Committee of Ministers
Comité des Ministres
Strasbourg, 5 June 1998
Restricted
CM(98)104
For consideration at the 638th meeting
of the Ministers’ Deputies
(1 July 1998, A level, item 8.1)
5th Conference of European Ministers
responsible for Youth
Bucharest, 27-29 April 1998
REPORT
Appendix 3 is not available
The Fifth Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth was held in Bucharest from 27 to 29 April 1998 at the invitation of the Romanian Government, which had made this proposal in Luxembourg at the informal meeting in May 1995.
All the Contracting Parties to the European Cultural Convention – with the exception of Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Monaco, which had apologised for their absence – were represented. Canada attended as an observer.
The Committee of Ministers was represented by the Chair of the Rapporteur Group on Youth Affairs, the Parliamentary Assembly by the Vice-Chair and several members of the Sub-Committee on Youth and Sport of the Committee on Culture and Education and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe by a member of the Youth Sub-Group.
The conference was also attended by the Chairs of the Governing Board and the Advisory Committee of the European Youth Centres (EYCs) and European Youth Foundation (EYF).
The European Commission was represented by Mr Dibelius, Director at Directorate-General XXII, and Ms Fogg, the European Union representative in Romania.
UNESCO had sent two observers. The European Youth Forum was represented by its President and Vice-President accompanied by a delegation of thirty-five young people.
The full list of participants is reproduced in Appendix 1.
The theme of the conference was: "Young people: active citizens in a future Europe".
In his opening speech, the President of Romania, Mr Constantinescu, urged the participants to view young people as a current, not just a future, social force, capable of finding solutions to the problems facing them and, what was more, implementing those solutions, and not as a problem. He reminded the participants that it was important to see young people’s participation in society as an indisputable right, and their inherent rights as an integral part of human rights while stressing the urgent need to combat social exclusion, by providing ever more young people with the means, motivation and capacity to build and drive "a train of hope" and a train of certainty" in a society that reflected the needs and aspirations of their generation."
The Secretary General, after thanking the Romanian authorities for organising the conference and the Youth Director for the services rendered to the Organisation, spoke of the difficulties facing young people today, while also making the point that the role of ministers responsible for youth was not an easy one given that their responsibilities outweighed their powers, which tended to be shared with other ministries such as education, labour or housing. The introduction of an integrated youth policy required broad intersectoral co-operation and a similar approach must be adopted at European level.
The Secretary General also stressed the need to involve young people in all areas affecting them, by encouraging participation. He referred here to the partnership pursued between youth organisations and governmental representatives in the context of the Council of Europe’s youth activities. After reporting on the work done in this sector at both governmental and non-governmental level, he spoke about the prospects for the future and reminded the conference of the importance attached by the Second Summit of Heads of State and Government to education for citizenship, thus echoing the concerns of the ministers responsible for youth, who had chosen to focus their conference proceedings on the subject of active youth participation in the process of European integration.
On a proposal by France, Mr Crin Antonescu, the Romanian Minister responsible for Youth and Sport, was elected Chair of the conference. The Luxembourgeois and Greek Ministers, Mr Alex Bodry and Mr Ioanis Anthopoulos, nominated by Hungary and Slovenia respectively, were elected Vice-Chairs.
At the request of Portugal, an item was added to the agenda (Appendix 2) on the World Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth, due to be held in Lisbon in August of that year.
During the opening session, the conference heard speeches by Mr Taurantas, the Lithuanian Ambassador to the Council of Europe and Chair of the Rapporteur Group on Youth Affairs, Ms Plechata, member of the Czech parliamentary delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Vice-Chair of the Sub-Committee on Youth and Sport and Mr Venturini, member of the Youth Sub-Group of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe. The speakers outlined the activities pursued in the youth field in their respective areas of responsibility and underlined the importance of co-management, a novel and unique way of involving young people in the decision-making process in the Council of Europe’s youth sector. In the wake of the changes which had occurred in central and eastern Europe, they emphasised how important it was for young people in that part of Europe to have access to EYC/EYF activities in order to develop democratic, pluralist youth structures.
Mr Taurantas and Ms Plechata further spoke of the need to adapt youth structures to Europe's changing society by making them more flexible and accessible to new partners. Finally, Ms Plechata raised the issue of youth sector funding, and in particular the funding of the European Youth Foundation. She said that in order for the sector to function more effectively, such a problem must be resolved and proposed that contributions to the Foundation be made compulsory in future.
***
Mr Bodry, the Luxembourgeois Minister responsible for Youth and Vice-Chairperson of the conference, began his account of the plenary session of 27 April with an appraisal of the work done by the Council of Europe’s youth sector since the Vienna Conference and the informal meeting in Luxembourg. He presented an overview of the results achieved and the progress made at governmental level in the areas of youth mobility, participation and information and confirmed the growth in EYC/EYF activities, particularly following the enlargement of the Council of Europe. He noted in passing that the activities pursued by the governmental sector and by the non-governmental sector had themes in common. This reflected the interaction which existed between the two sectors.
He stressed the need to continue with the efforts to increase youth mobility in Europe and urged the representatives of states wishing to sign the Convention on Transnational Long-Term Voluntary Service to take the necessary steps to carry this project through and so lend fresh impetus to voluntary service in Europe. He also noted the importance of continuing to review national youth policies in order to take stock of any developments therein and of introducing comprehensive, integrated youth policies in order to define the common principles of a comprehensive, integrated European youth policy. However, he stressed that this exercise, to be efficient, should pinpoint the positive as well as the negative effects of the projects carried out in this field.
The minister concluded his speech by referring to the future development of the sector, which must adapt to the new realities of youth work and provide alternative responses to young people’s expectations, in such a way as to combine the Council of Europe’s objectives and priorities as defined by the Second Summit with the achievements of the intergovernmental sector and the priority themes of the work done in the European Youth Centres and European Youth Foundation. The Final Declaration of this conference established working objectives for the intergovernmental sector which echoed these concerns, namely youth participation and active democratic citizenship, non-formal education and integration into society and enhanced social cohesion.
He recommended, firstly, that these objectives be addressed within the framework of a closer partnership between everyone involved in the youth sector in order to develop, as far as possible, comprehensive projects, and, secondly, that a fully-fledged intersectoral youth policy be instituted within the Council of Europe, under the auspices of the Youth Directorate, in order to develop a European model for a comprehensive, integrated policy. This intersectoral approach should also be accompanied by greater co-operation with other international intergovernmental organisations, particularly the European Union, and, to this end, he suggested setting up a youth observatory, as a joint structure shared by the European Union and the Council of Europe.
Mr Antonescu, the Romanian Minister responsible for Youth and Sport, introduced the draft Final Declaration, the text of which is attached to this report, submitted to the conference for adoption and presented the proceedings of the Conference.
The discussions were then initiated by Mr Anthopoulos, the Greek Deputy Minister of Education and Vice-Chair of the conference, who said that, in the current state of crisis, young people constituted the most vulnerable group; hence the urgent need to find suitable ways of integrating them into society and encouraging them to participate in community life as active citizens. To this end, he proposed implementing integrated youth policies which would pave the way for equal opportunities and developing, at every level, youth participation structures which would treat them as full partners in the decision-making process.
He stressed the importance, in this context, of developing regional co-operation, based on common interests, conducive to the development of such policies. These regional co-operation arrangements could be reviewed within the Council of Europe in order to assess the progress made and identify common courses of action. He informed the conference that in March his country had hosted the Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth in the Countries of South-Eastern Europe. The minister then concluded his speech with an offer from the Government of Greece to host the 6th Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth in due time.
During the discussions, many speakers emphasised the need to encourage participation in all its forms and said that the fight against youth unemployment and social exclusion and the search for solutions within the framework of intersectoral policies were matters of priority. The representatives of some countries, such as Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, Cyprus or Slovenia, pointed out that they had followed the Council of Europe’s example and set up co-management structures in an effort to involve young people and their organisations in youth policy-making. Other countries, such as Switzerland and France, were encouraging the growth of various youth participation structures (eg youth parliaments, permanent youth council) or, like Bulgaria, seeking to promote the European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Municipal and Regional Life (Llangollen Charter) or, like Croatia, providing aid to encourage the participation of organisations representing young people from minority groups or young disabled people.
Still other delegates, such as Mr Kivistö (Finland) or Mr Ostini, representative of the "Education for Citizenship" Project Group of the Cultural Co-operation Council, felt that education for citizenship was a way of fostering participation and that it was important to develop this activity within the Council of Europe as part of an intersectoral approach. Mr Mignon, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly, presented his project on the setting-up of a Youth Parliamentary Assembly for the 50th Anniversary of the Council of Europe.
