On 6 February, Commissioner Hoekstra hosted a lively first Youth Policy Dialogue, engaging in insightful discussion on two critical topics: climate action and taxation.
President von der Leyen tasked all Commissioners to meet with young people in the first 100 days of the new mandate, to hear their concerns and questions firsthand.
Youth concerns take centre stage
For his Dialogue, the Commissioner met with 20 young participants from across Europe for a two-hour discussion. Each participant came well prepared with questions about the Commissioner’s portfolio. The discussion ranged from climate policy and the fossil fuel industry to the promotion of green jobs and competitiveness, green taxation and fairness.
Commissioner Hoekstra engaged with the challenging questions and underlined that climate action must go hand in hand with economic competitiveness and fairness, while ensuring that Europe takes a leading position in the circular economy.
The session concluded with a heartfelt appeal from Commissioner Hoekstra for the young people to stay engaged in climate action and help find solutions for the future.
The event was livestreamed– so if you could not follow it live, you can rewatch it.