Brussels, 08/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 6 July, the European Parliament (EP) voted on a report on measures to promote employment for young Europeans. In the EU in 2009, more than 5.5 million young people under 25 were unemployed, equivalent to 21.4 % of all young people, or double the EU unemployment level.
MEPs say that young people who are unemployed should not remain jobless for more than four months. They propose, then, that the Council and Commission devise a “European Youth Guarantee” to give every young person in the EU the right to a job, an apprenticeship, further training or a job combined with training, if they have been out of work for four months.
MEPs also call on the Council and Commission to set up a “European Quality Charter on Traineeships”. This, they say, should ensure that the training courses are part of an educational programme and do not replace real jobs. The resolution states that the Charter must ensure “their educational value and avoid exploitation”. It should, they say, lay down time limits on internships and provide for social security benefits and a minimum allowance based on standard of living costs of the place where the internship takes place.
The report calls on member states to guarantee young people a decent income so they can be financially independent. Parliament says some national laws could be seen as discriminatory, for example, the minimum wage in the UK, which is lower for young people, the limited access to the “active solidarity income” in France.
Similarly, MEPs call on member states to include the four components of “flexicurity” in their national plans for youth employment: provision of lifelong learning; effective and active, skills-based employment market policies; effective employment mobility mechanisms; and social security systems which ensure a safe transition for young people from one employment situation to another.
MEPs also call on the Commission to earmark a minimum of 10% of the European Social Fund for projects targeting young people in order to ease access to the fund. (J.I./transl.rt)