The European Parliament’s Culture, Education, Youth and Sport Committee voted yesterday in favour of the Report on Assessment of the EU Youth Strategy 2013-2015. The adoption of the Youth Report by the Committee on Culture and Education follows the recent start of the campaign for a European Youth Plan launched by the Party of European Socialists, which S&D Group fully endorsed. Socialists and Democrats in Europe should be the leading force in improving lives of European Youth.

S&D MEP and Group spokesperson on this issue in the Committee on Culture and Education, Momchil Nekov said:

“Today, we are facing a situation of rapidly rising unemployment and the recognition of young people skills is crucial to boost their job perspectives. Nevertheless, the labour market focuses mainly on formal education and diploma while many young people have relevant competences acquired through non-formal and informal learning. We should fight for a better recognition of the learning outcomes of those skills not only because they equip young people with the right set of competences and knowledge relevant to the job market needs, but also because they contribute to the personal development and growth of learners in order to make them proactive, responsible and open-minded citizens”.

S&D MEP Silvia Costa, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education said:

“Young people know more than others that Europe is not foreign but rather domestic policy. They are the Erasmus generation, they live the dimension of European citizenship which integrates the national one and have always known a Europe without frontiers, with its rights and fundamental freedoms. With them we need to launch a new phase in Europe. We must act following three axes. First, we have to change the priorities on the European Agenda, putting at the core education, culture, the social dimension and the European initiative for youth. Furthermore we have to push for the integration of the migration, security and defence policies with development cooperation, based on education and intercultural dialogue. Finally we must find together new ways of dialogue with young people to renew our national and European political force”.

Petra Kammerevert, S&D MEP and Group Coordinator in the Committee on Culture and Education said:

“The S&D Group calls on young people and youth organisations to be systematically involved in youth policy making. There is a need to channel investments into inclusive education with regards to ensure equal access and opportunities for all young people, including those having different socio-economic backgrounds as well as vulnerable and disadvantaged groups such as refugees, migrants and asylum-seekers”.