We are joined by the EU Commissioner Glenn Micallef, responsible for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture & Sport, Samira Rafaela, former Dutch MEP, now Visiting Fellow at Cornell University in New York and Rareș Voicu, the President of the European Youth Forum - an organisation representing 100 youth groups from all over Europe.
In this special edition, we take a look and what it is like to be young in Europe on the same week the European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen told the German paper Zeit that "the West as we knew it no longer exists".
Glenn Micallef, the Commissioner in charge of youth, told the panel that the EU is a 'fantastic reality that millions of Europeans live every day' but more needs to be done to improve the lives of all.
The Commissioner, who hails from Malta, also stressed the importance of the well known student exchange programme, Erasmus+ for helping to shape a real European identity.
“The intention is to strengthen the Erasmus Plus programme and I want to be quite clear on that,” he said putting allegations of budget cuts to bed.
The panel also stressed the importance of making European exchange programmes more accessible and discussed the growing gap between young Europeans and politicians. From cyber bullying to mental health concerns, geopolitical disorder to climate anxiety, young people are swamped and are drifting away from mainstream politicians.
The issue of youth anxiety also came up and the fact that since the Covid 19 pandemic, more and more young people, are having suicidal thoughts.
Rareș Voicu, the President of the European Youth Forum said his generation are also struggling with precarious working conditions and the uncertainties about future of work.
Watch the full episode of "Brussels, my love?" in the player above.
And watch get a glimpse of behind the scenes of "Brussels, my love?" in the reel below.
