YES – European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs

YES – European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs is the major association of young entrepreneurs throughout Europe representing 40.000 members and aiming to support and improve the economic and social performance of young entrepreneurship in Europe. As such, it is the largest dynamic network of entrepreneurs, which constantly expands its activities.

YES was launched in 1988 by seven national groups of young entrepreneurs in order to face the challenges resulting from the ratification of the Single European Act in July 1987.Young entrepreneurs from Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan and Portugal met in Capri (I) during the National Convention of Confindustria Giovani Imprenditori to sign the “International Young Entrepreneurs Charter”, the so-called “Capri Charter” which established the fundamental principles for the future cooperation. It was also agreed that the social role of an entrepreneur had to contribute to economical, political and social developments of the society.The collective actions were based upon:

• free world trade,
• independent free enterprise system,
• recognition of social charges,
• free competition rules,
• protection of the environment.

The establishment of basic principles was followed by the development of working rules to further strengthen the collective activities of the associations.

The first set of rules was effectively laid down in the YES Constitution signed in Vienna in early 1990s.

Finally, in 1991 the European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs was established  under the initiative of  six national associations of young entrepreneurs from Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Portugal.

In 1993, the Brussels Secretariat General was set up in order to intensify the lobbying activities of YES at the EU level and to improve the exchange of information on European initiatives between the members of the Confederation.

Over the years, the Confederation has evolved to its current composition which currently comprises 16 associations located in “old” European countries: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain as well as in new EU Member States: Hungary, Slovenia, Cyprus, and Montenegro. Young Businessmen Association of Turkey had joined YES before the country it represents became the Candidate State to the EU.  Non-EU members include: Albania and Ukraine.

In 2007 Kazakhstan became part of the large YES family.