Mitro Repo (S&D). - Arvoisa puhemies, kuten kaikki tiedämme, nuorisotyöttömyys on hälyttävän korkealla. Kreikassa ja Espanjassa yli 50 prosenttia nuorista on työttömänä. Meillä on vaara menettää yksi kokonainen sukupolvi.
Työttömyydestä ja pätkätöistä kärsivät nuoret eivät uskalla vakiintua ja tehdä tulevaisuutta koskevia investointeja. Epävarmuus syö tulevaisuuden uskoa. Työttömyys tuo mukanaan myös mielenterveysongelmat, se on kriisin vakava inhimillinen puoli. Sosiaalisella kriisillä on talouden kriisiä pitkäaikaisemmat ja syvemmät vaikutukset.
Euroopan unionin nuorisostrategia on ehdottoman tärkeä väline nuorison tilanteen parantamiseksi. Yhdessä kansallisten toimien kanssa se tarjoaa nuorisolle mahdollisuuksia päästä kiinni koulutus- ja harjoitteluohjelmiin.
Nuorisostrategiassa tulee satsata entistä enemmän koulutukseen sekä työelämän taitojen opettamiseen. Tavoitteena tulee olemaan kitkaton siirtyminen koulunpenkiltä työelämään mahdollisimman nopeasti.
Marian Harkin (ALDE). - Mr President, the report on the EU Youth Strategy once again highlights the urgent need to get to grips with the fallout from the current economic crisis and its impact on young people. Yesterday, in the State of the Union address, Mr Barroso spoke about the glass being half full or half empty, and he was certainly on the half full side, but for a lot of young people the glass is entirely empty at the moment.
Youth employment in June 2013 stood at 23.9%, an increase of almost 1% since 2012: shocking figures, which indicate that the situation is getting worse, not better. So, my question is: how can we expect these young people to support pro-EU parties in the next European election when they see that EU policies are currently failing them?
This report certainly highlights some of the positive issues concerning, for example, youth entrepreneurship and the Youth Guarantee but we have to recognise that the money set aside for the Youth Guarantee will be insufficient. The International Labour Organization has said that we would need in excess of EUR 20 billion to implement it properly.
Monica Luisa Macovei (PPE). - Pierderile economice cauzate de dezangajarea tinerilor de pe piaţa muncii au fost estimate, în 2011, la 153 miliarde de euro, adică în jur de 1,2% din PIB-ul Uniunii.
Mai mult decât atât, în 2011, aproximativ 7,5 milioane de tineri, adică aproximativ 13% din totalul celor cu vârste între 15 şi 24 de ani, nu ocupau un loc de muncă şi nici nu erau înscrişi într-un program educaţional sau de formare. Uniunea pune la dispoziţie fonduri structurale pentru redresarea acestei grave probleme, dar aceste fonduri au fost numai parţial folosite. De exemplu, în 2012 au rămas nefolosite 30 miliarde de euro din Fondul social european. Fără comentarii. Acest lucru trebuie schimbat.