Brussels, 07/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament (EP) is beginning to have doubts about whether member states really are committed to implementing the youth guarantee mechanism, the EU's flagship initiative for tackling youth unemployment in Europe. The most recent inter-institutional meeting on the European social fund (ESF) on Monday 6 May finished without differences being resolved on how this guarantee articulates with the European Council's youth employment initiative.
Following the 16th inter-institutional meeting on the ESF, which focused on the youth employment initiative and its relationship with the youth guarantee, Elisabeth Morin-Chartier (EPP, France), who represents the European Parliament in negotiations, did not attempt to conceal her disappointment with the Council's position. She fears now that the proposal on the guarantee is “just a political decision, political posturing”. She added that Council negotiators did not seek to resolve the problems of articulation and including the guarantee in the legislative body of the initiative as sought by MEPs. The MEP was speaking during the employment and social affairs committee meeting at the EP on Tuesday 7 May. Her colleague, Alejandro Cercas (S&D, Spain) said that “we are totally confused about it”.
Two other points will also require a “serious battle” to be waged. Parliament wants to extend the field of application of the youth guarantee to graduates under 30. Morin-Chartier said that this would “double the number of beneficiaries” and would only worsen the problem of the proposed €6 billion funding (half of that coming from the ESF), “which only covers a tiny part of our needs”. Parliament also wants to add two other thematic areas to the four that already exist and which demarcate the scope of the ESF missions. The youth employment initiative should be included in it either as an additional area or among the four “thematic objectives”, said Morin-Chartier. (JK/transl.fl)