Thanks to the action of Commissioner László Andor, the European Commission has put forward a contribution on fighting youth unemployment to the European Council of 27-28 June 2013.
The European Commission has agreed today on four contributions to the next European Council, scheduled for 27-28 June 2013. One of these contributions, which all aim at getting the EU economy to grow again, focuses specifically on youth unemployment.
The communication "Working together for Europe's young people – A call to action on youth unemployment" stresses once more that combatting youth unemployment is a top priority.
The EU level can help make a difference
While most of the means are in Member States' hands, the EU level can help make a difference. The Commission has proposed a number of practical and achievable measures that have the potential for immediate impact, but some measures are yet to be agreed at EU level, in particular those linked to theMultiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2014-2020.
Speeding up the implementation of the Youth Guarantee
The priority is to accelerate the implementation of the Youth Guarantee. The Commission is proposing that EUR 6 billion of the Youth Employment Initiative should be "frontloaded" so that this money is committed in 2014 and 2015 rather than over the seven year period of the MFF. Member States need to bring forward their youth employment programmes in the autumn.
Measures in partnership
In parallel, the Commission will develop a number of EU-level tools to help Member States, such as:
- the announced EU Alliance for Apprenticeships,
- the coalition for digital employment,
- EURES and the "Your first EURES job" initiative,
- helping firms to recruit young people.
All these measures need to be taken forward in close partnership with the social partners and relevant stakeholders.
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