During their second online joint meeting of 2021 on 3 and 4 June 2021, the Bureaux of the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ) and of the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ) took stock of the discussions on a future youth campaign, took note of the ongoing work of the task force on greening the youth sector, and explored possible options for the next plenary statutory meetings in light of the current sanitary situation linked to Covid.

In a discussion with the Director of Democratic Participation, the CDEJ and CCJ Bureaux highlighted the need to address what the Council of Europe Secretary General has called the democratic backsliding in Europe. A series of actions which, pending the approval of the Joint Council on Youth in October, would be organised in 2022 and centre around the state of democracy today, brought a number of ideas for a youth campaign on democracy, meaningful youth participation and digitalisation.

Thanks to the combined work of the CMJ task force on greening the youth sector and the Pool of European Youth Researchers of the EC/CoE youth partnership, a first outcome of the work will be the subject of a webinar being organised in the framework of the World Forum for Democracy. The Sustainability checklist, which will serve as guidelines for youth initiatives across Europe, will be presented on 15 June at 4pm, CET. The Bureaux stressed the importance of the task force’s work – which will continue with a second meeting on 18 June 2021 – at the current time.

The Head of the Youth Department updated the Bureaux on the situation of the youth sector and listened to proposals for the holding of the October plenary meetings, if allowed. October will mark two years since the youth statutory bodies last met in person, they will also be the last meeting of the current Advisory Council on Youth. The Bureaux finalised the agendas of the next plenary meetings.

Finally, the Bureaux congratulated the Advisory Council on Youth for its intensified co-operation with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The successful co-operation between the PACE and the Advisory Council may now bear fruit. During the second part of the 2021 session, a motion was tabled by the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media to establish a “youth partner” status with the Parliamentary Assembly.

For more information on the youth sector statutory bodies and on their decisions