THE SOCIAL DIMENSION OF NATIONAL SECURITY: YOUTH POLICY AS ANINSTRUMENT OF SOCIETAL RESILIENCE IN THE BLACK SEA REGION

Абстракт

The article examines the social dimension of national security through the prism of youth policy as an instrument for societal resilience in the Black Sea region. Drawing upon NATO’s Strategic Concept (2022), the EU Global Strategy (2016), the Strategic Compass (2022) and the youth policy framework of the Council of Europe, the study argues that long term regional stability cannot be ensured solely through military deterrence, but requires resilient societies, characterized by democratic legitimacy, social cohesion and active civic participation. Empirical data on demographic and social trends among young people in Bulgaria are analyzed as structural factors, affecting national resilience. The paper further discusses the strategic implications of establishing a third European Youth Centre in the Black Sea region and outlines policy directions linking youth engagement with broader security architecture.