Report - A9-0322/2021Report
A9-0322/2021
European Parliament

REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on a European Year of Youth 2022

15.11.2021 - (COM(2021)0634 – C9‑0379/2021 – 2021/0328(COD)) - ***I

Committee on Culture and Education
Rapporteur: Sabine Verheyen
(Simplified procedure – Rule 52(2) of the Rules of Procedure)


Procedure : 2021/0328(COD)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
A9-0322/2021
Texts tabled :
A9-0322/2021
Debates :
Votes :
Texts adopted :

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on a European Year of Youth 2022

(COM(2021)0634– C9‑0379/2021 – 2021/0328(COD))

(Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2021)0634),

– having regard to Article 294(2) and Articles 165(4) and 166(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C9-0379/2021),

– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of ...[1],

– having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of ...[2],

– having regard to Rule 59 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture and Education (A9-0322/2021),

A.  Whereas for reasons of urgency it is justified to proceed to the vote before the expiry of the deadline of eight weeks laid down in Article 6 of Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;

1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;

2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.


Amendment  1

AMENDMENTS BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT[*]

to the Commission proposal

---------------------------------------------------------

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

on a European Year of Youth 2022

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 165(4) and 166(4) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee[3],

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions[4],

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure,

Whereas:

(1) Article 165(2) TFEU states that Union action shall be aimed at, inter alia, “encouraging the participation of young people in democratic life in Europe”.

(2) In the Bratislava Roadmap of 16 September 2016[5], the 27 Heads of State or Government committed to "provide better opportunities for youth", notably through "EU support for Member States in fighting youth unemployment and on enhanced EU programmes dedicated to youth".

(3) In the Rome Declaration of 25 March 2017[6], the leaders of the 27 Member States and of the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission pledged to work towards "a Union where young people receive the best education and training and can study and find jobs across the continent".

(4) The European Union Youth Strategy 2019-2027 recognises that young people are architects of their own lives, contribute to positive change in society and enrich the EU’s ambitions, and that youth policy can contribute to create a space where young people can seize opportunities and relate to European values. Previous European Years, such as the European Year of Rail 2021, the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, or the European Year of Citizens 2013-2014 offer valuable experience which should inform future efforts to engage and empower youth in shaping their future and the future of Europe. 

(5) NextGenerationEU ensures a fast-forwarding of the twin transitions and provides the possibility to collectively emerge stronger from the pandemic and re-opens perspectives full of opportunities for young people, including quality jobs and adapting to social change. The Union aims for youth to be fully on board in the rollout of NextGenerationEU, enhancing their role in the green and digital transition.

(6) On 15 September 2021, President von der Leyen announced in her State of the European Union[7] Address that the European Commission would propose to make 2022 the European Year of Youth. Highlighting the confidence that she draws for Europe’s future from the inspiration provided by Europe's young people, President von der Leyen added that “if we are to shape our Union in their mould, young people must be able to shape Europe's future”. Europe needs the vision, engagement and participation of all young people to build a better future, and Europe needs to give young people opportunities for the future, a future that is greener, more digital and more inclusive. This is why the President proposed "a year dedicated to empowering those who have dedicated so much to others".

(6a)  The European Year of Youth should trigger a reflection process on the future of youth and their active participation in building the European project. In that sense, youth policies should become a horizontal priority mainstreamed through all Union policies. 

(7) The active participation of young people in democratic processes is crucial for the future of Europe and its democratic societies. In line with the European Democracy Action Plan[8], the European Year of Youth therefore aims to give a boost to the active involvement of young people in Europe’s democratic life, including by supporting participation activities for young people from diverse backgrounds in processes such as the Conference on the Future of Europe, promoting civic engagement and volunteering initiatives, thereby raising awareness of European common values and fundamental rights, as well as European history and culture, bringing together young people and decision-makers at local, national and Union levels and contributing to the process of European integration.

(8) The essential role of young people is also recognised and must be supported “to channel their infinite capacities for activism into the creation of a better world”. The European Year of Youth is a concrete contribution to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (‘2030 Agenda’)[9], which highlights that “children and young women and men are critical agents of change”, and should give a further impetus to the implementation of that Agenda, the road to sustainable development, and the capacity of young people to shape the future, not only of the Union, but also EU partner countries and of our planet as a whole.

(9) The European Year should contribute to strengthen youth participation in EU external action across all policies, create new opportunities for education and exchanges, partnerships and dialogue between youth from the EU and partner countries and to increase the role of youth engagement in strategic communication and public diplomacy action.

