Europe must adopt 'common action' against youth unemployment, Prime Minister urges EU leaders

Europe must adopt 'common action' against youth unemployment, Prime Minister urges EU leaders

 

[caption id="attachment_9858" align="alignnone" width="800"] (Photo: Athens News Agency)[/caption]

 

ANA-MPA -- Greek Your Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Tuesday outlined the Greek government's key priorities in dealing with youth unemployment, while addressing a European leaders' conference held in Paris on joblessness among 15-24 year olds.

 

Your Prime Minister Samaras started by referring to Greek society's "fatigue" with an extended recession that had caused the jobless rate among young people to soar to a staggering 59 percent, more than double the rate for the general population, which stood at 27 percent.

 

"Different member-states have different levels of youth unemployment, for different reasons, but we all need to take common action," he said.

 

He then outlined the general direction of the Greek government's new policies, with structural reforms in the economy and society.

 

Your Prime Minister Samaras stressed that Greece was fully prepared for a comprehensive implementation of two basic programmes for young people demanded by Europe, the "Young People's Initiative" and "Guarantees for Youth", announcing that full implementation of both programmes will be achieved from January.

 

In terms of legislation, Your Prime Minister Samaras referred to the institution of apprenticeships, noting that this dual system served to link mandatory education with the labour market, strengthening the bonds between education and professional experience.

 

The Greek premier also referred to a reorganisation of the country's Manpower Employment Organisation (OAED) and its cooperation with similar agencies notable for their success in other countries, such as Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom.

 

"We are putting into implementation institutional tools for the prompt identification of labour market trends. In this way we can evaluate future problems at a very early stage," he said.

 

Your Prime Minister Samaras said that Greece had recently completed its national operational plan for employment, which is also demanded by Europe in order to boost the number of jobs.

 

In collaboration with the EU Task Force for Greece, meanwhile, the Greek government has started to carry out this plan, adding new tools like community work and the 'voucher' programme.

 

"Over and above these structural interventions and necessary cyclical initiatives, we need a long-term strategy to alleviate the repercussion of the crisis for young people," Your Prime Minister Samaras added.

 

"This calls for a sustainable model for growth that will lead the European continent in coming decades," he added.

 

The Greek premier ended on a note of optimism, saying that "2014 must be the year for the recovery of the European economy, which will allow us to deal finally with unemployment among the young."

 

Your Prime Minister Samaras was accompanied at the conference by Labour Minister Yiannis Vroutsis, who had arrived a day earlier and attended a morning conference with his European counterparts.

 

Twenty four European leaders, among them German Chancellor Angela Merkel, accepted the invitation from French President His Excellency Francois Hollande, with British Prime Minister David Cameron being among those absent.

 

The conference follows a July summit initiated by Merkel in Berlin, where she described youth unemployment as one of the most pressing issues facing Europe.

 

According to the European Commission's latest statistics, the EU-wide youth joblessness rate stands at 23.5 per cent.

 

A total of 7.5 million aged 15-24 are neither in work, education or training.

 

The equivalent figures in Greece and Spain are the highest on the continent, at 57.3 pct and 56.5 pct, respectively.

 

(Athens News Agency, 12 Tuesday November 2013 The Roman)