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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2009 - 2014

Committee on Budgets, in cooperation with the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

OUTCOME

HEARING

Implementing the Youth Employment

Initiative

Rapporteur: Sidonia Jędrzejewska

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BUDG secretariat

Policy Department D - Budgetary Affairs

Table of Contents

1. FOREWORD BY RAPPORTEUR .............................................................. 7

2. PROGRAMME ........................................................................................... 9

3. BUDGETARY AND PROGRAMMING BACKGROUND .......................... 11

4. YOUTH EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE AT A GLANCE............................... 17

5. NOTE ON CONTRIBUTORS ................................................................... 19

6. PRESENTATIONS OF EXPERTS ............................................................ 21

Mr Michel SERVOZ, Director-General, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission .............................................................................................................................................. 21

Mr Ricardo IBARRA ROCA, President of the Spanish Youth Council...................................................... 25

Ms Alix MASSON, Head of Policy and Advocacy Department, European Youth Forum ......................... 29

Mr Jacek MĘCINA, Secretary of State, Polish Ministry of Labour and Social Policy ............................... 33

Ms Tatiana ESPOSITO, Social Attaché, Italian Permanent Representation to the EU ............................ 39

Ms Marie-Kristine VANBOCKESTAL, Head of the FOREM, public employment service of Wallonia ..... 45

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1. Foreword by Sidonia Jędrzejewska, Rapporteur

Does the Youth Employment Initiative work?

Since youth unemployment in the European Union has recently reached almost 24% of workforce,

we have to act here and now. This urgent need encouraged the European Parliament to take into

account the fate of millions of young Europeans in the negotiations on the Multiannual Financial

Framework 2014-2020. As a result, additional 6 billion euro was put on the table to support

employment of people under the age of 25. The so-called Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) could

play a crucial role for the EU labour market, therefore the additional funding was frontloaded to the

first 2 years of the current financial framework instead of being spread over the entire seven-year

period of financial programming.

YEI funds are available to the EU regions, where the unemployment of people aged 15-24 years

exceeds 25%. 6 billion euro from the Initiative is dedicated to training, apprenticeships and career

counselling for young people who struggle with finding a job. Moreover, to ensure a quick start,

Member States could exceptionally start implementing YEI-related measures already as of

1 September 2013 to be reimbursed ‘retroactively’ when the relevant operational programmes are

submitted to the Commission and approved.

Currently the youth unemployment in the European Union is twice as high as in the case of adults.

In Greece and Spain 59% and 56% of young people respectively face unemployment. These two

countries, together with Italy, will receive the biggest share of the YEI for the amount of 3.4 billion

euro. Although the YEI should provide a general stimulus to the EU economy, it is mostly about

giving a chance to young people to gain their first job experience.

The beneficiary Member States have had 6 months to rethink their strategies to fight youth

unemployment. Due to the European Parliament's oversight and budgetary functions, the

Committee on Budgets has initiated a public hearing on the YEI implementation, which will be

hosted in cooperation with the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. The event will be an

opportunity to share best practices and to discuss major challenges for the EU in the area of labour

policy. Mr Michel Servoz, Director General of Commission's DG Employment, will present the

latest state of play of the implementation of the YEI. Mrs Tatiana Esposito, Social Attaché from the

Permanent Representation of Italy, will speak about how Italy will use its allocation of 1 billion

euro from the YEI. Other speakers include Mr Jacek Męcina, Undersecretary of State of the Polish

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Ms Alix Masson from the European Youth Forum,

Mrs Marie-Kristine Vanbockestal, the Head of the Labour Office of Wallonia and Mr Ricardo

Ibarra Roca, President of the Spanish Youth Council.

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2. Programme

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2009 - 2014

Committee on Budgets, in cooperation with the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

Hearing on

Implementing the Youth Employment Initiative

Tuesday, 1 April 2014

10.00 - 12.30

Room: JAN 4Q1

European Parliament

Brussels

Rapporteur: Sidonia Jędrzejewska

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AGENDA

Alain Lamassoure and Pervenche Berès in the chair

10.00 – 10.20 Introductory remarks by Sidonia Jędrzejewska, Rapporteur, Frédéric Daerden,

BUDG specialised Rapporteur on social policy and Elisabeth Morin-Chartier, EMPL

Rapporteur on the European Social Fund

10.20 – 11.20 The EU budget contribution to the fight against youth unemployment:

rationale, features and challenges of the Youth Employment Initiative

Topics: YEI financial envelope, implementation channels, timetable, beneficiaries, stakeholders'

expectations.

