Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee

24.9.2020

Question for oral answer O-000058/2020
to the Council
Rule 136
Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Cindy Franssen, Brando Benifei, Monica Semedo, Elena Lizzi, Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, Elżbieta Rafalska, Leila Chaibi
on behalf of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

In her political priorities, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that she would turn the Youth Guarantee into a permanent instrument to fight youth unemployment and that it should be given an increased budget and involve regular reporting to ensure that it delivers on what it promises in every Member State. On 1 July 2020, the Commission put forward a proposal for a Council recommendation on A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee and replacing Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee[1].

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment and inactivity rates in the EU are rising and millions of people are at risk of losing their jobs. As of June 2020, youth unemployment stood at 16.8 % across the EU, a number that is expected to rise sharply. Young people are likely to be hardest hit by the negative consequences of the crisis.

• 1.Does the Council consider that the reduction in the allocation for targeted actions for young people not in employment adopted by the European Council in its conclusions of 21 July 2020 supports the Union’s ambitions to invest in young people? How can this significant reduction be justified if the fight against youth unemployment is one of the Union’s top priorities? How can this significant reduction address the need to develop skills and contribute to tackling the social and employment challenges of the post-COVID-19 era?
• 2.How does the Council intend to encourage Member States to enhance the efficiency of the instrument? Does the Council support Parliament’s view that the quality of jobs and traineeships offered to young people is key to ensuring their sustainable integration into the labour market? Does the Council plan to introduce binding quality criteria for the offers?
• 3.What concrete measures does the Council intend to take in order to improve the outreach strategies and the inclusiveness of the Youth Guarantee?

Submitted: 24/09/2020

Lapses: 25/12/2020

• [1] COM(2020)0277.