Europe in the Making: Young People’s Perspectives on EU Enlargement

EU enlargement is a consequential political issue. Decisions made today will shape the Union that young people in member states and candidate countries live in for decades. Still, their voices rarely reach the negotiating table. In this edition of Polis kocht!, we address key challenges in the enlargement process, such as growing political polarisation, misinformation, and foreign influence. We examine these issues from the perspective of young people in candidate countries and member states:

• What priorities do young people in candidate countries have in regards to the EU accession process of their countries, respectively?
• Where do young people have a real say in the enlargement debate today, and where are they only invited for show?
• What would meaningful youth participation look like in this process, both in the EU and in candidate countries?
• Does enlargement strengthen or weaken the EU’s security and democratic resilience?

As young people will be most affected by future enlargement decisions, we will look at how their perspectives are reflected in policy discussions, and we will bring youth perspectives and active involvement of young people in EU enlargement debate to the table. Together, we will discuss what EU membership means to young people on both sides of the enlargement process, exploring their hopes, fears and expectations of Europe.

Join us for an evening of cooking, eating and discussion, with a focus on perspectives from Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Event language: The event will be held in English.

Polis180 is a volunteer-run grassroots think tank for foreign and European policy. Since its founding in 2015, Polis180 has promoted young, inclusive, and participatory approaches to policymaking and now counts over 500 members.

The project „Polis kocht!“ is funded by the Berlin State Center for Civic Education.