The letter highlights President Juncker’s public commitment in his last ‘State of the Union’ address for young people to become a priority of EU policies and calls on him to meet his words with deeds so this successful programme can continue to be rolled out across Europe.
Stanishev, Pittella and Slimani regret that a programme that has provided 9 million young people with an offer of employment, apprenticeship, traineeship, or lifelong learning will only get €2 BN, this means that 75% less money will be available for the Youth Guarantee: “We call for €20 BN to be made available (…) This proposal initially came from F. Hollande and M. Renzi, and we stand for it.”
The PES considers the Youth Guarantee to be a progressive structural reform and is proud of having advocated for it back in 2012: “In Strasbourg, you promised you would not accept that Europe remains the continent of youth unemployment. We call on you to ensure that Europe invests in young people.”
On the 16th of November the PES, the S&D the YES and progressive organisations are holding a pan European action day in support of the European Youth Plan in which the new and extended Youth Guarantee is an essential part.
