YOUTH
Young people especially have been let down by bad political decisions in recent history. The current generation of young people in Europe is the first generation expected to be worse off than our parents. We are facing increasing challenges and barriers in accessing our rights. Many young people are growing frustrated and disengaged with politics in Europe. The EU needs to reinvent into a political project that inspires its youth and gives them hope – one that invests in young people, gives them a say in key decisions that shape the communities they live in, and puts sustainable development and future generations at the centre of all decision making processes.
Making young people, their voice and their interests, a priority in key EU decision-making processes.
Young people care about sustainable development. We have the most at stake in the future, as we and our children will be the most affected by the impact of political decisions made today, including decisions on actions related to climate change. We support responsible politics and sustainable policy-making.
1. Therefore, the European Parliament should prioritise the wellbeing of people, future generations and the planet in all decisions and policies.
It should promote the comprehensive and integrated implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement as a priority within the EU.
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Young people and the organisations that represent them are being silenced by governments. Government measures, such as restrictive laws, funding cuts, and even direct threats to individual activists, are restricting the capacity of youth organisations to operate and carry out their activities.
2. Therefore, the European Parliament should protect young people’s civil society and civic space in Europe.
It should increase the funding available for youth organisations in European programmes, such as Erasmus+ and its successor, and prevent and penalise any attempts to restrict their activities and capacity to operate.
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Young people are affected by all policies and political decisions, not just those that are typically understood as “youth policy”. Our everyday lives are affected by environmental quality, different forms of inequalities and multiple discrimination, the impact of austerity policies, access to healthcare, amongst other aspects of life and society. We face most challenges in terms of opportunities. We have to shape, and be fully included in, the societies and communities we live in.
3. The European Parliament should, therefore, make youth rights and dialogue with young people a priority across all policy fields.
The realisation of young people’s rights should be at the core of all policies affecting youth. Young people should have a say in all decisions and policies that affect their everyday lives and the future of the societies we live in, not just those typically associated with youth. Make it a requirement to not only consult, but to decide with young people, to use a rights-based approach in all policy-making, and to assess the impact on young people’s lives of all future EU policy-making and legislative proposals.
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Political Parties On Issues
ISSUES
The On Our Watch project brings together Civil Society Organisations working on all kind of topics. As representatives of and in direct contact with citizens, organisations have a strong role to play in holding the European Parliament accountable to the public. By joining forces in the context of the #EUelections2019 (23-26 May), On Our Watch offers a comprehensive overview of the key issues that European citizens care about.
Want to join? Get in touch! Contact: christian.skriverik[@]europeanmovemnt.eu | Address: Place du Luxembourg 2, B-1050, Brussels | Phone: +32 2 508 30 83