In a resolution adopted on Thursday 24 November, the European Parliament calls on the European Commission to extend the European Year of Youth 2022 until 9 May 2023 because the conditions for launching the initiative delayed the funding and implementation of many projects.
This extension should not impact the launch of the European Year of Skills 2023 (see EUROPE 13041/20), stresses the European Parliament. It also asks the Commission to unveil its proposals early enough to give stakeholders time to prepare properly for the next European Years initiatives.
MEPs say the Commission should draw up an evaluation of the European Year of Youth to analyse its contribution to the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 (see EUROPE 12015/18) and the European Youth Work Agenda.
The European Parliament reiterates its call for the development of a European plan for the protection of mental health in education and training. The same goes for “a common legal framework to ensure fair remuneration for traineeships and apprenticeships” to avoid exploitative practices.
In a statement, Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, French) “forcefully” denounced the opposition of conservative forces who oppose “an outright ban on unpaid internships”.
See the European Parliament resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/49p (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)