[BREITBART] EU nations must “empower” children to participate in “decision-making and policy development” at national and European level, according to a declaration adopted by the bloc this week.Children, by definition, aren't capable of making adult decisions. Seemingly neither are EU officials.
The Bucharest EU Children’s Declaration and Experts’ Supporting Document was adopted at the first ever ‘Children’s Summit’ in order to “guide European leaders” in putting “structured mechanisms” in place to ensure that young minors’ alleged “right” to influence public policy is respected, Brussels-based media reports.
At the event in Romania, whose national government has just taken over the EU rotating presidency, government officials and NGOs stressed that boosting the participation of children in political decision-making was vital to building a “stronger” European Union.
Asserting that participation in decision-making “is one of the fundamental children’s rights”, Romanian Minister of Labour and Social Justice, Marius Budăi, said that he hopes the declaration “will lay out the foundation of a mechanism through which children’s opinion becomes a constant component of decision-making processes at EU level”.
Drafted by a group of children together with so-called ‘human rights experts’, the document puts forward several arguments for why under-18s must “have a say” in policymaking including that “we are a significant part of Europe’s population and we are writing our own story through marches, vocalization, and representation”.
“We are demanding that our voices be listened and considered and we are offering our commitment to participate in good faith, to build the future EU together with you,” the declaration says, adding that “in order to be that future” lawmakers must involve children in taking part of policymaking “as early as possible” and that under-18s “must be looked upon as a resource, not only as an investment”.