EU Youth Strategy
The EU Youth Strategy is a tool that brings young people closer to the European agenda by providing a framework on how the EU institutions and youth organisations work together to improve their lives, strengthen youth participation and make sure their perspectives are considered in decision-making.
Where are we now?
The current EU Youth Strategy runs from 2019 to 2027. It is built around three key pillars: Engage, Connect and Empower. The goal? To create opportunities for young people to participate in democratic life, connect with others across Europe and gain the skills, support and opportunities they need to shape their futures.
Engage, Connect, Empower - but what does that actually mean?
Engage is about making sure young people truly participate in all aspects of society. Whether it's shaping local initiatives or influencing European legislation, young people should be able to participate fully in political, social, cultural and economic life. Young people should be included in creating and revising policy and contributing their perspectives wherever possible. The EU Youth Strategy supports this by strengthening youth organisations and creating capacity-building opportunities for young people to gain relevant skills.
Connect is about establishing relationships and connections between young people across Europe. By encouraging mobility, intercultural exchanges and solidarity, the Strategy helps young people learn from one another, build lasting relationships and develop a stronger sense of European citizenship. Programmes like Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps are what make these opportunities possible and young people should also play an active role in designing, implementing and evaluating them.
And last but not least, Empower is about encouraging young people to take responsibility for their own life and their surroundings. As young people navigate education, employment, housing and other major life transitions, they need opportunities to learn, grow and participate in society. To achieve this, the Strategy highlights the importance of youth work which is an essential tool that builds non-formal skills, and competences that are needed for young people to take an active part in society.
Young people belong in every policy
Young people are affected by decisions made across all areas of policy, from education and employment to climate action, digitalisation and democracy. That’s why youth policy can’t be limited to policies that only mention young people. Their perspectives need to be considered across all areas that shape their lives.
The EU Youth Strategy provides a space for cooperation and creates tools to bring young people closer to decision-making. One of these tools is the EU Youth Dialogue, the EU’s largest youth participation mechanism. Through consultations, conferences and discussions with policymakers, it allows young people and youth organisations to contribute to shaping European policies.
Another cornerstone of the Strategy is the European Youth Goals. But what exactly are they?
The European Youth Goals are eleven priorities identified by young people during the sixth cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue, based on the input of almost 50,000 young people. They highlight the issues that matter most to young people across Europe, and where they want to see action being taken.
Since their adoption, the Youth Goals have become an important reference point for youth policy across Europe. They help guide the work of European institutions, national governments and youth organisations, while ensuring that young people's priorities remain at the heart of policymaking.
At the moment, the European Youth Goals are being reviewed and updated to better reflect the realities, needs and ambitions of young people today, helping shape the next generation of the EU Youth Strategy.
The next steps
As the Strategy is coming to a close, we believe the next EU Youth Strategy should:
- recognise young people as active contributors to society, not only as beneficiaries of policies;
- strengthen the role of youth organisations and National Youth Councils as essential partners in decision-making;
- ensure that youth perspectives are considered across all EU policies through stronger youth mainstreaming;
- recognise the importance of youth work in empowering young people and supporting their participation;
- provide sustainable support and funding so that young people and youth organisations can make change happen.
The Strategy should also ensure that youth participation leads to real impact with clear paths and objectives on how to do so.
What’s to come?
- Publication of the Commission Communication on the next EU Youth Strategy (March 2027)
- Adoption of the Council Resolution on the next EU Youth Strategy (May 2027/November 2027), based on the Commission Communication
- EU Youth Strategy 2028-2035 goes into force (January 2028)
The European Youth Forum is advocating for a Strategy that puts young people at the centre: one that strengthens participation, supports youth organisations, connects policy areas and turns young people’s voices into meaningful action.
A stronger EU Youth Strategy means a stronger role for young people in shaping Europe’s future.
Key Documents and Resources
Open Policy Documents
Related news
New strategy to build a fairer future across generations
On March 4, 2026, the European Commission adopted its Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness, and for the first time, named all of this as a single, structural problem. We have been fighting for this for years and the fact that the Commission is now naming all these issues is not a small thing.
Joint statement on the recent military escalation in Cyprus
The European Youth Forum and Cyprus Youth Council express grave concern over the US-Israel-Iran conflict and its spillover, including repeated attacks on EU member Cyprus. Growing instability threatens young people’s safety, and thus we call for urgent negotiations to end the conflict and protect a generation living in the shadow of this conflict.
'Nothing about us without us': A new era for policy-making at the Youth Ministerial Conference in Malta
Under the Maltese sun, Youth Ministers from across Europe gathered in Valletta for the 10th Conference of Ministers responsible for youth. After months of negotiations, they agreed on a Declaration, showing their commitment to support youth organisations, youth work, and to strengthen youth policy.