The Committee on Culture and Education adopted the report by Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on a European Year of Youth 2022.
The committee recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure be amended as follows:
Subject matter
According to Members, the European Year of Youth should initiate a process of reflection on the future of young people and their active participation in the construction of the European project and should aim in particular to:
- renew the positive perspectives for young people negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, while highlighting how the green and digital transitions and other Union policies offer opportunities for them and for the society at large;
- take into account the needs and concerns of young people, including those raised during the Conference on the Future of Europe, and supporting them in developing concrete, inclusive opportunities and deliverables, whilst making an optimal use of Union instruments;
- encourage and empower all young people, especially young people with fewer opportunities, from disadvantaged backgrounds or belonging to vulnerable and marginalised groups, as well as from rural, peripheral and less developed regions to acquire relevant knowledge and competences and a better understanding of the environment;
- assist all young people to acquire a better understanding of the various opportunities available to them from, the public policies at EU level;
- mainstream youth policy across all relevant Union policy fields to ensure that a youth perspective is duly taken into account at every level of the Union decision-making process.
Types of measures
Measures to be taken to achieve the objectives should include, inter alia:
- organising conferences, cultural and other events and policy initiatives targeting young people to promote an inclusive debate on the challenges they face, in particular with regard to their social situation and working conditions, including the issue of unpaid internships and apprenticeships, the validation of skills acquired through non-formal and informal education and the strengthening of youth work and mental well-being structures;
- develop long-term projects and policies for European youth;
- carry out information, education and awareness-raising campaigns to convey values such as respect, equality, justice, solidarity, volunteering, a sense of belonging and safety, a feeling of being heard and respected;
- create spaces and tools for exchanges on turning challenges into opportunities and ideas into actions;
- allowing references to the European Year to be used as a label in the promotion of activities that can contribute to the objectives of the European Year.
Coordination at EU level
The Commission and the European Coordinator for Youth Activities should organise meetings of national coordinators, youth representatives with experience in the field, Commission representatives and representatives of the European Parliament to coordinate the running of the European Year. The European Youth Forum and other youth organisations should be involved.
Budget and co-financing
Members proposed that the financial envelope for the period from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022 should be set at EUR 10 million. An additional financial envelope of EUR 2 million should be provided for the period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023 to support activities in 2023, with a view to creating a lasting legacy for the European Year.
The annual appropriations should be authorised by the European Parliament and the Council within the limits of the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027.
Co-financing should be provided from EU programmes and financial instruments to support the implementation of the European Year in accordance with the rules applicable to those programmes and instruments.