3 May 1964 (Hamburg, Germany) - the conservative and Christian-democratic youth organisations from Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden decide to found the Conservative and Christian Democratic Youth Community of Europe (COCDYC) as a framework for the exchange of ideas with the aim to work together towards a united Europe.
The 1960s - COCDYC members, united by a series of common beliefs based on Freedom and Democracy, organise two international conferences per year and keep undertaking a dynamic role against acts of violation of human rights by repressive regimes.
The 1970s – COCDYC’s membership constantly grows, which requires the broadening of the ideological basis; activities on specific topics like environmental policy or social services are organised. Organisations adopt resolutions on current political issues like the violation of human rights by Iran, the Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty, the Cyprus problem or the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. Multilateral meetings between Western and Eastern Europe are carried out.
1970 - 1st COCDYC's seminar at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg
1971 - COCDYC is granted consultative status at the Council of Europe, begins to fully participate in the activities of the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg
1973 - after the creation of the European Youth Foundation, COCDYC is elected to its Governing Board
1974 - COCDYC becomes a member of the European Co-ordination Bureau of International Youth Organisations (ECB)
1975 - seminar in Strasbourg on ideological questions prepares the draft for the comprehensive ideological manifesto of the organisation to be adopted later that year
1975, October - the Manchester Conference decides to change the name into "Democrat Youth Community of Europe" to allow for a broader ideological spectrum. The "Declaration of Principles and Beliefs" is signed by all member organisations.
1976 - DEMYC joins the Youth Forum of the European Communities
1978 –the centre-right political parties of Europe create an umbrella organisation – the European Democrat Union (EDU)
1979 – DEMYC becomes a permanent observer of EDU
The 1980s – DEMYC establishes contacts to like-minded youth organisations from outside Europe, a number of Study Visits to the USA, China, Israel and Central America are organised, the idea of annual Summer Schools is born, national training courses for young activists are run by DEMYC, further involvement in the European Youth Structures is developed, priority topics are East-West relations, defence policies and European integration, further increase in the membership.
1980 – agreement on the “Framework of All-European Youth and Student Cooperation” (AEYSC) is made to formalise the East-West contacts.
1981 – the International Young Democrat Union (IYDU) is established by DEMYC and youth organisations from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Mr Elmar Brok, MEP and former DEMYC officer becomes the Chairman.
1982 – WFDY, the international communist youth organisation, blocks the activities of AEYSC and all East-West multilateral contacts. DEMYC refuses to take part in the propaganda meetings of WFDY and in the so-called World Youth Festivals (1997 in Cuba, before in North Korea or Moscow).
1983 – DEMYC starts to publish the “European Democrat”, subsequently various policy statements are issued as well as posters and other campaign material.
1983 – the International Democrat Union is created as the umbrella organisation for the EDU, the Pacific Democrat Union (PDU)and the Caribbean Democrat Union (CDU).
1984 – upon DEMYC’s initiative, the European Political Youth Council (EPYC) is founded as a platform for all democratic party-political youth organisations.
1986 - AEYSC activities are resumed and DEMYC begins to assist the Eastern European youth organisations in their democratic developments. Study visits to the Soviet Union and China take place.
1987 – EPYC participates in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and organises a symposium on democracy at the EYC Strasbourg.
1988 – the DEMYC’s Platform for the European Elections is adopted, being a basis for contacts between MEPs from four parliamentary groups.
1988 – DEMYC organises its Summer School together with the Union de Juventudes Democraticas Hispanoamericanas (UJDH), which unites youth organisations from 12 Latin American countries and Spain.
1989 – “Paris’89” – a major youth activity is organised by EPYC on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights and the Rights of the Citizen.
1989 – DEMYC withdraws from the ECB to show its dissatisfaction with the work of the bureaucratised European youth structures and its lack of reference to the real needs of young people.
Late 1980s and early 1990s – following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the appearance of new countries and the beginning of the democratisation process in the former communist countries, DEMYC increases its involvement in Eastern Europe and actively supports the development of democratic youth structures. Consequently, a great number of organisations from Central and Eastern Europe is granted observer, associate and finally full membership in DEMYC. Study Visits and then Executive Committee Meetings are organised by these new members, who take very active part in the international work.
The seminars sponsored by the European Youth Centre are annually organised and meet great interest from member and partner organisations.
1995 – DEMYC has again its representative in the ECB Bureau
1996 – European Youth Forum is created based on the merge of the Youth Forum, ECB and the Council of the National Youth Committees. DEMYC holds a position of Vice-President.
1998 – DEMYC launches the FREE BELARUS CAMPAIGN (http://www.freebelarus.org/) together with European Democrat Students (EDS) and Euroepean Young Conservatives (EYC)
1999 – 2001 DEMYC focuses its political work on the EU-applicant Countries, South Eastern Europe and in particular on the Balkans. Study Visits are organised to most of these countries. Intensive contacts with like-minded youth organisations from this region are being established.
2001 – DEMYC gets a new constitution that emphasizes that DEMYC also should be a platform for training and campaigning
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