Youth continues to be a central concern for the European Union, as evidenced the adoption by the Youth Council of three important documents late November 2015 in this policy field. 

2015 Youth Report

On 23 November 2015, the Youth Council adopted the 2015 Joint Youth Report on the implementation of the renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field (2010-2018). Based on the assumption that young people's human and social capital is one of Europe's greatest assets for the future and that the economic crisis has hit young people particularly hard, the European Commission and the Member States continued working together in the period 2013-2015 with a view to improving young people’s employability, their integration in the labour market, their social inclusion and participation.

EU Work Plan for Youth

The Council also adopted the same day a Council resolution on a EU Work plan for Youth, which lists the steps to be taken in the 2016-2018 period so as to implement the EU Youth Report. 

For the years to come, the Council endorses the following priorities proposed by the Commission:

1. Increased social inclusion of all young people, taking into account the underlying European values;
2. Stronger participation of all young people in democratic and civic life in Europe;
3. Easier transition of young people from youth to adulthood, in particular the integration into the labour market;
4. Support to young people’s health and well-being, including mental health;
5. Contribution to addressing the challenges and opportunities of the digital era for youth policy, youth work and young people;
6. Contribution to responding to the opportunities and challenges raised by the increasing numbers of young migrants and refugees in the European Union.

Encouraging Political Participation

In addition, the Ministers also adopted a Council Resolution on encouraging political participation of young people in democratic life in Europe.