Speakers: Mr Michel Servoz, Director General, DG Employment, Social Affairs and

Inclusion, and Ms Andriana Sukova-Tosheva, Director, Social Market

Economy in Member States I: ESF, European Commission

Mr Ricardo Ibarra Roca, President of the Spanish Youth Council1

Ms Alix Masson, Head of Policy and Advocacy Department, European Youth

Forum

11.00 – 11.20 Discussion

11.20 – 12.20 State of implementation and outlooks for schemes funded under the Youth

Employment Initiative: views from eligible countries and regions

Topics: state-of-play in the absorption/budgetary implementation of the YEI in the MS (ESF

operational programmes, planned projects, projects already initiated thanks to advanced

eligibility...), implication for the EU budget, national policies supported by the EU.

Speakers: Mr Jacek Męcina, Secretary of State, Polish Ministry of Labour and Social

Policy

Ms Tatiana Esposito, Social Attaché, Italian Permanent Representation to the

EU

Ms Marie-Kristine Vanbockestal, Head of the public employment service of

Wallonia (FOREM)

12.00 – 12.20 Discussion

12.20 – 12.30 Final remarks by the Rapporteur and the Chair

1 Invited by the EMPL Committee

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3. Budgetary and programming background

The Youth Employment Initiative (‘YEI’) was adopted under the ESF Regulation (Regulation (EC)

No 1304/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the European

Social Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006).

The implementation of the YEI is also covered by the Common provisions regulation (CPR)

(Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013).

The YEI provides additional funding which allows expanding the coverage of existing youth

employment measures (funded already by national and/or ESF resources). It finances only particular

types of interventions, namely direct measures targeting the individual persons (as opposed to

systems reforms).

1. Budgetary resources

Financially the YEI is constituted by EUR 3 billion of dedicated EU funding (budget line 04 02 64)

and at least another EUR 3 billion from national ESF allocations. However the EUR 3 billion ESF

matching support, once allocated to YEI-type activities, together with the special "fresh" money

constitutes a single resource from which YEI measures can be funded.

To ensure that the YEI reaches its beneficiaries quickly, appropriations for the YEI are frontloaded

within the first two years of the MFF (2014 and 2015).

Programming 2014-2015 of the Youth employment initiative

Commitment appropriations (Million Euros)

2014 (budget) 2015

(fin. programming)

Total 2014-2015

2011 prices

Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), specific

top-up allocation

1.700,00 1.300,00 3.000,00

EFS matching funds 1.700,00 1.300,00 3.000,00

Total 3.400,00 2.600,00 6.000,00

Current prices -

Youth Employment Initiative (YEI)

(budget line 04 02 64)

1.804,10 1.407,20 3.211,30

ESF matching funds (other lines in Chapter

04 02)

1.804,10 1.407,20 3.211,30

Total 3.608,20 2.814,40 6.422,60

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Allocation by Member States and beneficiary regions

For the purpose of the YEI for 2014-2015, "eligible regions" are those NUTS level 2 regions that

have youth unemployment rates for young persons aged 15 to 24 of more than 25 % in 2012 and, for

Member States where the youth unemployment rate has increased by more than 30 % in 2012, NUTS

level 2 regions that have youth unemployment rates of more than 20 % in 2012.

Member States may decide, in agreement with the Commission, to allocate a limited amount not

exceeding 10 % of the funds under the YEI to young persons residing in sub-regions which

experience high youth unemployment levels and which are outside the eligible NUTS level

2 regions.

The YEI will support direct actions for individuals and not structural reforms. The YEI funding will

amplify the support provided by the ESF for the implementation of youth policies also in the context

of the Youth Guarantee, by funding activities to directly help young people NEETs (Not in

Education, Employment, or Training). These can be, for example, apprenticeships and traineeships,

job offers, business start-up support, hiring subsidies – aimed at placing the young person into the

labour market.

YEI is only part of the EU actions to address youth unemployment and the youth guarantee. Member

States will have to complement this assistance with substantial additional ESF and national

investments in structural reforms to modernise employment, social and education services for young

persons, and by strengthening the capacity of relevant structures and improving education access,

quality and links to labour market demand.

