“I made a suggestion to create, at the European level, what we already have in Portugal, which is the Youth Parliament,” stated José Pedro Aguiar-Branco. He highlighted the challenges in engaging younger audiences, heavily influenced by social media, in political debates.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels, attended by representatives from the 27 EU member states, the president of the parliament explained the proposal. Aguiar-Branco emphasized the importance of establishing an ongoing process throughout the year, rather than a one-day session, with rules tied to representative democracy to engage young people in European political discourse.
“This concept does not appear to exist at the European level,” he noted, after discussing the idea with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and his Danish colleague, who holds the presidency of national parliaments. “It was a well-received idea that we will develop further,” he added, noting the aim to counteract “the attacks that the European project currently faces.”
In his address to his counterparts, which was accessed by Lusa, Aguiar-Branco described the initiative as stemming from a successful practice in the Assembleia da República, simulating political discussions with school-aged youth. “Many young people who participated in such exercises later chose to pursue political careers. Some even became deputies! Imagine such an exercise in different capitals and parliaments, combining efforts with existing European Parliament programs,” he remarked to his peers from other EU parliaments.
Aguiar-Branco further stressed the necessity of “creating spaces for people to debate,” while recognizing the role of social media, he affirmed that “it does not diminish the importance of human contact.”
“The confrontation of ideas must also happen in person. This underscores the importance of creating spaces for citizens to debate, including European topics,” he advocated.
