12 Youth participation and information
| (a)
(27732)
11957/06
COM(06) 417
+ ADD 1
(b)
(27762)
12060/06
—
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Commission Communication on European policies on youth participation and information — Follow-up to the White Paper on A New Impetus for European Youth: Implementing the common objectives for participation by and information for young people in view of promoting their active European citizenship
Commission staff working document: Analysis of reports by Member States
Draft Resolution on implementing the common objectives for participation by and information for young people in view of promoting their active European Citizenship
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| Legal base | — |
| Department | Education and Skills
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| Basis of consideration | Minister's letter of 30 October 2006
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| Previous Committee Report | HC 34-xxxvii (2005-06), para 6 (11 October 2006)
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| To be discussed in Council | 13 November 2006
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| Committee's assessment | Legally and politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
12.1 In 2001, the Commission published a White Paper on A New
Impetus for European Youth. It proposed a framework for cooperation
in the youth field.
12.2 In 2002, the Council adopted a Resolution approving
the framework, including the following four priorities:
- participation by young people
in democratic life;
- information for young people;
- voluntary activities by young people; and
- greater understanding and knowledge of youth.
12.3 In 2003, the Council approved the Commission's
proposals for common objectives for the first two of the priorities:
participation and information.[31]
It approved common objectives on the other priorities in 2004.
Previous scrutiny of the Commission's Communication
and the draft Resolution
12.4 The Communication is based on Member States'
reports on the implementation of the information and participation
objectives. The Commision comments on what Member States have
done, notes the obstacles they have encountered in implementing
the objectives and draws some conclusions.
12.5 The Communication says that:
"On the basis of this analysis [of the national
reports], the Commission proposes to confirm the relevance and
validity of the common objectives for participation and information
and to slightly adapt and improve the adopted lines of action."[32]
12.6 Among other things, the Commission proposes
that Member States should take action "to ensure increased
participation of young people in the institutions of representative
democracy, such as promoting their involvement in political parties,
encouraging the inclusion of young people on party lists and improving
their position on those lists".[33]
12.7 The draft Resolution is based on the Communication
and incorporates the Commission's proposals for modifying the
lines of action to give effect to the objectives, including the
proposal on promoting the involvement of young people in political
parties.
12.8 When we considered the documents on 11 October,
the Minister of State for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning
at the Department of Education and Skills (Bill Rammell)
told us that the Government had no difficulty with the general
thrust of the draft Resolution but it was concerned about two
points:
- First, the draft called on
Member States to "develop practical measures to ensure the
increased participation of young people in the institutions of
representative democracy, such as promoting their involvement
in political parties".[34]
This proposal appeared to be outside the scope of Article 149
of the EC Treaty.
- Second, the draft Resolution invited Member States
to evaluate and report by the end of 2008 on the action they have
taken to implement the information and participation objectives.
The Government would prefer it if there were not a separate report
in 2008 but if, instead, the evaluation were included in the more
general report due in 2009.
12.9 We shared the Minister's view that Article 149
of the EC Treaty does not provide a legal base for the proposal
that Member States should encourage the inclusion of young people
on party lists; and, so far as we were aware, no other provision
of the Treaty provides a legal base for the proposal. Moreover,
we doubted the appropriateness of the proposal because, in our
view, it is for each political party to decide for itself whether
and how to involve young people in its activities and governments
should not intervene in the matter. Accordingly, we encouraged
the Government to press vigorously for the removal of the proposal.
The Minister's letter of 30 October 2006
12.10 The Minister tells us that a number of Member
States shared the concern about the proposal on promoting the
participation of young people in political parties and that it
has now been removed from the Resolution. He also tells us that
the Commission has assured Member States that they need provide
no more than one or two paragraphs in 2008 about the implementation
of the objectives.
12.11 The Minister enclosed with his letter a copy
of the revised text of the draft Resolution. The Government is
content with it. The Finnish Presidency plans to put it to the
Youth Council on 13 November for agreement.
Conclusion
12.12 We are grateful to the Minister for sending
us the revised text. The removal of the proposal about the involvement
of young people in party politics overcomes our only serious concern
about the draft Resolution. The other amendments are minor and,
in our view, reasonable. We are now content, therefore, to clear
from scrutiny both that draft Resolution and the Commission's
Communication.
31 (24446) 8489/03 and (24448) 8490/03: see HC 63-xxix
(2002-03), para 13 (10 July 2003). Back
32
Commission Communication, page 10. Back
33
Commission Communication, page 11. Back
34
Annex to the draft Resolution, page 10, paragraph 2(k). Back
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