New publication: Youth mainstreaming, youth impact assessment and youth checks

Following up on the achievements of the European Year of Youth, this report analyses youth mainstreaming practices in 33 European countries, with a particular focus on youth regulatory impact assessment (RIA) instruments in four EU Member States: Belgium (Flemish Community), Germany, France, and Austria. In the absence of a common term to designate such instruments, the report refers to them as ‘youth checks.’

This comparative analysis of youth checks represents a first attempt at delineating how these instruments function, highlighting both their differences and similarities, while also contributing to the exchange of best practices and peer learning among countries. The report is structured into five sections.

The first section introduces the concepts of youth mainstreaming and youth impact assessment (YIA). It then describes YIA instruments at the EU level, with a particular emphasis on the Commission’s better regulation agenda. This is followed by an overview of YIA practices across European countries. The third section provides an in-depth description of the features of youth checks. It also details and analyses, from a comparative perspective, the procedures in place in each of the four Member States. The final section concludes with an assessment of the results of youth checks, particularly regarding their impact on draft legislation.

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The analysis is based on first-hand qualitative information collected by the national correspondents of the Youth Wiki network, and through interviews with representatives of national public administrations. The Youth Wiki is an online platform presenting information on European countries' youth policies. It supports evidence-based European cooperation in the field of Youth by providing information on national policies in support of young people