action programme, as it marks the celebration of 20 years of fruitful cooperation in the area of youth through the implementation of European programmes benefiting young people and youth workers. It all sprang from the strong belief that in addition to formal education, non-formal learning experiences are also valuable: spending some time abroad to develop a specific project with young people from other countries is an enriching and educational experience. Since the launch of the first programme, called Youth for Europe, in 1988, more than 1.5 million young people and youth workers have participated in tens of thousands of EU-supported projects!

brochure - 2009 - 23 pages

In today’s increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, global cooperation and solidarity are very important values. P romoting such values amongst young generations across the globe is a key step to pave the way for more open and cohesive societies. Encouraging exchanges among young people and supporting the development of their skills and capacities as future leaders is fundamental to enhance mutual understanding and lay the basis for constructive dialogue and solid relationships with our partners around the world.

brochure - 2009 - 27 pages

The Youth in Action Programme (2007-2013) targets young people aged 15-28 (in some cases 13-30), and aims to promote active European citizenship, non-formal learning, solidarity and tolerance, intercultural dialogue and mobility among Europe’s youth. To this end, it supports a wide variety of youth projects designed to facilitate dialogue and joint activities among young people from different backgrounds. The programme allows young people to engage in youth activities such as exchanges, voluntary service and youth initiatives throughout the European Union and beyond. With more than 100 000 young Europeans participating in more than ten thousand projects every year, the Youth in Action Programme has a huge impact not only on the young participants and youth workers themselves, but also on youth NGOs and national youth policies in general.

brochure - 2008 - 24 pages

The Eurobarometer opinion poll on young people 2007 is a special one - it is the first one which reflects the answers of young people in all 27 Member States of the European Union. I find it particularly interesting to note that in 2007 the European Union has become an equivalent for freedom of movement for 90% of the young people. This is a clear progress compared to the findings of the last Eurobarometer youth survey of 2001. I was also pleasantly surprised to read that an important majority of young people state their interest in politics and current affairs.

brochure - 2007 - 16 pages

The current generation of young Europeans is the fi rst to have grown up in a largely borderless and peaceful Europe, with all that implies in terms of mobility, multilingualism, and new cultural and economic opportunities. Whereas their parents and grandparents defi ned themselves along national lines, many young people today have added a European dimension to that description.

leaflet - 2007 - 2 pages

Youth in Action is the EU programme for young people. It aims to inspire a sense of active European citizenship, solidarity and tolerance among young Europeans and to involve them in shaping the Union’s future.

postcard - 2007 - 2 pages

The decision to publish this White Paper on youth policy, and especially the decision to conduct wide-ranging consultations beforehand, is rooted primarily in the desire to promote new forms of European governance. The White Paper is fully coherent with the Commission’s White Paper on Governance adopted in July of this year: the point is to open up the European Union (EU)’s decisionmaking process to the people who will be affected by those decisions, and that includes young people.

brochure - 2001 - 76 pages

This is the fi rst time that the Commission is publishing a report on Youth in the European Union. It is a fi rst eff ort to compile data and statistics in order to give a picture of the situation of young people in Europe.

This report was requested by the Council of the European Union and constitutes one of the supporting documents of the Commission’s Communication for the new youth cooperation framework, entitled "An EU Strategy for Youth: Investing and Empowering".

Investing in and empowering young people is essential to achieve the objectives set out in the Europe 2020 strategy. Quality education and training, opportunities for mobility and active participation of young people in society are key elements to turn the EU into a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy delivering high levels of employment, productivity and social cohesion.