With great success, on Friday, 12 December 2025, in Thessaloniki, the event Young People for Europe and the Left: Perceptions and Expectations took place, with significant participation from many young people. During the event, the results of an important political survey on the subject were presented.
During the event, the results of an important political survey on the subject were presented.
The event was opened by Maria Repousi, Director of the Nicos Poulantzas Institute, and moderated by Kostas Arvanitis, Vice President of LEFT and Head of the SYRIZA Delegation.
The moderator posed the following questions to the speakers:
- To what extent do geopolitical concerns (war, racism, the rise of the far right) influence the identity of the young European?
- How do ideological shades (left/right) differ in the way they assign meaning to the “European future”?
- How do young people shape their sense of belonging between Greece and Europe as multiple—often conflicting—frames of reference?
- Can we speak of a new European “geography of belonging,” with center and periphery, and where is Greece positioned within it?
- What does it mean that collectivity is a prerequisite for something to be considered political?
- Is this connected to the crisis of trust in institutions and parties?
- Do you see differences between right-wing and left-wing youth regarding the value of collectivity?
- Are there “new forms of collectivity” that were not identified in the focus groups?
- How do you explain the phenomenon whereby youth consider everything political but do not translate it into political action?
- Does overexposure to information via social media (75% as a source of news) produce passivity?
- Which forms of participation appear “legitimate” or “effective” to young people—and which do not?
- Can the gap between meaning and practice be bridged by left-wing organizations?
- Is the blocked transition to adulthood a historical condition, and if so, how was the condition of the “blocked transition” to adulthood historically formed, and which social mechanisms sustain it today?
- How is adulthood re-signified in an environment where the classic indicators (work, independence, family) are destabilized?
- In what way are the symbolic dividing lines between “young” and “not young” constructed today?
- To what extent do young people truly live “under the same sky,” when their opportunities, resources, and expectations are so unevenly distributed?
- How can the widespread institutional distrust be explained?
- Does this distrust open space for the far right or for alternative forms of participation?
- What forms of democratic renewal would resonate with young people?
- What is the role of local politics and community (e.g., city movements)?
Angelos Seriatos presented the main findings of the research and focused on the ideological shades of the conservative versus the progressive hemisphere.
Maria Keki referred to the collectivity vs. individualization polarity, emphasizing the new forms of collectivity chosen by young people.
Sofia Stylianou focused on new types of youth politicization and the distance between politicization and political action.
Christos Fotoglidis analyzed the “blocked transition” to adulthood and highlighted its social and political character; he was also thorough in discussing the symbolic dividing lines between young and not young.
Dora Dimanopoulou emphasized institutional interventions to address young people’s problems and the relevant initiatives of the European Parliament.
The event concluded with a lively discussion with the audience.
The findings of the related research conducted by PRORATA are expected to be further enriched in the immediate period ahead and presented at a major event that will take place in Athens on 28 February 2026.
