How can national youth councils, like KOMS, maintain their independence from external influences? Does the legal recognition of the status of a national council imply that the state can influence internal processes? How can we ensure that we advocate for the improvement of the position of young people with decision-makers, while simultaneously competing for funding to support our work?

These are some of the questions that inspired the Erasmus+ project “Independence of National Youth Councils,” in which KOMS participates together with its partner youth councils from Southern Europe. We sought to answer these questions particularly during our study visits to Spain and Latvia.

First Stop: Madrid

We initially gathered in Madrid in April this year, where we were hosted by the Consejo de la Juventud de España (CJE). The Spanish National Youth Council was established by the state – in fact, the Spanish Constitution of 1978 is one of the few, if not the only one, that explicitly mentions youth as a specific social category for which a systemic concern needs to be established. Despite this, CJE is independent and youth-led.

From April 14 to 17, we had the opportunity to speak with representatives of Spanish institutions, such as the newly formed Ministry of Youth, the Spanish Youth Institute, as well as the Catalan Ministry of Youth in Barcelona, where our hosts were the Consell Nacional de la Joventut de Catalunya (CNJC), the Catalan National Youth Council.

Unlike KOMS and most other national youth councils, CJE is annually funded from the state budget without the obligation to apply for calls for proposals, with sufficient funds to focus on improving the position of young people rather than executing sometimes exhausting project activities. Simply put, the state has recognized the importance of funding such an organization. Despite this, CJE operates completely independently, and the state does not interfere in the internal work of the organization.

Inspired by this example, as well as examples from the countries of other participants like Slovenia, North Macedonia, Cyprus, Latvia, and Bulgaria, we decided to prepare a document – the Decalogue – which would consolidate ten recommendations for improving the independence of national youth councils. This is an attempt to revise a document adopted at the European level back in 2001 through the European Youth Forum. The political context today is significantly different – the influence of youth councils on public policies is greater, young people are more empowered, and there is more interest in undermining the independence of our work.

Latvia and 1001 Youth Centers

We completed the Decalogue during the second study visit, this time in Latvia, which took place from August 26 to 30, 2024. Enchanted by the beauty of Riga, the largest Baltic city with its Art Nouveau architecture and turbulent history of various occupations, we gained insight into the development of youth policy in this country. During visits to the Ministry of Education and Science, the Agency for International Youth Programs, and the Latvian Parliament, the Saeima, we realized that we are far from Spain in every sense of the word. Our hosts, the Latvian Youth Council (Latvijas Jaunatnes Padome), emphasize that they do not have a developed relationship with decision-makers despite decades of work – they are not legally recognized as a national youth council, nor are they included in various working groups for drafting public policy documents.

On the other hand, Latvia is filled with developed youth centers with programs for children and youth, like the one we visited in Sigulda, which was renovated in 2011 from a former railway station. More than 80 out of 119 local governments in Latvia have at least one youth center!

The diversity in the development of youth policy is one of the beauties of Europe, and this international experience provides us at KOMS with inspiration to improve public policies in Serbia with ideas that have already been tested elsewhere. In November, we will visit our regional partners, the National Youth Council of Macedonia (NMSM), at the final event, where we will discuss the next steps in advocating for the independence of national youth councils at the European level.