Young Elected Politicians in European Commission's Youth Dialogues

On 6 March 2025, five members of the Young Elected Politicians Programme from Austria, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain gathered in Brussels for the European Commission's Youth Policy Dialogue, in the margins of DG EMPL's annual flagship event on social policy, the European Employment and Social Rights Forum. Hosted by Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu (EVP) alongside Mario Nava, Director-General of Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion (DG EMPL), the dialogue provided a vibrant forum for young leaders to discuss pressing issues around youth employment, skills development, and the future of the labour market, especially in relation to artificial intelligence (AI).

The dialogue began with insights from Mr Mario Nava, who highlighted Europe's substantial progress over the past two decades, citing historically high employment rates while pointing to the critical need for ongoing upskilling, reskilling and continuous training in response to technological advancements.

Executive Vice-President Mînzatu further stressed the significance of aligning personal skills and passions with job requirements. She highlighted Europe's advancements in creating safer workplaces and recognised young people's increased focus on work-life balance. EVP Mînzatu also raised key discussions on the implications of AI's expanding role in workforce management, advocating for a human-centric approach to its integration.

YEPs insights on quality jobs and the role of AI

On quality jobs, Maxime van Boven (NL/PES), District Councillor of Amsterdam, emphasised the importance of aligning work with personal values and societal contribution. She saw AI's potential positively, noting it could take over repetitive tasks, enabling workers to engage in more meaningful tasks, but stressed the need for clear regulations.

The EVP expressed interest in hearing more about the perspectives of young participants regarding AI regulation, specifically whether they preferred formal regulations or non-binding recommendations and guidance.

Responding to this query, Pol Álvarez (ES/EA), City Councillor of Catalunya, mentioned that any regulatory approach should focus on the broader context. He recommended that the EU develop comprehensive guidelines rather than excessively detailed regulations. Furthermore, he underlined the importance of education and ongoing training to effectively prepare the workforce for future employment needs related to artificial intelligence.

Holding the dual roles of PhD candidate in Robotics and Athens City Councillor, Diana Voutyrakou (EL/PES) highlighted critical concerns regarding AI biases, underlining their potential impacts on workplace dynamics, social inequality, and accessibility. She underscored the importance of transparency, advocating that citizens should be informed whether decisions affecting them are made by humans or AI systems, especially given the growing reliance on automated decision-making. Voutyrakou also called for enhanced critical thinking, stressing that digital literacy alone (meaning the knowledge to use the technology) is insufficient. Instead, she argued, citizens must also develop information literacy; the ability to critically assess information before adopting, reproducing, or applying it.

On the impact of AI in workplaces, particularly when it acts "as a boss" and "not as a tool" as EVP Mînzatu noted, Pedro Pereira da Silva (PT/EPP), Elected Member of the Assembly in Vila do Conde raised the distinctive ethical concerns AI presents, including its potential to disrupt established career paths. To address these ethical challenges, he called for regulatory frameworks and underscored the need of investment in education.

EVP Mînzatu referenced Mr. Pereira da Silva's human-centric perspective on AI's disruptive influence in the workplace, stressing the need to consider scenarios in which algorithms are responsible for recruiting and managing teams while questioning what this means for job quality.

In his capacity as Commissioner for Children and Youth of Vienna's 8th district, Florian Wunsch (AT/Greens) shared with the EVP some expectations of the next generation for their careers. "Besides fair wages, a decent work-life-balance and pursuing a truly meaningful career are absolutely key", he noted.

The 19 young participants also worked collaboratively in groups to further explore the linkages between education and workforce demands, as well as the designing of a human-centric AI for the future. Discussions underlined the importance of vocational training, and of strengthened social dialogue, including connecting teleworkers through labour unions.

Youth Dialogue with Commissioner Tzitzikostas

The same day, the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostashosted a Youth Policy Dialogue on 'Shaping the Future: Expectations and Needs of Young Travellers and Job Seekers'. Participants from Belgium, Bulgaria, Ireland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain shared their perspectives on topics within his portfolio, including on sustainable urban mobility and innovation. Our 2024 YEP, Anna Tzika (EL/EPP), Regional Councillor of Katerini, had the opportunity to join the discussion and engage directly with the Commissioner after the Youth Dialogue.

Background

Youth Policy Dialogues, first initiated during the European Year of Youth 2022, aim to encourage young people's active engagement by directly interacting with EU Commissioners. During the European Youth Week 2024, Vice-President Margaritis Schinas and Commissioner Iliana Ivanova held dialogues that gathered valuable insights into the perceptions and aspirations of European youth.

Find more photos from the European Employment and Social Rights Forum 2025 and the Youth Dialogue with EVP Mînzatu here.

This news item was written in framework of the CoR Young Elected Politician Programme.