The allocation of the YEI specific support by MS and eligible regions is as follows. Member States

have to match these amounts by at least the same amounts from their European Social Fund

allocation.

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Specific YEI allocation ('top

up') EUR million

MS 2011 prices Current

prices

Eligible regions

AT - - Not eligible

BE 39,64 42,4 Hainaut Province, Liège Province, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale

BG 51.56 55,2 Severen tsentralen, Severoiztochen, Severozapaden, Yugoiztochen,

Yuzhen tsentralen

CY 10,81 11,6 The whole of Cyprus

CZ 12,71 13,6 Severozápad

DE - - not eligible

DK - - not eligible

EE - - not eligible

EL

160,24 171,5 Anatoliki Makedonia - Thraki, Attiki, Dytiki Ellada, Dytiki

Makedonia, Ipeiros, Kentriki Makedonia, Kriti, Notio Aigaio,

Peloponnisos, Sterea Ellada, Thessalia, Voreio Aigaio

ES

881,44 943,5 All regions (Andalucía, Aragón, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla y

León, Castilla-La Mancha, Cataluña, Ciudad Autónoma de Ceuta,

Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla, Comunidad de Madrid, Comunidad

Foral de Navarra, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Galicia,

Illes Balears, La Rioja, País Vasco, Principado de Asturias, Región

de Murcia)

FI - - not eligible

FR

289,76 310,2 Aquitaine, Auvergne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Haute-

Normandie, Languedoc-Roussillon, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Picardie,

Mayotte, Guadeloupe, Guyane, Martinique, Réunion

HR 61,82 66,2 Jadranska Hrvatska, Kontinentalna Hrvatska

HU 46,49 49,8 Dél-Alföld, Dél-Dunántúl, Észak-Alföld, Észak-Magyarország

IE 63,66 68,1 Border, Midland and Western, Southern and Eastern

IT

530,18 567,5 Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-

Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise,

Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Toscana, Umbria, Valle d

Aosta/Vallée d Aoste

LT 29,69 31,80 the whole of Lithuania

LU - - not eligible

LV 27,10 29,0 the whole of Latvia

MT - - not eligible

NL - - not eligible

PL

235,83 252,4 Dolnoslaskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lódzkie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie,

Malopolskie, Podkarpackie, Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie,

Zachodniopomorskie

PT 150,20 160,8 Alentejo, Algarve, Centro (PT), Lisboa, Norte, Região Autónoma da

Madeira, Região Autónoma dos Açores

RO 99,02 106,0 Centru, Sud – Muntenia, Sud-Est

SE 41,26 44,2 Mellersta Norrland, Norra Mellansverige, Sydsverige

SI 8,61 9,2 Vzhodna Slovenija

SK 67,43 72,2 Stredné Slovensko, Východné Slovensko, Západné Slovensko.

UK 192,54 206,1 Inner London, Merseyside, South Western Scotland, Tees Valley

and Durham, West Midlands

3.000,00 3.211,20

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2. Programming

The YEI will be programmed as part of the ESF. The Common Provisions Regulation also includes

a specific ex-ante conditionality for YEI. In order to ensure effectiveness of YEI investment, MS will

have to set up a strategic policy framework for promoting youth employment including through the

implementation of the Youth Guarantee.

Three forms of programming arrangements are foreseen (which can be combined by the MS):

a dedicated YEI Operational Programme,

as part of ESF Operational Programmes (including other ESF funding outside the ESF

matching support for YEI) as a dedicated priority axis within an operational programme

as part of ESF Operational Programmes (including other ESF funding outside the ESF

matching support for YEI) as a part of one or more priority axis.

The Operational Programme will fix the maximum amount of support from the specific allocation for

YEI and the corresponding ESF support, as a global amount and also by category of regions, for each

priority axis. The corresponding ESF support will at least match the support from the specific

allocation for YEI for each priority axis.

Timetable for programming:

Where the YEI is implemented as part of ESF Operational Programmes, the conditions and timetable

defined for ESF Funds apply.

Partnership Agreements

Each Member State shall submit its Partnership Agreement (PA) to the Commission within 4 months

from the entry into force of the Regulation.

The Commission shall in turn make observations within 3 months of the date of submission of the

PA by the Member State and shall adopt the Agreement no later than 4 months from its submission,

provided that the Member State has adequately taken into account the observations made by the

Commission.

