EU Youth Test
What is the EU Youth Test? It is an impact assessment tool which ensures that young people are considered when the EU is deciding on new policies and law. Thanks to the Youth Test, the EU will be able to create better policies that are long-lasting and impactful, while reducing inequalities and considering the needs of young people both today and in the future.
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🔥 Commission commits to a "Youth Check" 🔥
On 10 January 2024, the European Commission made a big promise to implement a "Youth Check." This is meant to make sure that when the EU designs new policies, they think about how they will affect young people. We look forward to working with the Commission to design the Youth Check together. We want to make sure it includes the five pillars of our EU Youth Test as this will help make sure that young people's needs are considered when making EU rules.
With and for young people
Young people have a unique perspective on issues that impact them, such as economic growth, digitalisation or the climate crisis. It is time to provide the sufficient means to include them in policy-making since they are the ones who need to carry the burden of these decisions.
The EU Youth Test is designed to evaluate the impact that any new proposals may have on young people in the EU and identify any mitigation measures necessary to avoid any negative impacts.
How does it work? It is based on 5 pillars:
Assessment of the relevancy of any legislation proposal to young people
Meaningful engagement with youth stakeholders including young people from youth-led organisations and experts
Impact assessments of draft proposals
Mitigation measures to address adversities on different groups of young people, especially groups living in vulnerable situations
Transparency - publication of the results of the EU Youth Test - for scrutiny by the other institutions and in youth-friendly language
The EU Youth Test supports the mainstreaming of youth by addressing the lack of involvement in policy fields that are not usually considered youth-related, e.g. sustainability, economic or infrastructure policies.
3 reasons for an EU Youth Test:
It includes young people's perspective in all policies, which is an objective at the EU level - currently not being reached. The EU Youth Test is a tool to make this happen!
It's working! The EU Youth Test exists in several countries in different forms, but always for and with young people. Austria, France, and Germany on a national level and Flanders in Belgium on a regional level proved such a tool is beneficial for young people and society.
It is bringing the missing 25% to the forefront. Young people make up 25% of the whole population of Europe and yet they are underrepresented in political processes. They are the ones who will live the longest with the consequences and impacts of the regulations designed today, it is time to act, not just listen.
Our must read
Young people’s lives are impacted by decisions made across every single policy field, there is no policy that is not a ‘youth’ and future generations topic. Check out our must reads below to find out more 👇
We’re not alone
- The report on the final outcomes of the Conference on the Future of Europe also suggested implementing youth impact assessment tools.
- The European Economic and Social Committee is implementing their version of the EU Youth Test.
- The Committee of Regions calls for the implementation of youth tests in its Charter on Youth and Democracy.
- The European Parliament approved a Resolution on the European Year of Youth 2022 legacy which also calls on the Commission for implementing the EU Youth Test.
- Several Commissioners supported the implementation during the Family of Policy Dialogues, such as Mariya Gabriel, Nicolas Schmit, and Helena Dalli.
- The Council adopted Council Conclusions on promoting youth mainstreaming in policy decision-making processes in the European Union supporting a Youth Test at EU level.
Key Documents and Resources
Open Research studies and publications
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.