Resolution on lowering the electoral age to 16

The European Union and the Council of Europe have for the past many years strived to install a sense of citizenship among young people in Europe. The key message put forward by the YFJ and its member organisations is that youth must be taken seriously and offered real influence in order to strengthen our democracy. Underlining our commitment to the participation of young people we now see a need to investigate the potential of extending the most central component of democratic citizenship to the younger population. Young people should be granted the right to vote at all local, national and European elections from the age of 16.

Read the resolution adopted at the Council of Members, Prato, Italy, 28-29 April2006.