The Hungarian State Secretary, Mr Goncz, underlined the importance of genuine participation, where young people were not simply passive observers. Similarly, Mr Tschudi, a member of the Basel Regierungsrat, pointed out that while participation had been on the agenda since the first ministerial conference – and while welcoming the pioneering role which the Council of Europe had played in this area – it was a long and complex process which needed to be constantly assessed and reviewed in the light of changes in the situation of young people. This opinion was shared by Ms Buffet, the French Minister responsible for Youth and Sport, who said that in order for there to be any kind of youth participation and involvement in civic life, one must first recognise the uniqueness of young people’s chosen paths in life, their identities and their right to participate in society. Mr Bryntesson (Sweden) expressed the wish that the Youth Directorate should continue its work in the field of youth participation, which was the cornerstone of its policy. The chairpersons of the Governing Board and the Advisory Committee of the European Youth Centres and the European Youth Foundation regretted that, on one hand, the Final Declaration of the Conference did not insist on the need to maintain and reinforce the co-management within the Youth Directorate, and that, on the other hand, it was not given the necessary and adequate budgetary resources for a satisfactory implementation of its programmes.
Youth unemployment and social exclusion were another focal point of the discussions. The representatives of Switzerland, Italy, the Holy See and Estonia drew attention to this worrying problem which affected a growing number of young people in Europe's societies and the need to find solutions within the context of intersectoral youth policies. The Slovenian Minister, Mr Gaber, raised this issue in his speech, saying that social exclusion was not something which was confined to young people who had failed their exams and joined the ranks of the unemployed, but that it also affected the poor, the homeless, migrants, refugees, members of the various minorities and disabled people. In his view, the solution lay not just in improving and adapting education, but also in acknowledging the skills acquired from non-formal education, which helped to make young people more employable. He welcomed, furthermore, the moves made by the Council of Europe towards developing an intersectoral, co-operative approach to these issues, because a problem as complex as social exclusion among young people could not be tackled through youth policy alone.
Many speakers likewise took the view that active youth participation was a way of combating exclusion. Ms Holzer (Austria) also suggested developing other projects such as the mediation, as a means of dealing with various types of conflict, eg conflicts at school, within families, between different ethnic groups or involving young offenders, etc, while suggesting various approaches – peer group education, conflict management, mediation – which could be encouraged at both national and European level. For the Estonian Minister of Youth, Mr Klaassen, exclusion was also very often aggravated by the lack of information, and that it was urgent to help young people to acceed to information, in particular to new technologies and to acquire the necessary competences in order to use them in a good way.
Like the Estonian Minister, Ms Buffet stressed the need to attach greater importance to non-formal education and in particular to any experience acquired through associative life, and to acknowledge this experience (as a component of education in its own right) in school education or vocational training. Against this background, she also emphasised the importance of promoting young people’s rights, such as the right to express one's views, the right to information, education and training, and social rights such as access to healthcare or housing, which required an intersectoral approach. Ms Novikova, Chairperson of the State Committee on Youth of the Russian Federation also informed the participants of the drafting of a bill on youth, some provisions of which should be devoted to the protection of youth rights. The Italian representative spoke on this subject, expressing support for the idea of compiling catalogues of young people’s rights at both national and European level.
The participants in the discussion also spoke about the need to continue working in areas such as the fight against racism (Germany, Italy, Cyprus), access to information and new technologies (Finland, France, Switzerland) and the development of voluntary service (Ukraine, Switzerland). On this last point, some speakers expressed regret at the fact that the Convention on Transnational Long-Term Voluntary Service had not been opened for signature at the conference and urged their colleagues to take the necessary steps to bring this project to a successful conclusion. The Chairperson of the State Committee on Youth of the Russian Federation also stressed the necessity to encourage youth mobility in Europe, which is essential for the promotion of international co-operation in the youth field.
Another point which attracted the participants’ attention was regional co-operation. In addition to the Greek initiative, the Swedish representative informed the participants about the Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth in the Baltic Regions, while the Azerbaijani representative told them about the formation of a club of ministers responsible for youth in the former Soviet republics. The Swiss representative expressed support for the idea of developing the network of decentralised centres as recommended by the Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth in Vienna in 1993. In this context, the ministers of the three Caucasian states undertook, in a signed declaration (Appendix 3), to set up a Transcaucasian youth centre which would operate along the lines of the European Youth Centres in Strasbourg and Budapest.
The assessment of national policies, as it has begun at the Youth Directorate, was felt by many speakers to be an extremely useful method of sharing experience on a routine basis and defining European standards for a comprehensive, integrated youth policy. They expressed the wish that it should continue and be developed further and encouraged countries which had not yet tried it, to do so. On this matter, the representative of the Russian Federation informed the participants that her country was ready to be involved in this process.
Finally, the necessity to develop and reinforce the co-operation of the youth sector with other intergovernmental international organisations, especially with the European Union, was recognised as essential and necessary in order to improve synergies, with the hope of harmonising the objectives. This matter was raised by the UNESCO representative, who said that the priorities defined in the Final Declaration were akin to those of her own organisation and that she hoped to see a concrete proposal for co-operation geared to common objectives before long. The representative of the Commission of the European Communities, Mr Dibelius, after outlining the projects already run in association with the Youth Directorate, in particular the training schemes, raised the possibility of further co-operation in areas such as youth mobility or information. He also underlined the interest taken by the Commission in the draft Convention on Transnational Long-Term Voluntary Service, which could help resolve some of the legal and administrative problems encountered by the Commission in setting up its own voluntary service project.
Finally, Mr Antonescu pinpointed the items corresponding to priorities of a global and integrated youth policy, such as participation, education for citizenship, the recognition of the competencies acquired through non-formal education, information, mobility, the fight against racism, youth rights promotion, and stressed a number of proposals for action:
- lower the age at which young people may vote: collect and publish, on a regular basis, national statistics on the number of young members of local, regional and national parliaments (Slovenia);
- develop youth participation structures designed to involve as many young people as possible (France);
- provide training for young people and civil servants working in youth participation structures (Lithuania);
- promote experiments in the field of education for citizenship and, to this end, institute a Council of Europe award for innovative "civic education projects", which would be listed in a data bank administered by the Youth Directorate and accessible via the Internet (Finland);
- compile catalogues of young people’s rights at national and European level (Italy);
- introduce pilot projects to field-test intersectoral working procedures with a view to introducing comprehensive, integrated youth policies (Finland);
- assess knowledge, skills and experience acquired from non-formal education and ensure that these achievements receive due credit in the education system and labour markets (Finland, France);
look at how the standards established by the Council of Europe in the field of youth policy are applied in national policies (Hungary).
The minister concluded his intervention, hoping that all these proposals could be examined carefully at European and national levels.
The Conference continued with three round tables on the following themes "Participation, democracy and civil society", "Solidarity, fight against social exclusion" and "Human rights, youth rights" which completed the debate held in plenary session.
During the closing session, participants heard the conclusions of these round tables, presented respectively by Mr Balavoine (France), Bryntesson (Sweden) and Taliadoros (Cyprus). The Conference then adopted unanimously the draft Final Declaration presented by the Chairman of the Conference. This Declaration and the conclusions of the round tables are appended to the present report. On proposal by the chairmanship, the Conference decided to send this declaration to the Baltic Sea Youth Minister Conference which will be held in Visby (Sweden) on 5 and 6 June 1998 and to the World Youth Minister Conference which will be held in Lisbon from 8 to 12 August 1998. The participants were informed by Mr Fontes, Youth Secretary of State of Portugal on the state of preparation of this event organised jointly by the Portuguese Government and the UN.
During his closing speech, Mr Antonescu expressed his satisfaction for the fruitful and positive results of the conference and recalled all the proposals which should encourage the implementation of global and integrated youth policies at European and national levels. However, he regretted that it had not been the occasion to launch a Charter on youth rights, and hoped that this project could be realised for the next Conference. He thanked the Greek authorities for their invitation to organise the conference in Athens in four years time.
All the participants warmly thanked the Romanian authorities and the staff of the Ministry of Youth and Sport for the organisation of the Conference. Finally, they thanked the Youth Director, for whom it was the last participation at a conference due to his retirement, for the services given to the youth policy in Europe.
A youth event was held at the conference venue, organised jointly by the European Youth Forum and the Romanian youth organisations, showing in particular an exhibition on youth organisations’achievements.
