Brussels, 08/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Youth Conference and meeting of the directors general finished on 4 March in Budapest and Gödöllõ. They emphasised the importance of involving young people in decision-making and looked at the situation of young people on the labour market. Young people exchanged their respective points of view with the directors general of the ministries in charge of youth related issues and representatives from the European Commission. The conference also developed a list of 18 political recommendations and proposals for action to improve youth employment in Europe. Young people are particularly affected by unemployment. The results were developed by national consultations carried out in member states as part of a structured dialogue. They will be sent to the Council of the EU for adoption in a Council resolution in May 2011.
Recommendations include concrete proposals that underline the necessity of member states integrating training oriented to vocational outcomes, information and assistance for finding work and creating skills that further acknowledge skill sets and qualifications that have been obtained in non-formal educational areas. Participants will also propose several areas of concrete action and look at what possible contribution young people, local communities and youth organisations can make to help implement these recommendations. These recommendations propose long term funding to enable young people to acquire the skills and qualifications necessary for becoming active citizens and facilitating their access to the world of work. The trio of Spanish, Belgian and Hungarian Presidencies has set itself the objective of improving the situation for young people on the labour market during an 18 month period. Spain focused on young people in vulnerable situations and Belgium concentrated on the role played by work carried out by young people in deprived communities. (I.L./transl.fl)