On this page

1. How Youth policy is funded

2. What is funded?

3. Financial accountability

4. Use of EU Funds

How Youth policy is funded

Every year, the government of Flanders estimates the budget for the next year. This budget allocation is presented to the Flemish Parliament and discussed in parliamentary committees The Flemish Parliament has to accept the budget allocation before the Flemish government can use the budget for expenditure. This budget allocation also contains the means for youth policy. 

In 2023, the budget for the youth programme was 65.662.000 euro. This is 0,1% of the total budget for the Flemish community in 2023 (62.555.985.000 euro), or 0,4% of the budget for Education & Training (18.082.598.000 euro).

The budget allocated to youth within the Department of Culture, Youth and Media is 58.223.000 euro in 2022. The budget allocated to the Act on the Flemish policy on youth and children’s rights is 33.270.000 euro.

In 2021 the budget allocated to youth within the Department of Culture, Youth and Media was 56.256.000 euro. The budget allocated to the Act on the Flemish policy on Youth and Children's Rights was 36.390.000 euro.  

What is funded?

In more detail, the resources were used as follows:

• 35.782.000 euro for youth (work) organisations who work on national level;

• 9.018.488 euro for youth work organisations on a sub-regional level, intermunicipal collaborations and the Flemish Community Commission (Brussels)

• 4.376.211 euro for the supporting organisations for youth work and the Flemish Youth Council

• 2.714.000 euro for innovative and/of experimental projects

As mentioned, youth tourism is an important part of Youth policy. The financing was as follows: 

• 10.445.512 euro for youth accommodation and hostels (incl. General Service for Youth Tourism)

• 527.789 euro for supporting organisations in the field of youth tourism

There is also a yearly budget for international youth policy. In 2023 the budget was 373.000 euro.

Financial accountability

Youth organisations play an important role in the implementation of Flanders’ youth policy. Youth organisations or youth associations usually receive funding based on specific funding regulations or grant schemes. The criteria for types of organisations funded is described in the legislation. 

Youth organisations or youth associations receiving an operational grant on the basis of the Decree of 20 January 2012 on a renewed conducting a renewed youth and children’s rights policy need to submit every year a financial report and a report of an independent auditor, who’s a member of the Institute of Auditors, to the Flemish administration. The date and formal requirements of the reports are defined by the Flemish government.
 

Use of EU Funds

The Flemish Youth and Children’s Rights Policy Plan does not (directly) use EU funds. 

Some youth organisations or youth associations are supported through the EU funds. EU funds that have been used are:

• Erasmus+ is the EU funding programme for education, training, youth and sport in Europe. The 2021-2027 programme places strong emphasis on social inclusion, the green and digital transition and promoting youth participation in democratic life. Erasmus+ Youth is the youth section within Erasmus+. Through Erasmus+ Youth, the European Union supports international meeting and exchange for and by young people and youth workers from youth organisations in leisure time. The Flemish government has designated Jint vzw to coordinate and to implement the youth programme in Flanders. Jint vzw is in charge of information and promoting, training, funding and assessment.

• The Operational Programme for the implementation of the European Social Fund (ESF) in Flanders in the 2014-2020 period supported initiatives to increase employment and improve social cohesion in Flanders. The ESF programme laid down the priorities for the expenditure of 1 billion euro. 600 million euros was financed through the Flemish budget and 400 million euros through the European budget. 

On 1 July 2021, the European Social Fund+ integrated the former European Social Fund (ESF), the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) and the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI). This merger attempts to use the funding in an efficient and more coherent manner. With a budget of over €99 billion (current prices) for the 2021-2027 period, the ESF+ will invest in the following priority areas:

• Supporting young people who have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 crisis - ESF+ resources will help these young people find a qualification, a good quality job, and improve their education and training;

• Helping children in need by allocating ESF+ resources to targeted actions to combat child poverty, and supporting the most vulnerable in society suffering from job losses and income reductions, including providing food and basic material assistance to the most deprived; 

• Reskilling and upskilling people for the transition to a green and digital economy;

• Capacity building for social partners and civil society organisations;

• Transnational cooperation for promoting social innovation across the EU;

• Direct support to social innovation through the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand.