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In Malta this week, the Secretary General will explore how young people can make European democracies more resilient and contribute to democratic security
10th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth to shape the course of youth policy for years to come
Strasbourg, 06.10.2025 – The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, will participate in a series of events in Valletta, Malta, on 8-9 October, on the theme “Young people for democracy: youth perspectives in action”.
On Wednesday, 8 October:
- 10:00, at the Arts Lecture Theatre (ALT), University of Malta Msida, the Secretary General will address students of the University of Malta. The address is open to media.
- 14:30, at the Grand Hotel Excelsior, Secretary General will meet participants of the Council of Europe youth event to learn about their proposals for the New Democratic Pact for Europe, a pioneering initiative of the Council of Europe to ensure democratic security on the continent. The introductory address of the Secretary General will be open to media.
On Thursday, 9 October, at 9:30, at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Secretary General Berset will open the 10th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth, together with Hon. Clifton Grima, Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation of Malta. The opening part of the event, from 8:15 (arrivals of the high-level participants) until 10:15, is open to media.
“Europe’s young people are sounding the alarm on wars fought in their lifetime, on the climate crisis, and on technologies reshaping their lives,” said Secretary General Berset ahead of the Malta events. “This Conference is our chance to answer their call and show that democracy delivers, ensuring young people have a real voice in the choices that shape Europe today.”
One of the key principles of democracy for the Council of Europe consists in the promotion by its member states of youth participation in democratic life through human rights and democratic citizenship education, thus fostering pluralism, inclusion, non-discrimination, transparency and accountability. In his exchanges with students, youth activists, as well as Ministers of Council of Europe member states responsible for youth, Secretary General will discuss positive developments in youth engagement, as well as challenges that young people face.
Youth Event (7-8 October, Grand Hotel Excelsior)
The youth event will gather around a hundred young activists representing youth councils, international youth organisations. In addition to the Secretary General’s address to participants on Wednesday, 8 October at 14:30, the first part of the event, on Tuesday, 7 October, from 9:15 to 12:15, is open to media, and will include:
- 9:15: Opening with Keith Azzopardi Tanti, Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Research and Innovation of Malta; Cherise Sultana, President of the National Youth Council of Malta; Maurizio Cuttin, Vice-Chair of the CoE Advisory Council on Youth.
- 11:30: Matjaž Gruden, Director for Democracy of the Council of Europe, will exchange with participants on strengthening young people’s role in democratic revival and the protection of human rights, and the New Democratic Pact for Europe.
The 10th Ministerial Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth (8-9 October, Mediterranean Conference Centre)
The Ministerial Conference will take stock of the developments since the last conference that took place more than a decade ago, renew commitments, exchange best practices and agree the key vectors for European youth policy in the years to come. One of the objectives of the conference is to reaffirm the Council of Europe’s support for Ukraine in the field of youth as a priority for the Organisation, through intergovernmental work and cooperation with non-governmental youth structures fostering young people’s participation in democratic life and the recovery of Ukraine.
The opening of the conference on Thursday, 9 October, at 9:30 will be followed at 9:50 by short addresses, including by Nina Grmuša, Chairperson of the Advisory Council on Youth and the Joint Council on Youth, and Rareș Voicu, President of the European Youth Forum. This part of the event is also open to media.
New Democratic Pact for Europe
The Council of Europe unites with its partners to boost solutions that work and create new responses to the challenges undermining democracy in Europe. To identify these responses, consultations are needed. The Pact serves as a collective and inclusive process – not to reinvent democracy, but to reinforce its foundations, amplify its benefits, and innovate its form to make it tangible for everyone, especially younger generations. The directions set during the consultation phase running through 2026 will shape the work that follows.
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