“Youth Guarantee: decisive action means decisive funding” says PES President
On 14 January, the European Parliament held a debate on the Youth Guarantee scheme and its funding. The debate was on a resolution tabled by French Socialist Pervenche Berès MEP on behalf of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. The resolution will be voted on this Wednesday. This resolution backs the EU Commission’s proposal from December, tabled by EU Social Commissioner László Andor, and puts an emphasis on quality framework for education and training, as well as on the role of the European Social Fund in the financing.
Welcoming the high profile the European Parliament is giving to the youth guarantee, PES President Sergei Stanishev stated that; “the only way to make the Youth Guarantee a reality is by making its financing a top priority both at European and national level. Our progressive family has long called for concrete measures to implement a European-wide Youth Guarantee. I welcome the political pressure being applied by the Parliament because on a Youth Guarantee, decisive action must mean decisive funding at EU level”.
Mr. Stanishev added: “As we talk, over 5 and a half million young people are without a job and at risk of social exclusion. Thanks to the work of our friends in the Irish Labour Party, the youth guarantee is also at the top of the agenda for the incoming Irish Presidency of the EU. The PES will help ensure that concrete European commitments are made to make a European Youth Guarantee a reality”.
The PES campaign “Your future is my future – A European Youth Guarantee” proposes 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. This guarantee, as proposed by the PES, could help bring 2 million young people out of unemployment by 2014.
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