EU: Youth Affairs Ministers from across Europe will meet today in Co Clare, seeking to advance an EU framework for the development of youth policy.
At the youth conference taking place in Dromoland Castle, Newmarket-on-Fergus, as part of the Irish EU presidency, 170 delegates are to discuss the themes: "Young People and Politics - a key dimension of youth participation", and "The Development of Youth Policy at European Level".
As delegates arrived yesterday, security was stepped up at Shannon Airport and the road leading to the castle was closed to the public.
The overall aim of the two-day conference in Dromoland - birthplace of the Young Ireland patriot William Smith O'Brien and now a luxury hotel - is to make progress on the Commission's white paper: "A New Impetus for European Youth", which was presented in 2001.
The paper is seen as a key document
and has paved the way for many
initiatives designed to strengthen the role of young people in public policy decision-making.
In closed session today, the Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Ms Síle de Valera, will open the conference, after which the director for Youth, Civil Society and Communication at the European Commission, Mr João Vale de Almeida, will address the delegates followed by Mr Giacomo Filibeck, president of the European Youth Forum.
In preparation for the conference, Ms de Valera has visited 36 schools across Ireland to consult on the theme of "Young People and Politics".
She said: "I believe that involvement in politics and political debate is essential to ensure that young people have a real voice in shaping the future of a fast-changing Europe.
"As Minister for Youth Affairs, I want to do my part to ensure that young people are fully briefed on the importance for them of the period of change that lies ahead and to facilitate them in making a real contribution to the debate at both national and European levels."
Delegates from the 15 member- states and 10 acceding countries are expected to attend the conference, together with representatives from EU institutions.