Only 2.8% of the world's parliamentarians are aged 30 and under. Rising social inequalities and high cost of living have fuelled feelings of exclusion and disenchantment with representative democracy among young people. At the same time, freedoms of assembly and expression, as well as youth participation in public life are increasingly threatened by the ongoing autocratisation of today's societies in Europe.
There is no quick fix for the challenges that young people are facing in Europe. Against this backdrop, the Council of Europe launched in 2025 a major initiative towards a New Democratic Pact for Europe, to respond to democratic backsliding, reinforce the foundations of democracy and amplify its benefits, ensuring that they deliver tangible improvements for all, particularly younger generations.
Refreshing democracy needs young people
Youth involvement is essential to the success of this initiative. The "Youth innovating democracy" conference , which is taking place at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg on 24-26 June 2026, serves as the milestone youth event of the consultation process leading towards the New Democratic Pact for Europe.
"The New Democratic Pact puts youth at its core: our present affects your future," stressed the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, opening of the event. "Democracy has not kept its promises to you. And still, youth is often treated as an afterthought, not a partner. That has to change."
"The pact is a collective democratic endeavour, shaped by all Europeans, including you. We are now in the final phase of a broad consultation on democratic challenges - and your voices belong in it," he said.
Seeds for a mature democracy
The event participants will jointly develop a Manifesto for a European democracy in 2049, marking the year of the Council of Europe's centenary. The manifesto will set out concrete ideas for democratic innovation and present creative outputs to feed into the New Democratic Pact for Europe.
Emma Wedner, Chair of the Advisory Council on Youth, the Council of Europe's statutory body uniting youth representatives, stressed ahead of the meeting: "What makes the event unique is that young people are invited to take the lead in shaping the future of inclusive and resilient democracy. The manifesto we will be working on gives the European youth a voice and a shared sense of purpose."
Organised under the Presidency of Monaco of the Committee of Ministers, by the Council of Europe Youth Department in partnership with the European Youth Forum, the event brings together 120 young leaders, activists and institutional representatives from across Europe, alongside civil-society actors.
Rareş Voicu, President of the European Youth Forum, said in his opening address: "Our generation needs to know that we are given the space to shape our society's future, through fair elections, equal laws, and investment in youth spaces. The Council of Europe's New Democratic Pact is a chance to make those expectations a reality."
Addresses by and exchanges with Gabriel Revel, Permanent Representative of Monaco to the Council of Europe and President of the Ministers' Deputies; Petra Bayr, President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and Yevheniia Kravchuk, youth rapporteur, Parliamentary Assembly committee on culture, science, education and media are also on the agenda.
The discussions and proposals developed during the event will centre around three key themes that emerged as areas where innovation is needed the most:
Juvenating politics, by improving youth involvement in decision-making and innovating
Equality alive: delivering on the promise of democracy, by ensuring equal opportunities for all young people
Empower communities, by exploring innovative ways to boost youth engagement at local and regional levels.
Recently adopted Council of Europe standards, notably the European Charter on the participation of young people in local and regional life and the Reference Framework on a youth perspective will also inform the discussions.
