ERYICA Presents Its Contribution to the Post-2027 EU Youth Strategy
2026
ERYICA Presents Its Contribution to the Post-2027 EU Youth Strategy
Youth information is more than a service; it is a fundamental pillar of any policy that wants to ensure the meaningful participation, active citizenship, and social inclusion of young people. This conviction guided ERYICA’s contribution to the ongoing review of the EU Youth Strategy beyond 2027, which was presented on Monday in Brussels to representatives of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC).
Developed through contributions from ERYICA’s 42 member organisations and adopted by the organisation’s Governing Board, the document was presented by ERYICA Director Susan Flocken together with Board representatives Lara Liebertz and Sif Vik. They met with a European Commission delegation including EU Youth Coordinator Marta Markowska, Senior Expert Jadranka Vukovic Johnsson, and Seconded National Expert Babis Papaioannou.
The position paper, titled Information You Can Trust: Youth Information as a Pillar of Quality Youth Work, Digital Rights & Constructive Dialogue in the European Union, offers an in-depth assessment of the current EU Youth Strategy and outlines six policy recommendations to help shape the next generation of European youth policy:
Recognition of Youth Information Workers: Recognise youth information as a visible pillar of the post‑2027 EU Youth Strategy and a distinct profession and field of expertise within the youth sector.
Strategic Youth Goals Re-Alignment: Position youth information as a cross-cutting enabler of all European Youth Goals, while updating Youth Goal 4, Information & Constructive Dialogue, to include quality information, media and AI literacy and digital rights.
Strengthening Youth Engagement Mechanisms: Establish youth‑friendly communication and an EU‑level feedback mechanism, accessible in digital and non‑digital formats.
Cross-Cutting Mainstreaming: Recognise quality youth information as a pillar of democratic resilience by embedding it across policies, ensuring sustainable funding, and supporting inclusive access for all young people.
Supporting Sustainable Youth Participation: Create a dedicated EU fund to strengthen youth participation structures by implementing governance reforms, establishing financial support mechanisms, and developing sustainable co-decision frameworks.
Enhancing Pan-European Connectivity: Facilitate the participation of candidate and neighbouring countries in EU youth programmes to foster European values, cooperation, and stronger cross-border ties.
