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Vote: Joint motion for a resolution - Preparations for the European Council meeting (27-28 June 2013) - European action to combat youth unemployment, Paragraph 22/2, June 2013.
Several years of economic crisis have led to high levels of unemployment, particularly among young people. Youth unemployment in the EU has reached unprecedented levels, and is expected to rise higher still.
Against such a backdrop, MEPs asked to the EU Council of Ministers and the Commission to improve their efforts in combating this critical problem. They underlined that the most efficient tool to fight youth unemployment is sustainable economic growth, and they stressed the need for long term reforms, especially in the education systems of the Member States.
MEPs also welcomed the Youth Guarantee agreed by the European Council, which is a programme aimed at providing jobs and education programmes for unemployed EU citizens up to the age of 25 years and recent graduates under 30.
The resolution - which was voted down by the Parliament - asked the Commission to exempt investments in areas that could help boost youth employment from budget cuts and deficit targets. This would have allowed EU countries to spend money even if this increased public debt. Some MEPs wanted this to be allowed because they believed that the austerity-only measures set up to combat the crisis were in part to blame for the rise in youth unemployment.
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Member States were allowed to build up billion-euro debts to rescue their banks. If they can't also spend money on fighting youth unemployment, people will lose faith in the EU project. If nothing concrete is done for young people now, the EU risks creating a 'lost generation'. In the long run this will be even more costly than a high budget deficit. Spending more money on measures to boost youth employment will help prevent jobless young people turning towards crime and drugs. |
Programmes to fight youth unemployment are just a drop in the ocean. It's better to tackle the underlying causes of unemployment, such as rigid labour markets. It is not government's role to provide jobs for young people. They should learn to help themselves, or they will get used to living off the state. Keeping budget deficits under control is the only way to restore a healthy economy and create new jobs. Spending even more will only make the problem harder to solve. |
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