Rasmussen: youth unemployment an EU priority

Tackling youth unemployment must become EU priority - PES criticizes European Commission and conservative governments for ignoring this challenge. The Party of European Socialists (PES) President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen has welcomed the European Parliament's actions to tackle the problem of youth unemployment.

Contrary to the European Commission and their proposal for a Europe 2020 Strategy, the PES believes that increasing the employment of young people must become a key priority for the EU. "Unfortunately, youth unemployment does not seem to be a priority for the Commission. Their EU 2020 Strategy lacks vision and concrete proposals to tackle this fundamental problem" said Mr. Rasmussen. The PES demands that a target to reduce youth unemployment become part of the strategy.

Mr. Rasmussen made his comments as the Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee's (EMPL) held a hearing yesterday on the issue. The EMPL committee discussed the report "Promoting youth access to the labour market, strengthening trainee, internship and apprenticeship status".

"Ensuring Europe's youth can obtain genuinely worthwhile jobs, in the midst of this economic crisis, is one of our greatest challenges" said Mr. Rasmussen. He contrasted the progressive work of the Committee with Tuesday's conclusions from the ECOFIN (EU Economic and Finance Ministers) Council. "The PES understands that the best way to make sure we don't lose a generation to youth unemployment is to ensure strong supportive measures. However, conservative Finance Ministers and Prime Ministers, continue to cut public investments in the labour market. With the ECOFIN decision to phase out supportive measures for the labour market we risk losing an entire generation of young people to unemployment."

PES leader of the Social Europe Network, Alejandro Cercas, MEP - stated that; "the shortsightedness of conservative governments in Europe exposes our young people to the ravages of long term unemployment just when they have a right to expect support".

Janna Besamusca, Secretary General of ECOSY - Young European Socialists said: "the unemployment rate of young people is twice that of the average population. We know that unemployment at a young age is likely to cause professional and personal problems to people their whole lives - and still the message from conservative Economic and Finance Ministers is - stop measures which support the labour market."  

PES and ECOSY are asking for a job guarantee for young people to be subsidized from the European Social Fund, a fiscal incentive for SMEs to offer paid internships and traineeships, a directive to establish minimum criteria for internships, more investment in education and a special project for young people under the EU microfinance facility.