A bold proposal would give every young person at adulthood a 10,000-euro investment capital, funded by inheritance taxation, with an annual orientation review and an option to switch education paths as they progress.

The plan, branded as the “Top départ jeunesse” capital, is paired with stronger early career guidance and annual counseling to allow students to switch between general, professional, and technological tracks.

European thinkers call for sector-specific national roles within the EU, with France steering nuclear, the Netherlands semiconductors, Ireland data centers, and Estonia cybersecurity, alongside mobilizing European savings to back tech investment.

They urge better mobilization of European savings, currently skewed toward an aging, risk-averse population, by linking some tax advantages to life insurance investments in sovereign tech.

In broader European cooperation, the proposal advocates specialized country leadership in key tech sectors to foster coordinated investment and growth.

Reforms to the CESE would ensure youth voice in policy making, proposing a 50% representation of advisers under 35.

A concrete reform would reserve half of CESE seats for advisers under 35 to boost youthful participation in economic and environmental policy.

There is a pledge to reduce NEETs—over half a million young people not in employment, education, or training—through a five-year financial plan and prioritizing schooling to forestall disengagement.

During the Aix-en-Provence meetings, the Cercle des économistes unveiled 14 proposals for the presidential race, centered on youth policy and European cooperation.

One of the centerpiece proposals announced at the Aix meetings is the 10,000-euro youth grant at age 18, funded by a 1% levy on inheritance tax.

The 14 proposals released ahead of the 2027 election aim to guide candidates on youth strategy and European coordination.

The package includes an annual career orientation review and a system allowing students to switch across general, professional, and technological tracks, effectively adding a revocation mechanism to pathway decisions.