The Canary Islands will be the representative of all the autonomous communities in matters of Youth within the Council of Education, Youth, Culture and Sports during the first semester of the year 2024 coinciding with the Belgian Presidency that begins on January 1. The general director of Youth, Daniel Morales, highlights the relevance of this representation that "will allow us to take our voice to Europe as the coordinating community that raises the common proposals of the issues referring to youth." "These will be common proposals from all the autonomous communities on issues that affect our competences and that must be previously agreed upon and accepted unanimously."
Among other issues, topics such as social inclusion, youth work in the new Europe, or the rights of children and youth will be discussed, in addition to carrying out the evaluation of the legacy of 2023 as the European year of youth, an intermediate report on the European youth strategy and a recommendation from the council "Europe on the move" on the European Solidarity Corps and Erasmus plus.
The forecast is that the Council of Education, Youth, Culture and Sports will take place in mid-May, and the Minister of Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families, Candelaria Delgado, will participate as spokesperson for the communities.
The political areas covered by the Council of Education, Youth, Culture and Sports are the responsibility of the Member States. Therefore, the role of the EU in these areas is to facilitate a framework for cooperation for the exchange of information and experiences on issues of common interest.
The Council is made up of the ministers responsible for the areas of education, culture, youth, media and sport from all EU Member States, and a representative of the European Commission also attends.
The Council mainly adopts incentive measures and recommendations. However, initiatives agreed by the Council, such as the Erasmus+ or Creative Europe programs, can have a direct impact on the EU. In some cases, when the Treaties allow, the Council may also adopt legislative measures.
The EYCS Council participates closely in monitoring the progress of aspects related to education and youth of the Europe 2020 Strategy, as well as in the development of the contribution of the cultural sector to a more innovative Europe; in addition, it ensures that Europe's potential as a world center for the production of creative digital content contributes fully to the Digital Agenda established in Europe 2020.