Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-02-13-Speech-1-163-000"
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"en.20120213.19.1-163-000"2
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"Madam President, the current economic situation and the high levels of youth unemployment demand decisive action, so I am very pleased that the European Commission and President Barroso have recognised this problem and are proposing a reprogramming of the Structural Funds in order to provide support to small and medium-sized enterprises and to combat youth unemployment. However, the question that presents itself is whether we are able to do this quickly, effectively and efficiently and also whether the sum of EUR 82 billion mentioned by the President is actually available. I think that the fundamental question is: will Member States want to reprogramme Structural Funds?
Today on average over 20% of young people living in the European Union are unemployed. For this reason I would like to emphasise that, in the context of reducing unemployment, it is important not just to use the funds that are available, but also to use them effectively. It is important that EU funds allocated for raising qualifications do in fact support high-quality training that provides young people with skills that are required in the labour market.
Small and medium-sized enterprises play – or should play – an important role in the creation of new jobs. Statistics show that only 3% of them are leaders in innovation. Many entities decide not to apply for EU funds because the application process is long-winded and the procedures are complicated and not altogether transparent. I think we would all agree with the statement that efficient functioning and growth in the SME sector is an exceptionally important factor in GDP growth, in the fight against unemployment and in economic stability. I also think, Commissioner, that thousands of European Union citizens are eagerly awaiting today’s discussion, so I would like to ask you a question: in practice, what does support for SMEs mean and what would be the nature of the attempts to reduce youth unemployment? How can we make these effective, as today we are already combating unemployment, but it continues to rise."@en1
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