Málaga 2025, the Euro-Mediterranean Youth Summit, brought young people together in the heart of the Mediterranean!

Under the theme of Uniting Shores through Changing Tides, young people from all over Europe came together to discuss a range of crucial topics, all with a Mediterranean link but also of general relevance.

“It is certain that sometimes, big challenges like the war in Ukraine, the Middle East, the climate crisis, inequalities, all seem to be out of our reach. We know that Europe wants to be a space of freedom, diversity and respect. It is important to defend human rights, equality, democracy and peace. You are the force that can transform challenges into opportunities, but also the energy we need to know what European society wants.” Stated Teresa Ribera, the Vice-President of the European Commission on Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, in her video address to the participants of the EYP.

In Málaga, participants had the opportunity to listen to and connect with many decision-makers, and experts on the topics discussed during the week. Almost all of the 14 working groups benefited from one or multiple expert interventions on their topic; they were joined by politicians, journalists, scholars, and professionals, to learn about the most pressing European issues from those who work on them daily.

The event also hosted several panel debates, where the participants could broaden their knowledge, hearing about different perspectives on other European topics by many experts from institutions like the Union for the Mediterranean and associates, several Embassies and consulates, and our partner Covestro.

After several days of collaborative work, the young participants finalised their proposals that are now available in the Resolution Booklet. Some of the standout proposals include:

• Protecting freedom of assembly: Young people urge stronger legal safeguards for peaceful protest and the creation of an EU-wide identification and badge system for law-enforcement officers to ensure accountability.
• Fair treatment for refugees: Young Europeans demand clear EU definitions of pushbacks, independent oversight of border operations, and expanded multilingual integration tools for newcomers.
• Strengthening humanitarian aid: Youth propose binding EU-wide targets for humanitarian spending, monitoring mechanisms to prevent misuse of funds, and sanctions against obstruction in conflict or disaster zones.
• Fighting corruption and promoting transparency: Conference participants advocate for a unified EU online platform for public fund applications, stronger whistleblower protections, mandatory rotation of senior officials, and stricter penalties for corruption.

Outside of the academic work of Málaga 2025, the programme was full of immersive cultural elements such as a reception with the Mayor of Málaga, the celebratory EMYS Gala at the Gibralfaro Castle, visiting various museums, the Málaga Botanical Graden, or climbing Monte Gibralfaro.

In Málaga we were happy to welcome local refugees, participants from non-European Mediterranean countries, and the Arctic. Inviting these participants increases the diversity of the voices discussing the topics, the intercultural exchange at the heart of EYP’s methodology, and therefore, the output of our work.

The event could have not taken place without the work of its National Organising Committee, EYP Spain, as well as its volunteers: Patricia Galache González, Lucía Navarro Míllara, and Alonso Císcar Taulet as Head-Organisers, Ali-Maeve FitzGerald (IE) as President, Sofie de Jong (NL) and Cameron Dunn Merelle (FI) as editors, joined by their teams. Their hard work and dedication shaped the vision of the event and made it a memorable one for all participants. Thank you to all who took part in Málaga 2025!

Málaga International Session was made possible by the patrons who supported the event: The Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, Hertie Stiftung, E.ON Stiftung, Covestro and Ipsos.