On 24 February 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As this unprovoked war of aggression against the Ukrainian people turns into its fifth year, we again join the voices demanding peace, justice, territorial integrity, and a European future for Ukraine. On this day, it is also important to remember that this war is a continuation of violence by Russia, which lasted over four years. The illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 already showed that Russia disregards Ukraine’s right to self-determination. We stand in full solidarity with Ukraine, particularly Ukrainian youth.

As AEGEE-Europe, we are alarmed by the findings stated in the latest ODIHR reports documenting the sharp escalation of civilian harm in Ukraine. HRMMU verified that conflict-related violence in Ukraine in 2025 killed 2,514 civilians and injured 12,142. According to the latest UN reports, First-Person View (FPV) drones have become the leading cause of civilian deaths and injuries near the frontline. Civilian casualties caused by short-range drones increased by 120% in 2025, resulting in 577 people being killed and 3,288 injured. Documented incidents include strikes on civilian vehicles, homes, humanitarian evacuation teams, and medical transport. As the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has warned, the scale and pattern of these FPV drone attacks indicate that, in some instances, they appear to have been deployed in ways that intentionally targeted civilians or civilian objects, which would amount to war crimes. The continued rise in civilian deaths demands urgent international attention and immediate steps to ensure full compliance with international humanitarian law.

Russia does not just harm civilians through direct attacks, but interferes with every aspect of life in Ukraine: Ever since the full-scale invasion began, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure. One of the most horrendous of these attacks was the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Kherson Oblast on June 6, 2023, leading to the release of 20 cubic kilometers of water, flooding over 80 settlements and drowning hundreds. According to the Ukrainian energy think tank Green Deal Ukraina, Russia has destroyed or damaged around two-thirds of Ukraine’s electricity generating capacity, dropping it from 40 GW  before the invasion, to merely 12 GW at present. Recently, this terror campaign included launching 4,442 drones and 135 missiles amidst the coldest January Ukraine has seen in over a decade. A majority of this was focused on energy infrastructure, depriving millions of heat, electricity, and water in temperatures reaching -20°C.

The war does not impact all Ukrainians in the same way. We particularly call attention to the special and leading role that women and girls play in the war, as they deal with gender-based violence, relocation, and double-burden of work. Their contribution in these demanding times, both on the battlefield and in humanitarian positions, continues to inspire us. Furthermore, AEGEE expresses its solidarity and compassion with Ukrainian children and youth. We are horrified by reports that estimate that 35 000 Ukrainian children remain missing, possibly constituting a war crime. Even those who were not abducted from their families were forced to grow up early, being deprived of a carefree childhood. The irreversible impact of Russia’s actions on this vulnerable group of the population is a tragedy. With regards to the future, we point out that both Ukrainian women and Ukrainian youth voices must be actively involved.

“Four years is long enough for teens to grow into adults, however, for Ukrainian teens, their youth was taken away the second the war started. No matter if they stayed or had to leave, they lost the “home” they knew, their friends and sometimes family; their carefree life with dreams about the future turned into survival in the unknown and uncertain. 

Not by choice, but Ukrainian youth went through things many others didn’t have to, things that made them both broken, stronger and different, with a unique perspective in life. That’s why their voices are so important, and can’t be ignored.”

– Diana, Ukrainian Youth Voice

The past year has seen several initiatives for peace talks. Recent talks in the United Arab Emirates and in Switzerland have ended without specific results or a meaningful breakthrough that give hope for real peace in Ukraine. While the delegations said they would meet again, they did not provide a new date. We strongly criticise that Russian negotiators insist on claiming the entire Donetsk region, despite 20% of the territory remaining outside their military control. Russian carelessness about the continuation of the war, including the loss of thousands of lives, is unacceptable.

