October 10, 2025
FITT at the Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth of the Council of Europe
Participations
FITT at the 10th Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth of the Council of Europe (Valletta, Malta, 8-19 October 2025)
FITT was present at the 10th Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth through Nadia Tismănaru, Vice-President of FITT and member of the Advisory Council on Youth. The conference was preceded by a Youth Event, during which young people formulated challenges and solutions for the future New Democratic Pact for Europe and discussed them with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. During the event, Nadia was the rapporteur and contributed to the working group “Learning and Practising Democracy”.
What the Ministers adopted in Valletta – in brief
The Ministers confirmed the objective of strengthening European democracies through youth participation, in line with the logic of the New Democratic Pact for Europe, and decided to enhance European youth policies and the activities of the Council of Europe in this field.
The adopted Declaration includes the following essential commitments and measures:
- It is emphasised that young people have the knowledge, skills, and perspectives necessary to be agents of change and to build a present and future based on the Council of Europe’s youth policy standards.
- The Resolution on the Reference Framework for a Youth Perspective is adopted as a model for integrating the voice of young people into all relevant policies, both at the level of the Council of Europe and its member states.
- The role and need for support and recognition of youth structures are reconfirmed, and a study on the experience of countries that have lowered the voting age is proposed.
- Focus on democratic citizenship education (especially for peace and intercultural dialogue), support for Ukraine (including youth infrastructure and reintegration of young veterans), and the potential creation of a third European Youth Centre in the Black Sea region.
- Regarding the environment and new technologies, the right to a clean environment is emphasized, youth-led environmental actions are supported, and the importance of mitigating the risks of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, is highlighted.
- The reform of the European Youth Foundation, the Youth Sector Strategy 2030, and the results of the European Youth Work Convention (Malta, May 2025) are welcomed.
- The priority of maintaining the Quality Label for Youth Centres and the Quality Label for Youth Information programs is reaffirmed.
- Progress in adopting the European Charter on Youth Participation in Local and Regional Life, which strengthens youth participation and supports youth organizations, is appreciated.
👉 Read the full document here.
What is the Reference Framework for a Youth Perspective
The Resolution defines a cross-cutting approach to integrating the perspective of young people into public policy development processes, structured around four interlinked elements indicated within the Framework: Think with young people (attitude), Learn from and with young people (experience), Participate with young people (competencies), and Act with and for young people (action).
Key elements of the resolution:
- Integrating the youth perspective leads to more prospective and resilient policies; it calls for the recognition of young people as rights holders, participation throughout the policy cycle, adequate financial/human resources, and intergenerational solidarity.
- Three key phases: Preparation (high political commitment, favourable standards/legislation, capacity-building), Design and Implementation (sustainable participatory mechanisms, rights-based impact assessments), and Monitoring and Evaluation (indicators, youth involvement, and research).
- Mandate for the Joint Council on Youth to develop practical tools (guides, checklists, training modules) for implementing the framework, including in member states.
👉 Read the full document here.
Proposals for the New Democratic Pact for Europe
In the “Learning and Practising Democracy” working group, where Nadia was the rapporteur and also contributed, young people identified challenges and proposed solutions that were presented and discussed with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
Major challenges identified in the working group:
- Lack of resources (financial and human) for youth NGOs, informal groups, and young people; insufficient physical and online spaces for learning and practising democracy; tokenistic participation.
- Lack of trust in democratic structures, disinformation and polarisation (including through algorithms), restricted freedom of expression, and underrepresentation of young people (especially those with fewer opportunities).
- Lack of education for democratic citizenship (qualitative and practical) and insufficient recognition of youth work and volunteering.
Proposed solutions:
- Dedicated budgets for the youth field at the level of member states and strengthening the budget of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe; capacity-building programs for youth workers, teachers, volunteers, and young people.
- Real participation mechanisms: youth councils, co-management, participatory budgeting, to encourage participation, including of unaffiliated young people or informal groups, and to strengthen synergies between the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Youth Department of the Council of Europe.
- Democratic citizenship education (practical and qualitative, through non-formal methods and learning by practice), training for teachers/youth workers, recognition of extracurricular activities (e.g., through ECTS credits), support for school councils, local, and regional councils.
- Equitable access and representation for marginalised groups, an intersectional approach, and protection against political exploitation; official youth information channels.