Final Declaration
We, the European Ministers responsible for Youth, meeting in Bucharest on 27, 28 and 29 April 1998 for our 5th Council of Europe Conference:
1. Convinced that building a democratic and interdependent Europe depends on the participation of all its young people
2. Believing in the strengths of young people but also aware of the challenges and difficulties young people face in finding their place in a changing society and of the challenge they face in implementing in a new way, on the eve of the XXIth century, a Europe based on the values of the Council of Europe and a strengthening of solidarities
3. Convinced that creating conditions favourable to participation and to the exercise of active citizenship by young people depends on recognising the abilities they acquire in daily life from formal and informal education, initial and further education
4. Encouraged by the emergence and development of initiatives at European, national, regional and local level, designed to create the environment needed for true youth participation
5. Respecting the Council of Europe’s values and supporting its action in the youth field, which contributes to the democratic, social and cultural cohesion of the European continent and to strengthen solidarity
6. Associating ourselves with the follow-up action on the decisions of the First Summit of Heads of State and Government, which stressed the importance of the work against racism and intolerance, democratic security and the rule of law, and of the Second Summit, which emphasised the need to promote education for citizenship and democracy through practical projects in the fields of formal and informal education
Declare :
Having regard to
- the ministerial declaration on youth participation, adopted in Strasbourg on 19 December 1985, enshrining the co-management concept applied at the Council of Europe, and promoting partnership between non-governmental and governmental youth structures, and improvement of the processes for youth participation in the life of the community;
- the ministerial declaration adopted in Oslo on 12 April 1988, recommending the implementation of local, regional and national youth policies which progressively fully integrates young people and helps them to find their place in a society in which they can play a real part;
- the ministerial declaration, adopted in Lisbon on 21 September 1990, on developing youth mobility to a standard which enables each young person to fully identify with the European cultural tradition;
- the ministerial declaration, adopted in Vienna on 15 April 1993, on the recognition of the concept of an integrated and global youth policy, the application of which must result from a coherent juncture between the various sectoral policies in favour of young people and the promotion of youth participation, information and mobility within the framework of the setting-up such a policy within the Council of Europe
- the conclusions of the informal meeting held by the European Ministers responsible for Youth in Luxembourg on 5 May 1995, on the need to extend the scope of youth policy to encompass social cohesion;
- the Action Plan adopted at the First Summit of Heads of State and Government in Vienna on 13 October 1993, which launched the European Youth Campaign against Racism, Anti-Semitism, Xenophobia and Intolerance;
- the Action Plan adopted at the Second Summit of Heads of State and Government in Strasbourg on 11 October 1997, of which education for citizenship is one of its strong points;
Considering the Council of Europe’s enlargement to the new democracies and the emergence of new patterns of European solidarity on a continental scale,
Considering the far-reaching political and cultural changes which have taken place in European societies, particularly in the new technologies, and the different ways in which these changes affect different regions,
Considering, more specifically, the changes which have taken place in the social, cultural and economic situation of young people, in behaviour and lifestyles, in individual and collective values and patterns of political involvement, and the effects of these changes on the functioning of democracy,
Considering that the integration of young people into working life is an essential component in their integration into society and that as from now it will also be recognised as such and built on the skills and qualifications they acquire from informal education, which enriches traditional models of education,
Considering the need for a dynamic youth policy which will enable the Council of Europe to meet these new challenges and so contribute to social and cultural cohesion in the member states and Europe-wide, and reaffirming the essential and positive role of young people in building a democratic Europe based on solidarity,
Considering that this policy must rest on a genuine partnership, and reaffirming the leading role of the non-governmental youth organisations and other bodies involved in it,
Considering that 15-25 year-olds are the age-group mainly concerned by implementation of such a policy, but taking into consideration the specificities of each country,
We, the European Ministers responsible for Youth, meeting here in Bucharest on 27, 28 and 29 April 1998, consider it urgently necessary to adapt the priorities and aims of youth policy to this new social and geopolitical context, and declare that the aims and objectives of the Council of Europe youth policy are:
- to encourage associative life, and all other forms of action which embody democracy and pluralism, and help all young people to participate more fully in the life of the community;
- to adapt current partnership patterns to social change and to other types of youth organisations and youth work which have so far been under-represented, and further develop the concept of active participation by young people;
- to take full advantage of the valuable contribution which young people can make as active, responsible citizens;
- to develop citizenship education projects which make it possible to involve young people more quickly and more effectively in the life of the community, while respecting differences;
- to implement, from local to European level, an intersectoral, integrated and coherent youth policy, based on the principles of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the European Social Charter;
- to encourage the integration of young people into working life and develop their employability;
- to reinforce co-operation with the new Member States, particularly by adapting activities to the specific needs of the various regions of Europe;
- to strengthen regional co-operation in the youth field for the purpose of improving participation, intercultural learning, mobility and access to information for young people;
- to promote new forms of solidarity, in particular by encouraging inter-generational dialogue;
- to enhance the importance of the Council of Europe’s work with young people and their organisations in the fight against all forms of intolerance and racism;
- to seek answers to the anxieties and aspirations of young people, especially the under-privileged, to take the necessary and special measures to integrate those who are excluded, and to involve them to a greater extent in the Council of Europe's work.
Recalling that youth policies are aimed at all young people we recommend that the Committee of Ministers:
- develop training programmes on project planning and management for members of non-governmental youth organisations as multipliers for young people in general, people responsible for youth work and staff of the government authorities concerned, on the basis of the Council of Europe's priorities: respect for human rights, rejection of all forms of intolerance, education for citizenship;
- carry forward the recommendation made by the Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth in Vienna (1993) on the setting-up of a European network of decentralised youth centres, the aim being to develop associative life within democratic, pluralistic and representative youth participation structures;
- encourage and support the setting-up of new associations and new European networks in the youth work field;
- develop mediation in all its forms, and particularly European networks of young mediators;
- work for the establishment of a European documentation and research centre as a forum for exchanges, publications and information in the youth field, and develop European information networks to give all those active in the youth sector access to existing data on the situation of young people in Europe;
- confirm the youth sector’s central role in ensuring that the Council of Europe pursues an intersectoral policy in the youth field;
- as recommended by the Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth (Vienna, 1993), and the Plan of Action of Heads of State and Government (Strasbourg, October 1997) encourage and further co-operation with the European Union and other international organisations for the purpose of developing and reinforcing synergies;
- continue an international examination and analysis of national youth policies in order to contribute to the youth policies implemented at local, national and European levels;
- list and codify Council of Europe texts concerned with youth rights to provide a basis for discussion of a possible European legal instrument, in consultation, if necessary, with the Commission for Democracy and Law;
- continue to explore ways of improving the quality of mobility projects by reducing or indeed eliminating obstacles, especially administrative and financial obstacles, to participation by young people in mobility programmes, by promoting equal opportunities through further support to the Interrail Fund, and by looking for complementary means to make it easier for the under-privileged young people to participate in youth activities;
- of voluntary service projects, by encouraging voluntary work and social commitment by young people;
- of information and counselling for young people, in particular by working to give all young people, and particularly the under-privileged, access to the new technologies, and
- continue discussion and experimental work on youth participation and implement projects to increase participation;
- on the political front, to foster consultation and co-ordination, internally with the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress for Local and Regional Authorities in Europe, and externally between the various international organisations, for the purpose of promoting youth policies from local to European level;
- ask the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly to continue to hold regular debates on the situation of young people in Europe, thus contributing to the definition of priorities and projects in this field;
- provide financial support towards the activities of the youth sector of the Council of Europe at an appropriate and agreed level – including the activities of the European Youth Foundation.
We encourage the Governments of the Council of Europe member states and of States party to the European Cultural Convention:
- to facilitate education for citizenship, democracy and human rights by promoting the establishment and development, from local to national level, of representative, democratic and pluralist youth participation structures in accordance with Committee of Ministers Recommendation n° R(97)3 on youth participation and the future of civil society;
- to stimulate political commitment, particularly by considering lowering the age at which young people may vote and stand for election;
- as recommended by the Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth in Vienna (1993), to introduce intersectoral policies in the youth field, thus strengthening existing synergies, and set up ad hoc structures for the implementation of global and integrated youth policies, including policies on youth mobility;
- to encourage equality of opportunity by recognising training and skills acquired through informal education as an intrinsic element in vocational training, and finding various ways of endorsing experience and qualifications acquired in this way;
- to elaborate and set up training and employment programmes with a view to integrating young people into the world of work;
- to foster social cohesion by promoting mediation as a new means of preventing and resolving all conflicts at all levels;
- to develop an active information policy for young people, making information universally accessible, and particularly to the under-privileged, in accordance with Committee of Ministers Recommendation n° R(90)7 on youth information and counselling, covering use of, and general access to, the new technologies, and enabling young people to manage and use the growing volume of information available to them;
- to increase youth mobility in Europe, as advocated in Committee of Ministers Recommendation No. R(95)18 on youth mobility, as a vital factor in intercultural learning and in combating racism;
- to collect and classify at national level existing references dealing with the rights and responsibilities of young people – these references to be updated and completed as necessary. The collected references from each country to be then collated and compiled in a broader European context so that a substantial common reference is made available;
- to support the holding of regular debates in national parliaments on the situation of young people, thus making it possible to tailor youth policy to young people's real needs;
- to encourage regional co-operation in the youth field by promoting it in a general sense, particularly with the new member states, falling back, if necessary, on already existing initiatives, and by taking practical measures for this purpose;
- to support the complementarity between national youth policies and activities which underpin European activities so as to promote an effective implementation of programmes.
