Structure of Decision-making

According to Article 117 of the Constitution, youth matters are covered by concurring legislation. Therefore, the legislative powers on youth matters are distributed among the central Government, the Regions and Autonomous Provinces. The determination of the fundamental principles is laid down in State legislation (Cf. 1.2). 

As far as the national level is concerned, the Prime Minister is responsible for youth policies. The responsibility is generally delegated to a Political Authority, either a Minister (as is currently the case) or an Undersecretary of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

The Department for Youth Policy and the Universal Civic Service constitutes the operating arm. Its mandate includes:

• The implementation and coordination of the youth strategy (Cf.1.3);
• The promotion of youth rights;
• The management and implementation of the Universal civic service programme;
• Support to the supervisory functions of the Delegated Political Authority on the Italian Youth Agency;
• The representation function at European and international level for youth policy matters.

For the promotion of youth rights, the Department benefits from the collaboration of local authorities and other stakeholders, including the National Youth Council.

At local level, according to Article 117 of the Italian Constitution, Regions and Autonomous Provinces are entitled to legislate on youth policies, except for the determination of the fundamental principles, which are laid down in the State legislation (Cf. 1.2). Therefore, with the contribution of the Provinces and Municipalities, the Regional Departments for Youth Policies can define the needs, proposals, safeguards and rights in the planning and implementation of the measures adopted in favour of youth within their respective territories.

Main themes

The draft bill delegating legislative powers to the Government in the field of youth policies and the universal civic service, approved by the Council of Ministers on 22 December 2025 and which now needs to be discussed and approved by the Parliament, provides for the simplification, reorganization, and coordination of national youth policies and for the revision of the legislation on universal civic service. It aims to fully implement the EU Youth Strategy, promoting the active participation of young people in political, economic, and social life, as well as in decision-making processes and policy choices that affect them, while ensuring respect for the principle of intergenerational equity.

Pending the draft bill’s approval by the Parliament, youth policy themes and priorities are agreed by the National Government, the Regions, the autonomous Provinces, ANCI and UPI within the framework of the Unified Conference. The current Agreement includes, among its main themes, the social inclusion of young people, the active and inclusive youth participation, and the support for young people in the transition from education to the labour market (Cf.1.3).

The Italian Youth Agency

The Italian Youth Agency (Agenzia Italiana per la Gioventù – AIG) is a non-economic public body endowed with legal personality and with regulatory, organizational, managerial, asset, financial, and accounting autonomy. It was established by Decree-Law No. 13 of 24 February 2023, as converted by Law No. 41 of 21 April 2023. 

The Italian Youth Agency operates within the framework of the objectives set out by the European Programmes and in implementation of Decision No. 1719/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2006, Regulation (EU) 2021/817 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021 and Regulation (EU) 2021/888 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021.

It manages the European youth programmes Erasmus+ | Youth and Sport and the European Solidarity Corps. It also implements measures in favour of youth in agreement with and funded by the Department of Youth Policies and the Universal Civic Service. It promotes European citizenship, active citizenship and the participation of young people in the social and democratic life of the nation; it supports the acquisition of transversal skills, research, training and educational processes and promotes non-formal education; it fosters employability and access to the labour market; it encourages the values of solidarity, tolerance and social cohesion; it promotes European and international cooperation in the field of youth policies, as well as cooperation with Italians living abroad.

Policy Monitoring and Evaluation

In Italy, the controlling and monitoring of youth policies financed through the Fund for Youth Policies is exercised by the Department for Youth Policies and the Universal Civic Service and is addressed at verifying the correct use of the resources of the Fund earmarked for national and territorial interventions.