Young people need genuine opportunities to shape European policies and experience Europe in their own communities, EPP-CoR member Tanya Hristova stressed during the European Public Diplomacy Days at the European Parliament.
Speaking in the debate “The Next Generation: Engaging Global Youth in Europe’s Story”, Hristova highlighted the central role of cities and regions in bringing Europe closer to young people and creating meaningful opportunities for them to participate in democratic life. “For many young people, Europe does not start here. It is good that it can start here, but in reality it starts in our cities and in our small communities. We have to give them the opportunity to experience Europe locally,” Hristova said.
Drawing on her experience as Mayor of Gabrovo, Bulgaria, Hristova pointed to her municipality’s own work with young people, including the establishment of a youth centre and youth parliament. She argued that youth participation should not be treated as a separate policy area, but as an integral part of fair, sustainable and inclusive territorial development.
Hristova also highlighted the work of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) to bring young people directly into European policymaking. This includes youth representatives participating in meetings and consultations, the annual Youth Dialogue organised by the CoR’s SEDEC Commission, cooperation with the European Youth Forum and the Young Elected Politicians programme, which enables young local and regional politicians to participate directly in the CoR’s activities.
She stressed that programmes such as Erasmus+, youth exchanges, volunteering and DiscoverEU provide important opportunities, but do not reach every young person. Particular attention should therefore be given to young people who are less engaged with European affairs. Hristova also called for greater efforts to encourage young people to participate in elections and public life, while stressing the importance of engaging young women in politics and giving them visible examples of female political leadership. Against the background of artificial intelligence, disinformation and hate speech, she underlined that young people cannot be expected to navigate the digital environment alone and called for appropriate platforms and safeguards to protect them.
Hristova concluded by highlighting the **Charter on Youth and Democracy, co-created by the European Committee of the Regions and the European Youth Forum, as a practical tool for strengthening youth participation, creating safe and open civic spaces and bringing young people closer to democratic decision-making.
Background
The European Public Diplomacy Days 2026 take place in Brussels from 30 September to 2 October, bringing together EU institutions and stakeholders working on public diplomacy and international people-to-people initiatives. The programme is jointly organised across the European Parliament, European Economic and Social Committee, European Committee of the Regions and European External Action Service. The debate “The Next Generation: Engaging Global Youth in Europe’s Story” took place at the European Parliament on 30 September as part of the session “Building Trust in a Digital World”.