European Council priorities weak and show lack of commitment to Europe's youth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 27th June 2014

Press contacts: Alexandre Beddock, European Youth Forum, + 32 2286 9419 alexandre.beddock@youthforum.org / press@youthforum.org

EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRIORITIES WEAK AND SHOW LACK OF COMMITMENT TO EUROPE’S YOUTH

The five priorities, published today by the European Council as a “strategic agenda” for the EU and the new European Commission president, are extremely disappointing for Europe’s youth with leaders showing a lack of commitment to tackling youth unemployment.

The statement issued today lacks a long-term vision. It includes no specific, targeted measures or concrete steps to help in the creation of quality jobs for young people. The European Youth Forum believes that sustainable quality jobs should be a key part of a European strategy for inclusive growth.

More importantly, the priorities show a lack of commitment to investing in job creation. The adopted document only mentions the challenge of youth unemployment in reference to “empowering citizens”, rather than under “growth and jobs”. And the solutions that are proposed focus on encouraging skills development and worker mobility, implying that the EU’s Heads of States and Governments are not prepared to give the much-needed investment in young people that is necessary in order to pull them out of the economic crisis that they still bear the brunt of. In order to empower young people, the European Union must focus on sustainable solutions, not just on specific measures such as the youth guarantee, nor on short-term poor quality jobs or simply on young people’s skills.

Whist the Council proposes “bold steps to step up investments”, these are not necessarily going to be focused on young people. Any such investments should be targeted on youth, as investments in Europe’s future, and need to be part of a strategy for inclusive, sustainable growth.

Peter Matjašič, President of the European Youth Forum, comments:

“This was the moment for European leaders to set the direction for the new president of the European Commission. But the lack of focus on young people and the absence of any desire to invest in youth represents a massive missed opportunity. Our leaders cannot just rely on the expectations for economic recovery to provide them with the quality jobs that young people need. Short-sightedness and focus on the short-term - such as relying on improving young people’s skills and providing any job, rather than a quality one - will not be enough to tackle youth unemployment and its consequences in terms of quality of life, inequality and poverty.

“The European Youth Forum is calling on the European Parliament not to follow the Council’s lead when they elect the new President of the Commission and demand from the nominee a commitment to invest in the future of Europe’s youth. It must grasp this opportunity to make life better for Europe’s young people.”

/ENDS

About the European Youth Forum

The European Youth Forum is the platform of youth organisations in Europe. Independent, democratic, youth-led, it represents 98 National Youth Councils and international youth organisations from across the continent. The Forum works to empower young people to participate actively in society to improve their own lives, by representing and advocating their needs and interests and those of their organisations towards the European Union, the Council of Europe and the United Nations. For more information, visit www.youthforum.org