On February 9 2022, as 2022 is the European Year of Youth, Make.org and the Franco-German Office for Youth (OFAJ) presented the results of a double consultation, in France and Germany, revealing the main priorities of 95,000 young people for the Europe of tomorrow. These ideas will contribute to the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) and are being revealed in the scope of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (FPEU).
The event took place at the European House in Berlin, in the presence of Anne-Marie Descôtes, French Ambassador to Germany, Jörg Wojahn, Representative of the European Commission in Berlin, Axel Dittmann, Representative of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tobias Bütow, Secretary General of the Franco-German Office for Youth (OFAJ), Marius Schlageter, Vice-President of the Deutscher Bundesjugendring and member of the director committee of the European Movement Germany. Other speakers included Anna Lührmann, Minister for Europe and Climate, and Clément Beaune, Secretary of State for European Affairs.
On this occasion, around fifty young Germans were invited to exchange views with Franco-German political representatives on two key topics:
From November 26 2021 to January 11 2022, young people in Germany were invited to respond to the question "Young citizens, what are your priorities for the future of Europe?" on the Make.org platform. Supported by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this consultation, entitled "Our Europe, our future" ("Unser Europa, unsere Zukunft"), brought together more than 45,000 participants, who made 620 proposals and cast more than 392,000 votes in order to reach22 citizens’ consensus.
The introduction of a stronger, more sustainable European environmental policy, greater citizen participation in European Union policy, better access to healthcare throughout Europe and the modernisation of the education system were among the solutions voted for by young people.
➤ The full report on the consultation is available here.
"Unser Europa, unsere Zukunft" is the German counterpart to the "Parole aux Jeunes" consultation, conducted in France by Make.org for the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in spring 2021. This consultation brought together more than 50,000 participants, nearly 3,000 proposals and 340,000 votes.
➤ The global report of the consultation is available here.
11 common priorities to strengthen the Europe of tomorrow
By comparing the results of the two consultations, 11 common priorities for the Europe of young people in France and Germany have emerged: the environment and European democracy are at the centre of the proposals, but economy, health, fundamental rights, digital transformation and education also feature prominently among the ideas for the Europe of tomorrow. Find out more on the OFAJ's dedicated page.
➤ The comparative report on the "Our Europe, Our Future" and "Voices of Youth" consultations is available here.
Clément Beaune, Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, with responsibility for European Affairs: "All these consultations, all this democratic openness to citizens' views, are absolutely essential if Europe is to live and thrive, and if we are to listen more carefully. There is a desire for Europe, provided that everyone can give their ideas, express their doubts, and sometimes their anger or criticism. Now we have to make the most of it.”
Anna Lührmann, Minister for Europe and Climate Change: "On behalf of the German federal government, we want ambitious and concrete proposals for the development of the EU. Only together we can meet the major economic, political and social challenges. To do this, your ideas are essential. We need a strong European Union that can defend its interests and values in the world, in a spirit of partnership, and look to the future."
Jörg Wojahn, European Commission Representative in Germany: "The European Year of Youth puts young people at the centre of attention, and their ideas will be taken into account in the Conference on the Future of Europe. This Conference is now entering a decisive new phase. This is why online consultations such as "Unser europa, unsere Zukunft" and "Parole aux Jeunes" are so timely and important, as they allow young people to tell us what the European Union should be focusing on more intensively in the months and years to come."
For Anne Tallineau and Tobias Bütow, Secretaries General of the Franco-German Office for Youth: "Putting these two consultations into perspective confirms how close the issues are for young people in both countries. It is on these shared concerns, such as environmental protection, democracy and a modern education system, that they will be able to pursue the dialogue needed to strengthen Franco-German relations and develop the European project."
Sarah Delahaye, Director of Germany at Make.org: "As a European player in participatory democracy, we are delighted to have contributed, together with the OFAJ, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Auswärtiges Amt, to placing the voice of young people in Germany and France at the heart of the Conference on the Future of Europe. At a time when the health crisis has turned their lifestyles upside down and their prospects have been severely affected, their expectations need to be taken into account, understood and responded to. The 11 common priorities form a basis on which concrete action can be taken."
All the results of these two consultations have been integrated into the platform of the Conference on the Future of Europe and will be taken into account in the final plenary assemblies of the Conference, as well as in its conclusions next May. At the same time, the OFAJ is organising new conferences to enable young Europeans to exchange their ideas and visions and to devise new projects. Last November, sixty young people from France and Germany were present in Lille and designed 9 initiatives which will be subsidised by the OFAJ to the tune of €3,000 each. The next conference will take place from March 17-20, 2022 in Dresden.