APPENDIX A
EDUCATION FOR CITIZENSHIP
We, European Ministers responsible for Youth, meeting in Bucharest for our 5th Conference
1. Recalling the desire of the Heads of State and Government of the Member States of the Council of Europe, meeting in Strasbourg on 11 October 1997 for their 2nd Summit, to develop education for democratic citizenship based on the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and the participation of young people in civil society, and to consider that action as a priority theme of the work of the Council of Europe,
2. Convinced that education to citizenship and youth participation are essential items of the philosophy of the work led by the Youth Sector of the Council of Europe as well as at governmental and non-governmental level,
3. Considering that this action which aims are to define all the knowledge and skills needed to become and remain an active citizen, to develop them and study the ways of passing them on, should be implemented by the Youth Directorate in an intersectoral way, in particular with the Directorate of Education, Culture and Sports, the Directorate of Human Rights, the Directorate of Social and Economic Affairs, and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe,
4. Thank the Secretary General, for underlining the importance of education for citizenship thus recognising the work done by the Youth sector on these questions, and in order to reinforce and develop it, invite the Committee of Ministers to instruct the CDEJ and the statutory bodies in the Council of Europe’ youth sector:
- to develop their activities in the field of education for citizenship (training courses, preparation of standards, research and documentation) in the context of
- the intergovernmental programme 98-99-2000
- the activities of the European Youth Centres and the European Youth Foundation;
- to conduct their activities in co-operation with all the potential partners for the purpose of reaching the widest public possible: young people in organisations and outside, civil society associations, local and national youth policy-makers, trainers and educators;
- to link these activities with the formal education (DECS), Human Rights (DDH), Social and Economic Affairs (DASE), and Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE);
- to frame criteria for the setting-up of consultative bodies representing the full range of work with young people and fostering their genuine participation at all the levels concerned: local, national and European.
APPENDIX B
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION BY THE CDEJ
In order to ensure the development of the youth sector of the Council of Europe towards European political and social realities, in the framework of an intersectorial, global and integrated youth policy which gathers all the non-governmental and governmental partners with the international intergovernmental organisations, and in conformity with the priorities defined in the plan of action launched by the 2nd Summit of Heads of State and Government, we European Ministers responsible for Youth, meeting in Bucharest on 27, 28 and 29 April 1998 for our 5th Conference, invite the Committee of Ministers to consider the following themes as priorities for the CDEJ :
Youth participation and active democratic citizenship
To promote youth participation and citizenship by :
(i) supporting and encouraging the development of associative life and the setting-up of pluralist, democratic and representative youth structures from local to European level in order to contribute to the democratic stability in Europe, and helping young people to acquire a European cultural identity,in particular through the evaluation of the implementation of Recommendation R (97)3 on youth participation and the future of civil society;
(ii) stimulating youth mobility, and in particular voluntary service by :
- the follow-up of the implementation of Recommendation R (95)18 on Youth Mobility, in accordance with the terms of reference given to the CDEJ by the Committee of Ministers to work on the diminution and abolition of obstacles to mobility ;
- the support to social commitment and voluntary work of young people and the development of European voluntary service by the implementation of Recommendation R (94) 4 on the promotion of voluntary service in Europe;
- the transformation of the Youth Card into a service card;
- encouraging the Member States which have not yet adhered to the Partial Agreement on the Youth Card for the purpose of promoting and facilitating youth mobility in Europe to do so;
iii) promoting education to an active democratic citizenship and young people’s political commitment through an intensified co-operation with the Council of Europe’s sectors dealing with these questions, in particular :
- the Directorate of Culture, Education and Sport, considering a joint project for the promotion of education to citizenship, with all the partners, governmental and non governmental, of the youth sector of the Council of Europe, in the framework of a global concept of education to citizenship taking into account the multiple views of non-formal and formal education;
- the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe in order to promote youth participation from local to European level and in all sectors of the society by :
. encouraging the setting-up of local youth councils and parliaments in particular through a sensibilisation action by the local and regional authorities
. developing, with youth organisations, associations and networks involved in the promotion of local democracy, training activities allowing young people to be fully committed and to be valorised as active and responsible citizens,
. encouraging the debate on lowering of the age to vote and the age to be elected;
- in co-operation with the Directorate of Human Rights to lead an action in favour of Human Rights, in particular youth rights, by collecting within the Council of Europe all the texts concerning young people and consider the possibility to elaborate a legal instrument in favour of youth rights.
Non-formal education and integration into society
To develop non-formal education as a means for integration into society
By valorising the competences and qualifications acquired by young people in the framework of non-formal education, in particular by :
- considering the recognition of these competences at European level, in co-operation with all the appropriate education and training bodies and with the international intergovernmental organisations interested dealing with these questions;
- developing training modules and programmes for integrating young people into active life, and thus promote equal opportunities in co-operation with the social partners concerned and the youth organisations working on these questions;
- promoting the development of a network of regional or national centres in Europe, in accordance with the recommendation of the Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth held in Vienna, 1993, which should multiply the offer of training modules and thus contribute to the diffusion of the objectives of the Council of Europe, among which the integration of young people into society.
Ensuring the right to information in accordance with the criteria defined in Recommendation R (90)7 on youth information and counselling, access to and an efficient use of new technologies, by developing communication with young people in order to secure the right to freedom of democratic expression by :
- supporting the development of the activities organised in the framework of the Partnership Agreement ERYICA/Council of Europe;
- studying the feasibility of a European youth media circle which should allow young people, in particular disadvantaged young people, to have access to media and new technologies, and thus promote a direct dialogue between young people in order to find common solutions to their problems;
- considering the elaboration of a code of good practice for and with the European youth radio stations to combat violence and intolerance and promote a European cultural identity.
By promoting intercultural understanding and the dialogue between generations, with due regard for diversity, factors of integration of young people into society, through the support given to pilot projects in this field organised within the European Youth Centres and the European Youth Foundation.
Social cohesion
To reinforce social cohesion by :
- seeking responses to young people’s concerns and aspirations, in encouraging researchers to regularly publish surveys on the youth situation in Europe, and in co-operation with them by continuing the evaluation of national youth policies;
- developing solidarity, through the promotion of equal opportunities and of systems of recognition of competencies acquired by young people in the framework of non-formal education in favour of youth employability;
- supporting and developing activities for disadvantaged young people, in particular through the development of mediation in all its forms and the setting-up of a network of young mediators, and the definition at European level of the criteria for a qualified mediation;
- ensuring the follow-up action taken to combat racism, xenophobia, anti-semitism and intolerance, and all forms of violence, through the promotion of activities on intercultural learning and the collection of examples of good practice;
- developing prevention, in particular primary prevention, of all risk behaviour patterns, in co-operation with youth organisations, voluntary support groups, specialised agencies and the relevant sectors of the Council of Europe, by, among others, the exchange of information on measures taken at national level and by collecting and disseminating examples of good practice.
CONCLUSIONS OF THE ROUND TABLES
ROUND TABLE 1 :
DEMOCRACY, PARTICIPATION AND CIVIL SOCIETY
Chair : Mr H.M. TSCHUDI (Switzerland)
Researcher : Mr O. MARCOVICI (Romania)
Rapporteur : Mr J. BALAVOINE (France)
It was not the newness of the theme, which had already been dealt with several times by various Council of Europe bodies, but its continuing topicality and the issues it raises that generated keen interest among the round table participants. Attempting to understand the relationship between young people and society inevitably points up the complexity of the ways in which our societies operate, with social, economic and cultural factors interacting constantly, and also raises very direct questions about the ability of politics to safeguard and promote the conditions most favourable to democracy.
