European Youth Forum
Jobs in Europe have returned – just not for youth
Every year, the ‘Euro bubble’ is alive and buzzing in anticipation of one of the biggest events in the European political calendar; the President of the European Commission’s annual State of the European Union address, writes Zuzana Vaneckova.
2019 elections: The end of old-school ‘politics as usual’?
The countdown to the next European Parliament elections has begun. They are an opportunity to change the way we do politics in Europe, to become more inclusive, turn under-representation into equal representation and ultimately increase the trust in our political leaders. Will European political parties accept the challenge? Luis Alvarado writes.
What if the youth could change Europe’s economic reality?
We need a reality check. Some in Europe may be celebrating the slow but steady rise in employment rates and economic growth. But young people have very little to celebrate, writes Luis Alvarado Martinez.
Let’s debunk the ‘apolitical youth’ myth
Young people don’t care. Young people don’t engage. Young people don’t vote. How many times have we heard these clichés? How long will we keep perpetuating this myth? Young people do participate. Young people do care, young people are political, writes Anna Widegren.
An EU Youth Strategy that actually makes a difference
“Young people are the future!” - isn’t that a no-brainer! When meeting politicians, we often find them paying lip service to this mantra. But if you tell someone that they are the future, doesn’t it simply mean you are putting them off, Luis Alvarado asks.
There’s nothing private about women’s sexual and reproductive rights
In 2017, women’s sexual and reproductive rights should be recognised as human rights. But first they must be freed from the political agenda, writes Carina Autengruber.
Voting alone won’t save our democracies
We are so often told that ‘those who don’t vote are not allowed to complain about the result’. Allan Päll asks what would happen if instead of forcing us — the citizens — to adapt to a failing system, democracy evolved to suit our modern day society.
How to fix our broken democracy
Young people are often described as politically apathetic or lazy, but if the current generation of politicians made more effort to include them in decision-making, they would find that young people really do care, argues Johanna Nyman.
Welfare systems should be fair and promote solidarity between generations
In a Europe, with a growing gulf between the “haves” and the “have nots”, we are witnessing that welfare systems are creating what they should overcome: inequality. The purpose of a welfare system is to act as a safety net for everyone, but this is no longer happening, writes Allan Päll.
Crowdsource youth politics to boost voter turnout
Young people are not truly represented in European politics. This is a sign that our democracy is broken, and that we should redouble our efforts to increase participation, argues Allan Päll.
The Commission has lost sight of quality jobs
The European Commission’s Country Specific Recommendations only increase the distance between the EU institutions and the citizens they are supposed to serve, writes Allan Päll.