Young voices in Brussels - ensuring youth participation in Europe

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From 23 to 25 June 2025, a group of young volunteers from youth associations travelled to Brussels together with the German Federal Youth Council. The trip took place as part of the EU Youth Dialogue and to implement Youth Goal #1 "Bringing the EU together with young people". The aim was to bring the perspectives of young people directly into European politics and to strengthen youth participation even in challenging times.

The EU Erasmus+ programme enables young people to spend time abroad, do voluntary service and take part in international youth exchanges. As part of the ongoing negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the long-term EU budget, the financial basis for these programmes and for youth projects is currently being defined. At the same time, the room for manoeuvre of youth organisations in Europe is being restricted. The trip to Brussels served to raise these issues directly with decision-makers and to show how important strong youth organisations are for democracy and participation.

Political talks in the European Parliament
On 24 June, talks were held with five MEPs:

  • Sabrina Repp (SPD) emphasised that the diversity of Erasmus+ must be maintained, that voluntary services should be strengthened and that better coordination of funding structures is necessary.
  • Birgit Sippel (SPD) promised to campaign for the removal of visa hurdles and to secure funding for youth organisations within the framework of Erasmus+.
  • Erik Marquardt (Alliance 90/The Greens) showed great interest in the structural challenges of youth organisations and suggested cross-party initiatives.
  • Lena Düpont (CDU) emphasised the importance of Erasmus+ as the "flagship of the EU" and addressed the threat to youth rings in Europe.
  • Martin Schirdewan (DIE LINKE) pledged support for the protection of civil society structures and the expansion of funding opportunities.

Talks with EU institutions and youth representatives
In discussions with the EU Commission's Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, it was announced that a communication tool for the EU Youth Dialogue would be developed in order to increase its visibility across Europe. In addition, a meeting of all national working groups of the EU Youth Dialogue is to take place in Brussels in 2026.

The discussion with the European Youth Forum (YFJ) focused on the new EU youth strategy, which is to be launched in 2028, and the role of the youth dialogue in it. The YFJ is planning a participation campaign to include the interests of young people and a "More Erasmus = More Europe" initiative to secure funding in the new EU budget.

Experience European democracy
In addition to the discussions, the trip offered insights into the work of European institutions, for example during a political city tour and a visit to the exhibition in the European Parliament.

The trip to Brussels as part of the EU Youth Dialogue was an important step towards ensuring youth participation in Europe and giving young people a voice in current political debates. The participants were able to contribute their concerns directly to the negotiations on Erasmus+ and the future funding of youth projects and advocate for strong youth organisations as the basis for a vibrant democracy.

Themen: 11. Zyklus Youth Dialogue European politics