This means that as a general rule, PAs should be adopted by end of August 2014 at the latest.

Operational Programmes

Operational Programmes (OPs) shall be submitted by Member States at the latest 3 months following

the submission of the PA.

The Commission shall make observations within 3 months of the date of submission of the OP and

adopt the OP no later than 6 months from the date of its submission, provided that the Member State

has adequately taken into account the Commission observations.

As a general rule, therefore, OPs should be adopted by end of January 2015 at the latest. Many OPs

are however supposed to be approved before this deadline as preliminary work started before final

adoption of the legal act.

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Specific rules for the YEI where submitted as a dedicated operational programme.

Where the YEI is implemented by a dedicated operational programme, special rules apply for the

submission and the approval procedure of these operational programmes, in particular the fact that

the operational programme may be approved by the Commission before the submission of the

Partnership Agreement.

Specific rules on eligibility of expenditure

Taking into account the need to mobilise rapidly the resources allocated to the YEI, the starting date

for the eligibility of expenditure is exceptionally set at 1 September 2013.

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4. Youth Employment Initiative at a glance

Youth Employment Initiative - Eligible Regions 2014-2015

Eulalia Claros, "Youth Employment Initiative - Eligible Regions 2014-2015", Members' Research Service, European Parliamentary Research Service Data source: Eurostat 1407995REV1 NUTS level 2 regions that had youth unemployment rates of more than 25% in 2012, and regions with youth unemployment rates of more than 20% in 2012 in Member States where youth unemployment rate had increased by more than 30% in 2012.

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Youth unemployment rates in the European Union in 2012

Eulalia Claros, "Youth unemployment rates in the European Union in 2012", Members' Research Service, European Parliamentary Research Service Data source: Eurostat 1407995REV1

Youth unemployment rate shows unemployed persons aged 15 to 24 as a percentage of the active population. Reliability of data for the regions below is flagged as low: Belgium: provinces of West-Vlaanderen, Brabant Wallon, Luxembourg and Namur. Bulgaria: Severozapaden. Germany: Oberpfalz, Oberfranken, Bremen, Gießen, Kassel, Trier and Leipzig. Greece: Ionia Nisia and Voreio Aigaio. Spain: Ceuta, Melilla. France: Limousin, Corse, Guyane. Italy: Valle d'Aoste/Valle d'Aoste. Netherlands: Zeeland. Austria: Burgenland, Kärnten, Steiermark, Salzburg, Tirol and Vorarlberg. Poland: Podlaskie, Lubuskie, Opolskie and Warminsko-Mazurskie. Finland: Åland. United Kingdom: Cumbria, Conwall and Isles of Scilly, North Eastern Scotland and Highland and Islands.

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5. Note on contributors Mr Michel Servoz is Director-General of DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion in the

European Commission. Between 2011 and 2014 he was Deputy Secretary General of the European

Commission he was responsible for the coordination of the European semester. Previously he was

also responsible for the elaboration of Europe 2020 strategy in the Secretarial General of the

Commission.

Mr Ricardo Ibarra Roca is President of the Spanish Youth Council the platform of all youth

organisations in Spain. His work focuses primarily on public relations, advocacy, international

relations and participation.

Ms Alix Masson is Head of Policy and Advocacy Department in the European Youth Forum,

a platform representing 99 youth organisations all around Europe. She oversees the definition of

policy and advocacy for Youth Rights in Europe. Previously she was Director for External Relations

and Funding, World Organization of the Scout Movement - European Region.

Mr Jacek Męcina is Secretary of State in the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of Poland where

he is responsible for the design of the current reform of labour law in Poland. In 2005 he was

Secretary of State in the Ministry of Economy where he was responsible for collective labour

agreements and social dialogue. He is an author of several publications on the labour market and

labour market interventions.

Ms Tatiana Esposito is Social Attaché in the Italian Permanent Representation to the European

Union. Previously, she was head of unit at the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policies and

dealt mainly with labour market policies, with a particular focus on disadvantaged persons. She also

worked for a couple of years at the European Commission, DG Employment, where she specialized

on the European Social Fund.

Ms Marie-Kristine Vanbockestal is Head of FOREM, the public employment service of Wallonia.

