The Government submitted to parliament a bill that establishes a new legal framework for youth associativism, replacing Law No. 23/2006, of June 23, which, according to the document, no longer adequately responds to the current dynamics of the youth associative movement or the demands of contemporary public governance.
The proposal provides for significant changes to the financing model of associations, valuing the effective execution of activities, the quality of projects, local impact and the capacity to establish partnerships. Youth associations, federations of associations and informal groups can benefit from the provided support, while organizations of youth of a partisan or trade union nature will only have access to non-financial support. Federations will need to be constituted by at least 60% of the associations they represent to obtain recognition from IPDJ.
The proposal also establishes that unpaid debts to the tax administration, Social Security or IPDJ prevent access to financial support programs. Entities with activities or applications exceeding 100 thousand euros will need to have organized accounting. Regarding the Young Associative Leader Statute, the limits vary between eight leaders for associations with up to 250 members and 23 for associations with more than 10,000 members. Oversight will be the responsibility of IPDJ and other competent entities, with the possibility of loss or cancellation of registration in RNAJ in case of non-compliance.
The document also proposes the creation of a Monitoring Committee for RNAJ and Support Programs, composed of representatives from IPDJ, Autonomous Regions, National Youth Council and National Federation of Youth Associations. The proposal was under public consultation between April 29 and May 20, 2026, having heard the National Youth Council, the National Federation of Youth Associations and the National Federation of Polytechnic Higher Education Student Associations.
