Today, EU Social Commissioner Laszlo Andor has tabled the long flagged proposal for a European Youth Guarantee. The proposal was made as part of his presentation of the European Commission’s Employment Package. Funding sources for the proposal remain to be clarified.

Based on the proposal, Party of European Socialists (PES) President, Sergei Stanishev has urged that next week (13-14 December), the European Council makes a ‘clear commitment’ to use the European Social Fund to back the scheme. The Member States will also be urged to support and implement, without delay, Youth Guarantee schemes tailored to the specific needs of every national context. 

Mr. Stanishev stated: “I welcome the Commission’s Recommendation to Member States on introducing the Youth Guarantee but we need to put these words into action especially on funding. That this proposal is on the table at all is due to the persistent pressure of Laszlo Andor, EU Social Affairs Commissioner. The reference to ‘Quality’ employment was a major victory for Laszlo. It ensures that the guarantee gives young people a real and not just a cosmetic opportunity. Now we must make sure that he gets that support from Europe’s leaders”.

He added that; “We need to apply political pressure to the European Council next week. I will make this a priority of my preparatory meeting with Socialist Heads of State and Prime Ministers next Thursday (13th December). We cannot fall victim to complacency: this is finally on the table, but urgency of action should now be the watchword. The PES will continue to make this a campaigning priority”.

The PES has long called for concrete measures to implement a European Youth Guarantee with its ‘Your future is my future’ campaign. Under the EU Commission-proposed Youth Guarantee, all young people up to 25 years of age would receive a quality offer of a job, continued education, apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education.