(9a)  In its conclusions of 5 June 2020 on Youth in external action, the Council stressed the contribution of young generations to building stronger, more legitimate, peaceful and democratic societies in which human rights and the rule of law are respected and no one is left behind. The Council also stressed that young people are important change makers and essential partners in the implementation of the European Consensus on Development, the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change[10] (the ‘Paris Agreement’) and recognised their creative and innovative potential and abilities. The Council also highlighted the importance of investing in and working with, by and for youth in Europe and beyond.

(10) The European Youth Goals, which are an integral part of the EU Youth Strategy, and which have been developed by young people for young people under the EU Youth dialogue process, are a testimony to the eagerness of many young Europeans to participate in defining the direction in which the development of the European Union should go.

(11) The European Year of Youth should boost the successful implementation of principles 1 and 3 of the European Pillar of Social Rights[11], which highlight, respectively, that "everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning" and that “everyone has the right to equal treatment and opportunities regarding employment, social protection, education, and access to goods and services available to the public”. In this respect, the European Year of Youth should help to make noticeable progress towards achieving, by 2025, the European Education Area, which aims to stimulate young people in their personal, social and professional fulfilment and foster citizenship education by creating a genuine European space of learning ▌in which inclusive and high quality education and training for all is not hampered by borders.

(11a)  Policy initiatives adopted as part of the European Year of Youth should support young people to noticeably improve their social situation and well-being by reducing barriers to access to work, by establishing decent working conditions and by fostering the automatic mutual recognition of degrees, qualifications and periods of learning in the Union.

(11b) Young people with disabilities have been hit particularly hard by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and are now at an even higher risk of socio-economic exclusion. It is therefore necessary to put in place targeted measures to support their integration into the labour market and to ensure their access to quality services, while ensuring that they face no discrimination or barriers of any kind, including financial ones.

(12) The European Year of Youth should support Union’s efforts to expanding employment opportunities for youth in the post-pandemic recovery  as stated in the European Parliament Resolution on the Youth Guarantee (2020/2764(RSP))[12] which underlines that lockdown measures have caused a sudden disruption to young people’s formal and informal education, traineeships, internships and apprenticeships, as well as jobs, affecting their income, earning potential and well-being, including their health, and in particular their mental health.

(12a)  Member States should make use of the European Year of Youth to better promote and implement the reinforced Youth Guarantee, which stipulates, inter alia, that all young people from the age of 15 to 29 should receive an offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education. Moreover, Member States should also ensure that the reinforced Youth Guarantee is complementary to the European Child Guarantee and the 2021-2030 Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in order to respond to the needs of children with disabilities and provide better access to mainstream services and independent living.

(12b) In its resolutions of 17 December 2020 on a strong social Europe for Just Transitions[13] and of 8 October 2020 on the Youth Guarantee[14], the European Parliament condemned the practice of unpaid internships when not related to the acquisition of educational qualifications as a form of exploitation of young workers and a violation of their rights and called on the Commission to put forward a legal framework for an effective and enforceable ban on such unpaid internships, traineeships and apprenticeships.

(13) The European Year of Youth should give further impetus to the creation of quality youth employment opportunities under the Youth Employment Support (YES) initiative, including the reinforced Youth Guarantee[15] and under the ALMA initiative (Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve) to be implemented under the European Social Fund +. ALMA should be a cross-border youth mobility scheme for disadvantaged people not in employment, education or training to gain professional experience abroad accompanied by social services with the aim to provide these young people, including from rural, peripheral and less developed regions, with education, training or quality employment. 

(13a)  The European Year of Youth should contribute to reconstructing and strengthening youth work structures to make them sustainable and more resilient in all parts of the Union, with a focus on cross-border cooperation. It should also promote the validation of competences acquired through non-formal and informal education or through youth work, while recognising youth work as an educational area of equal value alongside education and training. In addition, activities should be organised within schools and classrooms, as part of the European Year of Youth, to genuinely reach out to young people and promote the direct participation of students in the activities of the European Year of Youth.

(14) The European Parliament resolution on the impact of COVID-19 on youth and on sport (2020/2864(RSP))[16] underlines the particularly acute impact the current pandemic has had on young people not in education, employment, or training (NEETs) and highlights the need to tackle the problems faced by young people from vulnerable groups; notes that youth unemployment and poverty have risen steadily since the outbreak of the pandemic and urges the Commission and the Member States to take all the necessary measures to counter the disastrous effects on youth employment. The Resolution recalls the role of volunteering in developing life and work skills for young people and considers that the European Solidarity Corps can help young Europeans to broaden their opportunities beyond their local realities.

