At her hearing in the European Parliament on 14 January, Androulla Vassiliou told MEPs that ensuring improved mobility for young people, in a form such as the Youth On the Move programme already put forward by Commission President J.M. Barroso, was essential to help young Europeans learn. She stated exchange programs, such as Erasmus Mundus, the Marie Curie programme and the Comenius programme as evidence for the success of this approach.

She also expressed a certain concern that those who have been hit the most by the financial crisis were young people and the low-skilled, stating that, if confirmed as Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, one of her first priorities will be to try to match education and skills to employers’ needs to better the jobs crisis.

The YFJ is concerned, however, that the candidate did not have the opportunity to say more on youth policy as such. The Youth Forum has high expectations for an increased involvement of young people in her decision-making role as future Commissioner.