The European Youth Conference, held a few days ago in Sofia was supposed to be a platform for a dialogue between young people from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership and Bulgarian high-ranking officials at the governmental level. There were over 250 delegates from 40 countries and within the two-day long forum a total of 11 European goals were set for the youth. The Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of EU promised to raise those before the Union for forming the basis of the future European youth strategy. The 11 goals are as follows: sustainable and green Europe; information and constructive dialogue; gender equality; Europe’s connectivity with young people; employment and education of good quality for everyone. It should also be worked in the interest of young people from depopulated areas, for mental health improvement and for the inclusion of vulnerable groups and an expanded circle of young people in the decision-taking processes.

Right before the conference’s official closure with the participation of PM Boyko Borissov, there were speeches of European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Tibor Navracsics and UN Special Envoy on Youth Jayathma Wickramanayake. In the words of Commissioner Navracsics the EU should focus on its youth-related challenges, such as unemployment or the low level of political participation, extremism and radicalization. “We need to implement serious policies for the future, in order to help and encourage young people, so that those can be committed members of our society. We will continue to discuss these topics over the second half of the year as well,” Commissioner Navracsics said, obviously pointing at the forthcoming Austrian Presidency and the conference envisaged then of EU ministers in charge of European young people.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev