The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) welcomes the official launch of the European Commission president’s Youth Advisory Board, a body that will bring together 28 representatives from the EU Member States’ National Youth Councils and the European Youth Forum, “to advise the Commission on policies relevant to young people”. Read the open letter
Members of the COMECE Youth Platform meeting with David Ciliberti, Cabinet Expert of Commissioner Glenn Micallef, on the establishment of the Commission’s Youth Advisory Board. (Photo: COMECE)
The launch of the board earlier this July follows a meeting of members of the COMECE Youth Platform held at the European Commission, in Brussels, on 16 June 2025, to discuss with Mr. David Ciliberti, Cabinet Expert of Commissioner Glenn Micallef, on the establishment of the Commission’s Youth Advisory Board.
As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen youth engagement at the European level, members of the Youth Platform presented to the Cabinet the contents of an open letter to the Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, sharing practical steps to make the Board inclusive, accessible and genuinely representative of the diverse youth across Europe. The COMECE Youth Platform is glad to see that elements of the letter have been included in the proposed Board functioning.
The letter outlines some proposals to ensure that the Youth Advisory Board empowers young people from all backgrounds to have a meaningful role in EU decision-making. It calls for the inclusion of youth organisations not currently part of European Commission’s networks, bringing fresh perspectives and voices that are often overlooked. The COMECE Youth Platform, however, regrets the lack of willingness to involve other organisations in the Board beyond the National Youth Councils and the European Youth Forum.
Members of the Platform identify accessibility as a key priority and highlight the importance of support tools such as sign language interpretation and consideration for young parents, which should be made consistently available. Furthermore, to ensure broader participation in the EU Youth Advisory Board, the letter recommends including young people from vulnerable groups, such as those with disabilities or migratory backgrounds.
Emilio Dogliani, COMECE adviser on Youth and responsible for the COMECE Youth Platform, explains that “this would reflect the European Commission’s commitment to meaningful inclusion and participation, but the current structure proposed by the European Commission seems to leave no space to vulnerable youth representation”.
According to the COMECE Youth Platform, the Board should reflect core EU values such as solidarity and civic engagement, allowing for both continuity and adaptability in response to evolving youth needs. Moreover, the COMECE Youth Platform calls the Board to be more than ‘advisory’, as it ought to serve as a bridge between EU institutions and grassroots youth movements, fostering intercultural and interfaith dialogue. The Platform’s members welcome the inclusion of this element in the Commission’s decision and look forward to contributing to the Board’s work in the coming years.
The COMECE Youth Platform hopes that the launch of the Board will set a new benchmark for youth involvement across Europe, especially in the context of the legacy of the European Year of Youth and the ‘youth check’ to be implemented in EU institutional policymaking.
