Press Release European Youth Forum

EUROPEAN YOUTH FORUM READY TO HELP CO-ORDINATE CONVENTION FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF EUROPE

The European Youth Forum welcomes Mr. Giscard d’Estaing’s opening speech to the Convention on the Future of Europe in which he pledged to listen to the young, and expressed his desire to organise a Convention for the Young People of Europe.

The European Youth Forum has today officially communicated to the President of the Convention, Mr. Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, and to its Vice-President and co-ordinator of the Convention’s relations with civil society, Mr. Jean-Luc Dehaene, an interest in supporting the co-ordination of the youth convention.

Henrik Söderman, President of the European Youth Forum, remarked: ‘The European Youth Forum would like to facilitate the participation of young people in the debate on the future of Europe by helping co-ordinate the Convention for the Young People of Europe in partnership with the recently established Contact Group’.

Notes to Editors

1. The Contact Group was established on 26 February 2002 to enable youth organisations to contribute to the debate on the future of Europe. The Group was set up by: the European Community Organisation of Socialist Youth (ECOSY), European Trade Union Confederation Youth (ETUC Youth), Federation of the Young European Greens (FEYG), Young European Federalists (JEF), Liberal and Radical Youth Movement of the European Union (LYMEC), Youth of the European People’s Party (YEPP). It is open to all youth organisations.

Contact: Laura Bacci, Press and Communications Officer at the European Youth Forum, tel: +32-2 286 94 12; fax: +32-2 230 21 23; mobile: +32- 476 40 24 79; e-mail: Laura.Bacci@youthforum.org