Doc. 9931

27 September 2003

Youth policies in the Council of Europe
Recommendation 1585 (2002)

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

adopted at the 853^rd meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (24 September 2003)

The Committee of Ministers has considered with close attention Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1585 (2002) on Youth Policies in the Council of Europe. It would wish to stress, in reply to the Assembly’s recommendations, that it is firmly attached to the principle of co-management (paragraph 9.i of the recommendation) and that it has started consulting the Advisory Council on Youth Questions on matters falling within its competence on a systematic basis (paragraph 9.ii of the recommendation). As regards strengthening cooperation between the Youth sector and other Council of Europe sectors, increasing the resources of the European Youth Foundation, exchange of good practices, language courses and a number of other practical proposals (paragraphs 9.iii – 9.ix and 9.xii), the Committee of Ministers fully endorses the opinion provided on this recommendation by the Joint Council on Youth, as it appears in the Appendix to this reply.

In addition, as regards the Euro-Arab dialogue (paragraph 9.ix), the Committee of Ministers has provided the Assembly with an extensive information on this matter in its reply to Assembly Recommendation 1556 (2002) and will also do so in a reply it is preparing to Assembly Recommendation 1590 (2003) on cultural co-operation between Europe and the south Mediterranean countries. The latter reply highlights a substantial work being done on this subject by the North-South Centre, a Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe.

As regards the opening of regional youth centres and setting up of national youth councils (paragraphs 9.x and 9.xi), the Committee of Ministers has transmitted the recommendation to the Governments of its member states, for them to take it into account.

Appendix

Comments of the Joint Council concerning Recommendation 1585 (2002) of the Parliamentary Assembly on youth policies in the Council of Europe

During its 8th meeting on 19 February 2003, the Joint Council on Youth examined Recommendation 1585 (2002) of the Parliamentary Assembly on youth policies in the Council of Europe.

The Joint Council welcomed the initiative of the Parliamentary Assembly, which, through Recommendation 1585, re-affirms a number of essential principles that underlie the action of the Council of Europe’s youth sector, and opens perspectives that meet those defined by the partners of this sector.

The Joint Council wished to underline, in particular, the following elements contained in the recommendation:

The programme of the Council of Europe youth sector covers a wide range of activity domains, of which the intergovernmental programme of activities is only one element. These activity domains include:

-        the educational and training activities of the European Youth Centres (Strasbourg and Budapest);

-        the funding programme of the European Youth Foundation and the Solidarity Fund for Youth Mobility;

-        the activities in the field of youth research and documentation;

-        the partnership programme with the European Union on youth work;

-        the assistance programme;

-        the activities of the Partial Agreement on the Youth Card;

-        the Democratic Leadership programme (DLP);

-        the partnership programme with the European Agency for Youth Information and Counselling (ERYICA).

As regards the intergovernmental programme of activities implemented by the CDEJ, it already responds to the overall concerns of the Parliamentary Assembly. Furthermore, it develops other activities corresponding to the priorities of the Council of Europe as they clearly appear in the 2002 report on the activities of the youth sector that is submitted to the Committee of Ministers by the Joint Council.

Therefore, all these activity domains serve as instruments for the implementation of the work priorities established by the Joint Council for 2003-2005: Youth building peace and intercultural dialogue, Youth promoting human rights and social cohesion, Youth participation and democratic citizenship and Youth policy development and research.

The action of the Council of Europe’s youth sector is based on an essential principle, namely co-management between the governmental and non-governmental partners. The Joint Council welcomed the support given by the Parliamentary Assembly to this principle.

In this context, Recommendation 1585 rightly stresses the importance of enabling young people and their organisations to actively contribute to the implementation of the objectives and programmes of the overall activities of the Council of Europe. At the same time, the Joint Council acknowledged the need to encourage a wider range of young people who are not members of youth organisations and of youth organisations and networks, to participate. It wished to underline the important efforts that have been made in this respect, notably since the reform of the youth structures in 1998, both within the programmes of the European Youth Centres and the funding programmes of the European Youth Foundation (pilot projects, for example).

The promotion of democratic citizenship and participation of young people in public life constitutes one of the three main priorities of the youth sector for 2003-2005. In this context, the work programme adopted for 2003, for example, includes notably the following activities:

-       finalisation of the revision of the Charter on youth participation in municipal and regional life, and elaboration of a guide of good practice, in co-operation with CLRAE;

-        Conference “Young people and democratic institutions: from disillusion to participation”;

-        Seminar on participation of young women in political life, and the organisation of the Council of Europe Award “Young active citizens” on the following theme: “Participation of young women in political life”.

In this context also, the intergovernmental programme of activities in 2003 includes the elaboration of a study and guidelines on the establishment and functioning of national youth councils and consultative youth bodies, as well as the preparation of a draft recommendation from the Committee of Ministers to the member States on this issue.

As regards co-operation between the youth sector and other Council of Europe sectors, the Joint Council wished to draw the attention of the Parliamentary Assembly to the significant progress made in this respect. In addition to the active contribution of the youth sector to the implementation of the Integrated Projects, a large number of activities (in 2002 and 2003) are organised in co-operation with other Directorates of the Council of Europe: Directorate General of Human Rights (human rights education programme) and Social Cohesion (young migrants and access to social rights); Directorate of Education (non-formal education/learning programme); Parliamentary Assembly and CLRAE (participation programme).

The Joint Council welcomed the re-introduction of the language course programme as from 2003. This programme represents a relevant instrument for the promotion of intercultural learning and dialogue.

In 2003, a meeting of representatives of existing youth centres in the member states will be organised with a view to proceeding to the establishment of a European network of such centres.

Furthermore, it should be underlined that two new Partnership Agreements have just been established between the Council of Europe and the European Commission, one on youth research, and the other, on the implementation of a Euro-Mediterranean training programme for youth leaders and youth workers.

Finally, it should be noted that at their 824th meeting (15 January 2003), the Committee of Ministers invited the Secretary General to make an evaluation of the impact of the European Youth Foundation, in the perspective of a reinforcement of its means of action, with a view to enlarging its programmes to a greater number of young people and organisations in Europe, and to responding to the significant increase in the number of applications for funding projects.