The European Union has demonstrated a commendable commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement. The European Green Deal has shaped European policy, guiding member states in the effort to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Despite global crises, the EU appears determined to win the global race toward a green and just transition. However, to translate this ambition into action across its member states, it will need more than carrot-and-stick tactics. It will need long-term policies that cannot fully flourish within short-term political systems.
Why are political systems so often short-term? Because a significant part of the society is not included. Younger citizens often have little say in the design of public policy, especially climate policy. In other words, the generation inheriting the crisis is expected to navigate an uncertain future without meaningful influence over the decisions that will shape it.
The youth participation problem
The youth participation problem in the EU is multidimensional. At the highest levels of political representation across member states, young people remain significantly underrepresented. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, only 3.2% of Europe’s members of parliament are aged 30 and under (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2025). The underrepresentation is even more obvious in the EU official offices.
Beyond formal representation, there is also a widening gap of trust between younger citizens and political institutions. The declining youth turnout in the 2024 European elections reflects this trend. At the same time, Eurobarometer data shows that many young people feel politically unheard: a significant share report not attempting to contact politicians because they believe “it would not have an impact” or that “politicians don’t listen to people like me” (Eurobarometer on Youth, 2025).
However, low representation should not be mistaken for low interest. The Fridays for Future movement demonstrated the capacity of younger generations to mobilize across Europe, bringing millions of students and citizens into the streets in support of climate action. Moreover, young Europeans consistently express strong concern about political issues, particularly climate change, alongside growing support for environmental policies.
According to the 2024 Eurobarometer on Youth, “environment and climate change” ranks as the second most important issue for the next five years, while the first -the high prices and the cost of living- is itself closely linked to the economic consequences of climate transition. The issue, therefore, is not disengagement, but limited access to decision-making channels.
The gap between political concern among youth and their limited access in decision-making becomes sharper in climate vulnerable countries such as Greece. Here, European Union’s broader age issue in democracy and especially climate democracy becomes particularly visible: political decision about long-term environmental mitigation and adaptation policies are shaped by older generations while younger citizens -who will live longest with the climate change consequences-remain seriously underrepresented.
The Greek Case
In Greece, the question of youth participation has yet to become a substantive policy priority for any government. Since 2023, the Greek Parliament has had only one member under the age of 30. Meanwhile, the country’s main institutional youth body, the Hellenic National Youth Council, only resumed operations in 2023 and established an environment and climate change committee as recently as 2026. At the local level, municipal youth councils remain limited in scope, operating in fewer than 20 of Greece’s 332 municipalities.
At the same time, Greece presents a more complex picture when it comes to civic engagement. In the Greek edition of the Eurobarometer on Youth the rates of participation in voluntary initiatives appear higher than the EU average, as does the electoral participation among young people. However, the same survey also points to a more alarming attitude: a significant share of young respondents does not consider climate change a top priority for the coming five years. This perception may be linked to the relatively limited visibility of youth-led climate initiatives in the country as well as the existence of more pressing issues such as housing cost and the job market.
This is particularly concerning given Greece’s position as one of the most climate-exposed EU member states, facing increasingly severe heatwaves, wildfires, and water stress. The contrast between high structural vulnerability and comparatively weak youth climate mobilization raises broader questions about the relationship between institutional inclusion, political engagement, and perceived urgency.
From representation gap to institutional reform
Reforming climate governance is not an easy task, neither for Greece nor for the European Union. It requires a fundamental rethinking of how youth participation is embedded across all levels of political decision-making.
At the European level, proposals from parliamentarians advocating for youth quotas in European and national electoral lists deserve serious consideration. At the same time, a permanent EU Youth Climate Advisory Body should be established, moving beyond ad hoc consultations to ensure systematic and meaningful participation. Such a body could also be granted an institutional role in international climate negotiations under the UNFCCC framework, ensuring that young Europeans are represented at the global table where long-term climate decisions are made.
In Greece, the debate should begin with a reassessment of the voting age, in line with Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which affirms that children have the right to express their views in matters affecting them. In addition, municipal youth councils should become a mandatory institution across all local authorities, properly funded and formally integrated into local and regional decision-making processes. Finally, Greece’s national youth bodies should be given a structured role in policy shaping within ministries, ensuring that youth perspectives are not merely consultative but meaningfully incorporated into governance.
Climate change is often discussed as a problem of science, technology, or economics. Yet at its core, it is also a question of democracy. If Europe’s green transition is to be both effective and legitimate, it must confront a fundamental imbalance: those who will live longest with the consequences of today’s decisions remain those with the least institutional voice in shaping them. From Brussels to Athens, climate democracy continues to carry an age problem and unless that gap is addressed, Europe’s ambition to lead the world in climate action risks remaining politically incomplete.
Rania Papadopoulou is the Chair of the Youth Climate Diplomacy Forum for Southeast Europe (YCDF), leading youth-led initiatives and promoting innovative approaches to global climate diplomacy. She has experience in advocacy and strategic communication. Rania holds a master’s in Human Rights and Global Ethics (University of Leicester) and in Southeast European Studies (University of Athens). As a fellow at the UNESCO Chair for Climate Diplomacy and a PhD candidate at the University of Athens, she promotes and researches impactful initiatives at the intersection of youth engagement and climate policy.