(14a) The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented increase in mental health distress, particularly among young people. The share of young people with mental health conditions more than doubled compared to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels and compared to other age groups. The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a deep social and economic impact. Therefore, sustainable solutions, in particular, should be developed as part of the European Year of Youth in order to tackle the challenge of mental health issues among young people.

(15) The European Year of Youth should support giving effect to the Council Resolution of 1 December 2020 for establishing the European Youth Work Agenda[17] and the Council Conclusions of 22 May 2019 on Young People and the Future of Work[18],of 10 December 2019 on digital youth work[19] and of 7 December 2017 on smart youth work[20].

(16) Reflecting the importance of tackling climate and nature crises in line with the Union’s commitments to implement the Paris Agreement[21] and to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the European Year of Youth should contribute to mainstreaming climate and nature-related actions and to the implementation of the European Green Deal[22] in a fair and inclusive manner, the Horizon Europe missions and the Fit for 55 package[23], notably by encouraging young people to formulate own initiatives and creative ideas on achieving the relevant targets.

(17) The European Year of Youth should give further impetus to the European Parliament Resolution on Effective measures to ‘green’ Erasmus+, Creative Europe and the European Solidarity Corps (2019/2195(INI))[24] which underlines that Erasmus+, through its support for formal and non-formal education and training and for youth participation activities, is crucial for awareness-raising among Europeans, in particular young generations, to encourage them to have an active and informed position on sustainability and relevant policies and to become engaged and conscious future citizens; highlights, in this respect, the major role played by youth and civil society organisations in sharing best practices and implementing projects raising younger generations’ awareness about sustainability.

(17a)  The European Year of Youth should build on existing programmes and initiatives such as DiscoverEU to promote young people’s mobility and should seek strong synergies with major European events, festivals and initiatives such as the European Youth Capital, the European Capitals of Culture, Europe Day and the European Heritage Days.  

(18) In her State of the European Union Address, President von der Leyen highlighted that “Europe needs all its youth”. In fulfilling its objectives, the European Year should be fully inclusive and actively promoting the participation of people with fewer opportunities and from the outermost regions through the development of an inclusion strategy.

(18a) It is important that the European Year of Youth contribute to increasing the interest and active participation of young people in democratic life and electoral processes, in particular at Union level. According to the European Parliament’s 2019 Post-Election Eurobarometer[25], during the 2019 European Parliament elections, voter turnout among young people was much higher (42 %) as compared to that during the 2014 European Parliament elections (28 %). However, it remains generally quite low.

(19) The European Year of Youth is firmly anchored in the principles recognised by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the ‘Charter’)[26]. In particular, in its actions and activities, the European Year of Youth seeks to ensure full ▌ gender equality ▌ and the right to non-discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, and to promote the Charter's application. The EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child[27] and the European Child Guarantee[28] set a new standard for child and teen care and representation and recognise children and young people as active citizens and agents of change.

(20) In order to ensure that the European Year of Youth is efficiently and effectively implemented, it should make maximum use of delivery mechanisms already in place. In order to optimise the added value of the European Year and produce a net positive additional impact on European youth, synergies and complementarity should be sought between and build upon, in particular, the European Year and Union programmes including those with international outreach specifically dedicated to young people, those without a transnational or international character, in particular those relating to education and training, sport, culture and the media, youth and their health, including mental health, solidarity, volunteering employment and social inclusion, research and innovation, industry and enterprise, digital policy, agriculture and rural development that have a focus on young farmers, environment and climate, cohesion policy, migration, security and international cooperation and development, and with activities undertaken by the Member States.

(21) By creating an environment for promoting those objectives simultaneously at Union, national, regional and local levels, a greater synergy and a better use of resources can be achieved. In that regard, the Commission should provide timely information to and closely cooperate with the European Parliament, the Council and the Member States, the Committee of the Regions, European Economic and Social Committee and the bodies and associations active in the field of youth at Union level. In order to ensure that activities developed for the European Year of Youth have a European dimension, Member States are also encouraged to collaborate with each other.