In this context, we reaffirm that under no circumstances must Ukraine be put in a position to cede territory that is illegally annexed by the Russian Federation. Ukraine should not be forced to accept a peace that falls short of viable security guarantees and justice for Russia’s action. We stress that Ukraine’s demands must be respected and supported by its European allies. It must be clear that peace plans cannot be successful if Ukraine’s self determination is not respected, and that the future of Ukraine can only be defined by the Ukrainian people itself.

As European Union officials, including Ursula von der Leyen, have stated, Ukraine’s future is in the EU, making commendable progress as a candidate country albeit simultaneously fighting at war. We strongly commend the reforms taking place and reaffirm that Ukraine and its youth belong to the European family. We also call on all European actors to accompany Ukraine’s path to membership in a united and productive way, and we condemn countries that continuously veto loans for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia. Ukraine must be able to count on its European partners in times in which other partners’ behaviour fluctuates. From East to West, Europe has no choice but to actively stand united and realize that the aggressor in the conflict is the Russian Federation. AEGEE-Europe reiterates its full commitment in supporting Ukraine on their path and calls on all actors to do the same. A strong and independent European future cannot exist without joint and determined support for Ukraine.

Written by Charlotte Burkhard, Leon Kogel and Nathan Kogel, members of the Help Ukraine Task Force of AEGEE-Europe.

Sources: 

Carr, Kalynych, Meissner, Mikhnych, Stubbe, Zachmann.  Green Deal Ukraina.(2025-2026). Electricity and Gas Supply in Ukraine: Winter 2025/2026 destroyed or damaged energy generating capacity of Ukraine https://greendealukraina.org/products/analytical-reports/winter-outlook-2025-26-jan-2026

Court, E. (2023, September 13). Von der Leyen: Future of Ukraine is in EU. The Kyiv Independent. https://kyivindependent.com/von-der-leyen-future-of-ukraine-is-in-eu/

Irynka Hromotska. (2024, June 6). Looking back at the Kakhovka Dam explosion one year later (Photos). The Kyiv Independent. https://kyivindependent.com/in-big-water-kakhovka-dam-destruction-photos/

Kumar, R. (2025, June 2). “Basically impossible to get them back”: Russia’s mass abduction of Ukrainian children is a war crime, say experts. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/27/russia-ukrainian-children-abduction-war-crime

Melkozerova, V. (2026, February 18). Surprise, surprise: Russia-Ukraine talks yield no peace breakthrough. POLITICO. https://www.politico.eu/article/surprise-surprise-russia-ukraine-talks-yield-no-peace-breakthrough/

Moffat, L. L. (2026, February 18). Chart of the week: Russia’s attacks push Ukraine’s energy system to the brink. The Kyiv Independent. https://kyivindependent.com/chart-of-the-week-russias-attacks-push-ukraines-energy-system-to-the-brink/

Monde, L. (2025, November 21). War in Ukraine: What we know about Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan. Le Monde.fr; Le Monde. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/11/21/war-in-ukraine-what-we-know-about-donald-trump-s-28-point-peace-plan_6747683_4.html

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. (2025, July 15). Seventh Interim Report on reported violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in Ukraine. Osce.org. https://odihr.osce.org/odihr/594634

Tomko, Liliana (2025). Redefining Roles: How Russia’s War is Transforming Ukrainian Women’s Place in Society | Development Dispatch | CSIS. Center For Strategic and International Studies. https://www.csis.org/blogs/development-dispatch/redefining-roles-how-russias-war-transforming-ukrainian-womens-place

Ukrainer in English. (2024, March 8). Women at war • Ukraïner in English. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YepcuvWqhII

United Nations Human Rights Office of the Higher Commissioner. (2025). 2025 deadliest year for civilians in Ukraine since 2022, UN human rights monitors find | UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. Ohchr.org. https://ukraine.ohchr.org/en/2025-deadliest-year-for-civilians-in-Ukraine-since-2022-UN-human-rights-monitors-find

From 13th to 16th June, a group of about 40 young people from across the continent came together in Brussels for the final conference of Europe on Track 11 [1]. The event marked the final destination of a month-long interrail journey across Europe, during which young ambassadors facilitated workshops and collected insights into lived realities of youth navigating overlapping forms of discrimination. Throughout the conference day, youth activists, AEGEE members, policymakers, civil society representatives, and the EoT11 project team members had the opportunity to share their experiences, exchange ideas, network, and inspire one another.

