Addressing the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Anastasios CHATZIVASILEIOU (Greece, EPP) spoke of the “disturbing dichotomy” between the potential, motivation, and interest of young people to contribute to politics, and the actual opportunities to do so.

Speaking during a hearing on his proposal to establish a youth partner status with the PACE, Anastasios CHATZIVASILEIOU acknowledged that young people make an essential contribution to the development and realisation of democracy and human rights.  

Responding to the PACE Rapporteur, Spyros Papadatos, Chair of the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ), recalled the Council of Europe’s 50-year-old co-management system and how the CCJ brings a diversity of young people’s voices to the Organisation.  As an example of young people’s creativity and dynamism, he spoke of the call for action containing 50 different proposals to revitalise democracy produced by the young people who had taken part in the youth campaign’s Youth Action Week the previous summer.  It is through such activities organised by its youth sector that the Council of Europe can reconnect with European citizens.

At a time when the Council of Europe High-level Reflection Group has recommended ensuring the inclusion of a “youth perspective” in the Organisation’s intergovernmental and other deliberations by consulting European youth organisations when shaping public policies in any given field, the PACE’s consideration of how to make this a reality in its work is very timely and welcome.

Roger Padreny, Deputy for Andorra, Member of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly network of young parliamentarians, also took part in the hearing.