(22) The European Year of Youth should also focus on actions and activities which present a potential European added value. The notion of European added value is to be understood broadly and to be demonstrated in different ways, such as where actions or activities have a transnational character, particularly with regard to cooperation aimed at achieving a sustainable systemic impact or contribute to young people's European identity, awareness and ownership of European common values and fundamental rights, and ability to take part in the Union's representative and participative democracy.

(23) At Union level, the necessary financial allocation for the implementation of this Decision should be identified within ▌ the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. Without prejudice to the powers of the budgetary authority, the aim should be to provide funding for the implementation of this Decision of at least EUR 10 million and to establish a dedicated budget line for that purpose. Subject to the availability of funding, it should be possible for co-financing to be provided from the Union budget to support the European Year of Youth, ▌in accordance with the rules applicable to the relevant programmes. ▌The European Year of Youth should mainly be financed by mobilising the margin and special instruments available under the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework. Financing of the European Year of Youth should not be detrimental to the financing of projects in current Union programmes. Only a limited contribution from budget lines not related to projects under the Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps programmes should be considered. In order to secure a long lasting legacy and building on the best practices learned during the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage, an additional EUR 2 million should be provided for activities carried out in 2023.

(23a) The European Year of Youth should contribute to developing partnerships with and between young people and youth organisations from candidate countries and the southern and eastern neighbourhoods, capitalising on existing platforms for youth dialogue and partnerships such as the AU-EU Youth Cooperation Hub, the EU’s Youth Sounding Board and European Youth Together.

(24) Since the objectives of this Decision cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, but can rather by reason of the scale and effects of the proposed action be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, as set out in Article 5 TEU. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Decision does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives.

(25) In view of the impact of COVID 19 on the youth and consequently the pressing need for this Year’s objective to honour, support and engage with young people in a post-pandemic perspective, it is appropriate to provide for an exception to the eight week period referred to in Article 4 of Protocol No 1 on the role of national Parliaments in the European Union, annexed to the Treaty on European Union, to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community,

(26) In order to ensure swift implementation of the European Year of Youth, this Decision should enter into force as a matter of urgency on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1
Subject matter

The year 2022 shall be designated as the ‘European Year of Youth 2022’ (hereinafter referred to as the ‘European Year’).

Article 2
Objectives

In line with the objectives of the 2019-2027 EU Youth Strategy and the European Youth Goals, the overall objective of the European Year shall be to boost the efforts of the Union, the Member States and regional and local authorities, together with civil society actors, to empower, honour, support and engage with young people in a post-pandemic and long-term perspective. In particular, the European Year shall be aimed at:

 

1. renewing the positive perspectives for young people negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, while highlighting how the green and digital transitions and other Union policies offer ▌opportunities ▌for them and for the society at large, drawing inspiration from the actions, vision and insights of young people to further strengthen and invigorate the common European Union project and listening to young people, taking into account their needs and concerns, including those raised during the Conference on the Future of Europe, and supporting them in developing concrete, inclusive opportunities and deliverables, whilst making an optimal use of Union instruments,

2. encouraging and empowering all young people, especially young people with fewer opportunities, from disadvantaged backgrounds or belonging to vulnerable and marginalised groups, as well as from rural, peripheral and less developed regions to acquire relevant knowledge and competences and a better understanding of the environment in which they progress and thus become active and engaged citizens as well as actors of change, inspired by a European sense of belonging, including additional efforts at building capacity for youth participation and civic engagement among young people and among all stakeholders, who work to represent their interests and involving the contribution of young people from diverse backgrounds in key consultation processes, such as the Conference on the Future of Europe and the EU Youth Dialogue,

3. assisting all young people to acquire a better understanding of, and actively promoting the various opportunities ▌ available to them from, the public policies at EU, national, regional level and local level in order to support their personal, social, economic and professional development in a green, digital and inclusive world, while systematically removing the remaining barriers thereto,

4.  mainstreaming youth policy across all relevant Union policy fields in accordance with the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 to ensure that a youth perspective is duly taken into account at every level of the Union decision-making process.

