Aiming at contributing to a better understanding of the current developments, paradoxes and ways to deal with youth political participation in Europe, the main research question of the PARTISPACE project is: How and where do 15- to 30 year-old young people participate differently across social milieus and youth cultural scenes and across eight European cities (framed by different national welfare, education and youth policies)? In relation to this research question, this report was intended to delineate the overall social, political, institutional and cultural framework in which the project PARTISPACE is placed and to identify the main starting points for the development of the forthcoming fieldwork. In so doing, the report has outlined the scenario of youth participation in the eight countries involved in the PARTISPACE project.