This generated several key outcomes: It began by bringing together the voices from across Europe collected along the ambassador’s journey. Stories revealing structural, social, and institutional barriers faced by young people with intersecting identities. Together, participants transformed these insights into collective demands for a more inclusive and just Europe. They drafted a shared political message and co-developed a set of youth-driven policy recommendations across five thematic areas: Economy & Education, Accessibility & Repre

sentation, Housing & Healthcare, Transport & Climate, and Data & Bureaucracy. These proposals aim to strengthen inclusive civic spaces and inform policy work beyond the AEGEE-Network. Additionally, the conference opened the space for intergenerational dialogue between youth and institutional representatives, paving the way for a continued collaboration.

Across the conference discussions, several common themes emerged:

• Educational and economic inequalities disproportionately affect youth with intersecting identities. Participants stressed the need for educator training on accessibility, intersectionality, and equity to ensure supportive learning
  environments.
• Representation gaps persist in youth policy processes. Participants highlighted that lived experience must be valued alongside expertise, especially for groups like rural Roma youth, queer youth, and migrants.
• Systemic barriers in housing and healthcare continue to create unequal access, calling for transparent rent regulation and the elimination of discriminatory practices.
• Mobility and climate policies should prioritise safety, accessibility, and environmental sustainability in public transport to ensure equitable mobility for all young people.
• Data collection and bureaucracy often overlook intersecting identities; participants underscored the need for qualitative approaches and integrated public services to break cycles of exclusion.

Based on these findings, the AEGEE-Europe calls on European institutions, national governments, and youth organi

sations to:

1. Implement mandatory intersectionality and accessibility training across educational institutions and youth-serving structures.
2. Ensure youth policies centre the experiences of the most marginalised, using participatory methods and alternative channels to elevate excluded voices.
3. Adopt anti-discrimination safeguards in housing and healthcare systems, ensuring young people can access dignified living conditions and appropriate services.
4. Invest in inclusive, safe, and environmentally responsible public transport, integrating accessibility into national mobility strategies.
5. Improve intersectional data collection, combining qualitative and quantitative methods, and integrate public services to avoid bureaucratic exclusion.

Only by acting upon these demands can Europe move beyond inclusion that is merely symbolic and ensure that all young people, taking into account the complexity of their identities and lived realities, are able to participate, belong, and shape our shared future. Intersectional youth policies are not a favour to young people, but a responsibility of policy-makers at all levels!

[1] Europe on Track is a long-standing youth-led project by AEGEE-Europe that empowers young people to raise

 awareness, take action, and advocate for a better Europe. For this year’s edition, the focus was on intersectionality and its role in youth representation and civic engagement,
responding to Europe’s shifting socio-political landscape and the need for policies that acknowledge overlapping identities. Besides ambassadors travelling across Europe for one month by train, the project also ran a podcast to amplify its message by sharing experiences, interviews, and discussions connected to the theme.

This policy statement has been written by Ann Kristin Gildhoff, Policy Officer “Bridges of Dialogue”, AEGEE-Wien assisted by Anna Lena Seidel & Maddalena Pierini, members of EoT 11 team with the financial support of the  European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the official opinion of the Council of Europe. We would like to acknowledge the contributions of our partners and the participants whose lived experiences provided the foundation for this policy statement during the conference.

AEGEE-Europe is pleased to introduce the new members of its Secretariat team, who will be supporting the organisation’s projects, communications, and fundraising efforts over the coming months. Based at the AEGEE office in Brussels, the Secretariat plays a key role in ensuring the smooth day-to-day functioning of the European level, while also contributing to the long-term development of the network and its external impact.

