The meeting was chaired by the new State Secretary in the Polish Ministry of National Education, Joanna Mucha. State Secretary Margit Gottstein took part in the meeting on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ). The Youth Council is made up of 24 people, 12 per country. It is co-chaired by the Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Lisa Paus, and the Polish Minister for National Education, Barbara Nowacka. Five further seats are held by representatives of state and local authorities from Germany and Poland respectively. The remaining six seats are held by non-governmental organisations from the field of national or international youth work. The current council members are appointed until 2025. The Managing Director for International Cooperation at the IB, Richard Schottdorf, is a member of the German-Polish Youth Council and took part in the meeting as a representative of the Cooperation Network for Youth Social Work.
The meeting with representatives of the new government in Poland from the German side was expected with great interest. The agenda included the budget and the DPJW's annual plan for 2024, and the new Polish government was pleased to announce an increase of around EUR 1 million in its contribution to German-Polish youth work. The Council members also voted on the theme and concept of the next German-Polish Youth Award. The eighth edition of the competition will begin this year and end in 2026.