At the Chair’s request, all the speakers described their own concrete examples, while at the same time going beyond specific national considerations, thus enabling the round table to paint a comprehensive picture of public policies aimed at youth participation - and also facilitating the work of the rapporteur, for which I should like to thank them here.
As youth participation is a complex matter that is seen as involving numerous difficulties, many countries and organisations have sought through research to identify the relevant issues and young people’s expectations more clearly, as well as to assess the effectiveness of the action taken.
This research work has involved opinion surveys, scientifically developed studies of a more qualitative nature and the evaluation of measures already put in place.
It would no doubt be useful to gather together the various findings so that they could be made available to all concerned.
However, all of the above comments and findings have one thing in common: they precede, trigger or underpin policies that give priority to action. It is through personal experience that democracy lives and is constructed. Three dimensions of youth participation emerged from the contributions to the round table:
The first, which I regard as fundamental, involves participation as the key means of ensuring that young people genuinely subscribe to the values, principles and customs on which our societies operate. To me, this seems to echo a social contract of the kind defined by J.J. Rousseau.
The second is more institutional in nature: positive law lays down the rules for participation by young people, for instance, on the right to vote. Their exercising of the latter is crucial here, and has a significant influence on policies for youth participation. In the same way, the law lays down the rules for the representation of young people with the public and political authorities. This approach is quite vital, as it means irrefutable recognition of young people’s place in the institutional framework. From this point of view, it is necessary to check whether certain legal definitions applied to young people are still valid, as economic and social change can lead to their being seriously wide of the mark. The example of the definition of job-seekers or unemployed persons inherited from the era of full employment clearly illustrates the need to check whether legal definitions actually match social needs.
The third dimension is social dynamism: youth participation is a means of channelling young people’s energy into a socially useful purpose, while in return they are accorded genuine recognition of their ability to play a part in shaping society.
These three dimensions are seen as complementary, and also depend on the following conditions for the success of the policies to be pursued:
- the right place for action is quite simply the place where young people live. Numerous experiments in establishing relations with local authorities demonstrate the validity of this approach, even though it should not be allowed to detract from the usefulness of also establishing relations in appropriate forms with regional and national tiers of government;
- youth participation requires recognised structures with explicit rules on representation;
- all these structures must be given a real share in the decision-making power of the authorities with which they co-operate;
- lastly, it is necessary to be able to measure effectiveness with the yardstick of young people’s time so that the results can be assessed quickly.
The discussions did not go into two particular variables that need to be taken into account if the conditions for success are to be met:
gender: there is a need to determine whether there are any differences between the sexes here;
age: work with children is obviously inherently different from work with young adults.
At the same time, account must be taken of the concept of progression and continuity if active learning of citizenship is to be established on a lasting basis.
Who is responsible for the policies aimed at youth participation?
All levels of the education system, from school to university, have a role to play, especially since the demographic base of schools makes them irreplaceable vehicles for action.
In this connection, the participants mentioned the need for basic information on the way the political system operates, as well as for trials within the education system of pupil representation and school and university councils.
Given their objectives, culture and educational experience, the voluntary sector and non-governmental organisations can clearly play a key role in applying and developing policies aimed at youth participation. Their action should be supported not so much because of their ability to cater for large numbers of a country’s young people, but more because of their great ability to develop an awareness of young people’s needs and expectations.
What role for the Council of Europe?
The participants hoped that the Council of Europe would continue to help co-ordinate work aimed at promoting youth participation, in particular in the following ways:
- by producing co-ordinated studies on the subject;
- by publishing practical documents as keys to success;
- by devising and carrying out training activities;
- by setting up a database of the extremely varied experience in this field, as well as a documentary resource centre;
- by awarding prizes to reward and publicise successful activities, thus demonstrating the commitment of young people and simultaneously counteracting images that are too often negative.
Like the policies which are in place and are set to evolve, the above activities must be based on awareness that a serious divide is developing between young people and politicians. Even though this disaffection with politics needs to be put in perspective insofar as the language used by young people tends to exaggerate the trend, it must nevertheless be combated and dialogue between the generations must be restored.
It is by basing our actions on young people’s expectations, by respecting their views, recognising their social, economic and cultural role and having faith in them that we will be able to carry through with them the changes that are essential to the maintenance of flourishing democracies.
ROUND TABLE 2 :
SOLIDARITY, FIGHT AGAINST SOCIAL EXCLUSION
Chair : Ms. I. PLECHATA (Czech Republic)
Researcher : Mr A . FURLONG (United-Kingdom)
Rapporteur : Mr L. BRYNTESSON (Sweden)
Social exclusion is linked to education, employment and other factors such as housing. With regard to young people this means that they have to face a situation, where the transition from youth to adult life is seriously disturbed. Jobs are short, education is often inadequate and does not prepare for the labour market, the old contract between education and the labour market is gone. It coincides with a change in family pattern and generally a weakening of support structures for the young. All this opens ways to social exclusion.
In this situation, education often becomes a holding device. Life-long learning can mean a permanent creative learning process just as much as it can mean to be kept in education without any opening to the labour market. The context is more important than the content and one describes the way to professional success, the other one the may into exclusion.
The question for public authorities is, therefore, how to lessen the existing inequalities and how to create genuine access to the labour market. All measures have to be looked into : another distribution of work, part-time work, reduction of work time, temporary work, and new vocational training schemes. In order to reduce vulnerability of the young and not to permit stigmatisation it is important not only to think of differences, but to take a step back and recognise what people have in common. Thus the social networks can come into existence and may successfully work against inequalities leading to exclusion.
Any reflection on exclusion is also a reflection on inclusion. Why do the existing systems of social inclusion not work? The doors for participation at municipal, regional and national level are wide open but few cross them. A way to combat exclusion is also to improve the mechanisms of inclusion.
The democratic principle to work constantly against social exclusion, starting from the assumption that nobody should be excluded, cannot get away from the fact, that in today's Europe there are nations with a long tradition of exclusion which will need years to open up.
Policies against social exclusion in the areas of education, leisure, care and welfare need to be preceded by a thorough discussion on values. Are the values related to individualism becoming dangerous for community thinking and for the development of solidarity?
The European Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth and delegates need not discuss items such as exclusion in only an abstract way. Youth representatives present at the Conference point to certain differences in treatment and a lack of information on facilities. They also bear witness to the activities run under sometimes very difficult conditions by NGOs combatting extreme poverty, fighting for accessibility e.g. for handicapped people and NGOs running very concrete projects with young people hit by social exclusion. Be it ATD Quart Monde, Mobility International, the European Confederation of Youth Clubs and many other youth and student organisations ; fighting exclusion and empowering minorities is on the agenda of the great majority.
Concrete examples of recent government programmes in France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Denmark show that energetic measures can quickly produce real jobs and offer trust for the future. In some countries far reaching legal frameworks allowing for non-conventional measures are in the process of being created. These programmes do not concentrate unilaterally on work only, they stimulate associative democracy, strengthen the civil society and rely a lot on non-formal education. The right mixture of rigidity and flexibility seems to be recommended for successful governmental action.
There are, again, historic facts to be respected, which cannot be done away with easily : a whole generation of « 50 year olds »occupies the interesting places in society, is the strongest consumer group and imposes its own culture. This generation risks to suffocate in its own ways and modes of being and would urgently need to learn from youth cultures how to develop new solidarities. This would be an inversion of the usual direction of learning and a badly needed one. In some countries traditions of popular learning need to be revitalised. These types of learning do not distinguish between age groups and generations and can provide the social context for the development of new solidarities.
Debates on social exclusion are also debates on participation. Co-management of certain questions concerning young people needs to be maintained and strengthened, even if it cannot be considered a general principal for societal organisation. Young people need to be trained and they will then be perfectly able to make their own decisions. Hence participation needs to be ensured within policies combatting exclusion, but also be practised within groups of young excluded.
There needs to be memory and respect in relation to those ethnic, national and religious communities who feel that, almost in self-isolation, they are not ready to live in the « European House ». Openess of mind, patience and tolerance of ambiguity are needed to make these kinds of exclusion liveable and – in the long run – obsolete.
Discussing social exclusion does not necessarily mean developing pessimistic ideas about the future of young people. On the contrary, surveys suggest a large majority of young people to be confident in the future and happy with their lives. This is also why policies to combat social exclusion belong into the wider attitude of the Council of Europe to consider youth a resource, not a problem. This would also make the fight against social exclusion part of the overriding policy of human resource development – if no-one is excluded from participating in this process, then there is no social exclusion.