As of this autumn, the Secretariat is composed of three dedicated individuals who bring energy, professionalism, and a shared commitment to European youth work.

Diana Badea – Projects Officer & Alumni Relations Responsible

Diana joins the team as Projects Officer and Alumni Relations Responsible. In this dual role, she will coordinate the implementation of ongoing European projects while also serving as a bridge between AEGEE-Europe and its alumni network. Her responsibilities include project management, stakeholder communication, reporting, and supporting activities involving AEGEE’s broader community of former members. Diana brings prior experience in youth work and event coordination, and her work will be key in fostering both institutional continuity and strategic growth.

Alice Gastaldi – Projects and Fundraising Trainee

Alice takes on the position of Projects and Fundraising Trainee, supporting the development and implementation of AEGEE’s European projects. Her work will focus on assisting in grant writing, identifying new funding opportunities, and supporting project delivery through logistical and administrative contributions. Alice brings with her an academic background in international relations and a strong interest in youth empowerment and civic engagement. Her work will contribute to diversifying AEGEE’s funding portfolio and ensuring sustainable support for the network’s initiatives.

Mónica Romão – Communications Trainee

Mónica joins the team as Communications Trainee, where she will support AEGEE-Europe’s internal and external communication efforts. This includes producing content for the organisation’s digital channels, coordinating outreach campaigns, and ensuring consistent messaging across platforms. With a background in communication & multimedia studies and experience in digital media and design, Mónica will play an important role in amplifying AEGEE’s voice both within the network and in external contexts, from social media to institutional outreach.

We welcome our new Secretariat members and look forward to the positive contributions they will make in their respective roles. Their presence marks an important step in advancing AEGEE’s strategic priorities and supporting the ongoing work of the network.

For more information about the Secretariat or how to collaborate with AEGEE-Europe, feel free to contact us at contact@aegee.eu.

Background
The European Union’s proposed Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSA), also known as “Chat Control”, aims to prevent the sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online. It would require online platforms and service providers, such as messaging apps, email, and social media, to detect, report, and remove illegal content.

The regulation will impose obligations such as:

• Risk Assessments: Providers (hosting, messaging, app stores, etc.) must assess if
  their service is likely to be misused for CSAM or grooming.
• Mitigation: Implement measures such as safer design, parental controls, reporting
  tools, and age verification where relevant.
• Detection Orders: Issued by a judicial/independent authority if risk is significant and
  mitigation is insufficient, can require scanning for:
  • Already known CSAM
  • New CSAM
  • Grooming

While the goal is to protect children, the regulation raises serious concerns regarding privacy, encryption, digital rights, and potential overreach, as companies would need to analyse large amounts of all of their users’ data and chats to find new instances of CSAM. By requiring the scanning of all private communications, even those of people not suspected of any crime, the system effectively monitors the digital activity of millions of users. This generalised and indiscriminate monitoring fits the definition of mass surveillance, creating a situation where everyone’s private communications are potentially scrutinised, rather than targeting only those committing illegal acts.

Impact on Privacy and Youth Freedom of Expression
Young people, especially vulnerable groups like LGBTQI+ youth or minorities, rely on secure messaging [4] for activism, mental health support, and personal safety, and monitoring their messages could make them hesitant to speak freely, share opinions, or participate in online communities [5]. Mandatory scanning of private communications also undermines end-to-end encryption, which is essential for protecting personal data, freedom of expression, and privacy. The proposed detection orders, while intended to protect children, risk creating a constant sense of surveillance that chills free expression, discourages civic engagement, and limits participation in digital spaces where young people organise, express themselves, and seek support.