Previously she was Head of the Office of the Minister of Economy, External Trade and New

Technologies in the government of Walloon Region in Belgium. Between 1999 and 2004 she was

a member of the Cabinet in the Ministry of Employment and Housing in the government of Walloon

Region.

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6. Presentations of Experts

Mr Michel SERVOZ, Director-General, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

Seul le texte prononcé fait foi Check against delivery

L'Union Européenne commence lentement à sortir de la pire crise de ces 50 dernières années.

Toutefois, la situation sociale des européens et en particulier sur le front de l’emploi des

jeunes reste dramatique: 5,5 millions de jeunes sont au chômage. Le taux de chômage des

jeunes est à 23,4% (UE janvier 2014), deux fois plus élevé que le taux de chômage moyen.

Dans certains États-membres, il dépasse même les 50%.

Si on regarde les jeunes hors enseignement, emploi ou formation (NEET en anglais), on parle

d’une population de 7,5 millions de personnes, qu’il faut absolument réintégrer au marché du

travail sous peine de les perdre définitivement avec toutes les conséquences économiques et

sociales, à court comme à long terme, pour eux et pour la société.

La Commission considère l'emploi des jeunes comme l'une de ses toutes premières priorités

et elle a mobilisé au cours de ces dernières années tous les instruments politiques et financiers

à sa disposition pour aider à la mise en œuvre des nécessaires réformes permettant de lutter

contre le chômage des jeunes.

La Commission a identifié dès 2010 l’enjeu particulier que représentait l’emploi des jeunes et

a pris des initiatives – toujours soutenues par le Parlement – pour mettre en place une

stratégie en réorientant les moyens existants et en développant des instruments plus ciblés.

Un premier effort a été de consacrer l'une des 7 initiatives phares de la Stratégie Europe 2020

à la jeunesse avec un volet spécifique sur leur employabilité et leur mobilité de manière

à assurer une meilleure adéquation entre leurs compétences et les offres d'emplois « Youth on

the move » ou « jeunesse en mouvement ».

L'initiative "opportunité pour les jeunes" en décembre 2011 a ensuite consisté à mettre en

place des « action teams », des équipes spécifiques, pour évaluer, dans les États-membres les

plus touchés2, les ressources encore disponibles et les réorienter vers l’emploi des jeunes.

La Commission a ensuite élaboré et mis en œuvre le paquet "Emploi des jeunes". Ce paquet

adopté fin 2012 contenait trois propositions essentielles: la mise en place d’une garantie

jeunesse; le développement d’une alliance européenne pour l’apprentissage; et l’adoption

d’un cadre de qualité pour les stages. Elles ont été adoptées et sont en cours de mise en

œuvre.

Par ailleurs, avec le semestre européen, l'Union Européenne dispose d'un système de

gouvernance pour coordonner la mise en œuvre des nécessaires réformes. Le Conseil a ainsi exhorté l'année dernière les États-membres à agir promptement pour lutter contre le chômage

des jeunes: notamment en réformant leurs politiques actives du marché du travail, en adaptant

leurs services publics pour l'emploi et en réformant leurs systèmes d'apprentissage pour éviter

l'échec scolaire et la segmentation du marché du travail.

2 EL, IE, IT, LV, LT, PT, SK and ES.

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Seize États-membres ont d'ailleurs reçu une Recommandation Spécifique du Conseil les

enjoignant à réformer leur système d'éducation et de formation et douze États-membres en

ont reçu une les exhortant à mettre en œuvre la Garantie Jeunesse. Par ailleurs, tous les États-

membres se sont engagés en 2013 à présenter des plans de mise en œuvre de leur Garantie

Jeunesse.

Aujourd’hui 22 États-membres ont envoyé leur plan de mise en œuvre de la garantie jeunesse

à la Commission qui les évalue et les commente. La Commission attend des États-membres

un engagement à la fois ambitieux et réalisable et elle reviendra dans le cadre du semestre

européen avec des recommandations spécifiques chaque fois que ce sera nécessaire.

Même si la plupart de ces plans peuvent être améliorés, il est encourageant de constater que la

majorité des États-membres a bien compris l’urgence qu’il y a à agir et on y trouve des

initiatives qui visent à réformer le système éducatif (en particulier, la formation

professionnelle, les stages et l’apprentissage) ainsi que plusieurs nouveaux programmes en

faveur du développement des stages.

