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YouthWiki

EACEA National Policies Platform
Czechia

Czechia

1. Youth Policy Governance

1.4 Youth policy decision-making

Last update: 23 March 2024
On this page
  1. Structure of Decision-making
  2. Main Themes
  3. The National Agency for Youth
  4. Policy monitoring and evaluation
On this page
  1. Structure of Decision-making
  2. Main Themes
  3. The National Agency for Youth
  4. Policy monitoring and evaluation

Structure of Decision-making

Policymaking

Youth Policymaking can be differentiated at several levels based upon the division of power in the state. Legislation could be prepared on the ministerial level or by other legislative actors such as the Parliament or its members, but also regions and others declared by Constitution. As there is no general Youth Act, any legislative decision-making in the youth field is usually done within the Parliament or lower legislative Acts within the Government or Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

The House of Deputies houses a Subcommittee on Youth and Leisure time Activities within its Committee for Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sports. Since the last elections in 2021, this subcommittee has become more active and problem-solving. However, according to the minutes of other parliamentary committees, parliamentary debates rarely focus on youth policies. Some public policy topics impacting also youth are discussed also in other committees as for social affairs, justice, culture etc. 

Decisions on youth policy are usually made at ministerial level by the (newly re-established) Youth Department. High-level decisions are made at the top executive level of the ministry by the director general responsible for youth or by the minister or its cabinet. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports is the central state authority in the field of youth. 

The State delegates many of the practical issues linked to the regional or local level to regions and municipalities. Therefore, these governance levels should create and implement their own youth policy strategies and practices.

Authorities involved in policy making
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports

The Ministry is divided into units managed directly by the Minister and to five sections led by Directors-General and the State Secretary.

Units directly managed by the Minister:

  • Minister’s Cabinet – the Office of the Minister (spokesperson, secretary, school ombudsman)
  • Sports Department (as the field of sports migrated in majority to the National Sports Agency, created in 2020)
  • and several other technical departments and units.

Sections managed by the Directors-General:

I. Economic and Legislative Section – takes care of financial management or financing of regional education and directly managed organisations, with educational and other legislation, legal and administrative matters (including executive service for the Minister of Education) and awarding public contracts, as well as for the property of the Ministry.

II. Section for Education and Youth  – includes that part of the educational system, which is administered mainly regionally, which means by the regions and municipalities. It contains units focused on a concept of the educational system, with the exception of  higher education field, the operation of the school’s register, educational content (programmes and standards) of schools from nursery to tertiary professional schools, individual, institutional and preventive education, further education of adults, as well as pedagogical workers. (Since 1 January 2020, two previous sections, namely on Education and Youth and Sports were abolished and this new section was created including the youth issues). 

III. Section of Higher Education, Science and Research – focuses on the area of higher education institutions and their financing and the area of research and development including financial support, research policy and international cooperation

IV. International and EU Affairs and Operational Programmes Section – coordinates and administers international and EU affairs, Operational Programmes of the European Union, i.e. Education for Competitiveness Operational Programme, Research and Development for Innovations Operational Programme and more recently the Research, Development and Education Operational Programme.

V. IT and public procurement section – deals with public administration affairs and internal issues, as well as with statistical surveys and data gathering, preparation of analyses and information strategies

The actual execution of many administrative functions was transferred to the authority of the regional bodies, or the municipality.

 

Department for Youth (Odbor pro mládež)

Since 2023, the youth agenda is managed by the newly re-established Department for Youth. 

It is comprised of two units:

  • Youth Policy Unit - responsible for policy development and
  • Leisure-based and Non-formal Education Unit - responsible mainly for funding.

Policy development is supported by the Council for Youth, non-formal and leisure-based education. (Rada pro mládež, neformální a zájmové vzdělávání), established in 2022 as a consultative body of the Minister. 

 

Other ministries dealing with youth issues:

  • Ministry of Health
  • Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
  • Ministry of Interior
  • Ministry of Culture
  • Ministry of Environment
  • Ministry of Industry and Trade
  • Government authorities 
 
Bodies in Parliament responsible for the field of Youth:

The Czech Parliament is composed of two chambers – the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. In both chambers, there is a committee with the competence for the field of youth. 

  • Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic (Výbor pro vědu, vzdělávání, kulturu, mládež a tělovýchovu)
  • Within the Chamber of Deputies, until 2013, there was also the specific Subcommittee on Youth and Sport (Podvýbor pro mládež a sport). After the elections in 2017 and with the new House of Deputies independent Subcommittee on Youth and Leisure-time activities (Podvýbor pro mládež a volnočasové aktivity) was set up which was also re-established in the current Chamber of Deputies in late 2021 after the elections. 
  • Within the Chamber of Deputies, there are also youth-issues related bodies such as the Subcommittee on Foster Care and the Subcommittee for Family Crisis Situations. Many of the youth sector issues are also discussed in other committees, e.g. Constitutional, Budgetary, Foreign Affairs etc. 
  • Committee for Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions of the Senate of the Czech Republic (Výbor pro vzdělávání, vědu, kulturu, lidská práva a petice Senátu ČR)
 
Regional public authorities with competencies in the field of Youth

The territory of the Czech Republic is divided by constitutional law no. 129/2000 Sb. on Act on regions into regions (higher units of territorial self-government), consisting of municipalities (lower units of territorial self-government). There are 14 regions, comprising of two jurisdictions:

  • Independent (self-governing)
  • Delegated (state administration)

Public administration is provided by the regional authority, which is divided into departments and sections for particular spheres of activity. Regions have to set up a Regional Committee for Education, Youth and Sport.  

The bodies coordinating the delegated activities of the regional authorities are the respective ministries.

Roles and competencies of regional authorities in the sphere of youth policy

Within their independent jurisdiction (self-governing), regional authorities can issue their own decrees, usually focused on a particular issue. 

The main responsibilities of regions within state Youth Policy are:

  • Elaboration, assessment and complementing of long-term objectives in the sphere of education and development of an educational system in the region
  • Presenting the long-term objectives and an annual report for the previous year to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic and to the Board of Representatives of the region
  • Dealing with topics raised by school councils of primary schools
  • Cooperation with the Czech School Inspectorate (Česká školní inspekce)
  • Performance of tasks arising from regional strategic documents in the areas of leisure activities, physical education and sports, crime prevention, and activities aimed at the protection against drug abuse, at the problems of national minorities and the prevention of socially undesirable occurences
  • Ensuring conditions for integration of disabled pupils into ordinary schools and educational institutions
  • Creating conditions for the development of leisure activities for children and youth. They should cooperate with non-governmental, non-profit organisations in implementing State policies related to the youth and sports
  • Organising competitions announced by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic
  • Implementing funding programmes of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic regarding the integration of the Romani community, education in the languages of national minorities and multicultural upbringing
 
Local public authorities with competencies in the field of youth:

Municipalities have both their independent jurisdiction (self-governing) and delegated jurisdiction (state administration). Public administration is ensured mainly by the municipal authority, which can be divided into departments and sections for particular spheres of activity (Act no. 128/2000 Sb, on municipalities). Within the scope of their independent jurisdiction (self-governing), municipal authorities can issue their decrees, usually focused on a particular issue. 

 
Other institutional actors:

Czech Council of Children and Youth (Česká rada dětí a mládeže, hereafter 'CRDM')

The CRDM is a democratic, voluntary association, independent of any political parties or movements.It was established in June 1998 by eight children and youth organizations, and as a national youth council in the Czech Republic, it is considered as a reliable partner of governmental administration. The CRDM represents the interests of its members towards domestic and foreign bodies, organizations and institutions.

It is composed of around 100 non-governmental children and youth organizations with more than 216 000 of their individual members – with small and large organizations represented; In addition, nine regional children and youth councils  are members of the CRDM. The CRDM respects the sovereignty and independence of all its member organizations in compliance with their statutes and has no supervisory or senior power towards them, but represents them in dealing with authorities, organizations and institutions both at the national level and abroad.

The CRDM’s mission is to promote conditions for quality of life and the overall development of children and young people in society and in the state. The CRDM fulfills this mission by supporting non-formal education and activities of its members, in particular through the creation of enabling legal, economic, social and cultural environments for their activities. The council exercises its endowed assignments and powers through its bodies.

Regional councils of children and youth

Regional councils assemble children and youth organisations at regional level; they serve as places for promoting individual associations and other organisations and provide regional authorities with advice on out-of-school upbringing and education. In 2020 there were nine Regional Youth Councils active, namely: 

Children and Youth Associations

Non-profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaged in work with children and youth represent a necessary complement to school facilities for extra-curricular education. There are numerous NGOs working with children and youth in the Czech Republic. This tradition dates back to the 19th century when active participation in different associations and societies was an essential part of the social movement that led to the creation of an independent Czechoslovakia.

The state supports NGOs’ work to a significant degree; however, regions and municipalities often have their own financial schemes, and the private sector additionally supports activities of youth organisations. 

