Europe Goes Local Advisory Board meets in Veszprém to reflect on progress and plan the next steps

From 3 to 6 November 2026, the Advisory Board (AB) of Europe Goes Local (EGL) met in Veszprém, Hungary, for a two-day meeting dedicated to reviewing the project’s progress, discussing the future of European youth policy and programmes, and planning upcoming activities. Around 20 participants took part, including representatives of National Agencies and EGL partner networks.

DYPALL Network contributed to the meeting in two complementary roles: as one of the European networks represented on the Advisory Board and as the organisation responsible for developing the EGL monitoring tools and reports.

A programme built around exchange and co-creation

Participants received updates from the EGL Project Coordination team and explored developments in European youth policy, including the new European youth programmes, the report on the Public Consultation for the EU Youth Strategy post-2027, and the Youth Barometer, presented by Babis Papaioannou from the European Commission. The morning also included a session on the calibrated national approaches, while the afternoon was dedicated to reflecting collectively on the changes and results observed over the past year.

On 5 November, the programme continued with a TCA Deep Dive, during which Advisory Board members discussed and co-created the activities planned for 2026 and 2027. This was followed by sessions focusing on the EGL partner networks. The day also included updates on the 2027 EGL Conference and the 2028 Youth Work Conference, as well as discussions on next steps and closing remarks.

DYPALL’s role: monitoring tools, reports and evidence

A key moment of the meeting was Session IV, dedicated to the EGL monitoring process. During this session, DYPALL presented the preliminary monitoring results and facilitated focus groups with Advisory Board members.

The monitoring process provides the project with a structured, evidence-based overview of how the calibrated national approaches are evolving, what changes are taking place, and which results can already be observed.

Sharing the preliminary findings in Veszprém served two purposes: it gave Advisory Board members an up-to-date picture of the progress achieved so far, while also creating an opportunity to validate, question and further develop the findings by drawing on the knowledge and experience of those working in different national contexts.

The focus groups were an important part of this process. Bringing together National Agencies and partner networks allowed DYPALL to gather qualitative insights that complement the data collected through the monitoring tools, helping ensure that the final reports reflect the diversity of realities across Europe. The discussions also contributed to the broader reflections on changes and results, as well as to the planning of TCA activities for 2026 and 2027.

Looking ahead

The Advisory Board meeting in Veszprém concluded with a clear set of next steps: continuing the co-creation of TCA activities for 2026 and 2027, finalising the monitoring results and reports, and preparing for the 2027 EGL Conference and the 2028 Youth Work Conference.

Europe Goes Local is hosted by JINT vzw and co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Youth programme and the European Solidarity Corps.