On 21 June 2026, Emma WEDNER, Chairperson of the Advisory Council on Youth and Xesc MAINZER, Vice-Chair of the CCJ held a debriefing session with the youth rapporteurs from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg, emphasising the importance of strengthening relationships with members of Parliaments and of implementing the youth cooperation mechanism introduced by recent Assembly resolution on Strengthening the youth perspective in the work of the Parliamentary Assembly.
Discussions focused on youth participation standards set out in the Reykjavik Summit and the Council of Europe Reference Framework on a Youth Perspective, approved at the 10th Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth.
Yevheniia KRAVCHUK, Youth Rapporteur for the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media, emphasised the importance of integrating the voices of young people throughout PACE's work. She identified joint hearings as a valuable practice for effectively involving young people in the drafting and adoption of resolutions.
Aurora FLORIDIA, Youth Rapporteur for the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, shared her experience of engaging youth groups in committee reports and called for action to improve outreach to member States. Various communication strategies, including youth prizes and awareness campaigns, to connect with and engage young people at a national level were discussed with youth rapporteur Zeynep YILDIZ, Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights. Opportunities for cooperation were advanced through youth-led projects in municipalities, partnerships with public authorities, and piloting the Reference Framework at a national level.
The youth rapporteurs and the Advisory Council representatives agreed to hold regular in-person and online meetings to facilitate direct communication, share priorities, and identify further opportunities for youth engagement in PACE activities. Ongoing dialogue and collaboration will help ensure youth voices remain central to Council of Europe policies.