Risk of False Positives & Stigmatisation
According to the European Digital Rights Institute: ”this detection would be automated through AI, despite such tools being unable to take the context of a message into account, and despite the consequent high number of mistakes in their reporting which would inevitably lead to wrongful accusations, drown genuine cases in false alerts, and criminalise teenagers’ consenting and private sexual self-expression.”[6]

Better Alternatives Exist
Rather than weakening encryption and introducing mass surveillance to European citizens,
we call upon the European Commission to invest in:

• Better victim support services and cross-border law enforcement cooperation.
• Prevention and education campaigns for children, parents, caretakers and
  educators.
• Strengthening judicial oversight and accountability in combating online CSA.

Therefor we call on the Council and the European Parliament to:

• Reject any provisions that undermine encryption and introduce mass surveillance of
  private communications.
• Prioritise rights and privacy respecting solutions that both protect children and
  safeguard the digital rights of all citizens, especially young people.
• Ensure meaningful involvement of youth and civil society in shaping digital
  legislation that directly affects our generation’s future.

We also call upon EU citizens, youth and our own members to speak up and take action.
You can easily do so by reaching out to your own government or members of the European
Parliament, an easy tool for which can be found on fightchatcontrol.eu.

1: EUR-Lex – 52022PC0209 – EN – EUR-Lex
2: http://www.europarl.europa.eu combating child sexual abuse online
3: European Convention on Human Rights
4: https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/queercryption-safety-in-numbers/
5: Stop Scanning Me
6: Denmark wants to break the Council deadlock on the CSA Regulation, but are they
genuinely trying? – European Digital Rights (EDRi)

YOUTHreach’s goal is to help the young people across Europe during a time when mental health problems in the 12-25 age group are skyrocketing. For this project, researchers designed a suite of youth-centred tools and interventions. Over a period of five years, the project evaluates the cost-effectiveness, safety and scalability of three pre-existing mental health solutions:

–          Walk-in centres offering anonymous and personalised mental health support without reservations.

–          App‑based training, a guided self-help mobile intervention designed to enhance psychological well-being.

–          Online platforms blending professional and peer support in a secure, interactive environment.

As the organisation that is mainly in charge of the communications efforts for the project, we hope to help young people better understand what YOUTHreach is and provide them with new tools to support their mental health.

The Study Session, entitled Regenerate (YOU)th: Cultivating Circular Economy Solutions in Youth Work,  aimed to foster the quality development of youth work by enhancing youth workers’ competencies in circular economy and project management in order to create a sustainable project management model framework for youth organisations.

The Study Session provided the space to accomplish the following objectives:

• Increase 25 youth workers’ understanding of circular economy principles and their application within youth work, using non-formal education methods;
• Enhance 25 youth workers’ project management skills with an emphasis on sustainability;
• Equip 25 youth workers with a practical methodology rooted in design thinking that supports the conceptualization, planning and implementation of innovative youth projects that directly respond to societal needs;
• Develop a sustainable project management framework tailored to the needs and challenges of youth work, integrating circular economy principles and using a design thinking concept.

Girls Go Circular aims at empowering girls and young women aged 14 to 19 to develop digital and entrepreneurial skills through an innovative online learning programme focused on the circular economy. The project aims to close the gender gap in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) by giving participants the tools and knowledge to be in the digital and green transitions.

The goal of this project is for students to engage with an interactive e-learning platform (the Circular Learning Space) where they complete challenges and collaborate on practical solutions.

The project has already reached over 80,000 students in more than 30 countries and continues to grow across Europe.

AEGEE-Europe is honoured to be a partner organisation and to work collaboratively with the Consortium to accomplish the project’s goal, namely supporting international students in host countries. Many foreign students encounter difficulties with administrative procedures as well as challenges regarding the social integration in the local communities. Therefore, this project seeks to smoothen the arrival process and make a positive impact on the overall international experience of students.

The project has the following target groups: international students on mobility, local students, and higher education institutions.

The project aims to:

• Improve the welcoming of international students by supporting them with administrative formalities;
• Connect local and international students;

Create a long-lasting welcoming culture for international students.