Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee
In “An Economy that Works for People”
The Youth Guarantee is a commitment by all Member States to ensure that all young people under the age of 25 years receive a good quality offer of employment, continued education, apprenticeship or traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education (Council Recommendation of April 2013). Since 2014, each year more than 3.5 million young people registered in the YG accepted an offer of employment, continued education, a traineeship or an apprenticeship.
The President-designate of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pointed out in her Political Guidelines that ‘Building on the success (of the Youth Guarantee), (she) will turn the Youth Guarantee into a permanent instrument to fight youth unemployment, with an increased budget and regular reporting to ensure it delivers what it promises in every Member State’.
On 1 July 2020, the European Commission published a Communication "Youth Employment Support a bridge to jobs for the next generation" and a proposal for a Council Recommendation on "A Bridge to Jobs - Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee' in order to step up the outreach to vulnerable young people now covering people aged 15-29.
On 1 September, the EMPL Committee considered draft oral questions to the Commission and the Council and a draft motion for a resolution on the proposal for a Council Recommendation on ‘A Bridge to Jobs - Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee’. The draft motion for a resolution welcomes the changes proposed by the Commission. It also proposes to increase the effective use of funding, reduce administrative costs and improve the monitoring of the Youth Guarantee’s long-term effects on the youth unemployment.
In a resolution adopted at its plenary session in Brussels on 8 October 2020, the European Parliament wants the ‘Youth Guarantee’ to become binding and condemns unpaid internships and apprenticeships. MEPs welcome the European Commission’s recommendations of early July, in particular the extension of the ‘Youth Guarantee’ to young people aged 29 and its more targeted approach to young people without work or without education or training. However, they want to go further and, in particular, make its recommendations “binding”. The European Commission is therefore invited to propose a guarantee instrument for the youth.
All EU countries have committed to the implementation of the reinforced Youth Guarantee in a Council Recommendation of October 2020. The Recommendation is based on a Commission proposal part of the Youth Employment Support.
References
- European Council, Recommendation of 30 October 2020 on A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee and replacing the Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee 2020/C 372/0, OJ C 372, 4.11.2020
- European Parliament, Resolution of 8 October 2020 on the Youth Guarantee, 2020/2764 (RSP)
- European Council, Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee, April 2013
- European Commission, Youth Employment Support a bridge to jobs for the next generation, COM(2020) 276
- European Commission, Proposal for a Council Recommendation on "A Bridge to Jobs - Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee', COM(2020) 277
- Ursula von der Leyen, Political Guidelines, September 2019
- European Economic and Social Committee, Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee, opinion, EESC 2020/03092, 29 October 2020
Further reading
- European Parliament (EPRS), Next generation or lost generation? Children, young people and the pandemic, Briefing, December 2020
For further information: Marketa Pape, Members' Research Service, legislative-train@europarl.europa.eu