Francesc Almendros Viladerrams
Candidate for Vice-President of the European Youth Forum (2026-2028)
- October 14, 2026
Contents
Nationality: from Barcelona
Pronouns: he/him
My super skills
Bringing people together, EU and international advocacy, building coalitions, project management
Passions & hobbies
Youth rights and climate justice, hiking, chess, and karaoke (loud, not good, fully committed)
Want to connect or ask questions about my candidacy?
Why am I running?
Europe doesn’t need more promises. Europe needs impact that young people can feel; impact that can be measured.
I’m running to strengthen the connection between the Forum, its Member Organisations, and the young people they represent, and to turn that connection into power.
Why now?
The strategy exists. The decisions are being made now. This
mandate is where they meet.
The Strategic Plan 2024–2028 is our shared strategy. Its 2026 mid-term review asks one question: what has it delivered for young people? The Board elected this November holds the second half of the plan, while Europe decides its budget, its youth strategy, and its social and digital rules.
Youth rights as enforceable standards, not declarations
A binding Convention on Youth Rights
Advocacy at Council of Europe and UN level, with a dedicated UN Special Rapporteur on Youth Rights.
Equality for all
Against age-based prejudice, racism, gender injustice, ableism and LGBTQI+
discrimination, and an end to menstrual poverty.
Protect Erasmus+ and its Youth Chapter
Erasmus+ is undervalued and needs a bigger budget. Keep a dedicated Youth Chapter in the next MFF, with the Solidarity Corps included and youth participation fully funded.
Protect young defenders
Concrete protection mechanisms and emergency protocols against legal harassmentand shrinking civic space.
Right to a healthy environment
Formal recognition in European human rights frameworks, with duty-bearers
accountable for intergenerational equity.
A seat for youth at the New Congress of Europe
Secure a youth delegation with a real voice in the New Congress of Europe, so the continent’s democratic future is co-designed with young people, not presented to them.
A Youth Check on every law
Systematic youth and intergenerational impact assessments, including for digital and climate laws, plus co-decision models instead of tokenistic dialogue.
What I bring to the Board
The Board is 11 volunteers who must cover seven competencies together. This is my contribution to each.
Leadership
Executive Board Member of YEE. First President of the Euroregion Youth Assembly, then co-president of the Mediterranean Youth Council, across 40 nations. Founder of ImpulsEurope: conducted 70 policy workshops, received the Medal of Honour of the
French Republic.
External representation
Youth advocate leader at COP25 and COP29, the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum, the Council of Europe, and the Union for the Mediterranean. EESC Youth
Representative. Active in YFJ General Assemblies, working groups and motions as YEE’s representative.
Policy and advocacy
Drafted EESC opinions on Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, lifelong learning, non-formal education, and the circular economy. Authored YEE’s Strategic Priorities and led youth lobbying on the EU Nature Restoration Law. Shaped student representation in Spain’s university law.
Members and stakeholders
Led institutional relations with over 100 stakeholders for Palumba.org. Partnerships with the governments of Catalonia and Spain, EU institutions, NYCs and INGYOs. Always putting the priorities of Member Organisations first.
Governance
Executive Board roles at YEE and the MYC, from statutes and policies to staff contracts. Audit Associate at PwC. Member of the Senate, Governing Council, and Social Council of the University of Barcelona, and chairman of the Montcelimar Foundation.
Financial management
Associate Professor of Economics at UAB and teacher at UPF; cum laude in International Business. Approved multi-million-euro budgets at the University of Barcelona. Managed EU-funded projects under Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, LIFE, and Interreg.
Teamwork
Eight months abroad at the Bel Espoir peace school ship and ESC volunteering in Portugal. Fluent in Spanish, Catalan, and English, with advanced or intermediate French, Italian, and Russian. Vast experience and daily collaboration with diverse, multicultural teams.
Plus: civic innovation
Helped build Palumba.org, a youth-led voting advice app that helped young people across Europe make informed choices in the 2024 European elections.
Established YEE’s organisational policies on AI and cybersecurity.
Ten years of building
From the University of Barcelona to the European stage, I bring 10 years of experience driving change for youth.
Student leader, University of Barcelona
Founder of Som Universitaris. Member of the Governing Council and the Social Council.
EPSO Ambassador.
Vice-President, CREUP
International relations of the Spanish university student councils. Represented students at CEUNE and ESU.
2020–2022President, Equipo Europa Catalunya
Citizen projects around the Conference on the Future of Europe, with more than 200 international participants.
2022–2024President, Euroregion Pyrenees-Mediterranean Youth Assembly
A new youth platform built from zero, connecting young people with regional
governments and the EU.
Co-President, Mediterranean Youth Council
Youth advocacy across 40 nations on the New Pact for the Mediterranean.
2024–2026Institutional Relations and Project Manager, Palumba.org
Digital platform for youth democratic participation, with more than 5 million data points
2024 - TodayFounder, ImpulsEurope
Full-time Erasmus+ non-formal education and youth expertise, and a youth-led think tank. Received the Medal of Honour of the French Republic.
2024 - TodayBoard Member, Youth and Environment Europe (YEE)
External relations and advocacy, representing youth at COP, UN processes, and EU institutions such as the EESC.
2024–2026A member-led Forum with funding that lasts
Core funding in the next MFF
Multi-year structural grants that end the cycle of short-term project funding,
including for environmental youth organisations through Erasmus+, AgoraEU, and LIFE.
Mobility and fair visas
Learning-mobility visas for volunteers, interns and youth workers, and a defended Schengen Area.
One voice across pillars
A bridge between INGYOs and NYCs, with stronger outreach to candidate countries, the Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership, and the Euro-Mediterranean.
Reach beyond our usual structures
Map what members already do, find where we are not reaching young people, and connect existing initiatives, tools and networks: in schools, universities, workplaces and online, with civic tech.
Simpler Erasmus+ and ESC
Lighter reporting and audit rules so volunteer-led grassroots groups can access funds fairly.
Statutory recognition
Legal recognition of NYCs and INGYOs as social partners, and defence against arbitrary restrictions and funding bans.
Youth work recognised
Cross-border validation of non-formal learning, and youth centres as local hubs of democracy
Decent jobs, a home of your own and a livable planet
Ban unpaid internships
A binding EU Directive guaranteeing pay, learning standards and social security, and a Quality Jobs Act that ends zero-hour contracts and sub-minimum youth wages.
Housing emancipation
Binding rules on speculative short-term rentals and investment in public, cooperative and student housing, with energy-efficient renovation and a Right to Stay for rural youth.
Democratic renewal
Campaign for Vote at 16, with the right to run aligned, inspired by young people’s visions for European democracy towards 2049.
Just ecological transition
Sufficiency-based path to 100% renewables, fossil subsidies ended by 2030, binding material footprint caps, and heatwave protection for workers.
Human-centric AI and digital rights
Human agency in AI, addictive design banned under the Digital Fairness Act, and end-to-end encryption protected.
Well-being of youth and activists
Public healthcare addressing precarity and eco-anxiety, alongside anti-burnout protocols within member organisations.
Our mission
YEE aims to unite environmental youth non-profit organisations in Europe in order to enhance international cooperation, increase knowledge about the climate crisis, raise awareness of environmental problems and to strengthen participation of youth in environmental decision-making.
Financially supported by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Council of Europe.
