European Commission Implementation Dialogue on Youth

ESU participated at the first Implementation Dialogue focusing on the youth policy toolbox alongside Glenn Micallef, Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture, and Sport. ESU stressed the importance of addressing the needs of young adults aged 18–35, noting that current youth policies often focus primarily on children, overlooking critical challenges such as student poverty and the increasingly inaccessible housing market. Furthermore the importance of maintaining Erasmus+ as a standalone, unified programme; the urgent need for sustainable investment in education; the vital role of education in advancing the EU’s competitiveness agenda; and the necessity of fully mainstreaming the EU Youth Strategy to ensure the meaningful participation of democratically representative youth organisations were discussed.