Plusieurs États-membres s’engagent aussi à renforcer les capacités de leur service public de

l’emploi pour offrir des services personnalisés aux jeunes hors enseignement, formation ou

emploi, les fameux NEETs.

En outre, avec l’alliance européenne pour l’apprentissage et le cadre de qualité pour les

stages, un ensemble complet de mesures a été mis en place pour aider les États-membres à

traduire dans les faits leur engagement pour instituer une garantie jeunesse.

Le cadre de qualité pour les stages vise à assurer un contenu d’apprentissage de haute

qualité ainsi que de bonnes conditions de travail afin d’améliorer l’employabilité des

stagiaires et faciliter la transition de l’école vers l’emploi.

L’Alliance pour l’apprentissage est une plate-forme qui réunit les autorités publiques, les

entreprises, les partenaires sociaux, les fournisseurs de formation et d’enseignement

professionnel, des représentants des jeunes ainsi que d’autres acteurs comme les chambres

professionnelles pour coordonner et mettre en valeur les schémas de formation

professionnelle qui réussissent.

L’Initiative pour l’Emploi des Jeunes est le mécanisme de financement qui a été introduit

en supplément du Fonds Social européen et des financements qu’il peut apporter à la mise en

place de la Garantie Jeunesse. Cette initiative est dotée d'un budget de € 6 milliards dont 3

milliards en provenance du FSE.

C’est une initiative dont l’objet est de catalyser les efforts des États-membres. C’est pourquoi

elle est ciblée sur les régions les plus touchées – celle où le chômage des jeunes est de plus de

25% - et les fonds doivent être engagés sur les deux premières années de la période

budgétaire 2014-2020.

La Commission a toujours considéré que les seules ressources de l’initiative pour l’emploi

des jeunes ne suffiraient pas. D’autres ressources européennes, comme le FSE, peuvent et

doivent être mobilisées. Huit États-membres3 ont par ailleurs décidé d’allouer des ressources

additionnelles sur leur budget national.

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Nos premières estimations sont que €13 Milliards de fonds européens seront alloués au

financement de la garantie jeunesse, ce qui avec la mobilisation de ressources nationales,

régionales et même privées permettrait d’atteindre un engagement de €17 milliards. Cette

estimation devrait vraisemblablement être dépassée puisque l’exercice de programmation

n’est pas encore achevé.

Les exemples de projet qui peuvent être proposées par les États membres dans le cadre de

l'Initiative pour l'emploi des jeunes sont très divers: p.ex. Mise en place de stages et

apprentissages; Mise en place du "premier emploi"; Réduction des coûts de main-d'œuvre non

salariaux; Salaires ciblés et subsides pour le recrutement; Mesures pour la mobilité de

l'emploi et des stages; Soutien aux jeunes entrepreneurs; Éducation professionnelle et

formations de qualité; Programmes de seconde chance pour les jeunes en décrochage

scolaire…

Certains États membres, tels que la Croatie et la Pologne, ont annoncé avoir déjà mis en

œuvre en 2013 certaines mesures relatives à l'Initiative pour l'emploi des jeunes en utilisant la

date d'éligibilité du 1er

septembre. D'autres États membres ont annoncé leur intention

d'utiliser cette même procédure.

La France, par exemple, a déjà transmis formellement son Programme Opérationnel

d'Initiative pour l'emploi des jeunes. Ce programme est actuellement en phase d'adoption

accélérée par la Commission. L'Italie également envisage de transmettre son Programme

Opérationnel d'Initiative pour l'emploi des jeunes.

D'autre part, la Pologne, la Lituanie et la Lettonie ont transmis formellement des Programmes

opérationnels FSE comprenant des mesures pour l'Initiative pour l'emploi des jeunes. Ils ne

pourront cependant être adoptés avant les accords de partenariats.

Avant de conclure, permettez-moi aussi de rappeler que la Commission développe d’autres

initiatives pour l’emploi et donc l’emploi des jeunes et avec lesquelles vos commissions

(EMPL et BUDG) sont familières :

o Le projet pilote « Your first Eures job » qui vise à favoriser la mobilité des jeunes a

été pérennisé dans le programme EaSI (programme pour l’emploi et l’innovation

sociale).

o Un projet de révision du réseau EURES qui vise à promouvoir la mobilité de l’emploi

intra-européenne a été adopté par le Collège. Il a été présenté à la commission EMPL

le 18 mars et devrait être discuté par le prochain parlement.

o Un projet de renforcement du réseau des services publics de l’emploi a également été

proposé par la Commission. Un accord a été trouvé en trilogue et il devrait être adopté

lors de la dernière session plénière en avril.

