After a debate at the beginning of the week, the European Parliament was invited to adopt a draft resolution in the evening of Tuesday 9 February, warning of the negative impact of Covid-19 on youth and sport.
The Commissioner for Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, also regretted the current situation. “The crisis is a reminder of how essential sport is. While the big clubs probably have some margin to absorb the loss of income, the very existence of many amateur leagues or less popular sports is threatened and puts our European model of sport at risk”, she stressed. Faced with requests from MEPs to study the exact impact of the pandemic, she recalled that a study on Covid-19 and sport had been published in November. With regard to youth, a report will be published in the third quarter, she said. “This report will feed into the preparation of future policy priorities within the framework of the EU Work Plans for Youth 2022-2024”, she continued.
More funds for youth
The draft resolution, some paragraphs of which will be put to the vote at the request of the Identity and Democracy Group, notes that youth unemployment and poverty have been rising steadily since the beginning of the pandemic. It urges the Commission and Member States to take all necessary measures to address the disastrous effects on youth employment. Specifically citing “macroeconomic (fiscal and monetary) policies that direct public expenditure towards the provision of subsidies for recruitment or youth guarantees in support of tailored schemes for job retention and creation and for the upskilling and reskilling of young people, as well as investment in economic sectors that have the potential to absorb young jobseekers, by offering quality jobs and decent working and remuneration conditions”, highlights the draft text, prepared by Sabine Verheyen (EPP, Germany) on behalf of the Committee on Culture. MEPs also call for more funds from the Recovery Plan for young people, 10% for education and 20% for digital technology.
Emphasis on sport
The MEPs also expressed “deep concern” about the possible lasting damage to the sport sector, which accounts for some 5.67 million jobs. Once the economic and social impact of the pandemic on this sector has been clearly identified, MEPs call for a European strategy to tackle the difficulties and mitigate the possible consequences.
Link to the draft resolution: https://bit.ly/2OoEhVp (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)