ROUND TABLE 3 :
HUMAN RIGHTS, YOUTH RIGHTS
Chair : Ms P. AROLA
(President of the European Youth Forum)
Researcher : Mr R. BENDIT (Germany)
Rapporteur : Mr. A. TALIADOROS (Cyprus)
The debate was introduced by Mrs Pauliina Arola, President of the European Youth Forum who defined the framework of the discussion, as outlined below:
- What are human rights ?
- What obstacles are the Members States of the Council of Europe faced with when implementing human rights ?
- What obligations derive from these rights ?
- What should the Council of Europe do to improve concretely the implementation of human rights ?
From the statement presented by Mr Bendit, member of the research correspondent group of the Council of Europe, it appeared that with the modernisation of society, youth is no longer considered as a transition period but as a phase of life characterised by a strong individualisation and a will for autonomy. It also means the prolongation of education, living in their parents houses, etc... and consequently the access to autonomy arrives later, thus producing this paradox : young people become independent younger and younger from the psychological side but remain dependent on the economical side.
As regard the necessity for a special youth law, the answer of Mr Bendit was yes even if it overlaps with other laws, because if the youth phase becomes longer and longer it must be regulated by law to give the right answers to the needs of young people, in particular for housing, vocational training and marginalisation. The existing legislation in our countries is often contradictory, and we should work on the logic of youth rights. In addition, laws at national level are often complex and a legal corpus at European level could help to define clear guidelines regarding youth rights.
Finally, Mr Bendit suggested the setting-up of Ombudspersons for youth rights at European level, if national laws were not implemented.
Several issues were then debated by the participants on a various range of rights : civil, political, social, cultural and economic concerning :
- The minorities: ethnic, religious, cultural, sexual, and the disabled who often do not know and are not informed of their rights
- The rights of young refugees
- The rights of women
- The rights of young persons in rural areas
- The right to conscientious objection and the right for young conscripts to organise.
Regarding the implementation of these rights:
- All young people should enjoy basic rights
More to that, youth should have:
- A better implementation by the Member States of the European Convention on Human Rights, European Protection of the National Minorities and the Social Charter
- access to an education and information of quality
- day to day education in formal and non formal education for gender equality
- Improvement of the implementation of existing legislation in the Member States and for this purpose to submit reports on the evaluation of this implementation and exchange information.
In conclusion, the political rights and youth participation were considered as an exercise for freedom and that positive action for young people should be set up in order to improve their political commitment and increase their participation, in particular the participation of young people from minorities (national, religious, disabled young people, homosexuals and lesbian, young people in rural areas)
As regards the minorities, Member States should be encouraged to sign and ratify the convention of the Council of Europe on the protection of national minorities which should be extended to the migrants
For young homosexuals and lesbians, the age of consent should be the same as for other young people.
The rights of young refugees should be better protected and respected
The rights of young women : gender equality should be a day-to-day issue in formal and non formal education, protection of young women against forced prostitution.
The social rights :
As there is a real need for economic independence for young people, solutions should be looked upon for independent housing and a possible minimum wage salary so as to allow young people to live independently and exercise their rights.
The setting up of an Ombudsman on youth rights for the improvement of young people life conditions.
A campaign on the development of social and economic rights of young people and give information on the fulfilment of youth rights in our countries to other countries of the world.
To this purpose, the group recommended that :
All the Member States should :
- respect and implement the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Convention on the Protection of National Minorities and extend it to young migrants, the revised European Social Charter
- exchange examples of good practice and legislation in order to reduce or eliminate the obstacles to a good implementation
- examine and solve the contradictions concerning the different ages for access to rights
- develop human rights education and training in formal and non formal education
- respect the right to conscientious objection and develop civil service
- promote the monitoring of the European Convention on Human Rights
- continue the discussions on this subject in the Council of Europe
The Council of Europe should
- organise a study among Member States on age limits
- organise a campaign on the development of social and economic rights of young people.
APPENDIX 1
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
ALBANIA / ALBANIE
Mr. Marko BELLO
Ambassador of Albania in Romania
Head of delegation
Mr. Sherif MERDANI
First Secretary
ARMENIA / ARMENIE
Mr. Aram MANOUKIAN
First Deputy Minister
Head of delegation
AUSTRIA / AUTRICHE
Ms. Veronika HOLZER
Head of the Youth and Family Department of the Ministry of Environment,
Youth and Family Affairs
Head of delegation
Ms. Maria WOLF
International Youth Division
Mr. Reinhard ANREITER
Head of the Provincial Youth Department
In Upper Austria
Mr. Harald KOLLER
Secretary General of the Federal Youth Council in Austria
AZERBAIDJAN / AZERBAIJAN
Mr. Aboulfas GARAYEV
Minister of Youth and Sports
Head of delegation
Mr. Ilham MADATOV
Head of International Relations Department
REPUBLIC OF BELARUS / REPUBLIQUE DE BELARUS
Mr. Aleksandr POZNYAK
Chairman of the State Committee on Youth Affairs of the Republic of Belarus
Head of delegation
Mr. Anatolij BUTEVICH
Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus in Romania
BELGIUM/ BELGIQUE
M. Daniel MENSCHAERT
Ministère de la Culture et de l'Education permanente de la Communauté française
Directeur du Service de la Jeunesse
Head of delegation
M. Jean-Michel HENNART
Ministère de la Culture et de l'Education permanente de la Communauté française
Chargé de mission
Ms. Raymonda VERDYCK
Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap
Head of delegation
BULGARIA / BULGARIE
Mr. Tzviatko BARTCHOVSKI
President of the Committee for Youth, Physical Education and Sports of the Republic of Bulgaria
Head of delegation
Ms. Angelina TCHORBADJIYSKA
Director of Bulgarian Youth for Europe National Agency
CROATIA / CROATIE
Mrs. Dr. Štefanija BORTEK KNEŠAUREK
Director - State Office for the Protection of Family, Maternity and Youth
Head of delegation
Mr. Marijan KRIZIC
Deputy Director
Ms. Ksenija BAUER
Expert Adviser
Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare
Ms. Dubravka VRGOC
Associate for the youth issues - State Office for the Protection of Family, Maternity and Youth
Ms. Dubravka DUJMOVIC
Representative of the youth non-governmental organisation Croatia
CYPRUS / CHYPRE
Mr. Nicos KOSHIS
Minister of Justice and Public Order
Head of delegation
Mr. Andreas TALIADOROS
Chairman of Youth Board of Cyprus
Mr. Andreas CHIMONIDES
Youth Board of Cyprus
Member of Governing Board, President of CYCIC
Mr. Thrasos THRASYVOULOU
Executive Secretary
Youth Board of Cyprus
CZECH REPUBLIC / REPUBLIQUE TCHEQUE
