The European Youth Capital (EYC) is a title awarded by the European Youth Forum to a European city annually, designed to empower young people, boost youth participation and strengthen European identity through projects focused on youth-related cultural, social, political and economic life and development. The European Youth Capital is an initiative by the European Youth Forum and is awarded for a period of one year. The first capital was chosen in 2009. Since 2014, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is an official partner the European Youth Capital title. The current capital for the 2026 calendar year is Tromsø, Norway. It is the northernmost city to ever hold the title, with a programme focused on climate resilience, youth participation in the Arctic, and the inclusion of indigenous Sámi culture.
Goals The European Youth Capital aims to promote intra-European co-operation between young people. Among the most important aspects of the institution is the betterment of everyday life of the youth in the city selected as youth capital, not just for the duration of the festivities, but in the long term. Additionally, participation of the youth in the design and implementation of the plans for each capital of youth is encouraged by the EYC. Ensuring that the youth are informed and actively involved in society and given opportunities for a better future is also a priority for the EYC initiative. Tourism and increased international prestige are some of the additional benefits of being named European Youth Capital.
Capitals (2009–2026) Since 2009, there have been the following European Youth Capitals:http://www.europeanyouthcapital.org/yfj/varna-bulgaria-awarded-european-youth-capital-2017/ Varna (Bulgaria) awarded European Youth Capital 2017, 20 November 2014 +European Youth Capital Year City Country Notes 2009 Rotterdam 2010 Turin 2011 Antwerp 2012 Braga Info 2013 Maribor Info 2014 Thessaloniki Info finalists: Ivanovo, Heraklion, other candidates: Barcelona, Konya, Perm, Trabzon 2015 Cluj-Napoca Info finalists: Ivanovo, Vilnius, Varna other candidates: Katowice, La Laguna, Badajoz, Ganja, Lecce and Perm 2016 Ganja other candidates: Varna, Vilnius, La Laguna and Badajoz 2017 Varna other candidates: Cascais, Galway, Newcastle upon Tyne and Perugia 2018 Cascais other candidates: Kecskemét, Manchester, Novi Sad and Perugia 2019 Novi Sad other candidates: Amiens, Derry/Strabane, Galway, Manchester and Perugia 2020 Amiens other candidates: Chișinău, Klaipėda, Timișoara and Villach 2021 Klaipėda other candidates: Chișinău, Greater Nicosia, Varaždin and Yaroslavl 2022 Tirana other candidates: Baia Mare, Kazan, Poznań and Varaždin 2023 Lublin other candidates: Baia Mare, Kazan, İzmir, Lviv and Poznań 2024 Ghent other candidates: Chișinău, Lviv and Veszprém 2025 Lviv other candidates: Fuenlabrada, İzmir and Tromsø 2026 Tromsø Other candidates: İzmir, Málaga, Sarajevo and Vila do Conde2027Parmaother candidates: Chișinău, Fuenlabrada, Málaga, Skopje 2028 Podgorica Other candidates: Chișinău, Leeuwarden, Paralimni and Pernik
See also European Capital of Culture European Region of Gastronomy
References
External links
Braga – European Youth Capital 2012 Thessaloniki – European Youth Capital 2014 Klaipėda – European Youth Capital 2021