A working breakfast “Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the youth card: looking ahead to new horizons” was organised as a side event of the 10th Ministerial Conference for Youth, in Valetta, Malta, on 10th October 2025. The side event is part of the Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility programme 2025 co-organised by the Council of Europe and the European Youth Card Association (EYCA).
Youth Mobility has evolved throughout years as a policy priority: from advancing mobility between young people in the East and the West of Europe (after 1989) to ensuring mobility in learning opportunities, volunteering and social cohesion.
Depending on the social, economic and political context, youth mobility has gained positive or negative connotations. We speak about ‘youth mobility on labour market’, but in some contexts it may mean brain drain.
We speak about ‘youth mobility in education’, but in some contexts this equals heavier bureaucracy or unrecognised credentials.
We speak about ‘youth mobility in volunteering’, but there are few policy instruments in place that would recognise the value of volunteering abroad. As our world, and particularly Europe, has been becoming increasingly interconnected and borderless, youth mobility has changed but not lost its political aspects.
Youth mobility and access to it as a right may need redefinition by the decision makers. The right place to start this policy conversation is in the framework of the Council of Europe Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the youth card.
36 participants – policy-makers, youth activists, EYCA members and representatives of international bodies reflected on the following questions:
- Is youth mobility politically relevant in your country and wider (now and in the future)?
- If yes, what implications it could have on the development of youth policy in your country?
- How, in your opinion, can the European Youth Card contribute to youth mobility on a national and European level?
- Any tips for the steps forward for the PA on Youth Mobility through the youth card?
Participants offered some suggestions in order to continue adapting the Partial Agreement’s work programme to the needs of youth card’s beneficiaries and to the member States.
In this context were shared some findings of an exploratory research commissioned by the Partial Agreement to better understand its effects on both civil society and governmental agencies from Signatory States. The report will also shed light on alignments of the Council of Europe youth sector priorities with youth mobility-related topics.
Presentation of the Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card
