Interview with EU youth minister president Ursula von der Leyen

Europe stands for exchange and encounter. With this in mind, young people and policy makers of European youth politics met in Brussels on 25th of may 2007. But dialogue also means making demands. At an informal forum, youth representatives of diverse organisations summoned the youth ministers of Europe to grant children and adolescents equal opportunities and social participation. In the run-up to the forum, young people from the EU presidency's youth event in Cologne in 2007 put down their demands and suggestions in a seven-paged action plan. EU youth minister Ursula von der Leyen told youngstars how she perceived the meeting with the youth representatives and how she evaluates the future of youth politics in Europe.

Mrs. von der Leyen, on 25th of May 2007 the EU youth minister board met in Brussels. You were given a checklist by delegates of the youth event in Cologne at an informal ministers’ forum. In what way is such an action plan, such a checklist with demands from European juveniles helpful for you as a youth minister?

I think it is great how committed young people stand up for equal opportunities and participation in Europe. The action plan from Cologne comes to life with this engage­- ment. Being a youth minister, I set value on their opinion because only if politicians know what adolescents think they can really set things in motion. I share many of the action plan's demands. Young people need to get a second chance to graduate especially when their previous educational career has been scarred by failure and frustration. This is where our pilot program "dropped out – a second chance" comes into play. It helps boys and girls to overcome disap­pointment and, at the same time, refocus their power; because it is clear that a solid graduation is essential for the further career. I am also happy to see so many young people say that they want to balance family and career. The government does everything it can do – by means of expanding child care, by talking to entrepreneurs – to make the wish for an intact family life on the one hand and a great job on the other hand possible.

According to the agenda of the Youth Minister Board, it unanimously passed a resolution on "equal opportunities and social participation for all  young  people" in Europe. How do you plan to put these proposals into action on local, regional and basic levels?

To interfere, join the conversation, help to shape things, all this starts in the personal environment – from creating a new look for the school yard through configuring the night bus' departure schedule up to codetermination in the youth services committee. This is the place where young people make the experience: As soon as I start to interfere I can change things. But the different EU member states have completely different issues of equal opportunities. Often you find big differences between city and country populations, women and men, population majorities and minorities. The individual living conditions of young people are manifold, for instance because of a different family back­ground or school system. Therefore, the 27 youth ministers all agree that stock solutions will not be helpful in solving the problems. We need individual projects to give young people access to education and make transitions between school, apprenticeship and occupation more flexible and harmonic. In Germany, for instance, we have made positive experiences with "competence agencies" where specialised contact persons help disadvantaged young people. They know their distinct problems, they know the local possibilities and they accompany them for an extended period of time. This could function as a role model for other European countries.

Just a few years ago, the problems and demands of youngsters came into focus of the European Council in the context of the Lissabon Strategy. How do you evaluate the future of European youth politics?

Europe needs self-confident democrats and well-qualified young men and women to master the challenges of the future. Therefore,  a united European youth policy is very important. It can help to create positive frame­- work requirements for young people, open up opportunities for them to live self-determined and responsible. This is no pure European task – quite the contrary, this is where regional and local youth politics need to come into play. But we see the tendency that Europe as a whole is getting more and more important in these cases. In the future, we want to work together even closer than now and exchange experiences we made with successful projects. But the dialogue with young people is the most important part. It is the only way to attend to their worries and wishes.

You are a working mother and EU youth minister. In what way is it a personal concern for you as a mother to push forward European youth politics with regard to juvenile unemployment, strengthening of the dialogue with young people and equal opportunities?

My biography is quite European and shaped me both privately and occupationally. I went to a full-time school in Brussels where I soon learned how important, say, good language skills are to enter into conversation – also across borders. Nowadays, I pass on these experiences to my children. The task of a united European youth policy is to bring the idea and opportunities of an united Europe to all young people, if possible. Exchange and encounter, the ability to get involved with the unknown and create new things – this is what Europe can teach you. A recent poll shows that more than 90 per cent of the European adoles­cents associate something positive with the European Union. And of course young people naturally go on journeys from Finland to Cyprus nowadays, study and work in their neighbouring country. Which shows us: We made progress towards getting Europe out behind paperwork and make it tangible for young people.