On 3 December, the first official meeting of the President of the European Commission’s Youth Advisory Board took place in Brussels

The Republic of Moldova participated in this inaugural meeting, held on 3 December in Brussels. The Board is a newly established structure, announced in the Political Guidelines for the 2024–2029 mandate, designed to provide advice on EU policies affecting young people and to strengthen their involvement in shaping the future of the European Union.

Protecting young people from the negative effects of social media on mental health and identity, creating fair and practical online safety standards, ensuring data privacy, developing digital skills, combating cyberbullying, and encouraging young people to express their opinions safely in the digital environment were among the key topics addressed by the Board during its first official session.

At the opening session, held in the presence of the President of the European Commission, and following preparatory discussions with Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport – participants contributed proposals for defining the most effective European measures on online safety.

The Board brought together more than 30 representatives of National Youth Councils from EU Member States, a representative of the European Youth Forum, as well as observers from candidate and potential candidate countries. Moldova was represented by Laura Vition, delegate of the National Youth Council of Moldova and the National Coalition “Life Without Violence”.

In line with President Ursula von der Leyen’s commitment outlined in the Political Guidelines, the Youth Advisory Board was created to provide direct advice to the President on the issues that matter most to young people, to integrate their perspective into European policies, and to place them at the centre of the European Union’s decision-making process.