Since January 1, 2026, Cyprus has held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for a period of six months. This responsibility is part of the trio of presidencies—Poland, Denmark, and Cyprus—tasked with leading the 11th cycle of the European Union Youth Dialogue, committed from January 2025 to June 2026.
At the heart of this cycle is European Youth Goal No. 1: “Connecting the European Union with young people”It aims to strengthen the sense of belonging to the European project and to reduce the distance sometimes felt between European institutions and young people. For those involved in education and youth, this period represents an important opportunity to do raising the expectations of young people towards European institutions and contribute to the development of public policies that are closer to their realities.
Le EU Youth Dialogue is a participatory process that allows young people to engage directly with European policymakers. It is based on cycles of consultations, workshops, and meetings organized in Member States. The contributions gathered at the national level are then consolidated at European conferences bringing together young people, institutional representatives, and youth organizations. The goal is to translate these exchanges into policy recommendations addressed to European institutionsIn France, this dynamic is notably driven by the Provox campaign, which organizes consultations and meetings to gather the expectations of young people and inform the French contribution to the EU Youth Dialogue.
The Cypriot presidency will be marked by the organization of the 3rd European Youth Conference, scheduled to take place in Nicosia from 17 to 20 March 2026. This conference is a key moment in the 11th cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue. It will bring together young participants, youth organizations, and policymakers to consolidate the recommendations from consultations conducted across Europe. A significant session will be devoted to the Revision of the European Youth Goals, in the context of the future European youth strategy post-2027. Discussions will focus in particular on:
- strengthening young people's confidence in the European project,
- evaluating the impact of European policies on young people,
- and ways to strengthen the democratic participation of young people.
These themes directly echo the proposals put forward by young people as part of the campaign. Provoxwhich helps structure France's contribution to this European dialogue. These European dynamics resonate particularly with the objectives of the Erasmus+ Youth CONNECT-R project. The project aims to strengthen the participation of rural youth in democratic life by creating spaces for dialogue, debate, and the formulation of proposals on issues that concern them. Through local meetings, participatory workshops, and the formation of groups of young ambassadors, CONNECT-R enables:
- to gather the voices of young people in rural areas,
- transforming their ideas into concrete proposals,
- and link these contributions to European participation dynamics.
In this context, local initiatives undertaken in the territories — whether consultations, debates or advocacy efforts — take on a new dimension: they contribute to to make the realities of rural youth heard in European debates.
The continuation of the EU Youth Dialogue until 2026 offers new opportunities for educational, community, and institutional stakeholders working with young people. Projects carried out in rural areas can thus contribute to European discussions and strengthen the representation of rural youth in European public policies. Initiatives like CONNECT-R demonstrate that Europe is not just a distant institutional framework: it can become a concrete space for expression, engagement, and cooperation for young people in rural areas.