Mrs. Vladimira RATTAYOVA
Vice-Minister
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport
Head of delegation
Mrs. Monika NOVOSADOVA
Rainbow Association
Mr. Pavel JANIK
Department for Youth
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
Mr. Jaromir PLISEK
Ambassador
ESTONIA / ESTONIE
Mr. Mait KLAASSEN
Minister
Estonian Ministry of Education
Head of delegation
Ms. Kadi ARDEL
Head expert - Youth Department
FINLAND / FINLANDE
Mr. Kalevi KIVISTO
Director General
Ministry of Education
Head of delegation
Mr. Olli SAARELA
Head of Youth Division
Ministry of Education
Ms. Ulla HELSINGIUS
Councellor for Cultural Affairs
Ministry of Education
Mr. Lasse SIURALA
Head of Youth Department
City of Helsinki
Mr. Mikko HEIKINHEIMO
Ambassador
Ms. Anne MESKANEN
Second Secretary
FRANCE
Mme Marie-George BUFFET
Ministre de la Jeunesse et des Sports
Chef de délégation
M. Gilles SMADJA
Chef de Cabinet
M. Gilles GARNIER
Chef adjoint de cabinet
M. Joël BALAVOINE
Directeur de la Jeunesse et de la Vie Associative
Mme Francine MEYER
Chef de mission "Relations internationales"
Mme Agnes CUKIERMAN
Ministère des Affaires Etrangères
M. Daniel LACROIX
Officier de Sécurité de Mme La Ministre
Mme Agnes EHRMANN
Conseil National des Associations de Jeunesse et d'Education Populaire
M. Pierre MENAT
Ambassadeur
Mme Geneviève IANCU
Conseiller Culturel, Scientifique et Technique
M. Jean BACOT
Conseiller Culturel, Scientifique et Technique
M. Jean JACQUET
Attaché Culturel
Mme Simone POUDADE-HAILLOUD
Premier Conseiller
GEORGIA / GEORGIE
Mr. Zurab GAIPARASHVILI
Chairman of the State Department of Youth Affairs of Georgia
Head of delegation
Ms. Nino ZHVANIA
Adviser for West European countries
Mr. Zviad BAKRADZE
Head of the Administration of International Relations
GERMANY / ALLEMAGNE
Dr. Reinhard WABNITZ
Head of the Department of Youth
Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend
Head of delegation
Dr. Reinhard SCHUNKE
Head of the Department for Youth and Sports, Sachsen-Anhalt
Mr. Manfred HEGER
Head of Youth Unit, Bavaria
Mr. Hans-Achim MICHNA
German National Committee for International Youth Work
Mr. Norbert SCHNEEVOIGT
Senior Counsellor
Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend
GREECE / GRECE
Mr. Ioanis ANTHOPOULOS Vice-Chairman of the Conference
Deputy Minister
Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs
Head of delegation
Mr. Petros SFIKAKIS
Secretary General of Youth
Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs
General Secretariat for Youth
Mr. Costas POLITIS
Professor
Director of Deputy Minister's Office
Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs
Ms. Linda ATHANASSOULI
Ministry of National Education
General Secretariat for Youth
Department of International Co-operation
HOLY SEE / SAINT SIEGE
Son Excellence Monseigneur Stanislaw RYLKO
Evèque titulaire de Novica et Secrétaire du Conseil pontifical pour les Laïcs
M. l'Abbé Patrick JACQUIN
Mme Mihaela NOEA
Présidente de l'Action Catholique de Iasi
M. José Leite NOGUEIRA
Secrétaire de la Nonciature Apostolique en Roumanie
HUNGARY / HONGRIE
Dr. István KONCZ
Titular State Secretary
Co-ordination Council for Children and Youth Affairs
Head of delegation
Mr. György HERCZEG
Senior Adviser
Co-ordination Council for Children and Youth Affairs
Mr. Istvan KÖVÁRI
General Director
Mobility Youth Service
Ms. Szilvia CSÁNYI
International Secretary of the Hungarian Youth Council (MAGYIT)
Mr. Ferenc SZÄCS
Ambassador
ICELAND / ISLANDE
Mr. Erlendur KRISTJANSSON
Head of Division for Youth and Sport
Ministry of Education, Science and Culture
Head of delegation
Mr. Saemundur RUNOLFSSON
Icelandic State Youth Council
IRELAND / IRLANDE
Ms. Maire Mí FHLAITHBHEARTAIGH
Senior Expert - Youth Department
Ministry of Education and Science
Head of delegation
ITALY / ITALIE
Mr. Giuseppe DE MICHELIS di SLONGHELLO
Minister Plenipotentiary
Italian Ambassador in Romania
Head of delegation
Counsellor Concetta DI STEFANO
Head of the Youth Exchange Office
Directorate for Cultural Affairs - Italian Foreign Ministry
Ms. Lea BATTISTONI
III Coordination Desk
Department for Social Affairs
Prime Minister Office Rome
Ms. Maria Chiara GREGGI
First Secretary
Italian Embassy in Bucharest
LATVIA / LETTONIE
Mr. Andris PRIEKULIS
State Secretary
Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia
Head of delegation
Mrs. Solvita VEVERE
Senior expert
Ministry of Education and Science
LITHUANIA / LITUANIE
Mrs. Vilija BLINKEVICIUTE
Vice-Minister of Social Security and Labour
Vice-Chairperson of the State Council for Youth Affairs
Head of delegation
Mr. Arunas KUCIKAS
Vice-Chairperson of the State Council for Youth Affairs
Mr. Algirdas AUGUSTAITIS
Secretary of the State Council for Youth Affairs
LUXEMBOURG / LUXEMBOURG
M. Alex BODRY Vice-Chairman of the Conference
Ministre de la Jeunesse
Head of delegation
M. Franz-Charles MULLER
Directeur du Service National de la Jeunesse
Ministère de la Jeunesse
M. Daniel DA CRUZ
Représentant de la Conférence Générale de la Jeunesse luxembourgeoise
MALTA / MALTE
Mr. John DEMANUELE
Director for Youth and Sports
Ministry for Youth, Sports, Culture and Arts
Head of delegation
MOLDOVA / MOLDAVIE
Mrs. Valentina APOSTOLOV
Vice-Minister, Director of Youth and Sport Department
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
Head of delegation
Mrs. Galina PRECUP
Chief of Youth Direction
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
Mr. Iosif MOLDOVANU
Deputy chief of Youth Direction
NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS
Mr. Eddy L. ENGELSMAN
Director of Youth Policy
Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports
Head of delegation
Mrs. Flora GEHRKENS
Official
Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports
NORWAY / NORVEGE
Mr. Odd ANDERS WITH
State secretary
Norwegian Ministry of Children and Family Affairs
Head of delegation
Mr. Haktor HELLAND
Director General
Department for Child and Youth Policy
Mr. Bjørn JAABERG HANSEN
Advisor
Department for Child and Youth Policy
Ms. Trine SKEI GRANDE
Representative of the National Youth Council
POLAND / POLOGNE
Mr. Kazimierz KAPERA
Secretary of State
The Plenipotentiary of Polish Government for Family Affairs
Chancellery of the Prime Minister
Head of delegation
Mr. Marek RØZYCKI
The Plenipotentiary of Polish Government for Family Affairs
Chancellery of the Prime Minister
Mr. Robert MALLEK
Expert
Polish Youth Council
PORTUGAL
Mr. Miguel FONTES
Secretary of State for Youth
Head of delegation
Mr. Jorge CORREIA
Deputy to the Secretary of State for Youth
Mrs. Filomena MARTINS
Director General of Support, Research, Planning Office of the State Secretary for Youth
Mr. Marcos ANDRADE
Acting President of the National Youth Council
Mr. José Augusto SECBRA
Ambassador
ROMANIA / ROUMANIE
Mr. Crin ANTONESCU Chairman of the Conference
Minister of Youth and Sports
Head of delegation
Mr. Alexandru POPESCU
State Secretary
Mr. Sabin POP
Ambassador, Permanent Representation of Romania to the Council of Europe
Mr. Cristian TROACA
Counsellor of the Minister
Mrs. Adina VALEAN
Director in the Youth Department
Mr. Cornel DANAILA
International Relations Director
Mr. Nicu VASILESCU
President of the Sub-committee for Youth of the Chamber of Deputies
Mr. Mugurel STAN
President of the Romanian Youth Council (CTR)
RUSSIA / RUSSIE
Mrs. Tatjana Viktorovna NOVIKOVA
Chairperson of the R.F. State Committee on Youth Affairs
Head of delegation
Mr. Aleksandr Eugenjevich BOBROV
Chairman of National Council of Youth and Children Organizations of Russia
Mr. Yuri Vladimirovich DETISTOV
Head of International Department of the R.F. State Committee on Youth Affairs
Mr. Viktor Ivanovich DENIKIN
Chairman of the Committee on Youth and Tourism of Leningrad Region
Mr. KaLte VALENTIN
Chief of Youth Committee of Murmansk
SLOVAKIA / SLOVAQUIE
Mrs Eva SLAVKOVSKÁ
Minister of Education of the Slovak Republic
Head of delegation
Mrs. Maria BOSNAKOVA
