The EuroMed Youth Programme and Arab Mediterranean youth: a realist vision

Abstract

The EU's EuroMed Youth Programme has for a long time been the only one exclusively aimed at young people in Arab Mediterranean countries. Using a policy evaluation framework, this article argues that this programme is a direct reflection of the EU policy for the Mediterranean, which is more focused on a diagnosis based on the contextualisation of the problem than on the social reality and the needs and expectations of the region's young people. Although it has been beneficial for the few young people who have participated in it, in general it possesses certain deficiencies in its design and execution that may negatively affect its results. Thus, in the design and execution of policy instruments, it is fundamental to carry out a close examination and use all the data available – such as those offered by the SAHWA Youth Survey 2016 – to increase and guarantee the social relevance of the cooperation programmes for young people in the region.

Keywords

• EU
• youth
• Arab Mediterranean countries
• EuroMed Youth Programme