5. Participation
Most of the consultation of young people concerning youth policies in Romania is organised according to the law no. 52/2003 on decisional transparency, providing two important regulation on participation: (1) all public institutions initiating a normative act (with general applicability to a given territory, therefore a national or local regulation), have to publish a draft legislative proposal at least 30 days before its adoption and have to be opened to receiving comments and suggestions/amendments to the draft regulation from any citizen; (2) if a legally established organisation (NGO, trade union, employers organisation etc.) requires, the public institutions have to organise a public debate as a face-to-face (or online) opened meeting for all organisations and citizens interested in the legislation proposed.
At national level the National Council for Youth (NCFY) was established in 2020, including 60 representatives of youth civil society organisations, as the advisory structure of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The Ministry of Youth and Sports provides the secretariat of the NCFY. Following the government reorganisation in December 2021, the Council continued its activity, with the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities designated as the authority responsible for regulating and providing the secretariat for the NCFY. The Council is regulated by a Ministry Order, revised in June 2024.
A law establishing the National Council of Youth from Romania was adopted in 2006 creating a representative structure of youth organisations (NGOs, trade unions, political parties youth branches etc.). However, the law was never implemented. The council was supposed to have both a representation and consultation role, but due to its very complicated and non-functional regulation it was never actually established.