Ministry of Education
Mrs. Beata KISSOVA
Ph. Dr. - interpreter
Mr. Peter KOPECKY
Ambassador
SLOVENIA / SLOVENIE
Dr. Slavko GABER
Minister of Education and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia
Head of delegation
Mr. Stanko SALAMON
Ministry of Education and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia
Mrs. Alenka ZIBERT
President of the Slovenian Youth Council
SPAIN / ESPAGNE
Mrs. Irene GARCIA
Deputy General Director Youth Institute
Head of delegation
Mr. Pedro EXTREMO
Counsellor of the General Secretary for Social Affairs
Mr. Asis TIMERMANS
General Director of Youth - Autonomous Community of Madrid
Mr. Julio DEL VALLE
President of the International Affairs Committee - Youth Council
Ms. Maria Luisa LOPEZ PENA
Member of CDEJ
Mr. Antonio BELLUER
Ambassador
SWEDEN / SUEDE
Mr. Lars BRYNTESSON
Director - Ministry of Interior
Head of delegation
Mr. Staffan EKLUND
Desk Officer - Ministry of Interior
Mr. Johan BLOMMENGREN
Member of Board of National Council of Swedish Youth Organisations
Mr. Nils-Gunnar REVELIUS
Ambassador
SWITZERLAND / SUISSE
Dr. Hans Martin TSCHUDI
Regierungsrat des Kantons Basel-Stadt, Vorsteher Justizdepartement
Head of delegation
Mr. Mario FRASA
Responsabile del Servizio della gioventú
Ufficio federale della cultura
Mr. Leo BRÜCKER-MORO
Präsident der Eidgenössischen Kommission für Jugendfragen
Mr. Adrian ZIMMERMANN
Vizepräsident der Schweizerischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Jugendverbände
Ms. Martina LUDESCHER
Co-présidente de la Fédération suisse des parlements de jeunes
THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA / L’EX-REPUBLIQUE YOUGOSLAVE DE MACEDOINE
Mr. Dragan PANEVSKI
Assistant Minister
Ministry of Culture
Head of delegation
TURKEY / TURQUIE
H.E. Volkan BOZKIR
Ambassador
Head of delegation
Mr. Hayri EROL
Deputy Director General for Cultural Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mrs. Hatun DEMIRER
Second Secretary of the Turkish Embassy in Bucharest
UKRAINE
Mrs. Valentina DOVZHENKO
Minister
Ministry of Ukraine of Family and Youth Affairs
Head of delegation
Mrs. Tatiana BEZULIK
Deputy-Head of Department of Youth Affairs
Ministry of Ukraine of Family and Youth Affairs
Mr. Vladimir RIABIKA
Chairperson - Ukrainian National Committee of Youth Organizations
UNITED KINGDOM / ROYAUME-UNI
Mr. Roger TROEDSON
Department for Education and Employment
Head of delegation
Mr. Geoffrey DOE
Department for Education and Employment
Mrs. Mairi CHRISTIE
Office for Standards in Education
Mrs. Gisele KIRBY
Youth Exchange Centre British Council
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE /ASSEMBLEE PARLEMENTAIRE DU CONSEIL DE L'EUROPE
Mme Ivana PLECHATA
Head of delegation
(Czech Republic)
Mr. Benno ZIERER
(Germany)
Mr. Ludovico CORRAO
(Italy)
M. Jean-Claude MIGNON
(France)
Mr. Huib EVERSDIJK
(The Netherlands)
Mr. Josep VARELA
(Spain)
Mr. Rory KIELY
(Ireland)
Mr. Edward O'HARA
(United Kingdom)
Mr. Petre STOLEA
(Romania)
COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS / COMITE DES MINISTRES
Mr. Aurimas TAURANTAS
Chairman of Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
Ambassador, Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the Council of Europe
Head of delegation
CONGRES OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES IN EUROPE /CONGRES DES POUVOIRS LOCAUX ET REGIONAUX EN EUROPE
M. Riccardo VENTURINI
Membre du Groupe Jeunesse
Head of delegation
STATUTORY BODIES OF THE EYCs AND THE EYF / ORGANES STATUTAIRES DES CEJs ET DU FEJ
Ms. Karin SCHEELE
Chairperson, Governing Board of the EYCs and EYF
Head of delegation
Mr. Johan STRID
Chairperson, Advisory Committee of the EYCs and EYF
Head of delegation
EUROPEAN YOUTH FORUM / FORUM EUROPEEN DE LA JEUNESSE
Ms. Pauliina AROLA
President
Head of delegation
Mr. Janez SKULJ
Vice-President
Head of delegation
RESEARCHERS / CHERCHEURS
Dr. René BENDIT
(Germany)
Mr. Andy FURLONG
(United Kingdom)
Dr. Octav MARCOVICI
(Romania)
STATES NOT PARTIES TO THE EUROPEAN CULTURAL CONVENTION /
ETATS NON PARTIES A LA CONVENTION CULTURELLE
CANADA
Mr. Alberto PALACIOS-HARDY
Ambassador
Mr. Donald BANKS
Councellor
UNESCO
Mme N.-P. NGUYEN-THI
Spécialiste de programme principal de la Division de la jeunesse et des activités sportives
Head of delegation
Mlle. S. ULVALIC-TRUMBIC
Spécialiste de programme de bureau à Bucarest
EUROPEAN UNION / EUROPEAN COMMISSION
UNION EUROPEENNE / COMMISSION EUROPEENNE
Mr. O. DIBELIUS
Directeur, Direction Générale XXII Education, Formation et Jeunesse
Head of delegation
Ms. Karen FOGG
Representative of the E.U. in Romania
EUROPEAN YOUTH FORUM DELEGATION /
DELEGATION DU FORUM EUROPEEN DE LA JEUNESSE
Hrönn PETURSDOTTIR - Secretary General of the European Youth Forum
Vugar YAGUBOV - Nayora
Angela EVOSEVIC - ATD Quart Monde
Bjørn HALVARSSON - LSU
Mirko SCHWARZEL - EBCO
Juri RUTE - ECYF4HC
Henrike EISFELD - IGLYO
Natasa KAVAS - DEMYC
Mikhail KASARINOV - NYCR
Elisabeth HEGGEHAGEN - LNU
Victor NIERA - CRIJ
Anita STEFIN - MSS
Monika MADAI - Common-fate
Victoria SHAU-PHOEN CHAN - Young Women from Minorities
Mehmetcan TARHAN - Youth for Habitat
Juha KRISTILA - ALLIANSSI
Christina AEBISCHER - SAJV / CSAJ
Arne GILLERT - EFIL
Ralf FRÖHLICH - TEJO
Bartosz GRUDOWSKI - Alliance
Lina KALABATAITE - LIJOT
Christian VERWEY - 31
Heather ROY - WAGGGS
Iram AHMED - ECYC
Tobias FLESSENKEMPER - JEF
Kasper NYRUP MADSEN - EEE-YFU
Imke ROEBKEN - IFLRY
Marc VAN DER RIET - MIJARC
Giacomo FILIBECK - OBESSU
Johannes KIND - AEGEE
Patrick MARCEL - FIEEA
Patrick SMALL - Dialogue Youth
Ivor BOERS - 31
Richard AMALVY - WOSM
COUNCIL OF CULTURAL CO-OPERATION PROJECT GROUP "EDUCATION TO CITIZENSHIP" / CONSEIL DE LA COOPERATION CULTURELLE, GROUPE DE PROJET "EDUCATION A LA CITOYENNETE"
M. Marino OSTINI
Office Fédéral de l'Education et de la Science
Education Générale, Coopération Internationale
(Suisse)
M. César BÎRZEA
Directeur, Institut des Sciences de l'Education
(Roumanie)
SECRETARIAT OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE / SECRETARIAT DU CONSEIL DE L'EUROPE
Mr. Daniel TARSCHYS
Secretary General
M. Muammer TOPALOGLU
Chef du Protocole du Conseil de l'Europe
Mr. João ARY
Secretary to the Committee on Culture and Education
Ms. Marja RUOTANEN
Administrator - Private Office of the Secretary General
Ms. Natalja TURENNE
Administrator in the Secretariat of the Committee of Ministers
Mme Isabelle FLECKSTEINER
Assistante du Chef du Protocole
Ms. Emma HELLYER
Attachée de Presse
Mlle Corinne GOBERVILLE
Secrétariat
North-South Centre of the Council of Europe / Centre Nord-Sud du Conseil de l'Europe
Mr. Bas KLEIN
Programme co-ordinator
Information and Documentation Centre of the Council of Europe / Centre d'Information et de Documentation du Conseil de l'Europe
Mme Mirella HAGIOPOL
Directrice du Centre
Secretariat of the Youth Directorate / Secrétariat de la Direction de la Jeunesse
Mr. Franco MARZIALE
Director / Directeur
Mr. Peter LAURITZEN
Principal Administrator / Administrateur Principal
Ms. Anne-Marie FARADJI
Administrator / Administratrice
Mr. Patrick PENNINCKX
Administrator / Administrateur
Mr. Catalin GHENEA
Programme Adviser
Ms. Maureen GEORGES
Ms. Sylvie FRITSCH
Ms. Sabine VAN MIGEM
Secretariat / Secrétariat
APPENDIX 2
AGENDA
Opening session of the Conference
Opening addresses
Elections of the Chair and Vice-chairpersons of the Conference
Adoption of the draft agenda
Council of Europe’s progress in youth policies after the Conferences of Vienna and Luxembourg and future developments presented by Mr A. Bodry, Minister of Youth, Luxembourg
Presentation of the draft Declaration and debate
Draft « Convention on Long-term transnational voluntary service »
Conclusions of the debates
Round Tables
Presentation of the conclusions of the Round Tables
Adoption of the draft Declaration
World Conference of European Ministers of Youth
Presentation of the conclusions of the Conference
Closing session of the Conference
APPENDIX 3