Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-04-22-Speech-2-359"
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"en.20080422.52.2-359"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Commission is alarmed at the high unemployment rate among young people in the Member States, which was 15.2% at the end of 2007, i.e. almost double the overall unemployment rate. The Commission is also alarmed at the persistence of long-term unemployment, affecting approximately half (45%) of all unemployed people, although I must stress that we have witnessed a considerable decrease in long-term unemployment in recent times. This decrease varies from Member State to Member State but we there is certainly a downtrend across the EU.
In implementing their labour market policies, the Member States also receive financial assistance under the Structural Funds, and in particular from the European Social Fund.
The Member States have EUR 75 billion at their disposal for the period 2007-2013. The European Social Fund is extremely important. Approximately 25% of unemployed people in the European Union were in some way involved in ESF projects in 2007. This means that each year assistance is provided to approximately 1 million people suffering from exclusion, including young people. Each year approximately 2 million people enter the labour market after having received assistance from the European Social Fund.
Although the European Regional Development Fund does not concentrate on young people
it cofinances projects that directly involve young people, such as infrastructure for education and professional training, university research, and support for businesses, notably small and medium-sized enterprises. Under the Regions for Economic Change initiative the Commission supports an exchange of best practice through the regional network ‘Integrating marginalised youth’.
Ladies and gentlemen, the fight against youth unemployment and against long-term unemployment is a priority for Europe and for the Member States. Integrating young people into working life and into society and making better use of their potential are the main preconditions for the reviving strong and sustainable growth in Europe.
However, the situation is still worrying. Many young people finish their education without gaining the skills needed to enter the job market. This is because approximately one in six young people in the European Union drops out of school early and one in four does not complete secondary education.
In spite of significant efforts by Member States to improve the employment rate among young people, approximately half of the countries have not yet reached the goal of giving the young unemployed the chance of a ‘new start’ within six months, which was the stipulation for 2007, or within four months, which is the objective for 2010.
The Member States are primarily responsible for implementing measures to reduce the youth unemployment rate and long-term unemployment. The European Union has a complementary role through coordination of the Member States’s national employment policies and through financial support under the European Social Fund.
As you are aware, each year the Commission adopts its annual progress report on the employment strategy At its meeting in March 2008, the European Council adopted a number of recommendations to the Member States: 17 of them were recommendations in the area of education and professional training, and 15 in the area of employment.
I believe that there are three courses of action that are vital for improving the integration of young people in the labour market:
1. Improving education and training: it is important to concentrate efforts on developing key skills in childhood and on creating a support mechanism to prevent young people from dropping out of school early. The Lifelong Learning Programme, in operation since 2007, contributes to the development of the European Union as an advanced knowledge-based society by providing support for the modernisation and adjustment of education systems and professional training in the Member States.
2. Supporting social inclusion: in this context, particular attention should be paid to improving the situation of the most vulnerable young people and to eradicating child poverty.
3. Improving geographical mobility: at present unemployment sits alongside a shortage of labour on the job markets. This has prompted the Commission to support cooperation between the Member States, and in particular to encourage greater mobility of young people in the European Union."@en1
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