Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
  The EU must do more to involve young people in developing policy for a sustainable future. This came in the final statement of meetings in Brussels of the Council of Ministers of Education, Youth, Culture and Sports of the European Union, who stressed the need to consider the social dimension of a sustainable Europe for youth, while highlighting their role as key players in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“There can be no sustainable future without young people. We need to ensure that the next generation plays a meaningful role at every level in policy-making on issues related to sustainability.”
According to what was quoted by a European statement in Brussels today, according to Jacob Forsmid, the Swedish Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health, whose country holds the current rotating presidency of the Union. The statement called on member states and the European Commission to:
Explore ways to increase youth participation in the political process, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds
Promote opportunities for teachers and youth workers to develop knowledge, skills and competencies to address issues of social inclusion and sustainable development
Take a comprehensive approach to integrate youth perspective across all policies and levels of government
Promote the youth agenda in the European Union
The conclusions are in line with the European Youth Goals on Inclusive Societies and a Sustainable Green Europe, which focus on protecting young people from social exclusion and empowering them to act as agents of change for sustainable development. It also builds on commitments made as part of the European Year of Youth 2022 to increase youth participation in policy-making processes.
Prioritizing mental health
Ministers acknowledged the difficulties facing young people today, including the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the energy crisis, and climate change. They stressed the need to address the mental health problems that affect increasing numbers of young people as a result of these challenges. In particular, they called on Member States to promote "mental health literacy" through access to quality education and health services.
Today's conclusions echo and build on a number of EU-wide developments in recent years that recognize the importance of promoting the social inclusion of young people, involving them in sustainable policy-making, and prioritizing their mental health.

The European Youth Goals were developed during the sixth session of the EU Youth Dialogue as part of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027. Goal 3, “Inclusive Societies,” stresses the need to ensure young people in Europe can fully realize their social rights, while Goal 10, “Sustainable Green Europe,” focuses on achieving a society in which all young people are. Environmentally active, educated and able to make a difference in their daily lives.

At the closing conference of the European Year of Youth 2022, young policymakers and stakeholders reiterated their joint commitment to mainstreaming youth perspectives in policy-making and increasing youth participation in policy-making processes. There have also been calls for a greater focus on combating health issues, including those related to mental health.