Young European Ambassadors at the European Youth Week 2026: Generation Enlargement Workshop

On 24 April, 2026, Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) of the EU NEIGHBOURS east and WeBalkans joined more than a thousand young people at the European Parliament for the kick-off event of the European Youth Week (EYW) 2026. The EYW, organised by the European Commission, takes place once every two years to foster youth engagement and active citizenship. Under the themes of solidarity and fairness, the event brought together youth representatives, activists and high-level European officials.

In her video address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described Europe as “more than a place”, “a shared vision – carried forward by each generation”, while European Parliament President Roberta Metsola noted that as cost of living, affordable housing and quality jobs are the most concerning issues for young people across Europe, it is youth engagement “that is helping drive them up the European agenda”. In turn, European Commissioner Glenn Micalleff stressed the importance of recognising youth work, bringing opportunities closer to individuals and involving more young people in formulating youth policies.

Following the plenary, participants joined different sessions, ranging from democracy and youth participation to security and defence. Throughout the site, information stands offered creative ways to learn more about the EU, its diverse programmes and opportunities for youth engagement.

Among the highlights of the kick-off event was the workshop on ‘Generation Enlargement: How youth can shape the future of enlargement and democracy’ – jointly organised by the YEAs from EU NEIGHBOURS east and WeBalkans. The workshop aimed to showcase how EU enlargement, as a joint European project, is built around shared values and how it can benefit both EU and candidate countries’ citizens.

The workshop opened with an introduction to the EU enlargement process, followed by an interactive quiz testing participants’ knowledge of the enlargement history, countries on the path to membership and their accession trajectories. More than 40 participants were then split into two groups for parallel discussion sessions – one being ‘Trust and Rules’ and the other ‘Security and Prosperity’. The sessions produced visual manifestos on the advantages of enlargement, such as the strategic value of a larger EU, increased democracy promotion, opportunities for people and businesses, as well as ongoing challenges, namely rule of law backsliding, existing myths and a lack of public awareness. At the end, participants presented slogans on the future of Europe, emphasising the importance of a fair, inclusive and citizen-oriented enlargement process. 

Most importantly, the workshop explored how young people from the EU and candidate countries can engage in promoting the rule of law, strengthening youth grassroots initiatives and people-to-people ties across the continent. The discussions echoed the remarks made by President Metsola, who stressed that young people can shape the “momentum behind EU membership” as was seen in her homeland and as can now be observed in the candidate countries.

With support for EU enlargement standing at 56% among EU citizens and at varied levels among candidate countries, initiatives like these workshops and information campaigns remain especially crucial for engaging young generations. As youth advocacy expert Yuliya Ralko underscored a few hours earlier, “your action does not need permission to matter” and if the young people learnt something during the workshop, it is the importance of continuing to increase awareness, encouraging civic activism and working together toward a more united European future.