On 3 and 4 October, the Committee of the Regions' SEDEC commission held an external meeting in Brno, Czech Republic, followed by a conference on Engaging Youth in Science, Research and Innovation.
One of the topics of the meeting was the forthcoming CoR opinion on the future of youth policy in the EU. During the debate, our first vice president Kieran McCarthy pointed out that there is a great body of work to be done on youth mainstreaming in policymaking. He particularly stressed the question on a possible lowering of the voting age to 16. "If young people are paying taxes and can drive a car then why can’t they vote?" he asked.
Cllr Declan McDonnell from the Galway City Council highlighted the importance of mental health as a major problem for young people after the Covid-10 pandemic. "Also," he said, "we need to ensure adequate financial support schemes during studies and strengthen opportunities to interact and exchange ideas, such as Erasmus."