On 30 April, Maria Luís Albuquerque, Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, hosted a group of 15 young Europeans for a youth policy dialogue on money management skills. The participants, who came from across the EU and a variety of backgrounds, were the winners of a video competition. The event provided a platform for them to discuss their views and ideas with Commissioner Albuquerque in a direct, face‑to‑face setting.
In the first block on basic money management skills, participants highlighted the need for greater funding and resources to promote financial literacy across Europe. While acknowledging the EU’s limited competence over national curricula, several participants suggested introducing mandatory school-based financial education. Other suggestions included voluntary mentoring programmes within schools and workplaces to provide guidance, as well as integrating financial education into the workplace onboarding process. To ensure inclusivity, participants proposed free EU-wide online financial literacy courses. They also emphasised the need for financial education to consider gender disparities as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic background, disability, and migration history.
In the second block, which focused on how to encourage more young people to invest, participants stressed that financial education should be more accessible, personalised, and available from a young age. One participant suggested using free or low-cost online courses open to large numbers of learners, to help explain complex topics such as pension systems, which differ significantly from one EU country to another and leave many young people uncertain about their financial futures. Participants also highlighted the need to close the persistent gender gap in investing, where women continue to participate less than men.
The final block of the discussion focused on opportunities and risks of digitalisation in the financial literacy space. Participants cautioned about the growing problem of young people spending money they don’t have through “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) schemes, calling for concrete regulatory measures to prevent debt accumulation. At the same time, participants also noted the benefits of digital tools, which can facilitate money management and enhance accessibility of financial services. Other participants highlighted that content creators on social media often glorify unattainable consumption patterns, which can distort financial priorities and drive social division. Moreover, participants debated how to make financial literacy content engaging enough to effectively reach young audiences. In this context, they emphasised that social media platforms and “finfluencers” play a dual role – both as potential sources of financial misinformation and as powerful tools for reaching young people with educational content.
Commissioner Albuquerque thanked the participants for sharing their perspectives and reaffirmed that she and her team would consider their input in ongoing and future initiatives. She concluded by saying
Commissioner Albuquerque thanked the participants for sharing their perspectives and reaffirmed that she and her team would consider their input in ongoing and future initiatives. She concluded by saying
“Hopefully you will go back to your own daily lives, feeling that you have learned something and shared something”.
Related links
Financial literacy
More on this youth policy dialogue
Youth Policy Dialogues initiative
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