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.

 11 July

Thanks to you the Youth Guarantee is now on top of the EU agenda!

Thanks to your mobilization and to the tireless action of the Party of European Socialists (PES), PES Women and Young European Socialists, the European Youth Guarantee is now closer than ever to become a reality.

In the last weeks, our joint action was decisive in making sure that EU leaders give a chance to young people all over Europe.

•  During the PES Council on 22 June, party leaders launched an urgent and strong appeal to increase the speed and substance of the European Youth Guarantee (EYG).
  
  
• In the run-up to the European Council of 27-28 June, in the debate on youth unemployment, the progressive family in Europe made sure the Youth Guarantee was at the top of the agenda:
  
  
  • PES Prime Ministers and Deputy Prime Ministers gathered in Brussels on 27 June to give a concerted and substantial push to combat youth unemployment in Europe in advance of the European Council
    
    
  • In Paris, Harlem Désir, First Secretary of the French Socialist Party (PS) and Sigmar Gabriel, Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) highlighted that youth employment should be Europe’s absolute priority
    
    
  • On the eve of the EU Council, the PS Belgium organized a conference on youth unemployment, gathering the voice of several progressive leaders in a common declaration calling for a youth guarantee to be urgently implemented in Europe. Participants included PS Belgium President Paul Magnette, European Parliament President Martin Schulz, Italian PD Secretary General Guglielmo Epifani, PSOE leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, Sp.a Belgium leader Bruno Tobback and S&D Group President Hannes Swoboda
    
    
  • In an article on Financial Times on 24 June, Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta clearly stated that the EU should focus on the fight against youth unemployment and strongly endorsed a Youth Guarantee
    
    
  • Swedish Social Democratic Party leader Stefan Löfven and Finnish Finance Minister and SDP leader Jutta Urpilainen published a joint article in the Swedish and Finnish press calling for a European Youth Guarantee
    
    
  • Austrian MEP Evelyn Regner underlined that the EU Council needed to deliver a concrete commitment to the EYG with the corresponding allocation of financial resources
    
    
    
• Thanks to the action of the S&D group in the European Parliament, the fact that the fight against youth unemployment must take priority will be reflected in the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework. Not only does the frontloading of earmarked resources means that Europe can start supporting Youth Guarantees immediately and decisively, the flexibility in the budget opens the way for additional funds to be used
  
  
• Following this political pressure, another key event was the PES Social Affairs Ministers’ meeting that took place in Berlin on 3 July.  The Ministers were joined by German Social Democratic Party (SPD) candidate for Chancellor, Peer Steinbrück and together they issued a strong call to speed up EU efforts to overcome youth unemployment. 

• In its recent report on “Progress on equality between women and men in 2012”, the European Commission acknowledged that women have been harshly hit by the crisis, especially due to the austerity measures introduced by conservatives. In this sense, PES Women is calling for more gender-sensitive youth policies and a better consideration of the gender dimension in the Youth Guarantee
  

• In its latest publication Youth employment: Making it happen, the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions gathers best practices on youth guarantee schemes from all over Europe. Order the book now
  
  
• In Ireland Minister Joan Burton, Emer Costello MEP and Deputy John Lyons marked the announcement of funding for a year-long pilot Youth Guarantee project in Ballymun. Ballymun was selected as one of the first Youth Guarantee schemes to proceed in the EU following funding approval by the European Commission and the Irish Government.

We are closer and closer to have a Youth Guarantee implemented in Europe but, together, we need to keep the momentum going.

We invite you to join the campaign, organize and join events in your region and spread the word to your family and friends. 

Remember, your support is key to tackle youth unemployment in Europe!

COMING UP

Dublin, Ireland, 12 July, 9:00am
Public seminar on Youth Unemployment and the Youth Guarantee

Gümüldür, Turkey, 14-21 July
YES - Young European Socialists Summer Camp

‘The youth unemployment crisis is the legacy of 3 years of Conservative inaction’, says Chancellor candidate

Meeting in advance of a round table on youth unemployment in Berlin, PES Ministers have made a strong call to speed up European Union (EU) efforts to overcome youth unemployment. The Ministers were joined by German Social Democratic Party (SPD) candidate for Chancellor, Peer Steinbrück. 

Bundesregierung verweigert im Ministerrat weitere Hilfe gegen Arbeitslosigkeit in Europa

Jugendliche ohne Jobs bekommen keine zusätzliche Hilfe aus dem neuen EU-Programm für Beschäftigung und soziale Innovation (EaSI), auf dass sich das Europäisches Parlament, Ministerrat und EU-Kommission am Mittwochabend verständigt haben. 

