European Young Leaders (#EYL40)

Initiative

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About

Meet the new EYL40 Class of 2024!

This year’s EYL40 Class of 2024 includes an Olympic swimmer, a glaciologist, politicians from all levels of government and members of national parliaments, a winemaker, green tech entrepreneurs and social activists, prize-winning journalists, Unicorn and start-up founders and CEOs, a pioneering playwright of Roma feminist theatre and many more!

Bold leadership, ground-breaking ideas, unparalleled passion …

We’ve learned time and again that the challenges of the 21st century and of our ever complex world cannot be addressed using the rulebooks of the past. The world is screaming for a new type of leadership and a Renewed Social Contract in which the private sector, local and multilateral institutions, and citizens can collaborate and drive change.

Today’s leaders may look back in time for inspiration, but they must lead with innovation.

The European Young Leaders represent an alternative infrastructure of leadership – a new generation of leaders able to inspire action and generate change. Together, their passion, diversity of backgrounds and opinions, and innovative thinking create the right formula for generating fresh ideas to build a more forward-thinking Europe.

Our European leaders are scientists, artists, journalists, entrepreneurs and astronomers. They are citizens and their thinking is not bound by local and multilateral institutions, traditional political frameworks or bureaucracy. They provide alternative perspectives to EU decision-makers and challenge the status quo.

They help take Europe out of Brussels. In their own countries, cities and communities, the European Young Leaders also play an essential role in reconnecting people with and rebuilding trust in politics by engaging a wider community around key EU policy issues that need a whole-of-economy, whole-of-society approach to progress more quickly. They are facilitating citizens’ participation in the creation of a more equal, innovative and inclusive Europe and helping build a European identity.

The programme in the next years will take a new localism lens, bringing together these thinkers and leaders to act on some of the key issues affecting Europe’s future: supporting the green and digital transformation, strengthening our democracy, improving relations with our neighbours, increasing power sharing and building a more diverse Europe.

Succeeding in these policies and getting more citizens engaged in European elections will be our litmus test.

Tune in to the EYL40s on Friends of Europe’s podcasts

Leading view

Policy Voices | Are we alone in the universe?

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Leading view

Policy Voices | Like Goebbels: Polish propaganda and the demise of democracy

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Leading view

Policy Voices | The Netherlands chose the far-right. What happens next?

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Leading view

Policy Voices Podcast | Keeping the human in the loop: How to make a success story of AI in health

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Meet the EYL40

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Years

Current filter: 2019

All years 2024 2023 2022 2020-2021 2019 2018 2017 NA Young Leader 2017 MENA Young Leader 2017 2015-2016 2014 2013 2012

Clément was appointed Secretary of State for European affairs in the French government in July 2020. Before that, he served as the Europe and G20 advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, shadowing him during meetings with other European state heads. A passionate Europhile, his presentations on Europe even when he was still in school were so accomplished that they were widely shared. Clément became Macron’s Europe advisor when Macron was still economy minister. He helped craft the French government’s push against Chinese steel dumping that is now at the heart of the president’s broader vision for a more defensive EU trade policy. The French president’s proposals during his En Marche campaign for European Union reform were clearly influenced by his advisor.

Joséphine is Chief Executive Officer at Sistech, a European non-profit supporting displaced and uprooted women to access qualified and sustainable jobs in the tech & digital sectors. Prior to this, she was leading Techfugees, an international non-profit coordinating the technology industry’s response to the refugee situation. A serial social entrepreneur and fierce activist for smarter migration policies, she was selected to be part of the EU’s immigration expert group to advise on the reform of visa rules for foreign entrepreneurs in Europe. In addition to these roles, she was a board Member for the Norwegian Refugee Council from 2018 until 2023 and was nominated as one of the top ‘30 under 30 Social Entrepreneurs’ by Forbes in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Prior to founding Techfugees, Joséphine was Director of Partnerships at Migreat, a London-based start-up developing an AI for visa applicants to Europe.

Sophie is a multi-award-winning war reporter who has covered multiple conflicts and issues across the Middle East. Starting in 2011, she reported from inside Syria on the protests and the repression of the regime. Her work was awarded with Prix Bayeux-Calvados for War Correspondents in 2013, and the Prix Albert Londres in 2016, the most important journalism award in France. In June 2017, she was the first foreign journalist to film inside Raqqa with the Kurdish forces. In 2017, Sophie also reported from Central Africa on the civil war and from Zimbabwe on the end of the Mugabe era.

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The challenge of identities

Past event In person

Area of Expertise: Democracy

Extremities! – European Young Leaders Paris seminar

Past event in person

Area of Expertise

Democracy is hard work

Past event IN PERSON

Area of Expertise: Democracy

The emperor has no clothes

Past event Dublin, Ireland

Area of Expertise

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Fostering youth engagement and democratic revitalisation, while addressing…

30 Oct 2023

Category: #CriticalThinking
Author: By Rim-Sarah Alouane

A roadmap for channelling investments in the new programmatic period in…

25 Oct 2023

Category: #CriticalThinking
Author: By Dimitris Kalavros-Gousiou

From farm to fork, let’s unite against food waste

28 Sep 2023

Category: #CriticalThinking
Author: By Selina Juul

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Selection process

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS/NOMINATIONS FOR THE EYL CLASS OF 2026 – IS NOW OPEN

The European Young Leaders (EYL40) programme is a unique, inventive, and multi-stakeholder programme that aims to promote a European identity by engaging the continent’s most promising talents in initiatives that will shape Europe’s future.

The European Young Leaders represent a new generation of European leaders from all over the continent and various backgrounds, including politics, business, civil society, academia, arts, science, and the media.

The programme acts as a forum for those who have already established themselves at the forefront of their professions to meet, discuss and collaborate with their counterparts from other fields of expertise. Previous candidates include government ministers, CEOs, Michelin-starred chefs, international film directors and high-profile journalists.

Since the launch of the programme, we have gradually taken steps to ensure the diversity and exceptional quality of its selection process. We have made sure that its comprehensive and competitive nature ensures the identification and selection of remarkable individuals.

We aim to select 40+ European Young Leaders of diverse backgrounds to enable a broad exchange of ideas, creating the basis for a new generation of engaged European leaders.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Candidates must be between 30 and 40 years of age (born on or after 1 January 1986).

Candidates must be a national of an EU member state, Moldova, the UK, Ukraine or of one of the 6 Balkan states currently on the path towards EU integration (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia).

Candidates should have established themselves at the highest levels of their chosen profession or be on track to do so.

Candidates must be committed to serve society at large through noteworthy contributions and have demonstrated a record of significant achievements and outstanding professional experience.

Candidates are also evaluated based on their ability to contribute to the enrichment of the programme as a whole.

Candidates are required to be fluent in English as it is the working language of the programme.

Candidates must commit to participating in at least one of the two EYL seminars during the programme year, usually scheduled for March and September.

Please click HERE for the Selection Guidelines 2026 that will give you an idea of the process and will provide you with link to nomination/application form.

Please note that the deadline for the nominations/applications is Monday, May 5, 2025.

Should you have any questions or need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us at eyl40@friendsofeurope.org.

We look forward to receiving your applications and nominations.

* References to Kosovo here are used without prejudice to positions on status and are in line with UN Security Council resolution 1244/99 and the International Court of Justice Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

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