INTERVIEW / “Nothing about young people without young people”: the challenge (and motto) of the chair of the EESC Youth Group

Brussels – “For every euro spent on young people, we spend ten on the elderly.” This is not just a statistic, but a wake-up call issued by Nicoletta Merlo, chair of the Youth Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), in this interview with Eunews: in a Europe where the under-20s are set to fall below 18 per cent by the end of the century – as the President reports – the risk of underestimating the needs of the younger generations is very real. 

Eunews: What is the EESC Youth Group, and how does it interact with the rest of the members? 

Nicoletta Merlo: “The group was set up in 2023 to address a representative paradox: the EESC is the ‘home’ of civil society, yet out of 329 members, only 14 are under 35. While the experience of senior members is an asset, the lack of young people makes it difficult to represent the concerns of the younger generations. For this reason, the Committee was the first European institution to implement the ‘Youth Test’.” 

E.: How would you define the Youth Test in practical terms, and what impact does it have? 

N.M.: “It is a tool based on the premise that any policy affecting young people must involve them. Our motto is ‘nothing about young people without young people’. We do not limit ourselves to the obvious issues: every month, the 73 organisations in our network receive a list of all the opinions the EESC will be working on and can put themselves forward to contribute to those they consider important, from climate change to industry. Their input is significantly enhancing the quality of our opinions.”

Precariousness as a “common thread” from Europe to Ukraine

E.: The group recently met with young representatives from the candidate countries, including Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, and Ukraine, as well as representatives from Belarus. What common needs emerged from these discussions?

N.M.: “There is a common thread that unites them all: a lack of resources. Youth organisations comprise almost entirely volunteers and often have to compete with one another for minimal funding. On top of this, there is the issue of mobility: many struggle even to obtain the necessary permits to travel and take part in European exchanges. Europe must do more to build bridges that make them feel they are already part of the Union.”

The group’s proposal: the intergenerational budget

E.: What are your political objectives? You were the rapporteur for an opinion on the ‘intergenerational budget’. What does this proposal involve?

N.M.: “It’s not enough to give young people a voice; we need to look at where resources are going. The crux of the political battle is, of course, linked to the next Multiannual Financial Framework. An analysis of demographic and budgetary data reveals a profound imbalance: half of European social spending (around 20 per cent of GDP) is allocated to the non-young section of the population, while only 1.7–2 per cent goes to families and children. We propose a tool to assess the impact of each policy across generational cohorts, classify expenditure by who actually benefits, and involve young people in budget planning and monitoring. If we carry on like this, tomorrow’s newborns will pay tax rates that are double or triple those of today’s pensioners. We call for the intergenerational budget to become a binding condition for access to EU funds, just as has been done for green and digital initiatives in the NRRP. Anyone wishing to receive cohesion funds must demonstrate that they are investing adequately in the younger generations.” 

E.: What are your next goals?

N.M.: “Alongside the plenary sessions – which will feature discussions on quality employment, housing, and anti-racism strategies – the EESC’s attention is already turning to the new European Youth Strategy, due to be launched early next year. It will undoubtedly feature quality employment, measures to engage NEETs (young people not in education, employment or training), and the issue of housing, which has become a crisis. But there is also mental health, an issue of growing importance for young people. Our role does not end with drafting opinions; the real challenge lies in the follow-up: bringing these issues to the attention of European Commissioners – such as Roxana Mînzatu and Glenn Micallef (respectively responsible for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Work and Training, and Intergenerational Equity, youth, culture, and sport, ed.) – and turning the recommendations into concrete reality for a Europe that truly belongs to everyone, not just those who already have a voice.”