Pour finir, je rappellerai que la Commission organise une conférence de haut niveau le 8 avril

– la semaine prochaine – sur la mise en œuvre de la garantie jeunesse. Son objet est à la fois

de faire le point sur les travaux en cours dans les Etats-membres et de maintenir la

mobilisation politique nécessaire pour s’assurer du succès de la garantie jeunesse.

Cet événement à l’initiative du Commissaire Andor verra la participation du Président

Barroso, du Premier Ministre grec, Antonis Samaras et du Secrétaire Général adjoint de

l’OCDE Yves Leterme. Des membres du parlement ont également été conviés pour y

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participer dont Madame Berès. Cette conférence s’inscrit dans la suite des rencontres

organisées sur l’emploi des jeunes à Berlin et Paris en 2013.

Pour résumer, nous sommes et nous restons mobilisés et déterminés à mettre tout en œuvre

pour répondre à ce drame que constitue le chômage des jeunes. Le soutien du Parlement a été

déterminant dans les phases de préparation et il reste indispensable dans la phase de mise en

œuvre des réformes nécessaires afin de permettre une amélioration substantielle de la

situation des jeunes sur le marché du travail.

Merci de votre attention

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Mr Ricardo IBARRA ROCA, President of the Spanish Youth Council4

Dear Members of the European Parliament,

It is an honour for me to be able to join you today at the Committee on Employment and Social

Affairs, and even more so to have an opportunity to elaborate on a topic as important as Youth

Employment and the implementation of the Youth Employment Initiative.

On behalf of the Spanish Youth Council, the platform of all youth organisations in Spain, allow me

to thank you for inviting us to take part in the discussion about the EU budget contribution to the

fight against youth unemployment.

As you are all well aware, youth employment is currently the bigger problem that Europe faces and

its consequences are both short-term as well as medium to long-term. The fact that there are more

than 5.5 million young people under the age of 25 unemployed in Europe, with the unemployment

rates as high as above 50% in countries like Greece and Spain, seriously compromises the stability

and the future of Europe.

Usually mass media do not pay attention to any other concerning statistical data but the youth

unemployment rate - but it is all of them together that give the realistic and very dramatic picture of

the labour situation of young people today. In Spain, the current situation is devastating:

• More than 68% of young people under the age of 25 have a temporary contract. A total of 93%

of newly signed contracts are temporary.

• The medium wage for young people is at about 13,000 Euros per year.

• More than 35% of young people under the age of 25 are at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

• More than 50% of young people are overqualified for the position they currently hold.

• Only 21.3% of young people under the age of 30 live outside of their parents’ home

In light of these worrisome statistics, the adoption of the Youth Employment Initiative gave some

reason for optimism. However, as good as its objectives may be, the Initiative lacks funds for

effective implementation. The funds that are available will not allow for a significant change in the

fight against youth unemployment. For this reason, the Initiative is deemed to be a great

disappointment.

THE BIGGEST INVESTMENT

3 billion Euros available from the European Social Fund and additional 3 billion Euros authorised by

the Member States are expected to solve an issue that, according to Eurofound, accounts for an

estimated 150 billion Euros economic burden. It is evident that there is a great discrepancy between

the investment and the economic implications of youth unemployment as a wider problem of our

economies and societies.

4 Invited by the EMPL Committee.

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Youth organisations, like YFJ and the Spanish Youth Council, and other concerned entities

DEMAND an increase of the investment to bring it closer to the estimation of 21 billion Euros by

International Labour Organisation.

EASY USE

Nevertheless, this is not only a matter of numbers but also a matter of how these funds are provided.

From our point of view, it is probable that these funds will never be used to a full extent in the

countries that most need them.

In the case of Spain, for example, a country with the highest rates of youth and general

unemployment, the funds available are 1.8 billion Euros, reaching up to 2.3 billion Euros in total

with the possible additional allocation by the Government of Spain. They will be managed through

the Spanish National Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan, operated by the national government

and the regions on an equal basis (50:50).

