Youth Policy

Structured Dialogue

Structured dialogue with youth forms an integral and important part of the EU Youth Strategy and serves as a forum for continuous joint reflection on the priorities, implementation and follow-up of European cooperation in the youth field. The structured dialogue will involve consultations with young people and youth organisations at all levels in Member States, and at EU Youth Conferences organised by the Presidency countries - and at the European Youth Week (scheduled for May 2011).

Thematic priorities to be set every 18 months

The thematic priorities of the structured dialogue will be aligned, by the Council of Youth Ministers, with the overall objectives of European cooperation in the youth field and the priorities set for each of its 18 months' work cycles. The thematic priority for the period 01.01.10-30.06.11 will be youth employment.

Structured dialogue with youth will be conducted at the EU Youth Conferences to be organised by each of the 3 Member States holding the Trio Presidency of the Council. In addition, these Member States have each set specific priorities for their Presidencies, which wholly or partially contribute to the overall thematic priority:

Spain (01.01.-30.06.2010): Social inclusion

Belgium (01.07-31.12.2010): Youth work

Hungary (01.01-30.06.2011): Participation/active citizenship

How is the structured dialogue organised?

At EU level, the implementation of the structured dialogue is coordinated by a European Steering Committee for the structured dialogue between youth and the EU institutions. This Committee, which will be renewed every 18 months at the end of each work cycle, is composed of representatives of the Trio Presidency countries' Ministries for Youth Affairs, National Youth Councils and National Agencies of the Youth in Action programme, as well as representatives of the European Commission and the European Youth Forum. The latter will chair the Committee during the 18 months of the present Trio Presidency's term of office.

At the level of Member States, National Working Groups are being set up to secure the participatory process. These groups will be composed, inter alia, of representatives of Ministries for Youth Affairs, National Youth Councils, local and regional youth councils, youth organisations, those active in youth work, diverse young people and youth researchers. Whenever possible, National Youth Councils should assume the leading role in these groups. The National Working Groups will conduct consultations on the thematic priority of the 18 months' work cycle (at present, youth employment), which will feed into the EU Youth Conferences to be organised on the same theme by the 3 Member States holding the Trio Presidency of the Council. The young participants attending EU Youth Conferences will be drawn from young people, who were involved in the participatory process in their respective countries.