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1. Existence of a National Youth Strategy

2. Scope and contents

3. Responsible authority for the implementation of the Youth Strategy

4. Revisions/updates

Existence of a National Youth Strategy

There is currently no multiannual strategy specifically dedicated to youth. Nevertheless, public policies targeting young people are structured each year around the Cross-cutting Policy Document on Youth Policy (Document de politique transversale relatif aux politiques en faveur de la jeunesse).

Attached to the annual Draft Finance Bill, this document sets out the policy priorities, objectives and performance indicators implemented on an interministerial basis across various areas (education, training, social and professional integration, housing, health, safety, educational, sports and cultural activities, mobility, civic engagement and autonomy). These policies aim to reduce inequalities and promote equal opportunities for the benefit of young people.

It should be noted that these public policies do not constitute a “strategy” in the strict sense, as they are not formalised through a single plan or roadmap.

Scope and contents

Target population

The Cross-cutting Policy Document on Youth Policy covers a population aged from 3 to 30 years old (with a core target group of 6–25-year-olds). Within this framework, young people are identified through several categories, including children, pupils, students, minors, apprentices, young adults, young workers, young people subject to judicial measures, young people with disabilities, etc.

Objectives

The strategic priorities identified constitute the guiding principles of government action in the field of youth policy. For each priority area, specific objectives are defined and linked to indicators designed to assess their achievement. These indicators are based on those included in the annual performance plans of the relevant programmes:

PRIORITY AREA 1: Supporting young people in their openness to the world, sport, culture and civic engagement

• OBJECTIVE 1: Promote young people’s exercise of citizenship
• OBJECTIVE 2: Foster young people’s mobility
• OBJECTIVE 3: Ensure equitable access to culture and encourage artistic and cultural practices
• OBJECTIVE 4: Encourage participation in sport among all young people as part of the legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games

PRIORITY AREA 2: Reaffirming the priority given to education, guidance and training

• OBJECTIVE 5: Ensure that all pupils acquire the knowledge and skills required under the common core curriculum by the end of primary education
• OBJECTIVE 6: Enable the highest possible number of young people to achieve the expected levels of skills at the end of initial education and obtain the corresponding qualifications
• OBJECTIVE 7: Encourage further study and promote the completion of qualifications

PRIORITY AREA 3: Promoting employment and professional integration

• OBJECTIVE 8: Improve the transition into employment following secondary education
• OBJECTIVE 9: Improve the professional integration of higher education graduates
• OBJECTIVE 10: Promote young people’s access to employment through apprenticeships
• OBJECTIVE 11: Promote young people’s access to employment through tailored support pathways

PRIORITY AREA 4: Ensuring equal opportunities for all young people

• OBJECTIVE 12: Contribute to promoting equal opportunities in access to higher education and training for young people from different socio-economic backgrounds
• OBJECTIVE 13: Support the integration of young people subject to judicial measures
• OBJECTIVE 14: Support young people towards sustainable employment through appropriate vocational pathways

PRIORITY AREA 5: Improving living conditions

• OBJECTIVE 15: Promote health and quality of life throughout young people’s educational pathways
• OBJECTIVE 16: Protect young people in all their daily activities

This document is part of the broader framework of European youth policy. Pursuant to Article 165(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), EU action in this field shall aim to “encourage the development of exchanges of young people and socio-educational animators and encourage the participation of young people in democratic life in Europe”. In this context, the European Union Youth Strategy 2019–2027 provides the framework for European cooperation in the field of youth policy.

Responsible authority for the implementation of the Youth Strategy

According to the Decree of 8 January 2025 on the responsibilities of the Minister for Sports, Youth and Voluntary organisations, the Minister develops and implements youth policy and policies supporting the development of associative life. In this capacity, the Minister ensures, in particular in cooperation with the other relevant ministers, the promotion of civic engagement and, on behalf of the State, the effectiveness of the actions carried out by the Civic Service Agency (Agence du service civique).

Furthermore, the transfer of the function of Interministerial Delegate for Youth (Délégué interministériel à la jeunesse – DIJ) to the Director of Youth, Popular Education and Associative Life (Direction de la jeunesse, de l’éducation populaire et de la vie associative – DJEPVA) in November 2024 has helped streamline the coordination of State-led youth policies. This is achieved by relying on the administration responsible for designing and steering policies in favour of young people, civic engagement and popular education. The DIJ monitors the implementation of actions carried out by the various ministries for young people, while ensuring the involvement of all relevant stakeholders and partners.

At territorial level, interministerial coordination interacts with the lead authority role of local and regional authorities in youth policies, granted to regions by the Equality and Citizenship Law (loi Égalité et Citoyenneté) of 27 January 2017. However, its implementation remains highly uneven across regions. In regions where this lead authority role operates effectively, coordination bodies bringing together the State and local authorities make it possible to develop complementary policies for the benefit of young people.

Revisions/updates

There are currently no plans for a national youth strategy.