“Youth participation takes place at local level, because this is where young people interact, learn, and contribute most directly to the life of their community,” underlined Congress President Marc Cools speaking at the opening of the 10th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth.
Held in Valletta, Malta, on 8-9 October 2025 under the theme “Young people for democracy: youth perspectives in action”, the Conference was aimed at steering the course of European youth policy for years to come. The new European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life, expected to be adopted by the Congress at its upcoming October session, was discussed at the Conference as an important contribution to strengthening youth democratic engagement across all levels of governance.
At the events organised by the Maltese Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, Aida Karimli (Sweden, ILDG), Congress Rapporteur for the revision of the Youth Participation Charter, presented the findings of the consultation process run over the past year, alongside a representative of the Joint Council on Youth (CMJ), the main partner of the Congress in this initiative.
Addressing the Youth Event organised on 7 and 8 October in the run-up to the Ministerial Conference, Congress Spokesperson on Youth Veronique Bertholle (France, SOC/G/PD) emphasised that the European Charter on Youth Participation has continued to evolve and would serve as a keystone reference wherever politicians at local and regional levels open doors and political agendas for young people.