Youth Associations related to political parties

Past experience with the exploitation of children and youth benefiting the totalitarian political regime resulted in reluctance to connect political parties children and youth associations after 1990. By the end of the 1990s, however, youth organizations declaring their adherence to a political orientation (conservative, liberal, social democratic, and Christian democratic) were formed as a result of the creation of new political parties and movements in the Czech Republic. Small political youth organizations represent Young European Democrats with markedly fewer members (about 100), and membership of youth organizations related to other political bodies is even lower. By the end of 2015, the youth wings of political parties formed a common Association for strengthening dialogue among them. Since then it also follows that they have started to become more active in discussing topics related to young people, and not mainly to political ideologies as was the main trend earlier. Some of them are also members of the National Youth Council. However, their activity on this platform is rather low.

Youth Information Centres

Local youth information centres are places that provide, anonymously basis and free of charge, comprehensive and up-to-date information on various aspects of young people’s lives according to their demands and needs, corresponding to their age and capacities. This information shall be provided in compliance with the European Youth Information Charter and the Principles for Online Youth Information. The target groups of the youth information centres are, above all, young people up to 30 years of age. The YICs guarantee equal access to information for all young people.

The total numbers of YICs registered in the Czech Republic were 40 in 2008. As of 15 September 2019, only 16 were certified by the state. They are run mainly by school facilities for leisure-based education and by NGOs.

​The Youth Information System Development Framework for the Czech Republic was completed in 2008 and has undergone further development since then. However, since 2020 state support and coordination to the Youth Information Centres was cancelled. The National Youth Information Centre (Národní informační centrum pro mládež) was a state unit under the National Institute for Education, Education Counselling Centre and Centre for Continuing Education of Teachers (NÚV), but since 1 January 2020, it was abolished, with the integration of the National Pedagogy Institutet and the National Youth Information Centre was not transferred to the new institute. 

Youth Information Centres coordinated Czech national activities of the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency (ERYICA). However, there is no Czech representation at ERYICA since 2020. 

Apart from this official system, there was and still is also an alternative Association on supporting the development of the Youth Information Centres which has its own strategy and goals on development. Six Youth Information Centres were members of the Association in 2023.

 

Main Themes

In response to the need for the creation, implementation and evaluation of Youth Strategy 2020, the Department for Youth of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in 2012 began the coordination of 12 working groups focusing on the main topics for youth:

  1. Rights of children and youth
  2. Information for youth
  3. Leisure-based and non-formal education
  4. Leisure time
  5. Youth mobility
  6. Employment and employability
  7. Lifestyle and health
  8. Youth Participation
  9. Volunteering
  10. Young people with fewer opportunities
  11. Environment
  12. Media and culture

Furthermore, a cross-sectional working group of youth researchers operates across all the above-mentioned thematic working groups.

With the abolition of the National Institute for Children and Youth at the end of 2013, the coordination of these working groups became overloaded. Combined with low activity of their members, they ceased operations. 

In 2014, a National Working Group for the Structured Dialogue with Youth was set up and coordinated by the National Youth Council. The activities of this Working Group broadly took over the operations of the ministry's Participation working group.

In 2015, a small group on linking youth work and social work was established to support better inclusion of young people, and to facilitate the benefits and activities of providers focused on social work as well as youth work. 

Similarly, in 2015, a new working group on hate issues met within the framework of Ministry thematic working groups.

At the same time, other themes are tackled on a national level with separate Policy strategies with high importance and a direct link to Young people. Those are mentioned in respective thematic Chapters of the Youthwiki. 

In 2018 The Youth Department of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports set up a new cross-sectoral group to evaluate the State Youth Strategy, which was operational in 2019 and abolished when the Department was dismissed from the Ministry in 2020.

 

The National Agency for Youth

Since 2014 there has been no specific National Youth Agency in the Czech Republic. Until the end of 2013, the National Institute of Children and Youth existed under the direction of the ministry’s Youth Department. The Institute was set up in 1953, and during its existence, it was renamed several times, as well as undergoing changes in scope and competences. During this time it was the central State Agency on Youth. Since the abolition of the Institute, its portfolio was split, though limited in scope, among other public Agencies under the direction of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and the direct management of the Youth Department was lost. Instead, current cooperation happens bilaterally among the Agencies. Since 2020, the two public agencies dealing with some aspects of youth are:

 

Policy monitoring and evaluation

No specific mechanisms exist for monitoring and evaluating Youth Policy and  Youth Strategy, as there is no dedicated Youth Strategy. However, this is changing in 2024, when the new Youth Strategy should be developed. From 2023, the responsible body is the Council for Youth, Non-formal and Leisure-based Education of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has its own internal mechanisms for M&E, whereby a partial role could be considered by the activities of the Czech Council of Children and Youth (National Youth Council) and the parliamentary bodies.