Brussels, 13/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - Youth unemployment was the focus of concern for those taking part at the European Youth Conference in Dublin on 11 March. The conference is the highlight of the Irish Presidency's European youth programme, and marks the culmination of consultations with 11,000 young people across 27 EU member states, in the context of structured dialogue between the European Commission, the Council of Ministers and the youth organisations. “Europe's young people have told us that unemployment is one of their biggest concerns and represents the greatest challenge to young people's social inclusion throughout the EU. This justifies Ireland's decision to prioritise youth employment during our EU Presidency”, said the Irish minister for childhood and youth, Frances Fitzgerald. Androulla Vassiliou, the commissioner for education, culture, youth and multilingualism, for her part, said: “Young people have borne the brunt of the current crisis - and an alarmingly high number of them are facing social exclusion. We cannot afford a lost generation: we need to give them hope and ensure that inclusion brings tangible results”.
Some 150 young people and key policy makers from all 27 member states attended the European Youth Conference. They discussed the contributions made by youth organisations in the context of structured dialogue. Those contributions will serve as a base for the Irish Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers for developing conclusions that will then be put to member states for adoption in May, during the forthcoming Council of Ministers session on youth. The transition from education to employment is, as young people explain, a critical period as it is at that point that they can topple at any moment into uncertainty and social exclusion. Facilitating this transition is therefore essential to allow young people to become independent and active in economic and collective life. For that, effective training is needed as well as activation measures. Youth organisations and youth work services are essential in carrying out this task, said Fitzgerald, as did Commissioner Vassiliou. Underlining that the Commission is “100% committed to working with youth organisations to address social exclusion”, Vassiliou calls on all member states to take on board the “Youth Guarantee” adopted in February by the Social Affairs Council. This preparatory initiative, which has a budget of €4 million, is intended to help EU countries propose work for young people, or facilitate their return to studies, training or retraining within four months of leaving full-time education. Peter Matjasic, the president of the European Youth Forum, believes this is a step in the right direction for ensuring a decent future for the young, but other integrated and cross-cutting actions are also needed. There must be inter-sectoral cooperation between ministries and the different levels of government, effective coordination of policies for equality, non-discrimination, employment, education, social protection and youth, being an absolute necessity for combating the social exclusion of young people. “We cannot tolerate young people's social exclusion. (…) The Youth Guarantee is a first step in that direction, but more needs to be done”, said Matjasic. He points out that young people have a great deal to offer to European society - the best educated generation ever. Young people are highly aware of new technologies, they are mobile and open to new opportunities. Matjasic said it is essential to avoid having a “lost generation”. (IL/transl.jl)