Photo by Parti Socialiste France

Original article

Der SPD-Vorsitzende Sigmar Gabriel und der Erste Sekretär der Sozialistischen Partei Frankreichs Harlem Désir haben heute in Paris die folgende gemeinsame Erklärung zum Thema Jugendarbeitslosigkeit vorgelegt:

Europas Jugend neue Hoffnung geben – für eine Wende in der europäischen Politik

1.200 Milliarden Euro haben die Staaten der Europäischen Währungsunion bereits mit „Rettungsschirmen“ bereitgestellt, um den Finanzsektor des EURO-Währungsraums zu stabilisieren. Impulse für Wachstum und Beschäftigung sowie besonders den Kampf gegen die Jugendarbeitslosigkeit haben die konservativen und liberalen Staats- und Regierungschefs in Europa dagegen viel zu lange sträflich vernachlässigt. Erst auf massiven Druck der europäischen Sozialdemokraten und Sozialisten wurden überhaupt im Juni 2012 ein Wachstumspakt und im Februar 2013 ein Pakt gegen Jugendarbeitslosigkeit vereinbart.

Original article

Photo by Parti Socialiste France

Découvrez la déclaration commune présentée par le Premier secrétaire du Parti socialiste français, Harlem Désir et le Président du Parti social-démocrate allemand, Sigmar Gabriel, «Donner un nouvel espoir à la jeunesse européenne. Pour un changement de la politique européenne.»

Lire la déclaration

Photo by Parti Socialiste France

Original article

SPD-Chef Sigmar Gabriel und der Erste Sekretär der Sozialistischen Partei Frankreichs (PS), Harlem Désir, haben am Mittwoch in Paris der Jugendarbeitslosigkeit in Europa den Kampf angesagt. In einer gemeinsamen Erklärung fordern sie, bis 2020 rund 21 Milliarden Euro zu mobilisieren.

Sozialdemokraten in Europa drängen Mitgliedstaaten zu aktiver Wachstumspolitik

Die sozialdemokratischen Europaabgeordneten aus Frankreich und Deutschland fordern EU-Kommission und Mitgliedstaaten anlässlich der Aussprache am Dienstag und Mittwoch im Wirtschaftsausschuss zu einem gemeinsamen Handeln auf. "Sozialdemokraten in ganz Europa sind täglich zusammen im Einsatz gegen den Brandherd auf dem Kontinent", sagt der Vorsitzende der SPD-Europaabgeordneten, Udo BULLMANN. 

Campaign update 8

After the winter break, the campaign for a European Youth Guarantee is back with great news!

• On January 16, European Parliament members voted overwhelmingly for a resolution by socialist MEP Pervenche Berès proposing a European Youth Guarantee. 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
  
  
• Last week, French President François Hollande announced a youth guarantee scheme to be implemented at national level. The measures include a minimum salary for unemployed citizens aged 16-25 who have not complete secondary education  and a first professional experience for young unemployed in public and private enterprises with a contract of up to three years. President Hollande also underlined the importance of intergenerational solidarity by the implementation of a ‘generation contract’, benefiting employees over 57 and young workers with a temporary contract.

But it is not all good news.

While your actions have made it possible to get a commitment from the EU to a youth guarantee and while progressive leaders work hard to tackle youth unemployment, conservatives in Europe continue to oppose to a European Youth Guarantee:

• In the UK, the Tories refused to back the plan proposed by the Labour Party to implement a national compulsory jobs guarantee for the long term unemployed 
• Despite its 546 votes in favour, the youth guarantee resolution overwhelmingly approved by the European Parliament still faced the stubborn opposition of conservative MEPs

In addition, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) draws our attention to the total number of young unemployed worldwide (73.5 million). The report mentions that the number is likely to further increase by half a million by 2014.
Concerning Europe, the ILO estimates that because of the crisis and the lack of growth and job creation, youth unemployment rates and the average duration of unemployment are set to rise further.

 So you see, we are close to implementing a system that can efficiently tackle youth unemployment, but we won’t get there without your help.

Conservatives are ready to take us back to square one. Your engagement is crucial in making sure this does not happen!

Join our campaign, organize events in your region, support MEPs campaigning for a youth guarantee and spread the word to your family and friends.

Coming up:

Genoa, 8 February, 5.15 pm
Debate on a European Youth Guarantee

Dublin, 8 February
PES ministers meet ahead of the EPSCO Council to discuss a European Youth Guarantee

Brussels, 28 February, 9.00 am
Youth Disengagement - what costs and what remedies?