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YouthWiki

EACEA National Policies Platform
France

France

1. Youth Policy Governance

1.5 Cross-sectoral approach with other ministries

Last update: 28 November 2023
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  1. Mechanisms and actors

Mechanisms and actors

 

The Ministry of National Education and Youth is developing interministerial cooperation which, among other things, aims to create complementarity between policies and the ministries that implement them. Such complementarity is to be seen above all between youth policies, educational policies, and policies on culture.

The development and implementation of youth policies is based on multi-partner work involving the State and its ministries, local authorities, representatives of associations and youth movements, and, in some cases, young people themselves. This shared work may take the form of consultative bodies bringing together various parties involved in development of youth policies, such as the Advisory Council on Youth Policies (Conseil d’orientation des politiques de jeunesse – COJ), or of “territorial structured dialogue” in regions. The Cross-Ministerial Committee for Youth (Comité interministériel de la jeunesse – CIJ) brings together ministers concerned by questions of youth, enabling dialogue on and validation of policies and schemes concerning young people.

 

The cross-ministerial commitee of youth (CIJ)

The Decree No. 82-367 of 30 April 1982 defines the CIJ as "an interministerial committee for the consideration of youth issues [with] the purpose of proposing to the Government any measures to improve the living conditions of young people”

The Committee is chaired by the Prime Minister or, on his delegation, by the Minister of State for Youth and Sport. The Director of the DJEPVA, who is also the Interministerial Delegate for Youth (Délégué interministériel à la jeunesse – DIJ) under the authority of the Minister of National Education and Youth (Decree no. 2014-18 of 9 January 2014 on creation of an Interministerial Delegate for Youth), is responsible for preparing the CIJ’s deliberations and following up their decisions. He coordinates the implementation of actions carried out by the various ministries on behalf of young people, ensuring that all actors and partners contributing to them are involved. Preparation of the CIJ’s meetings is based on discussion and sharing of information that leads diagnoses shared between the various ministerial stakeholders, who are therefore able to make joint proposals of measures on behalf of young people. 

It should be stressed that the establishment and organisation of these bodies is not compulsory and systematic and depends on the will of the government. For example, the ICJ was last held in 2015.

 

 

 

The Advisory Council on Youth Policies

The Advisory Council on Youth Policies (Conseil d'orientation des politiques de jeunesse -COJ) is a consultative body reporting to the Prime Minister, created by decree n°2016-1377 of 12 October 2016 creating the COJ. After a five-year mandate, its missions were renewed in October 2021. It provides a forum for debate between the various parties involved in developing youth policies.

The COJ’s missions include assessment of youth policies, presentation of an annual activity report to the Government, and non-mandatory consultation on legislative and regulatory projects.

The Council also has a power of initiative to communicate proposals to the Government with a view to improving young people’s situation.

 The Council comprises eight boards when sitting in plenary session, reflecting its crosscutting character and horizontal cooperation:

  1. State
  2. local authorities
  3. young people and youth organisations
  4. youth and non-formal education associations and movements
  5. integration of young people
  6. social partners
  7. associate members
  8. qualified individuals

The COJ's members are as follows:

  • The Interministerial Delegate for Youth, Director of the Department for Youth, Non-Formal Education and Voluntary Organisations (DJEPVA)
  • The Ministers respectively responsible for social affairs, culture, defence, national education, employment, higher education, the interior, youth, justice, housing, Overseas France, health, and urban affairs
  • The President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council’s (ESEC) group of Student Organisations and Youth Movements
  • The Ministerial Delegate for Local Missions (Délégué ministériel aux missions locales – DMML)
  • The President of the “Youth Information National Union” (Union nationale de l’information jeunesse – UNIJ) association
  • The President of the Network of Second-Chance Schools (Réseau des Ecoles de la deuxième chance – RE2C)
  • The High Commissioner for Civic Engagement (Haut-commissaire à l’engagement civique – HCEC)
  • The President of the National Family Allowances Fund (Caisse nationale d’allocations familiales – CNAF)
  • The President of the National Health Insurance Fund for Salaried Workers (Caisse nationale d’assurance maladie des travailleurs salariés – CNAMTS)
  • The President of the Agricultural Social Mutual Fund (Mutualité sociale agricole – (MSA)
  • The President of the National Union of Social Action Community Centres (Union nationale des centres communaux et intercommunaux d’action sociale – UNCCAS)
  • The President of the National Union of Family Associations (Union nationale des associations familiales – UNAF)

 

The Council’s different sessions have distinct roles:

  • “The plenary session sets the major focuses, enables members to share a common culture and common objectives, and ensures regular communication of committees’ and workgroups’ activities”.
  • “The two thematic committees (non-formal education and integration of young people) work on more targeted problems”.
  • “Committees and plenary sessions alike may create workgroups to appraise specific questions”.