Almost twenty young locally-elected politicians from 13 different countries participated in our annual Young Elected Local Leaders (YELL) Summit on 12-13 September 2024 in Brussels, Belgium co-organised with the youth organisations of Renew Europe – LYMEC and YDE. The young leaders spent two days engaging in discussions on what liberals and democrats expect from the European institutions in the next mandate and their political priorities for the future.
Chaired by Dovydas Kaminskas, Mayor of Tauragė, Lithuania, this year’s YELL Summit saw participants come together to discuss innovative approaches to tackling local challenges. Delegates also exchanged ideas on key policy issues, including public healthcare, migration, democracy, and the rule of law. Isha Henry-Hament, a local leader from Breda, Netherlands, shed light on healthcare inequality, particularly persistent for women. She shared a project she is working on in her region that would introduce mobile bus clinics offering cervical cancer screenings, aiming to bridge gaps in healthcare access. From Porto, Portugal, local leader Pedro Schuller focused on the housing crisis, highlighting how short-term rentals have worsened the problem particularly in his country. He discussed different local initiatives aimed at converting older buildings into bigger and more affordable housing for residents, emphasizing the need for long-term solutions. Representatives from outside the European Union—Sara Arslanagić of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Isidora Stupar from Serbia—shared insights from their experiences as young politicians in nations aspiring to join the EU. Sara Arslanagić shared her success story of making Centar the most youth-friendly city in the country, while Isidora Stupar talked in-depth of the challenges Serbia faces in meeting EU accession standards, such as in tackling corruption. Hungarian leaders Evelin Hornyák and Kitti Modroczky noted the significance of engaging in local politics, especially following the recent European election results for Hungarian liberals, underlining the potential for fostering a democratic spirit at the grassroots level, where there is will to preserve the rule of law and uphold European values. Adding on to this, Carlo Sisti from Castellina in Chianti, Italy rightfully stressed the responsibility of politicians in building a politically engaged and conscious community through local governance, which is what he aims to do through his mandate, urging all local leaders to maintain a similar mindset. The diversity of perspectives shared by these young local leaders demonstrates a full readiness to influence serious political discussions and contribute to policymaking across Europe.
After a detailed presentation by LYMEC, the youth wing of the ALDE Party, on the campaigns and results of the recent European elections, the YELL participants welcomed Renew Europe Vice-President, MEP Dan Barna. The session focused on assessing the upcoming EU mandate and the future direction for liberals and democrats across Europe. Following an outline of Renew Europe’s key priorities for the next five years, the local leaders engaged in a lively discussion with Dan calling for a more equitable Europe, the need to continue tackling climate change and the will for greater involvement of young people in European politics and cohesion.
“The younger generation of politicians are an inspiration, and the passion of these local elected officials for the idea of “community” is infectious.” – concluded MEP Dan Barna.
Ahead of the Summit held at the European Committee of the Regions, young local leaders had the opportunity to visit the ALDE Party headquarters for a session with ALDE Secretary General Didrik de Schaetzen and LYMEC Secretary General Balint Gyevai. Representatives from Jeunes MR, the youth wing of Belgium’s liberal political party, also joined the discussion. The session focused on the new EU mandate, with liberal leaders sharing their expectations for the European institutions over the coming years and discussing key priorities for liberal elected officials in the new political landscape.
19 Young Elected Politicians participated in this edition from thirteen different countries: Sara Arslanagić (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Carmen Granato, Carlo Sisti and Francesca Tornaghi (Italy), Evelin Hornyák and Kitti Modroczky (Hungary), Isha Henry-Hament, Pepijn Pi Van De Venne and Lyke Veen (The Netherlands), Mafalda Sim-Sim and Pedro Schuller (Portugal), Tadej Marušič (Slovenia), Quentin Legouy (France), Andrei Valentin Stan (Romania), Isidora Stupar (Serbia), Laurenz van Ginneken (Belgium), Victor Rundqvist (Sweden), Goda Košinskytė (Lithuania) and Eric Grabowski (Germany).
To access all photos from the event, click here.
The Summit of Young Elected Local Leaders (YELL) is an annual event co-organised with Renew Europe pan-European youth movements. If you are active in a liberal and democrat youth movement and want to participate in a future edition of the event, make sure to get in touch with LYMEC or YDE. You can also contact our external relations coordinator for more information: Andreea.Colintineanu@cor.europa.eu.
