EU WHITE PAPER ON THE YOUTH POLICY
What is a White Paper?
White papers are documents containing detailed
and well argued proposals for Community action in a specific
area. When a White Paper has been favourably received by
the European Council of Ministers, it may become the action
programme for the Union in the area concerned.
At present there is a process of creating
a White Paper on Youth Policy, which means that we can expect
a new EU policy in a foreseeable future. The Commission
has indicated its will to acquire a genuine Community dimension
and close cooperation with the local, regional and national
authorities of the Member States. The White paper will cover
the situation of young people and study their concerns and
desires.
The Commission has insisted that the drawing
up of the document should be done with a wide- ranging process
of consultations which has been launched at all levels:
- with young people themselves through national meetings,
European gathering and a Eurobarometer on young Europeans
- with national officials in the Youth field,
- with researchers,
- and with non-governmental organisations.
National Youth Meetings
There have been national youth conferences
in all EU member states. The findings have been compiled
in national reports. Participants were young people aged
15 to 25. The process was pushed hard during the French
Presidency in year 2000. The themes of discussion were Civil
society incl. environment, economical structure and employment,
well- being incl. health and suicide, youth autonomy (independence
of parents, housing etc.), and Europe.
The national conferences resulted in an impressive
large catalogue of opinions in all fields, like discrimination,
labour market, education, internet, etc. There was a strong
consensus in all consultation meetings - that this consultation
process in itself is an important and interesting step towards
stronger participation of young people in the European processes.
European gathering for Youths
On 16-17 March 2001, 135 delegates from Europe
met in Umeå, Sweden to discuss conditions for young
people in Europe. The meeting, which gathered young people,
researchers, officials and the civil society from the EU,
the EES/ EFTA countries and the candidate countries, constitutes
the final phase of a consultation process with the objective
of drawing up the White Paper.
The two-day meeting included both plenary
and workshop sessions. Ms Britta Lejon, Swedish Minister
for the Youth Affairs, opened the meeting and was followed
by representatives of young people, researchers, and the
civil society addressing their respective participation
in the White Paper process so far.
The Commission pointed out that the White
Paper has to be a living document and the starting point
for a new debate on youth issues and for a new kind of cooperation
at European level.
Some of the main conclusions from the working
groups can be captured with the key words autonomy, participation
and access:
- young people want to participate and be taken seriously;
- consultations with young people should be carried out
also in the future;
- cross- sectoral system that allows for the sharing of
good practices and knowledge in and between the local,
regional, national and international level should be set
up.
The White paper is expected to be finalised
later this year. It is still theoretically possible to influence
the process, even if it now is at a very late stage.
There is no legal base for the European Youth
Policy yet. It is not part of any of the treatises that
function as the legal basis of the co- operation in the
Union. The White Paper may be a first step of creating such
a policy. Even if the process so far has been set up by
the Commission and the EU Commissioner Ms Vivian Reading,
the voices of the young have been allowed to influence the
coming White Paper in a very high and promising degree.
by Juhan Janusson
UBC- EU Coordinator
e-mail: juhan@post.tele.dk
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