Changes from plenary report to adopted text

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in particular Articles 9, 165(4), 166(4) and 214(5) thereof,

– having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the Charter), in particular Articles 14, 15, 21, 24 and 32 thereof,

– having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,

– having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by the EU in 2010,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/888 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021 establishing the European Solidarity Corps Programme and repealing Regulations (EU) 2018/1475 and (EU) No 375/2014,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/817 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021 establishing Erasmus+: the Union Programme for education and training, youth and sport and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 (Erasmus+),

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1057 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 establishing the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1296/2013,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act),

– having regard to the Commission proposal of 16 July 2025 for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Erasmus+ programme for the period 2028-2034, and repealing Regulations (EU) 2021/817 and (EU) 2021/888 (COM(2025)0549),

– having regard to the Council recommendation of 20 December 2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning,

– having regard to the Council recommendation of 30 October 2020 on A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee and replacing the Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee,

– having regard to Decision (EU) 2021/2316 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 December 2021 on a European Year of Youth (2022),

– having regard to Decision (EU) 2023/936 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 on a European Year of Skills,

– having regard to its resolution of 21 November 2023 on the implementation of the European Solidarity Corps programme 2021-2027,

– having regard to its resolution of 16 January 2024 on the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme 2021-2027,

– having regard to its resolution of 13 September 2022 on the impact of COVID-19 closures of educational, cultural, youth and sports activities on children and young people in the EU,

– having regard to its resolution of 24 November 2022 on the European Year of Youth 2022 legacy,

– having regard to the Council Conclusions of 20 May 2014 on promoting youth entrepreneurship to foster inclusion of young people,

– having regard to the resolution of the Council and the representatives of the governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on a framework for European cooperation in the youth field: The European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027,

– having regard to the resolution of the Council and of the representatives of the Member States meeting within the Council establishing guidelines on the governance of the EU Youth Dialogue – European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027,

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 23 November 2023 on the contribution of education and training to strengthening common European values and democratic citizenship,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 11 April 2024 on the Interim evaluation of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 (COM(2024)0162),

– having regard to the report of September 2024 by Mario Draghi entitled ‘The future of European competitiveness’, which sets out strategic recommendations for strengthening productivity, innovation, skills and long-term economic resilience in the EU,

– having regard to the report of April 2024 by Enrico Letta entitled ‘Much more than a market’, commissioned by the European Council, which highlights the need for renewed competitiveness, economic resilience, quality employment and social inclusion across the EU,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 5 March 2025 entitled ‘The Union of Skills’ (COM(2025)0090), which seeks to boost skills development, improve skills intelligence and support better skills matching to enhance competitiveness and youth employability,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 5 March 2026 entitled ‘Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness’ (COM(2026)0110),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 30 September 2020 entitled ‘Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 – Resetting education and training for the digital age’ (COM(2020)0624),

– having regard to the conclusions of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States of 30 November 2023 on a comprehensive approach to the mental health of young people in the European Union,

– having regard to its resolution of 12 December 2023 on mental health,

– having regard to the diversity and inclusion strategy 2030,

– having regard to the Commission implementation guidelines entitled ‘Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps Inclusion and Diversity Strategy’, published on 29 April 2021,

– having regard to the Commission report of 24 March 2025 on the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy (2022-2024) (COM(2025)0117),

– having regard to the European implementation assessment entitled ‘The implementation of the reinforced Youth Guarantee – Trends in EU Member States, impact, EU funding and governance’, published by its Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services in December 2025,

– having regard to the European implementation assessment entitled ‘EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027: Taking stock and the way forward’, published by its Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services in January 2026,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 4 March 2021 entitled ‘The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan’ (COM(2021)0102),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 24 March 2021 entitled ‘EU strategy on the rights of the child’ (COM(2021)0142),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 20 January 2026 entitled ‘Union of Equality: Anti-Racism Strategy 2026-2030’ (COM(2026)0012),

– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 18 September 2024 entitled ‘Promoting European intergenerational solidarity – towards an EU horizontal approach’,

– having regard to its Committee on Culture and Education’s #Engaged4YOUth strategy,

– having regard to the study entitled ‘Mapping the housing needs in the EU, assessing the impacts of scarcity and providing an overview of relevant EU legislation’, published by its Policy Department for Transport, Employment and Social Affairs in December 2025,

– having regard to the Commission report entitled ‘Youth mainstreaming, youth impact assessment and youth checks – A comparative overview’, published in July 2024,

–– having regard to the Council of Europe report entitled ‘Countering Violent Extremism and Youth Radicalisation – Using the European Youth Card to Promote Peaceful Communities’,

–– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure, as well as Article 1(1)(e) of, and Annex 3 to, the decision of the Conference of Presidents of 12 December 2002 on the procedure for granting authorisation to draw up own-initiative reports,

– having regard to the opinions of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Public Health (in the form of a letter),

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture and Education (A10-0219/2026),

A. whereas the EU Youth Strategy (EUYS) 2019-2027 has provided a common framework for cooperation on youth policy across the EU and has contributed to increasing the visibility of youth issues at EU level; whereas its implementation has taken place in the context of pre-existing challenges and multiple crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, security and geopolitical instability, digital risks, rising living costs and rural-urban disparities;

B. whereas the EUYS has provided a valuable framework for youth policy, but its effectiveness varies and depends heavily on Member State implementation, adequate funding, coordination at all governance levels and its capacity to reach young people, with a view to remaining tailored to local realities and enabling young people to participate actively in its creation and implementation;

C. whereas the digital information environment plays a central role in shaping young people’s participation in democratic life; whereas exposure to disinformation and manipulative content online may undermine trust in institutions and democratic processes; whereas strengthening media literacy and critical thinking is essential, and parents and educators play a key role in guiding young people towards responsible online behaviour;

D. whereas the specific needs of young people – especially of vulnerable young people – are not always sufficiently reflected in policy responses;

E. whereas the European Year of Youth 2022 (EYY2022) and its legacy showed appreciation for young people and highlighted their importance as drivers of a shared European future;

F. whereas the EUYS emphasises the need for young people to be at the centre of policymaking and to be actively involved in the planning, development, implementation, monitoring and assessment of all policies affecting them (‘youth mainstreaming’);

G. whereas youth mainstreaming is applied unevenly across Member States, which contributes to differing levels of youth engagement, trust and willingness to cooperate with public institutions; whereas some Member States have already implemented ‘youth tests’, proving that young people can be effectively involved at all stages of policymaking;

H. whereas young people must be actively and meaningfully involved in the co-creation of policies that affect them, as their perspectives can contribute to more effective, inclusive and forward-looking policies; whereas the Council has recognised that European youth is not a homogeneous group;

I. whereas the Commission has committed to introducing and consistently implementing the ‘youth check’ as a key action of the legacy of the EYY2022 and a major step towards ensuring accountability and that a youth perspective and the impact of policies and initiatives on young people are factored into youth-relevant policies and initiatives at EU, national, regional and local levels, and increasing young people’s trust that participation leads to concrete policy change; whereas all multiannual financial framework (MFF) proposals were designated by the Commission as youth-relevant, but a number of them did not consider the impact on young people in their impact assessments; whereas it is essential to appoint a youth correspondent in every directorate-general of the Commission; whereas the methodology used to identify youth-relevant files by the Commission should be published and integrated into the better regulation toolbox as a distinct instrument;

J. whereas the Committee on Culture and Education has already adopted its #Engaged4YOUth strategy demonstrating its commitment to youth engagement; whereas the systematic youth mainstreaming process should be further developed in order to give young people a voice in policymaking;

K. whereas it is important to maintain and strengthen cooperation between Parliament and European youth capitals, recognising their role as key local and regional actors in the implementation of youth policies, youth participation and civic engagement initiatives;