The 1st Youth Knowledge Brief on rural youth was launched

Last updated on Wednesday, 10/06/2026

The EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership has developed a new series of Youth Knowledge Briefs, summarising key findings, insights and policy recommendations from emerging topics and studies on youth. Find out more about the first edition on the ‘Right to stay in rural areas’!

Between 2026-2028, the EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership is developing a new series of Youth Knowledge Briefs aimed to provide concise overview of emerging topics in the field of youth research. This first publication explores the importance of supporting young people in rural communities in their right to stay, grow and thrive in their local environment. The complementary webinar (19 May 2026) is also available online.

This theme is especially timely, as both the European Commission and the Council of Europe have recently prioritised the need to develop a European policy agenda enabling younger generations to prosper in the countryside. The goal is to make rural life viable, attractive and sustainable for younger generations in the years to come. 

In this context, the first Youth Knowledge Brief:

• helps situate and present current European trends in the lives of rural youth;
• give an overview of the latest research on their mobility trends;
• explores the concept of the “right to stay” to better support community needs and tackle regional disparities;
• examines the diverse reasons for why young people might stay or leave the place they call home;
• proposes policy measures that best support ‘fluid mobilities’, effectively allowing young people to move, return and remain connected to rural life (recommendations include the development of better digital infrastructures, the importance of youth participation in local decision making, targeted rural employment programmes and better investment in public transport and rural industries).