Vice-President Suica delivers a keynote speech via video message for MEUS – Model European Union in Strasbourg, organised by EuropAgora

VP Suica delivers a keynote speech via video message for MEU

Ladies and gentlemen, young friends,

First and foremost, I would like to thank you for your passion and engagement for this crucial topic. Active participation in democratic processes is critical for shaping Europe's future. Discussions about the kind of society we want to live in and the values we uphold must include young people. We need such constructive engagement. With a rise of populist movements, growing polarisation, disconnection from political decision-making, and the spread of disinformation, the protection of the rights and values upon which the EU is founded is critical. I am encouraged to see many of you actively engaging and taking an interest in the functioning of European democracy. The Commission is actively supporting and increasing youth participation in decision making through a number of initiatives. For example: The EU Youth Strategy is the EU framework for youth policy cooperation. The European Year of Youth of 2022 enhanced youth participation and brought the EU closer to young people. It left us with a strong legacy of 60 actions to give young people a more significant say: We are strengthening the European Youth Dialogue by increasing visibility, outreach and aligning the focus of the dialogue more closely with the annual Commission work programme.

We have also introduced a “youth check” in our policymaking – a novelty. It would be remiss to not speak about the Conference on the Future of Europe, a major step forward in innovative deliberative practices during this mandate, where young people between the age of 16 and 25 represented one third of the participants. The final report of the Conference contains several proposals of relevance for young people, including improving the mutual recognition of educational degrees, taking steps against discrimination on the labour market or facilitating exchange and mobility programmes.

As a concrete follow-up we have presented the blueprint for a European degree on 27 March 2024. It proposes a cooperation path and outlines support measures for Member States and their higher education systems.

Another example of follow-up are our citizens' panels that we have organised since December 2022. They gather citizens – a third of them between the age of 16 and 25 – to make proposals for the Commission's policymaking. The topics addressed so far have been food waste, virtual worlds, learning mobility, energy efficiency and tackling hatred in our societies.

The European Parliament elections are a major democratic event, indeed the largest transnational elections in the world: around 400 million EU citizens are eligible to vote.

In June 2024, for the first time ever, 16 and 17-year-olds in Belgium and Germany will be voting in the European elections, following the examples set by Malta, Austria and Greece. Each of these votes will strengthen our collective democracy and the societal model we stand for.

The next European Parliament will play a decisive role in areas that concern young people, from the environment and employment to health, education, and inclusion.

This is why it is important for young people to vote.

This is how you make your voice heard.

This is how you can shape the present and future of Europe.