Finland Times

     MEPs will assess whether measures to help reduce youth unemployment are working. They will examine progress under two key programmes, the European Youth Guarantee and the Youth Employment Initiative.

       The evaluation is urgently needed, said an EP spokesperson, considering that as many as 5.2 million young people were out of work in the European Union (EU) in May.

     The job market for young people in Greece, Spain or Croatia did not change much in recent months. One in two young people in these countries is still unemployed and the situation for Europe as a whole does not look much better. 

     In Belgium and France, the jobless rate has fallen slightly compared with the start of the year but remains above the European average. In the EU as a whole the unemployment rate for young people is stagnating at about 23 percent. 

     The Youth Guarantee scheme, approved by the EP in January 2013, seeks to ensure that people up to 25 years old receive an offer of continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of leaving formal education. In total 18 pilot projects have been presented in Brussels.

     The Youth Employment Initiative aims to support regions with youth unemployment rates above 25 percent and young people not in employment, education or training.

     Programs for France and Italy have already been adopted by the EC, while Poland, Portugal and Britain have formally submitted their programs.