This publication is part of a series of reviews of national youth policies carried out by the Council of Europe, in collaboration with researchers, non-governmental youth organisations and governmental agencies responsible for the development and implementation of youth policy. The review comprises of a national report produced by the individual country, together with a critical analysis of national policy and practice undertaken by a team of international experts in the subject. This report focuses on national youth policies and programmes in Cyprus.

Youth Work in the Commonwealth: A Growth Profession establishes a baseline to inform the planning and implementation of initiatives to professionalise youth work in Commonwealth member countries. The study was conducted in 35 countries in the Africa, Asia, the Caribbean/Americas, Europe and Pacific regions. It catalogues the extent to which the youth work profession is formally recognised in these countries and examines the qualities and rights-based ethos of the various forms of youth work promoted and practised in the Commonwealth. The report aims to help countries learn from good practices, and assess gaps in establishing youth work as a recognised profession in diverse contexts.

Influence of “hard” law on national policies still is a central topic in Europeanisation research. One aspect often overlooked is the impact of “soft” law instruments such as the “Open Method of Coordination” (OMC). Through the OMC all member states agree on common goals and exchange “best practices” to improve policy coordination in a certain area without the obligation (how) to design policies. OMC impacts in individual member states have been studied extensively, yet a comparative perspective explaining their variance is lacking. This study by Niclas Beinborn tries to fill this gap by analysing the different impacts of a recent OMC: the European Youth Strategy 2010 (EUYS). His analysis is twofold: in a first step he applies theory-driven fuzzy-set QCA to a novel dataset depicting the variance of national activities around the EUYS. As causalities remain unclear, in a second step he presents an innovative analysis framework encompassing two dimensions – national motivation and relative openness to implement non-binding EU law – to define ideal types of OMC adaptation. Case studies on the EUYS in Germany and Ireland proof the potential of this framework to explain why and how OMCs work (differently).

This monograph has two purposes. The first is to develop the framework that was initially established through a grounded reading of the material from the first seven international reviews of national youth policy conducted by the Council of Europe Youth Directorate between 1997 and 2001. This has involved a careful reading of the subsequent national and international reports produced between 2002 and 2006 to identify either issues that merit greater prominence or new issues to be addressed in the future. The outcome of this exercise is the proposal of a new framework for European-level debates on the subject of youth policy. The second purpose is, through consultation with those who took part in the second cycle of reviews, to refine further the process by which international reviews are carried out. A number of observations suggest that immediate action can be taken to improve the experience of participating in review teams and, ultimately, the quality of the international reports.

This international review of Hungarian national youth policy is the fifteenth in the series started in 1997 by the Directorate of Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe. Like preceding reviews, it aims to fulfil three distinct objectives: - to advise on national youth policy; - to identify components which might combine to form a harmonised approach to youth policy across Europe; and - to contribute to a learning process in relation to the development and implementation of youth policy. Hungary, at its own request, embarked on an international review to benefit from ten years of reviewing experience and to contribute to the European exchange of information on youth policies. This report includes information gathered by the international review team as well as its analyses and recommendations concerning the development, perspectives and challenges for the future of youth policy in Hungary.

This report is part of a series of international reviews of national youth policies carried out by the Council of Europe in collaboration and consultation with government agencies and ministries responsible for the development and implementation of youth policy, as well as with non-governmental youth organisations. The reviews are carried out by an international team which outlines the strengths and challenges of the countries' youth policies in a constructive manner, drawing where appropriate upon broader international evidence and debate. The international review process was established to fulfil three distinct objectives: - to advise on national youth policy; - to identify components which might combine to form an approach to youth policy across Europe; - to contribute to a learning process in relation to the development and implementation of youth policy.