Enlarging youth civic space: EU4Youth joins Eastern Partnership Youth Conference in Stockholm

The ‘EU4Youth: Youth Engagement and Empowerment’ project actively joined the Eastern Partnership Youth Conference, organised in Stockholm between 12-13 May by the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum with the financial support of the European Union.

Bringing together over 100 youth representatives, civil society representatives, and national youth councils from across the Eastern Partnership region, this year’s conference focused on a pressing regional challenge – enlarging youth civic space in the Eastern Partnership.

The conference was officially opened with a keynote speech by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Leader of the Belarusian Democratic Forces and Head of the United Transitional Cabinet.

The event highlighted an effort by European institutions and international development partners to support and expand spaces where young people can participate and engage. Representing the host country, the Swedish Foreign Ministry welcomed delegates to Stockholm, emphasising Sweden’s long-standing geopolitical commitment to the region.

The panels, featuring contributions from European officials and regional youth leaders, focused on success stories and lessons learned in youth participation, represented by the National Youth Councils from the EaP countries, the meaning of youth engagement in building and protecting democracy, and the threats of misinformation and ways to tackle them.

A highlight of the two-day forum was the visit to FRYSHUSET, Europe’s largest youth centre, where participants explored successful Swedish models for youth inclusion and approaches to adapting environments to young people’s needs, engagement, and security.

The conference concluded with the presentation of recommendations drafted by the participants, focusing on securing institutional support, combating disinformation threats, and establishing sustainable cross-border networking channels.

The conference was financially supported by the European Union and organised by the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum in partnership with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Fryshuset, ForumCiv, Olof Palme International Centre, and the ‘EU4Youth: youth engagement and empowerment’ project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) with the financial support of the European Union.

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