The European Parliament today adopted a resolution on the proposed Youth Employment Package, which includes a youth guarantee scheme. The Greens have been strongly pushing for EU measures to address the high levels of youth unemployment in Europe and have been advocating a youth guarantee scheme from the outset (1). The resolution adopted today, which was drafted by the Greens, aims to ensure EU governments swiftly follow-up on the youth guarantee proposals, which have been proposed by the European Commission. Commenting after the vote, Greens/EFA vice-president and employment spokesperson Emilie Turunen (MEP, Denmark) said:

"EU governments must stop sitting on their hands and must finally act to address the disturbing levels of youth unemployment in a number of EU member states. The proposed European youth guarantee scheme is a concrete measure that would provide an EU-wide approach to tackling this transnational problem and EU governments must deliver on the proposal without delay.

"The Greens have been to the fore in advocating a binding youth guarantee to address the problem of youth unemployment (1). With crisis-hit EU member states those most affected by rocketing youth unemployment, EU support is essential. The 7.5 million young people in the EU currently not in employment, education or training need to be given some kind of perspective and the youth guarantee does just that. In particular, the targeting of EU structural funds, particularly the European Social Fund, with view to providing concrete measures, such as training schemes, is an essential measure."

(1) The report by Green MEP Emilie Turunen adopted by the European Parliament in 2009 can be found at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/ficheprocedure.do?reference=2009/2221%28INI%29&l=en