Over 40 representatives from member organisations of the European Youth Card Association (EYCA) gathered in Pristina* for the 41st International Conference and General Assembly of the Association.
The Council of Europe was represented by Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of Youth, who delivered a video message on the occasion of the event. In it, he praised the long-lasting partnership between EYCA and the Council of Europe in the form of the Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card.
Mr Flessenkemper mentioned the forthcoming 10th Conference of ministers responsible for youth (Malta, 8-9 October 2025) in which EYCA will take part, as well as in a special side event that will mark the joint achievements over the last decades of both partners.
The Reykjavik Declaration endorsed by the 46 member States includes a youth perspective in all sectors of the Council of Europe work. Along this approach, a workshop with EYCA was organised last March, which aimed at developing cooperation with other Council of Europe Partial Agreements.
Work has been initiated on Cultural routes and will be pursued; other issues in various fields will be addressed, the objective of which is to reach policymakers in the field of youth, young activists and EYCA organisations in contact with 9 million young card holders.
Finally, the Head of the Youth Department underlined the crucial aspect of this work, citing the Council of Europe Secretary General 2025 report, which stressed the need for a new tool to address today’s challenges: everyone, including young people, face a democratic backsliding across Europe, combined with political apathy and lack of trust in democratic institutions. A new democratic pact for Europe is under preparation and aims to restore citizens’ confidence in democracy. It will focus on re-engaging young people seeing youth as a central element of this New Democratic Pact. Together, EYCA and the Council of Europe will continue to support young people in finding solutions to new and old challenges.
EYCA Director Manel Sanchez considered the EYCA Conference as one of the organisation’s most important events which aimed at strengthening the impact of the Youth Card on young people’s lives.
“Our conference is an important event for our organisation. We bring together all the European members of the European Youth Card – we’re talking about more than 40 members and over 9 million young people who use the Youth Card. At this conference, we will discuss our strategy, our brand, and, in general, the ways we can impact the lives of young people.
We want this card to create a community of youth that can access projects related to mental health, employment, entrepreneurship, human rights, and social rights. In today’s world, not only in Europe but globally, projects like the European Youth Card are becoming even more necessary and meaningful. […]
The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Bislim Bislimi, emphasised the importance of the conference and the benefits it brings for youth in Kosovo.
“Today here in Pristina, in the heart of the Balkans, we open the 41st Annual Conference of the European Youth Card Association, under the inspiring motto, ‘Shaping What Comes Next.’ The 41st Annual Conference of the European Youth Card Association is more than just an ordinary annual event — it has already become a unique platform for cooperation, exchange of experiences, and new ideas that directly impact the lives of young people across Europe.
[…] Thirty-eight countries across Europe are members of the association, which issue the European Youth Card. This card is intended for young people under the age of 30 and offers benefits in transportation, culture, education, social services, youth participation, and international mobility,” he said.
The EYCA Conference is an event at which cooperation between institutions, organisations and stakeholders is strengthened with the aim of a positive impact on young people’s lives.
*All references to Kosovo, whether the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nation's Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
