‘The future of the EU’s youth policy – A regional perspective, Bruxelles

I participated to the  Stakeholder Workshop on ‘The future of the EU’s youth policy – A regional perspective‘, on  Wednesday 10 November 2010. The workshop was kindly sponsored by the Province of Zeeland and the municipality of Goes, candidates for youth capital 2013.

The summary of the main points made during the 90-minute session:
Enhancing local competitiveness and empowering for movement
A representative of the municipality of Goes highlighted the dual challenges faced by peripheral regions: on the one hand, lower population density requires special efforts to make basic services accessible to young people scattered on the territory; on the other hand, an ageing population
represents a hurdle to economic growth and development.
Developing the skills required to stay competitive in a global economy and attracting or keeping talent on the territory is becoming increasingly challenging – especially at a time when national governments
are slashing budgets for education and youth programmes. The benefits of the European dimension have not been exploited to their full potential, the audience heard. A representative of the European Commission complemented these remarks explaining that one of the
main objectives of the EU youth policy is to empower young people for mobility, whereas creating opportunities at the local level belongs to the remit of the block’s cohesion policy. There can be synergies, but the two policy areas are differentiated. In this context, most participants agreed that vocational training deserves more consideration by EU
policymakers, in order to enhance competitiveness and foster social inclusion. While students already receive particular attention through Erasmus and similar initiatives, a Member of the European Parliament added, young people from peripheral areas, apprentices, young farmers etc. should also be included in mobility programmes. Regions could then play a major role in the process, facilitating access to EU programmes.
Communicating youth policy and programmes at the local level
A representative of a youth organisation underlined the need to improve communication on EU youth policies and initiatives, particularly in rural areas, to reach young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. A Member of the European Parliament, however, explained how too much
communication might create expectations that cannot be met with the resources currently available: some underfunded programmes already have to turn down considerable numbers of applicants.
On the positive side, a representative of the European Commission added that programmes such as Youth in Action already reach 130 000 young people every year, and the number of organisations receiving funds through that scheme has a yearly turnover of 68% – which shows how the programme
is open and accessible.
Youth on the Move: involving young people in the economy
Responding to participants who emphasised the need to focus on the worrying wave of youth unemployment which has hit Europe, a Commission representative explained that the Youth on the Move flagship initiative primarily focuses on employability. Involving young people in the economy by helping them develop the skills looked after on the job market is central to the initiative. A representative of the Committee of the Regions stressed the importance of enabling and encouraging young people to cross borders to pursue an international education and gain professional skills. The right conditions, however, must be created: wages must be fair also for trainees and apprentices. Enhanced coordination between different national social security schemes would also play an important role in encouraging Europeans to be more mobile and take on jobs where they are
being created. Other participants mentioned however the need not to forget social inclusion – which is only mentioned in the flagship initiative as a secondary objective. Social inclusion and active participation
are key to develop the very skills required by the job market, the audience heard. Youth mainstreaming vs. increased budgets
Cuts in budgets for education and youth programmes are critical in a crisis, an MEP said, because they impact a part of the population that is already vulnerable. A number of participants expressed the fear that the current budget for youth programmes is not sufficient, and that new initiatives on the table are only repackaging and re-branding existing measures, without the necessary increases in resources. Another member of the European Parliament, explaining the work being carried out by the recently
founded Intergroup on Youth, drew attention to the importance of mainstreaming youth in all parliamentary committees and initiatives. Given the current economic climate, the comparatively small
increases in EU resources earmarked for youth initiatives are extremely welcome. However, cooperation with national and local authorities and co-financing are the only way to make the necessary resources available to allow every young EU citizen to experience Europe, cross borders,
and get education, training and work experience abroad.
A representative of a youth organisation echoed these remarks, and asked how territorial policies include and could further mainstream youth. Another participant called on young people to be more
vocal and radical: at a time when budgets are being cut across the board, young people should ask for youth mainstreaming in all policies instead of increased budgets for specific programmes

The first few interviews are available at these links:

Katarina Nevedalova – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYvWqQrlgGw;

Marc Shaefer – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT6p7D985bI.

All interviews will be posted on our blog platform, Blogactiv, over the next few days.

Delegate Danube.EDU, Daria Catalui

EurActiv