Brussels, 26/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - The EU is not doing enough to tackle youth unemployment. It was from that premise that the European Parliament (EP) employment and social affairs, on Tuesday 24 April, approved an oral question, due to be put during the plenary session of 1 May, on measures that could be taken to address the problem which has been growing since 2008, reaching the record level of 22.4% in the EU in February.
MEPs put forward a number of suggestions, such as a “European Investment Plan”, redirecting structural funds and bringing in a “European Youth Guarantee” (preventing unemployment of more than four months). Though this resolution, drafted by Pervenche Berès (S&D, France), backs the initiatives proposed by the European Commission, including the “Youth Opportunities Initiative” (for 2012 and 2013), it nevertheless makes the point that there is reason for “sincere doubts whether the scale of the actions proposed is proportionate to the gravity of the current youth unemployment crisis experienced in many member states”. (JK/transl.rt)