The Federal Youth Council publishes a statement on the draft bill for the Building Code

The Bundesjugendring first takes issue with the fact that it was not invited to submit comments as part of the consultation process with organisations. Given the repeated discussions with the relevant federal ministry on strengthening youth participation, this is incomprehensible and makes it difficult to represent the interests of young people adequately.

In terms of substance, the criticism is directed primarily at the planned removal of the explicit reference to children and young people as part of the public in the Building Code. In the DBJR’s view, this clarification is essential to ensure the mandatory participation of young people in planning processes. Without this statutory provision, there is a risk that participation in practice will be undermined.

Furthermore, the Bundesjugendring regards the proposed amendment – under which the needs of young people would no longer be explicitly mentioned as a consideration in urban land-use planning – as a step backwards. This would reduce the visibility of youth-specific needs and stand in the way of youth-friendly urban development.

Instead, the Bundesjugendring calls for young people’s rights to participation to be strengthened and enshrined in law. Structured and genuine participation processes are particularly necessary in their immediate living environment in order to effectively incorporate young people’s perspectives.

The full text of the DBJR’s statement is available .