From the automatic Youth Card to the reorganisation of the civil service: the House of Commons gives the green light to the Youth Bill
The rest of the bill – six articles divided into three chapters – takes a different approach: that of delegated powers. The Government will have six months to reorganise youth policies and to review the universal civil service scheme
Key points
Young people who have just come of age will no longer have to register for anything in order to obtain the National Youth Card. This is the most immediate change introduced by the draft bill on youth policies and universal civil service, which was approved by the Chamber of Deputies with 139 votes in favour, none against and 114 abstentions. The bill now passes to the Senate.
To all adults (including foreign nationals)
The Card, which until now could only be activated by registering on the IO app, will be issued free of charge and automatically to all Italian and European citizens aged between 18 and 35, and for the first time also to foreign nationals legally resident in Italia: an extension made necessary by EU law, which prohibits the restriction of goods and services to national citizens alone.
The implementing decree within two months
The operational rules will be set out in a decree within sixty days; until then, the concessions already in place since 2020 – cinemas, transport, museums, music and language courses, and streaming platforms – remain valid, currently covered by 159 affiliated partners and 179 active offers on the app. Management remains the responsibility of the Youth Policy Fund, which has a budget of €54.9 million in 2026: no additional resources are required.
The delegated powers contained in the Act
The rest of the text – six articles divided into three chapters – takes a different tack: that of delegated powers. The Government will have six months to reorganise youth policies – that is, for those aged, in this case, between 14 and 30 – and to review the universal civil service scheme, with a new register of organisations, stricter controls and the certification of skills acquired by volunteers.
The Youth Policy Observatory
A Permanent Observatory on Youth Policies has also been established, comprising twenty-four members, including ministers and heads of organisations, supported by a nine-member technical and scientific committee.
