The Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for Parliamentary Affairs highlighted the "convergence of positions" registered at the Azores Youth Council, which met today in Ponta Delgada to analyse the proposed investment plan for 2018.

At the end of the meeting, Berto Messias stressed "the convergence of positions among councillors on the priorities of the Government and the challenges that lie ahead in this area."

 This meeting of the Azores Youth Council included the presentation of several axes guiding the Government's action in this area for 2018.

Citizenship and volunteering, encouragement of creativity, promotion of training, leisure and training camps were some of the areas highlighted at the meeting. Moreover, it also addressed the management of the Youth Hostel Network, the support to youth associations, youth information, the encouragement of mobility and the youth participatory budget.

"In the beginning of the current legislative period, we defined three global goals for youth policies: more employability, more qualification and more civic participation," stressed Berto Messias. He added that the proposed Plan "defines a series of actions that continue this strategy so that we may have a better prepared, more critical and more participating youth that will be committed to the Region's medium-term future."

"We are aware that the councillors attending the meeting support the priorities we have set. However, they have expressed several concerns to which we have paid our full attention and, of course, we will take them into account," said the Regional Secretary.

In addition to assessing the proposed investment plan, the Youth Council discussed the post-2020 cohesion strategy. It was also attended by the Regional Assistant Secretary for External Relations, Rui Bettencourt, who heard the representatives of youth institutions on this matter.

Furthermore, the meeting addressed the opening of the public discussion period for the revision of the scheme regulating youth policies in the Azores. The process had already been announced by Berto Messias. It will take place in the coming months together with youth associations.