The European Committee of the Regions in cooperation with the European Forum has detected the need to take further steps and utilize innovative tools in order to create a more inclusive and democratic European community by empowering young people.
For this purpose, the two institutions, on the occasion of the European Year of Youth, have started the process of creating a Charter on Youth and Democracy, which strives to make European society and the democratic processes more youth-centric. The Charter is composed of 49 recommendations on how young people can take part in processes at the local and regional, national and European levels. It touches on subjects such as youth empowerment, democratic participation, cooperation and communication, new technologies, digitalization, education, and political representation.
Since the engagement of youth is highlighted, the Committee of the Regions and the European Youth Forum made sure to include youth through various means. The process took place in a participatory way by offering the opportunity to young people to participate in the debate by sharing their thoughts, opinions and ideas via online and in-person consultations, local events and social media activities. All those points made by the youth and the members of the Committee of the Regions were reviewed and consolidated into the final Charter.