EU-China Youth Policy Dialogue – Time for Change

The EU-China Youth Policy Dialogue (YOPOD) is a project of the European Youth in Action Programme, supported by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture and the Guanghua Foundation. It is a collaborative project of the European Institute for Asian Studies and the Chinese Association for European Studies. Enhancing the understanding and promoting dialogue and furthering cooperation between young people in both China and the European Union, important issues at stake in the EU and in China will be tackled throughout different activities, which will run until August 2012. The EU-China Youth Policy Dialogue aims at bringing together young people with an interest in EU-China relations, while ensuring long-term cooperation and further engagement in discussions and dialogue on different levels. The dialogue pursued by YOPOD will focus on policy measures taken up by European and Chinese policy-makers, focusing on the perspectives of young people. By exchanging views and best practices on the basis of papers written by the participants, the objective is to provide action plans and policy-recommendations to European and Chinese Policy-makers, as well as other stakeholders, in the different fields prioritised by the project. Engaging in in-depth discussions on topics, such as Climate Change and Environment, Youth Policy, Urbanisation, Social Policies and EU-China Relations, the activities of the EU-China Youth Policy Dialogue will take place both in Europe and in China.

In addition to building bridges between China and the European Union and to establishing links and cooperation with a long-term perspective, the EU-China Youth Policy Dialogue will provide a platform for discussion and exchange, as well as an online forum. Throughout the year, three main activities will take place. The first one, the EU-China Youth Policy Dialogue on Urbanisation, Social Policies and EU-China Relations, will take place in February 2012 in Chengdu, China. The second flagship event, the EU-China Youth Policy Dialogue on Climate Change, Environmental issues and Youth Policy, will take place in March 2012 in Brussels, Belgium. As a result of both flagship events, a substantial publication will be published, presenting the results of the discussions, including policy recommendations on the different subjects. The outcome of the flagship events will thus be presented at the final round-up conference in Brussels, in June 2012.

The activities of the EU-China Youth Policy Dialogue are open to participants between the age of 18 and 35 and focus on young people with a particular interest in one (or more) of the topics of the dialogue. Participants should be EU or Chinese citizens, who are willing to travel to respectively Brussels or Chengdu, engaging themselves to actively participate in the debates and workshops. For participants who require travelling from abroad or from other regions in China, travel costs and accommodation will be covered by the organisers, as well as VISA costs and insurance. A number of local participants will also be admitted to the programme in both Brussels and Chengdu. Travel costs and accommodation will however not be provided for local participants.