Forthcoming policy developments

Recent and forthcoming developments in Hungarian youth policy include the introduction of new programmes and initiatives aimed at strengthening local youth engagement, improving access to information for young people, and expanding funding for youth organisations, according to the information provided by the ministry in 2026.

One major initiative is the Hungary Youth Capital (Magyarország Ifjúsági Fővárosa) title, which encourages municipalities to develop youth-friendly policies and programmes. Cities applied in pairs with a partner municipality from the Carpathian Basin. The 2026 title was awarded to the Cegléd–Gheorgheni (Gyergyószentmiklós) city pair, each receiving HUF 100 million (about EUR 250 000) to implement youth-related programmes between 1 January and 31 December 2026. The programme aims to strengthen local youth participation, improve services and opportunities for young people at the municipal-level, and foster cross-border cooperation among Hungarian communities.

Another development is the renewal of the Children and Youth Fund (Gyermek és Ifjúsági Alapprogram), which was relaunched with a record budget of nearly HUF 500 million (about EUR 1 250 000). The programme offers funding opportunities through several sub-programmes supporting youth organisations and community initiatives. Supported projects include community-building activities, the creation or development of youth community spaces, and programmes focusing on career guidance and drug prevention for young people.

A further initiative is the launch of the ifistart.hu platform in November 2025, which provides a structured online database of programmes, services and opportunities available to young people. The platform allows users to search for opportunities based on life situations and aims to improve the visibility of youth-related measures across different policy areas. The primary target group is 14–35-year-old young people, although the platform also serves parents, educators and youth professionals. The content is also disseminated through social media channels to reach young people on commonly used online platforms.

Ongoing debates

The main directions of the current youth policy governance are listed in sub-chapter 1.4. in the Main Themes section, including the preparation of a new National Youth Strategy and initiatives related to digital well-being and youth community development.