EU Youth Coordinator

EU Youth Coordinator role 

The European Commission proposed the establishment of the EU Youth Coordinator role with the objective of enhancing cross-sectoral cooperation, as well as knowledge development and exchange on youth issues in the European Commission.

The Council welcomed this intention in the Council Resolution on the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027, noting that the EU Youth Coordinator should work hand in hand with various stakeholders to ensure a coherent communication towards young people.

In its Conclusions from 29.11.2023 the Council promoted youth mainstreaming in policy decision-making processes in the European Union. It invited the European Commission to “mainstream a youth perspective in policy design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, applying that view to all areas affecting young people’s lives, involving, as appropriate at EU level, the EU Youth Coordinator.”

What does the EU Youth Coordinator do?

The EU Youth Coordinator facilitates the Commission Youth Network of youth correspondents from across the Commission and chairs the EU Youth Stakeholders Group. 

The Coordinator:

• encourages the integration of youth perspectives (including input received through the EU Youth Dialogue) in all relevant policies,
• strengthens the cooperation and coordination between Commission services working on youth issues and
• raises awareness of EU opportunities for young people.  

Examples of activities of the EU Youth Coordinator

Biliana Sirakova was appointed as the first EU Youth Coordinator in June 2021. 

Youth Policy Dialogue with Commissioner Iliana Ivanova during the European Youth Week 2024 moderated by the Youth coordinator Biliana Sirakova. ©European Union, 2024

Below you will find a non-exhaustive list with the activities of Ms Sirakova.  

2025

• Represented the Commission in the EU Youth Conference in Lublin organised by the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU
• Was a keynote speaker in the Europe 101 online leadership programme for young people
• Moderated the Youth Policy Dialogue with Commissioner Jørgensen: Shaping a clean, sustainable, and fair energy future
• Was the closing speaker of Your Europe, Your Say! 2025, the flagship youth event of the EESC
• Spoke at an EU Activism Seminar by the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS)
• Contributed to the co-creation process of the new Intergenerational Fairness Strategy

2024 

• Advised DGs and services on youth policy issues and on the establishment of youth engagement actions and connected them with youth stakeholders (e.g. DG ENER/CINEA on set up the Young Energy Ambassadors network, Fundamental Rights Agency on the establishment of a Youth Advisory Panel)
• Led the setup of the new Commission Youth Network of youth correspondents
• Led the preparation and setup of the new EU Youth Stakeholders Group
• Led the setup of the new youth check process in the European Commission
• Carried out 88 outreach and communication activities (including speaking engagements at conferences, events and panels, delivering workshops and presentations to young people and youth organisations)
• Represented the Commission in an Expert Seminar on European and international policy agendas on Children, Youth and Children’s Rights and the EU Youth Conference in Ghent, organised by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU; in the seminar on the EU Youth Dialogue under the Hungarian Presidency and the May EESC plenary session in a debate on “Youth voices for EU choices”
• Was a panellist at the launch of the policy study “From Posts to Polls” by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES)
• Moderated the youth policy dialogue with Commissioner Ivanova “European Degree and Learning mobility” (recording)
• Contributed to the 2024 European Youth Week and was a panellist at the Committee of the Regions session on “Youth and democracy”
• Contributed to a publication on youth mainstreaming

2023

• Led the preparation of the Commission Communication on the European Year of Youth
• Provided policy expertise and oversight in the evaluation of results of the European Year of Youth
• Carried out more than 100 outreach activities. Examples: 2023 Your Europe, Your Say, interview with Radio Romania International, annual EU-US Young Leaders Seminar, digital fishbowl discussion Policy making for all, UNDP conference on the Youth Guarantee)  
• Organised and chaired 2 meetings of the Commission Youth Network and 2 meetings of the European Year of Youth national coordinators and stakeholders group
• Moderated 5 youth policy dialogues with Commissioners
• Represented the Commission in the legacy event on youth mainstreaming of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU
• Recorded a video for the MOOC on Youth policy essentials
• Was a speaker and participant in the EU Youth Conference in Alicante, organised by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU 

2022 

• Undertook more than 150 outreach activities (speaking engagement at conferences, meetings with young people and stakeholders, podcasts, interviews, videos). Examples: podcast with Eurodesk, online session with the Institute for a Greater Europe, video for Housing Europe's Annual Conference in Helsinki, joint webinar of the European Commission, Eurofound and ILO, Youth in the Northen Periphery and Arctic conference, European Citizens’ Initiative Day
• Led the preparation and chaired 5 Commission Youth Network meetings and 11 meetings of European Year of Youth national coordinators and stakeholders group
• Moderated 9 youth policy dialogues with Commissioners

September – December 2021

• Was one of the team leaders in the 2022 European Year of Youth (EYY) taskforce responsible for the engagement of the national coordinators and youth stakeholders and outreach externally and internally in the Commission
• Established an informal Commission Youth Network with representatives from 15 Directorate-Generals
• Carried out more than 80 outreach and communication activities, speaking engagements, interviews. Examples: online talk on youth participation for Schwarzkopf-Stiftung Junges Europa, presentation at the ALL DIGITAL SUMMIT Social Hackademy, interview at Bundesregierung.de, interview at fse.gouv.fr, guest in the Under 30' podcast of the EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership
• Recorded a video for the European Solidarity Corps general online training.

Commissioner Marya Gabriel (right) and Youth Coordinator Biliana Sirakova © European Union, 2021