NEWS

COMECE encourages the EU to empower young people

On the occasion of the 2019 International Youth Day, COMECE calls the EU to implement youth policies reducing the forms of youth exclusions, and empowering young people at all levels of economic, social and political life.

Pope Francis walks with World Youth Day pilgrims as he arrives for a July 30 prayer vigil at the Field of Mercy in Krakow, Poland. (Credit: CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Young people represent around 1/3 of the population in the European Union. Many of them experience uncertainty, frustration and marginalisation due to the high unemployment rate, which deprives them of the possibility of fully contributing to the development of society and negatively impacts their capacity to dream and hope.

Following the experience of the 2018 Youth Synod, COMECE recalls Pope Francis’ “Christus Vivit” post-synodal apostolic exhortation, emphasising the need “to make more room for the voices of young people”, who are the present and the future of our world, the catalyst of change and transformation.

In this framework, in April 2019 COMECE organised an event on young people’s participation in society, and set up a platform with Catholic youth organisations in order to better promote their proposals and perspectives in dialogue with EU institutions.

COMECE welcomes the proposal of the new EU Youth Strategy and encourages the incoming EU Commission to implement its strategy and, in particular, to establish aEU Youth Coordinator, spreading young people’s voices at the EU level.

COMECE will continue contributing to the European Solidarity Corps initiative and to the negotiations of the next exchange programme Erasmus.