Audrey Frith, Eurodesk Director, attended the 4th meeting of the EU Youth Stakeholders Group on 11-12 June 2026, in Brussels. Composed of European youth organisations, national youth councils, youth researchers, representatives of Member States and other EU institutions, the Group aims to facilitate exchanges and youth consultations on forthcoming EU policy initiatives, as part of the 2019-2027 EU Youth Strategy.
Marta Markowska, newly appointed EU Youth Coordinator, opened the EU Youth Stakeholders’ Group and facilitated a panel with representatives from the European Commission who shared updates on recent youth initiatives:
- European Youth Week: today, over 2000+ events have taken place across Europe, with a very successful launch event in Brussels. See Map!
- The Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness was adopted on 5 March 2026, and a European Citizens’ Panel took place on the topic. 15 actions are foreseen under the Strategy, such as a toolkit and a monitoring index. The “Dear Future Me Initiative” invites citizens to record themselves and receive the message in 2028.
- Youth Checks were organised on 12 policy initiatives in 2025, all published on the European Youth Portal (EYP). 17 initiatives are already confirmed for 2026, including some of the Strategy on the rights of persons with disabilities up to 2030, the Anti-Poverty Strategy, the Skills portability initiative, the Education package, and the Action plan against bullying (see full list on the European Youth Portal).
- EU Youth Dialogue – a new independent Secretariat will be hosted in the European Youth Forum, ensuring the process remains youth-led. The national working groups met in June, and guidelines will be drafted to ensure a more systematic approach to monitoring and disseminating the outcomes of the dialogue at the EU and national levels. Onboarding for the trio presidency is underway. The 12th Cycle is starting now. The researchers’ role was strengthened. More on the European Youth Portal.
- Youth Policy Dialogues – 20 out of 26 Commissioners organised a dialogue with young people on key topics, 21 Dialogues took place in 11 countries. DG EAC works with DG COM on the outcomes with reports after each dialogue, highlighting 3 key outcomes, which are published on the EYP.
- President’s Youth Advisory Board of the President of the Commission – reflecting the mandate to bring forward the youth voices. The first meeting took place on social media in December, after which the Board adopted a policy paper whose recommendations fed into the Action Plan Against Cyberbullying and were shared with the Special Panel on Child Safety Online. It contains interesting messages about offline and online engagement. The next meeting will focus on youth policy priorities post-2027 on 15 July. More on the European Youth Portal.
- Erasmus+ Regulation 2028-2034: work is progressing on the new regulation with changes such as the integration of the ESC, the merger of KA2 and KA3, and a more ambitious budget of EUR 40,82 billion without earmarking.
The participants were then consulted on various initiatives:
- Consultation on the post-2027 EU Youth Strategy – Participants were consulted on the revision of the Strategy, focusing on three main areas: youth mainstreaming, the EU Youth Dialogue, and youth work. They stressed the need to better recognise and support youth work through sustainable funding at local, national, and European levels, while also ensuring stronger connections between existing EU youth initiatives. Participants called for more transparent, consistent, and sustainable mechanisms, with clearer communication of results and impact. The Youth Goals were valued as providing clear direction and messaging, although some renewal may be needed. The EU Youth Dialogue was seen as having potential to be strengthened as a sustainable consultation mechanism. Participants also highlighted the need for clearer guidance on structuring national working groups to ensure they are representative of diverse voices, complemented by EU-wide online surveys shared nationally to gather wider input. Finally, they emphasised the importance of closing the feedback loop by informing participants about the impact of their contributions. The public consultation is open until 16 July.
- Citizenship Skills / Enhancing Education for Democratic Citizenship – This project supports EU efforts to strengthen democratic citizenship education, building on recent policy initiatives and expert input. It will produce guidance and a competence framework to help integrate democratic values into education systems and practices. The initiative involves consultation with stakeholders, including the youth sector, to reflect real experiences and needs. Running from 2026 to 2027, it invites ongoing participation through discussions and a follow-up EU survey.
- Education Package – The Package aims to strengthen school systems across Europe by supporting schools, empowering teachers, and expanding effective practices with a strong digital focus. It prioritises improving basic skills, promotes cross-border cooperation through European School Alliances, and introduces an EU Teachers Agenda to improve working conditions, training, and the profession’s attractiveness, while advancing inclusive and ethical digital education. Participants raised the need to create partnerships between education institutions and civil society organisations to support the internationalisation of schools (e.g. Euroclasses with Eurodesk, peer-to-peer information sharing with ESN, etc.).
- Quality Jobs Act – The Act aims to update EU rules protecting workers while supporting productivity and competitiveness. It integrates the concept of the right to be disconnected, ensuring a better balance between work and private life, as well as the health and safety dimension, AI and automation, and workers’ rights in subcontracting chains.