The problem is that the use of these funds requires anticipation in almost all cases. In the context of

austerity measures and deficit control it is almost impossible for some public administrations to use

these funds. It is no surprise that in the previous European Social Fund period (2007- 2013) 38% of

the funds allocated to Spain were not claimed despite the fact that the European Commission allowed

for an increased use of ESF by national governments through Youth Opportunities to tap into the

30 Billion Euros that were not claimed for projects during that period.

We are therefore certain that these funds are not only too small but they will also not be used where

they are most needed. One of our main recommendations has been and remains that these funds

should not be included in the government deficit. Otherwise the countries with the highest rates of

unemployment will not be able to use them.

Looking beyond figures, we should also analyse the policies being implemented. We should not

expect that the Youth Employment Initiative will be the solution for youth unemployment, but rather

consider the measures to improve the employability of young people and increase the scope and

range of opportunities. When seeking to improve youth employment, we should focus on promoting

growth within the EU and avoid extreme austerity measures by Member States which only create

inequalities and have extremely negative impact on young people.

SPANISH MEASURES

The initiative implementation plan for Spain is set out in the previously mentioned Spanish National

Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan. The implementation is based mainly on the implementation

of the ESF Operational Programme and focuses on the priority axes 1 and 5, particularly young

NEET. During the next few months, the Government of Spain is planning the following measures:

• Single Employment and Self-Employment Website;

• A new system of public-private collaboration for placement agencies;

• Promotion of Mobility Programmes, such as Eures;

• Second Chance programmes, mainly focusing on financial aid for training of young people,

better access to compulsory secondary education qualifications, training with an employment

commitment for companies, School Workshop programmes, Work and Training Centre

programmes.

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The government also announced that they will continue to promote the Strategy for Entrepreneurship

and Youth Employment, which aims to promote and support self-employment, reduce labour costs

and deregulate the labour system.

It is not yet clear how these measure are to be implemented but the Spanish Youth Council gave two

main recommendations to the draft plan:

1. The participation of stakeholders has been weak throughout the planning process, which

includes both social agents and youth organisations. We were only consulted at the very end

of the process with no real possibility to influence the outcomes.

It is essential that all stakeholders be a part of the planning process for the very beginning and

throughout the process. All institutions and organisations that deal with the issue of youth

unemployment must be considered to generate synergies and innovative approaches.

The European Commission itself as well as the recommendation by the Member States

consider this highly important. Ensuring the engagement of youth organisations in the design,

implementation and monitoring of the Youth Guarantee will multiply the impact of the

measures and facilitate reaching out to young people who hardly ever visit public

employment facilities.

The main priority of the Youth Employment Initiative should be young NEET and those who

are hardest to reach by the public administration. Here is where youth organisations prove

essential. Innovative measures should also be included, such as the use of non-formal

education systems. And finally, policies aimed at helping young people should be

implemented in partnership with them.

2. Quality has to be among the priority objectives of the Youth Employment Initiative. We fully

support the promotion of training in order to improve the skills and opportunities of young

people as well as prevent social exclusion of those less educated. In order to achieve that,

governments must promote traineeships, internships and other similar schemes.

In reality, employers often use these schemes to replace actual employments. Traineeships

and internships are not used as learning opportunities but rather as precarious working

relationships which lack social protection and appropriate financial remunerations (sometimes

trainees and interns receive no financial compensation at all).

The lack of control of these instruments, promoted also by the Youth Employment Initiative,

will have a huge impact. Instead of increasing the employability of young people, it will

promote a more dual labour system with more precarious working relationships and thereby

affect the quality of the existing regular jobs.

We are therefore asking for a different European Quality Framework for Traineeships which

will take these aspects into consideration. The Council Recommendation, approved on 10

March at the EPSCO meeting, has been criticised and condemned by many youth

organisations. I encourage you to refer to the European Youth Forum to obtain our proposal

for a new Quality Framework.

Some other recommendations to improve the Youth Employment Initiative include better monitoring

by the European Institutions and extending the Youth Guarantee to young people below the age of

30.

Thank you very much for your kind attention.

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Ms Alix MASSON, Head of Policy and Advocacy Department, European Youth Forum

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Mr Jacek MĘCINA, Secretary of State, Polish Ministry of Labour and Social Policy

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Ms Tatiana ESPOSITO, Social Attaché, Italian Permanent Representation to the EU

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Ms Marie-Kristine VANBOCKESTAL, Head of the FOREM, public employment service of Wallonia (extract)

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