A Youth Policy Dimension of EU-Central Asia Relations
Brief Summary
To increase the effectiveness, efficiency and visibility of the EU’s new policy for Central Asia, it is necessary to define clear priorities within the broad strategic framework provided by the 2019 EU Central Asia Strategy. Against the backdrop of the young populations of the five Central Asian countries, the IEP Policy Paper on Eastern Europe and Central Asia No. 1/2021 reasons that the EU and its member states should establish a youth policy dimension as a new priority of their relations with Central Asia. Based on the findings of a study commissioned by the German Federal Foreign Office, the paper summarizes the relevance and the challenges of youth policy for Central Asia before recommending to prioritize three tasks: (1) Setting up the youth policy dimension in Central Asia Relations; (2) Investing in regional youth cooperation, with a focus on education; (3) Establishing a Youth Fund for Central Asia.