Article 3
Type of measures

1. The measures to be taken to achieve the objectives set out in Article 2 shall include the following activities at European, national, regional or local level, and, where relevant, in partner countries, linked to the objectives of the European Year:

(a) conferences, events, both cultural or otherwise, and policy initiatives targeting young people to promote inclusive and accessible debate on challenges, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, that young people, including those with fewer opportunities and belonging to vulnerable groups, are facing, in particular regarding their social situation and working conditions, including the challenge of unpaid internships and traineeships, the validation of competences acquired through non-formal and informal education and the strengthening of youth work and mental well-being structures, and on the course of action that stakeholders at different levels can take;

(b) promoting youth participation and enhancing existing tools, channels and programmes that enable young people to reach policy-makers by identifying, collecting and sharing of experiences and good practices, while raising awareness among policy makers on those mechanisms;

(c) gathering ideas using participatory methods, in an effort of co-creating the European Year and with a view to developing long-term projects and policies for European youth;

(d) information, education and awareness-raising campaigns to convey values such as respect, equality, justice, solidarity, volunteering, sense of belonging and safety, feeling of being heard and respected, to stimulate an active contribution of youth to build a society that is more inclusive, green and digital; 

(e) creating ▌ spaces and tools for exchanges on turning challenges into opportunities and ideas into actions in an entrepreneurial spirit while fostering creativity, community and cooperation;

(f) undertaking studies and research on the situation of youth in the Union, also by producing European harmonised statistics and using them and other relevant data such as from Union statistics, Youth Wiki, the EU Youth report and the Youth Progress Index, as well as promoting and disseminating these results on European, national or regional level;

(g) promoting programmes, funding opportunities, projects, actions and networks of relevance to youth, including through social media and online communities;

2. The Commission shall identify other existing activities which could contribute to the objectives of the European Year and allow references to the European Year to be used as label in promoting those activities in so far as they contribute to achieving those objectives. The European institutions and Member States may also identify such other activities and suggest them to the Commission.

Article 4
Coordination at national level

The organisation of participation in the European Year at national level shall be a responsibility of the Member States. Member States shall appoint national coordinators to that effect. The national coordinators shall ensure the coordination of relevant activities at national level. They shall also ensure the active involvement and engagement of young people,  national youth councils and other youth civil society organisations in co-creating and implementing the activities of the Year.

Article 5
Coordination at Union level

1. The Commission and the EU Youth coordinator shall establish a task force consisting of the national coordinators, youth representatives with experience from the field, representatives from the Commission and representatives from the European Parliament in order to coordinate the running of the European Year. These meetings shall also serve as opportunities to exchange information regarding the implementation of the European Year at national and Union level. ▌

2. The coordination of the European Year at Union level shall have a transversal approach with a view to creating synergies between the various Union programmes and initiatives of relevance to young people and shall be duly taken account of at national level.

3. The Commission shall convene meetings of stakeholders and representatives of organisations or bodies in the field of youth, including the European Youth Forum and other youth organisations, to assist in co-creating and implementing the European Year at Union level.

Article 5a
Budget[29]

The financial envelope for the implementation of this Decision for the period from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022 shall be EUR 10 million.

In order to support activities carried out in 2023, with a view to creating a long-lasting legacy for the European Year, an additional financial envelope of EUR 2 million shall be provided for the period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023.

The European Parliament and the Council shall authorise the annual appropriations within the limits of the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework.

Article 5b
Co-financing

Co-financing shall be provided from Union programmes and financial instruments to support the implementation of the European Year in accordance with the rules applicable to those programmes and instruments.

Article 6
Cooperation at international level

For the purpose of the European Year, where necessary, the Commission shall cooperate with international partners and competent international organisations, while ensuring the visibility of the Union’s participation. The Commission shall in particular ensure the cooperation with the Council of Europe, including in the context of the EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership, as well as with international youth networks and organisations.

Article 7
Monitoring and evaluation

By 31 December 2023, the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the initiatives provided for in this Decision.

The report referred to in the first paragraph shall include ideas for further common endeavours in the field of youth in order to create a long lasting legacy.

Article 8
Entry into force

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at Brussels,

For the European Parliament For the Council

The President  The President

 

 


PROCEDURE – COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

Title

European Year of Youth 2022

References

COM(2021)0634 – C9-0379/2021 – 2021/0328(COD)

Date submitted to Parliament

14.10.2021

 

 

 

Committee responsible

 Date announced in plenary

CULT

21.10.2021

 

 

 

Committees asked for opinions

 Date announced in plenary

EMPL

21.10.2021

 

 

 

Not delivering opinions

 Date of decision

EMPL

22.10.2021

 

 

 

Rapporteurs

 Date appointed

Sabine Verheyen

21.10.2021

 

 

 

Simplified procedure - date of decision

21.10.2021

Discussed in committee

25.10.2021

 

 

 

Date adopted

12.11.2021

 

 

 

Date tabled

16.11.2021

 

 

Last updated: 29 April 2022
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