Brussels, 27/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - The wish had already been expressed in several European capitals, such as Paris and Berlin. Today, the customary host of European summits in Brussels said he had heard this message. In a letter sent to all member states and published in the evening of Friday 24 May, Herman Van Rompuy indicated that “in June, I would like to put the fight against unemployment high on our agenda”and that the first objective should be “to mobilise efforts at all levels around one shared objective: to get motivated young people back to work or education”.
It is perhaps the last of the four points on the European Council agenda for 27-28 June referred to by Van Rompuy but unemployment will, indeed, be debated given that “it has become one of the most pressing issues in most, if not all, of our member states”, the Council president said. It is certainly a problem common to all but there is not necessarily a common solution. This is, at least his opinion, given that he underlined that youth unemployment “demonstrates that national policies and situations matter and that member states are key actors in this regard”. He therefore proposes to revise the mechanism (although this has been formally adopted) for the youth guarantee and is calling on member states to put forward their own initiatives, such as the Franco-German idea of a “New Deal for Europe” (see EUROPE 10852). (JK/transl.fl)