Youth Parliament

In Italy, there are a number of organizations representing young people in different areas, but there is no youth parliament.

Youth Councils and/or youth advisory boards

The National Youth Council (Consiglio Nazionale Giovani -CNG) is the advisory and representative body of young people, which replaced the National Youth Forum. It was set up in 2019 with Law n.145/2018 (Art. 1 paragraphs 470 to 477). According to its statute, it is an independent and democratic association that promotes the rights and interests of young people “before the public authority in particular before the President of the Council of Ministers or the delegated political authority; it is heard at the request of the Ministers competent on political matters that have an impact on the younger generations”.

The CNG is a member of the European Youth Forum which represents the interests of young Europeans in international institutions.

The CNG is made up of Italian youth associations with at least 300 members, 70% of whom are under the age of 36, and of regional Councils/Forums. As of June 2025, over 80 organizations are part of the CNG.

The CNG is a democratic body and the renewal of the statutory bodies takes place every three years, through elections in which the representatives of all the member associations are called to vote, in compliance with the statutory duties. Members of the organizations adhering to the CNG who are between the ages of 18 and 36 are eligible for all positions in the statutory bodies. 

The statutory bodies of the CNG are the following:

• The General Assembly is the highest decision-making body composed by delegates from all the member youth organizations. It meets at least 4 times a year to vote on general guidelines, the budget and the final balance. It elects a Coordinator and a Deputy Coordinator;
• The General Assembly for the Congress meets every three years to elect, by secret ballot, the President, the Presidency Council and the Thematic Commissions;
• The Presidential Council implements the programmatic documents and motions illustrated by the General Assembly and supports the activities of the thematic commissions. It is made up of 11 people (a President and 10 Presidency Counselors) democratically elected every three years. It meets at least once every two months . Its members are elected by the General Assembly for the congress;
• Thematic Commissions are specialized technical bodies that support the Bureau and the General Assembly; its members are elected by the General Assembly for the Congress and elect a coordinator from among them; each commission meets at least once every 3 months.
• The Thematic Commissions are the following:
  • Culture, Sport, Legality
  • Gender Rights and Policies;
  • Active citizenship and civic service;
  • Foreign Affairs, Integration, European and international mobility;
  • Work, Training and Social Policies;
  • Environment and Agriculture;
  • Cooperation with the European Union.
• The President is the legal representative of the CNG and implements the resolutions of the Presidential Council;
• The Secretariat is made up of the Secretary General and the Administrative Secretary. The General Secretary and the Administrative Secretary hold office for three years and are appointed by the Presidential Council on the proposal of the President;
• The Treasury Office is made up of the Secretary/Administrative Office, the Secretary General and a member of the Presidential Council delegated to the Treasury, proposed by the President, who assumes coordination;
• The Board of Auditors remains in office for 2 years. It is made up of one President and two members elected by the Assembly and controls the regular keeping of the accounts by the Administrative Secretary.
• The Board of Guarantors remains in office for 2 years and is made up of one President and two members. It is elected by the General Assembly from among persons of recognized prestige and independence. The interpretations of this Statute and internal regulations are entrusted to the Board of Guarantors and is a judge with respect to disputes between the member organizations and the organs of the CNG.

In order to encourage the participation of young people in the political, social, economic and cultural development of the Country, the National Youth Council promotes:

• the dialogue among institutions, youth organizations and young people;
• the overcoming of obstacles to the participation of young people in the mechanisms of representative and direct democracy;
• the active citizenship of young people and, to this end, supports the activities of the youth associations, encouraging the exchange of good practices and their networks;
• the development of youth advisory bodies at a local level.

The Council collaborates with public administrations drafting studies and reports on the situation of youth, expresses opinions and formulates proposals on legislative acts that deal with youth issues, expresses opinions and formulates proposals on the legislative acts of Government initiative that affect young people; participates in European and international forums, encouraging communication, relations and exchanges between youth organizations of different countries.

The CNG Programmatic Lines 2023-2025 are focused on six key areas:

1. Labour, training and social policies
2. Gender rights and policies
3. Citizenship and Civic Service
4. Culture, Sport, Legality and Health
5. Environment and Agriculture
6. European and International Cooperation

The National Youth Council is financed through: funds allocated by the State Budget; membership fees from its members; contributions from third parties;  funds and financing obtained through participation in public and private funding calls at national, European, and international levels; any donations and bequests. For the funds allocated by State budget, the CNG is finacially accountable to the Department of Youth Policies and the Universal Civic Service. 

Participatory bodies of young people are active in almost all the Regions in different forms such as forums and councils. Each of these bodies has its own rules and objectives based on regional laws. (Cf.1.2)

Higher education student union(s)

The national council of university Students (Consiglio Nazionale degli Studenti Universitari, CNSU) is an advisory body of the Ministry of Education and Merit, established with the D.P.R. 491/1997. The CNSU is composed of twenty-eight members elected by the students of the third-year and specialist degree courses, as well as specializing and research doctoral candidates. Elections take place every three years. The Council may issue opinions and proposals to the Minister of Education and Merit and to the Ministry of University and Research concerning the university (implementation of the reforms, right to study, funding, news of national relevance regarding national universities). Finally, the Council elects among its members, eight representatives who sit on the National University Council (Consiglio Universitario Nazionale, CUN), the highest representative body of the Italian academic system.

School student union(s)

The Provincial Student Council (Consulta Provinciale degli Studenti, CPS) is a student representation body at provincial level composed of two students for each secondary school in the province. The representatives are elected by the students of their school and remain in office for two years. The Council has own funds  for events and projects aimed at supporting student participation in their local area. 

Other bodies

ANCI Giovani is the national council of young local administrators “under 35” in Italy, which represents all the young administrators of the municipalities belonging to the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI). ANCI Giovani promotes the training, meeting and exchange of good practices among young administrators.