Labour’s MEP for Dublin, Emer Costello, has called for ‘parity of esteem’ for vocational education to encourage young people follow career paths that will lead to employment. She has also called on the European Commission to publish their proposals for Quality Framework for Traineeships agreed at European level to ensure that young people acquire high-quality work experience under safe conditions and to guard against exploitation. Ms Costello was speaking at a conference on the delivery of a "European Youth Guarantee" in Swords on October 11th.

The official text says: "The European Youth Guarantee is a guarantee that ensures that every young person in Europe is offered a job, further education OR work-focused training at the latest four months after leaving education or after becoming unemployed".When you read carefully, it is no guarantee for a job. it is more a PR phrasing, not to say: a kind of deceit. The reason is simple: there are no 5 million decent jobs vacant in the EU. On the contrary: the private sector, and in many countries also the public authorities, are laying off ten thousands of workers. Public jobs suffer from the austerity measures, while the private sector increases its productivity (=less personnel needed) and experiences stagnating or reduced demand. The way out are publicly funded jobs. There are large needs in many areas: decent cheap housing; health and care for elderly and pre-school children; education and schools; public transport; refugee centers and for homeless, etc. When unemployed are put to work, the lowest incomes will rise immediately, and consumption of elementary products too. This stimulates demand, and enterprises will raise production and hire again. So the EU and governments should spend more, instead of saving. There is enough wealth and money around, just look at the net profits the corporations and stock market make. Of course the conservative political parties give priority to these profits; not to the unemployed. The whole discourse about "activation" is a fraud if there are not enough decent jobs available.   

After months of strong support for the European Youth Guarantee campaign, the German Social Democrats have made the youth guarantee one of the priorities in their election manifesto (pages 11-26).

With federal elections scheduled for next Sunday (22 September), the SPD will push for stronger measures to overcome youth unemployment as a way of generating sustainable growth in Germany.

Original article

It’s notoriously hard to make predictions, especially about the future, it has often been said, but the coming year promises to be an eventful one for the EU. Commission President José Manuel Barroso gave a preview during his State of the Union address at the European Parliament (EP) on 11 September, which he then debated with MEPs. EP Facebook fans later discussed the EU’s immediate future with the Parliament's President Martin Schulz. He talked about creating jobs, improving the EU and why it is important to vote next year.

S&D-Chefverhandlerin kritisiert Konservative und Grüne bei Bekämpfung der Jugendarbeitslosigkeit – Investitionspaket von 2 Prozent des EU-BIP gefordert

Wien (OTS/SK) – Die SPÖ-Europaabgeordnete Evelyn Regner, Chefverhandlerin der sozialdemokratischen Fraktion zu Jugendbeschäftigung, setzt mit dem heute im Straßburger EU-Parlament beschlossenen Bericht “Bekämpfung der Jugendarbeitslosigkeit: mögliche Auswege” auf ein Umdenken der liberal-konservativen Akteure in den einzelnen EU-Staaten. “Das Europäische Parlament hat mit dem heutigen Bericht ein starkes Zeichen gesetzt. Vor allem die Sozialdemokratie konnte sich für die sechs Millionen jungen Menschen ohne Job in Europa einsetzen”, so Regner, Mitglied im Ausschuss für Beschäftigung und soziale Angelegenheiten des EU-Parlaments, am Mittwoch gegenüber dem SPÖ-Pressedienst.

Article original par Emilie Zapalski

Les missions locales veulent être au centre de l'organisation de la garantie jeunes. Le dispositif va commencer à être déployé sur dix territoires à partir de septembre 2013 dans le cadre d'une expérimentation qui concernera 10.000 jeunes. En 2014, dix autres territoires seront intégrés au dispositif qui concernera 30.000 jeunes au total. En vitesse de croisière, après généralisation du dispositif sur tout le territoire, le gouvernement espère toucher 100.000 jeunes par an, bien loin des 10.000 bénéficiaires du RSA jeunes.

Utl.: Jugendliche nach wie vor stärker von Arbeitslosigkeit betroffen - europaweit sind 23 % der Jugendlichen ohne Job.

Linz (OTS) - In einer gemeinsamen Aktion heute auf der Linzer Landstraße wiesen die JugendkandidatInnen der SPÖ-OÖ, Donjeta Krasniqi und Corinna Kovac, gemeinsam mit dem EU Abgeordneten Josef Weidenholzer auf die prekäre Situation arbeitsloser Jugendlicher in Europa hin.

Original article 

On behalf of the PES Group, Yoomi Renström, Member of Ovanåker Municipal Council (Sweden) and PES Group EDUC coordinator, took yesterday part in a workshop on a European Youth Guarantee, organised in the framework of the 2013 edition of theYES – Young European Socialists Summer Camp, taking place in Turkey at the invitation of the PES sister party CHP (Republican People's Party), between 14 and 21 July.

Original photo

Labour MEP Emer Costello, has said that €40 to €50 million of the €150 million expected to be ring-fenced for the Youth Guarantee in Ireland should be poured into communities around Dublin where youth unemployment is worst.

Original article

Da quando la crisi finanziaria americana si è trasformata in crisi creditizia e infine in crisi del debito europeo, l’intera Unione Europea ha affrontato una pesante recessione economica che si è dopo poco tradotta – prevedibilmente – in crisi occupazionale. La disoccupazione è aumentata quasi ovunque e ha raggiunto livelli preoccupanti nel sud Europa, a causa delle peggiori condizioni di partenza. Solo di recente però si è iniziato a parlare di una nuova emergenza, la disoccupazione giovanile. Complici allarmanti dati diffusi dagli istituti statistici, oltre all’oggettiva difficoltà di trovare lavoro, i governi europei, i partiti politici, la stessa Unione si sono messi in moto per affrontare la disoccupazione dei più giovani.