01/10/2025 Session
Young people across Europe are “among the most active defenders and imaginative builders” of democracy, human rights the rule of law, according to PACE, and they should be treated “not with repression or indifference, but with recognition, protection and support”.
Adopting a resolution based on the report prepared by Yevheniia Kravchuk (Ukraine, ALDE), with input from the Advisory Council on Youth, the Assembly urged Council of Europe member states to end politically-motivated arrests of young people, repeal laws that are used to silence youth dissent and remove obstacles affecting youth-led organisations.
Addressing the parliamentarians during the debate, Malta’s Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation Hon. Clifton Grima stated that when young people are trusted, democracy grows stronger.
"Let us continue to invest in their leadership, recognising them not as threats to establish orders, but as indispensable partners in Europe's democratic resilience. If democracy is to endure, it must be reimagined by its younger generations, our young citizens. Malta is committed to working with you all to ensure that their voices are not only heard, but are instrumental in shaping the Europe we want to see," he said.
According to the adopted text, young people should be meaningfully represented in national parliaments and local councils, while political parties and public institutions should introduce “youth quotas” and European countries should consider lowering the voting age to 16.
There should be public funding for youth civic infrastructure – such as community centres, online platforms or legal clinics – while democratic education should be embedded in schools.
For its part, the Assembly should commit itself to strengthening the participation of young people in its work and mainstreaming youth perspectives across its committees and reports.