Young people are the engine of keeping rural areas alive, and European states should do their best to remove barriers to social, economic and political participation of rural youth and create new opportunities for them. This is the key message of a new Recommendation to Member States adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Rural youth are an essential, yet an overlooked, group. They contribute significantly to the preservation of the environmental and cultural heritage, to economic dynamism, to the safeguarding of the social fabric and to the demographic renewal of rural communities. The Committee of Ministers notes that certain advantages of living in rural and remote areas may be outweighed by important challenges: fewer job opportunities (especially for women and girls), weaker infrastructure (including in the digital, energy, transport and information sectors), and poorer access to quality education, social services, healthcare, sport, cultural and leisure activities. The Committee of Ministers is also concerned by the lower participation and inclusion of rural youth in decision-making processes and by the lack of youth structures and youth services in rural areas.
The Committee of Ministers identifies five priority areas of action: strengthening an enabling and accessible environment; promoting youth engagement and democratic participation for all; strengthening youth structures; ensuring access to quality formal and non-formal education and creating economic opportunities in rural areas.
Member States should notably ensure that rural youth have access to essential services and rights, in particular decent housing, quality education, affordable and safe mobility options and public transportation, adequate data connectivity and internet access, social security and healthcare, including through mobile hospitals/polyclinics, mobile youth work services, etc. This can be achieved through tailor-made policies and programmes for rural areas.
The initiative to develop the Recommendation dates back to 2020, when the Advisory Council on Youth formed an informal working group to consult stakeholders and gather data. After a broad consultation, a report was presented in October 2021, and a Joint Council on Youth drafting group was formed in 2022. An Explanatory Memorandum will guide the Recommendation's implementation, highlighting various practices from member States.
The Committee of Ministers will review the implementation of this Recommendation in 2030.
