Assessing EU's Youth Strategy

On the 10th September the long awaited 2012 EU Youth Report was published. This document offers us an assessment of the progress made in the eight fields of action of the EU Youth Strategy and an overall analysis of the situation of young people in Europe. The report is produced every three years by the European Commission and brings together national youth reports of the EU member states, plus Croatia, Norway, Switzerland and Montenegro. For the first time, young people were consulted throughout the process as well. The results will be transmitted to the Council of the European Union later this year.

The report that analyses the first three years of EU youth policy, welcomes the fact that all Member States have adopted national youth strategies. With this though, it recognises that young people still face many obstacles, such as the impact of the crisis. Therefore, in order to achieve the objectives set out by the EU youth strategy, such as equal opportunities for all young people and the promotion of active citizenship, further steps have to be taken. The report announces the Commission's willingness to continue working on youth employment and entrepreneurship, social inclusion and health and well being of young people. The report continues by suggesting some possible measures: non-formal and informal learning, youth guarantees and the quality framework for internships. As a conclusion, the Commission calls for a deeper cross-sectorial cooperation at the European and national level.

The European Youth Forum is pleased to see reference to non-formal and informal learning, youth guarantees and quality frameworks for internships, important points for which the Forum is advocating. The Forum now calls for more follow-up and concrete measure in continued cooperation with youth.

source: European Youth Forum

Useful links

EU Youth Report: Status of the situation of young people in the European Union, European Commission, 10 September 2012

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, European Commission, 10 September 2012

Press Release, EU Youth Report calls for employment and social inclusion to be top priority, European Commission, 10 September 2012

EU Youth Report calls for employment and social inclusion to be top priority, European Commission, 10 September 2012

Sophie Petitjean, Focusing policies on 2020 objectives,Europolitics, 11 September 2012

Youth Policy Watch Cyprus Prepares to Assume Presidency of the Council of the EU, European Youth Forum, 26 June 2012