October in Malta marked an important milestone for youth policy in Europe.
October in Malta marked an important milestone for youth policy in Europe.
Under Malta’s Presidency of the Council of Europe, the Ministry of Education, Sport, Youth , Research and Innovation hosted the 10th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth (Valletta, 8-9 October 2025).
The Conference “Young People for Democracy: Youth Perspectives in Action” was built upon the outcomes of the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe (Reykjavík, May 2023), in particular, the decision to integrate “a youth perspective in the Organisation’s intergovernmental and other deliberations” and was framed in line with the key objectives of the New Democratic Pact for Europe
The outcome was clear and deliberate: the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration and a Resolution placing the youth perspective firmly at the centre of democratic life, policy development, and public decision-making. These texts are now publicly available through the Council of Europe youth sector, where they belong – open, shared, and accountable.
For me, as CEO of Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, this moment carried particular weight. Fifteen years ago, the Agency was established to do one simple but demanding thing: ensure that young people are not treated as an afterthought. Hosting this Ministerial Conference in Malta confirmed that what once felt national, even experimental, is now part of a wider European commitment.
The Declaration and Resolution are not symbolic documents. They ask public institutions to rethink how policies are shaped, whose voices are heard, and how participation is understood not as consultation at the end, but as perspective from the start. This aligns closely with how we work as an Agency: embedding youth participation across services, policy input, research, and everyday practice. It also challenges us. Having hosted the conference, we are now expected to lead by example.
Our commitment is practical. We will continue to strengthen structured youth participation, invest in youth-friendly policy processes, and support professionals to work with young people rather than for them. The Ministerial outcomes give us a shared European reference point, but responsibility remains national and local. Declarations do not implement themselves.
For young Europeans, the significance lies in continuity. The youth perspective is no longer framed as optional goodwill; it is recognised as a democratic necessity. For Malta, and for Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, this conference was not an end point. It was a marker along a longer road – one that started more than a decade ago and now connects more clearly to Europe.
Progress in youth policy is rarely loud. But when it is consistent, it lasts.
