Italian municipalities where the Youth Test is applied

Parma was the first European municipality to introduce the Young Test for all its measures, to measure the impact of any measure on those under 35. This is a way to concretely define sustainability, which also includes analyzing the benefits and/or harms that new generations can receive through a simple municipal resolution. Youth Test (in Italian often called impact tests on young people) is a tool used in public policies to evaluate how a law or political decision will affect young people And this is how it works: before approving a measure (for example, a reform on labor, education, or the environment), it is analyzed whether and how it will have effects on younger people, especially those between the ages of 15 and 35. In short, the Youth Test serves to answer a specific question: "Is this measure fair and useful for the new generations, or does it harm them?"

How it works

The most important objectives of the Youth test are:

• Prevent policies from penalizing new generations
• Promote fairer decisions across age groups
• Giving a greater voice to the interests of young people

Take the case of Parma. The recently approved urban plan underwent a series of analyses, using updated software, to determine whether it met the needs of young people in finding affordable housing. The same applies to transportation and schools, where customized vouchers have been introduced for those under 35.

Where it is used

Following Parma, several cities are moving in the same direction: Milan, Bologna, Florence, Latina, Ancona, Potenza, Reggio Calabria, and Genoa. And the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI) aims to reach 100 Italian municipalities using this tool for their political decisions as soon as possible. 

When organizing the implementation schemes of the Youth Test, municipal administrations take into account the fact that the analyses are not conducted only at the time of approval of a provision, but are developed in three distinct phases:

• Ex ante (before): forecast of the effects of the provision
• In itinere (during): monitoring its functioning
• Ex post (after): checking the results.

The National Youth Test Law

In Italy there is also a law (number 167 of 2025) which introduced the vGenerational Impact Assessment (GIA)

This law, referring to national policies, establishes that:

• the Government's legislative acts (i.e. laws, legislative decrees, etc.)
• must be accompanied by a preventive evaluation
• that you analyze the impact on young people and future generations

 In practice, it is exactly the national equivalent of the Youth Test.

The Youth Test in Europe

Italy has reached the goal of applying sustainability laws to new generations much later than other European countries, where the Youth Test has already been in place for several years.

• In Germany it is called jugend-check, and it works like this: all federal legislative proposals are analyzed for their impact on young people between the ages of 12 and 27, and the analysis is carried out by an independent body, the KomJC (Kompetenzentrum Jugend-Check), funded by the federal government. In the report it prepares for each legislative measure, the KomJC not only gives a positive or negative opinion, but also explains in detail the consequences of the decision for young people.

• In France There is no mandatory, single and systematic instrument, such as the Young Test, but every important legislative proposal is accompanied by a “impact study” (a study of the impact on young people), with its generational effects.

The main body in France at the centre of generational impact assessments is the Conseil d'orientation des politiques de jeunesse che It brings together experts, institutions, and young people; it expresses opinions on public policies; and it reports impacts on younger generations.

• In Spain, As in France and unlike Germany, there is no single instrument to evaluate the impact of the law on young people, but the principle that public policies must take young people into account has been introduced. A key role in achieving this goal is entrusted to theInstitute of Youth (INJUVE), which coordinates youth policies at the state level.

Read also:

• Sustainability: it does not exist if it does not reduce inequalities
• Environment and pollution: 81 percent of young people are ready for new lifestyles