European Union Youth Conference

27th – 30th September, Dublin, Ireland 1. Background Information 

Between 1st July and 31st December 2026, Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) and the 

Department of Education and Youth (DEY) are working to support the upcoming Irish EU Presidency and its activities, including the European Union Youth Conference (EUYC) which will be held in Dublin in September. 

The EU Youth Dialogue (EUYD) is a consultation mechanism for young people in the EU and beyond. It is a forum for continuous joint reflection and discussion on topics that matter to young people. This participatory process involves young people, youth organisations, policy and decision-makers, as well as experts, researchers and civil society actors. The EU Youth Dialogue enables a partnership in the development and implementation of policy recommendations at local, regional, national and European level. This process supports the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy. 

About the 12th Cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue 

The EU Youth Dialogue is organised in 18-month work cycles. The 12th cycle runs from 

July 2026 to December 2027 covering the Irish, Lithuanian and Greek EU Trio 

Presidencies. The topic of the 12th cycle is based on the Youth Goal #4 of the EU Youth Strategy, focused on Information and Constructive Dialogue. The EUYD is governed by the European Steering Group, composed of the Ministries and National Youth Councils of the Trio Presidencies, the European Youth Forum and the European Commission. 

A Youth Dialogue Cycle is divided into two main phases: 

the Consultation (or Dialogue) phase 

the Implementation phase. 

During the Dialogue phase, consultations are held to gather the opinions, needs and solutions of young people on the covered topic (the Youth Goal). Then, the Implementation phase aims to implement the consultation results into concrete activities and actions at local level. EU Youth Conferences (EUYC) are a key element of the EU Youth Dialogue. They are organised by each Presidency and bring together up to 300 young people and political decision-makers at national and European levels. These conferences serve as key opportunities to gather ideas and demands on the EU Youth Dialogue at a European level, exchange good practices and advice, collect consultation results, and formulate specific political demands. The content of the three EU Youth Conferences of one cycle builds on each other. 

European Union Youth Conference in Dublin 

The EU Youth Conference during the Irish Presidency will take place from the 27th to the 

30th of September 2026 in Dublin. The conference is an integral part of the consultation, bringing together young people (18+) from across the EU and beyond to discuss how Youth Goal #4 could be implemented at a European level and the European 

Youth Goals are also being revised, together with representatives from the EU commission and youth ministries throughout the EU.  Attending the EU Youth Conference, are three youth delegates from national youth councils, who chair the national working groups on EU Youth Dialogue at a national level of each member state, along with youth ministerial representatives, young people from the EU candidate countries and youth representatives from various International youth led NGOs.  During the Irish presidency and the EU Youth Conference in Ireland, the dialogue will focus on empowering young people to be critical and responsible users and producers of information. For three days, delegations of young people and policymakers from almost 40 countries will work together to come up with actionable recommendations. Experts and decision-makers will be invited to give input on the topic and support this process. Outcomes of the EUYC will feed into Council Conclusions. 

Thematic areas and Workshops 

At the European Union Youth Conference in Dublin there will be two different topics being discussed concurrently. The first, is EU Youth Goal 4: Information and 

Constructive Dialogue which is the topic for the 12th cycle of EU Youth Dialogue and the entire presidency trio of Ireland, Lithuania and Greece. The second, is finalising the process of revising the EU Youth Goals themselves and bringing them up to date. The EU Youth Goals are part of the EU Youth Strategy. The revision will be done by creating new goals under specific themes and updating others. 

Find out more

The EU Youth Conference is part of the EU Youth Dialogue, delivered in Ireland through the Young Voices programme in the National Youth Council of Irland.  Find out more on the EU Youth Dialogue process and how to get involved here

CALL FOR TWO IRISH VOLUNTEER YOUTH JOURNALISTS – EUROPEAN UNION YOUTH CONFERENCE DUBLIN 2026

he National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) and the Department of Education and Youth is seeking Youth Journalists to cover the European Union Youth Conference (EUYC), taking place in Dublin from 27–30 September 2026 as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.  See here for more information 

 

CALL FOR MARKETPLACE PARTICIPANTS – EUROPEAN UNION YOUTH CONFERENCE DUBLIN 2026

Showcase Your Organisation at our Organisation Marketplace during the European Union Youth Conference in Dublin.

On behalf of the organising committee of the EUYC 2026 (see briefing note below) it is NYCI’s pleasure to invite you to express an interest in taking part in our marketplace activities at the fast-approaching conference taking place September 27-30 in Croke Park, Dublin. See here for more info