Spain is experiencing several ongoing debates in youth policy, some of which are explicitly linked to the forthcoming Law of Youth (Ley de Juventud) Below are key topics of discussion:

Youth participation in shaping the new Youth Law

The Spanish Youth Council (CJE) has long advocated for a framework youth law that would institutionalize youth representation, strengthen youth bodies at regional and municipal levels, and regulate the status of CJE more formally.

The State Youth Law currently remains under development but is set to include four cross-cutting pillars: economic rights and social protection; democratic rights and political participation; mental health and well-being; and eco-social crisis and the rights of future generations. 

The drafting process includes public participation and, during 2024–2025, the CJE and MJUI organised territorial consultations to collect young people’s priorities for the upcoming Youth Law. The final report (Informe de resultados de los encuentros territoriales del CJE), published in June 2025, highlights demands for:

1. Stronger youth representation and stable youth councils at local and regional levels
2. Guarantees for gender equality and inclusion of diverse youth
3. Measures facilitating emancipation through housing, employment stability and mental health support
4. Recognition of non-formal education and volunteering as learning paths
5. Commitments to environmental sustainability and digital rights.

These recommendations serve as the basis for the Law’s consultative process and illustrate how youth organisations are directly influencing policy design.

Lowering the voting age to 16

This is among the most politically charged reforms. Currently, the voting age for general, regional, and local elections is 18. Over recent decades (2016, 2020, 2022), proposals to reduce it to 16 have been repeatedly introduced but never adopted.

In 2025, the Ministry of Youth and Infancia (MJUI) announced that the draft Law of Youth will include the expansion of the right to vote from age 16. This change would require amending Spain’s Law on General Electoral Regime (LOREG). 

The debate emphasizes youth agency, democratic renewal, and intergenerational justice.

For more information on youth participation in Spain, see Chapter 5.