Youth unemployment as a threat to democracy and human rights in Europe

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13119 | 30 January 2013

Signatories:

Mr Konstantinos TRIANTAFYLLOS, Greece, SOC ; Ms Sonja ABLINGER, Austria, SOC ; Lord Donald ANDERSON, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Mörður ÁRNASON, Iceland, SOC ; Ms Theodora BAKOYANNIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Doris BARNETT, Germany, SOC ; Mr Christian BATAILLE, France, SOC ; Ms Gülsün BİLGEHAN, Turkey, SOC ; Mr Marek BOROWSKI, Poland, SOC ; Ms Lise CHRISTOFFERSEN, Norway, SOC ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Agustín CONDE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Viola von CRAMON-TAUBADEL, Germany, SOC ; Mr Ioannis DRAGASAKIS, Greece, UEL ; Mr Gvozden Srećko FLEGO, Croatia, SOC ; Ms Darina GABÁNIOVÁ, Slovak Republic, SOC ; Ms Maria GIANNAKAKI, Greece, NR ; Mr Gerardo GIOVAGNOLI, San Marino, SOC ; Mr Pavol GOGA, Slovak Republic, SOC ; Mr Antonio GUTIÉRREZ, Spain, SOC ; Ms Carina HÄGG, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Håkon HAUGLI, Norway, SOC ; Mr Andres HERKEL, Estonia, EPP/CD ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Ms Susanna HUOVINEN, Finland, SOC ; Mr Rafael HUSEYNOV, Azerbaijan, ALDE ; Mr Igor IVANOVSKI, ''The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', SOC ; Mr Ramón JÁUREGUI, Spain, SOC ; Mr Haluk KOÇ, Turkey, SOC ; Ms Stella KYRIAKIDES, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Mr Jean-Yves LE DÉAUT, France, SOC ; Mr Jacques LEGENDRE, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Dirk Van der MAELEN, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Pietro MARCENARO, Italy, SOC ; Mr Epameinondas MARIAS, Greece, NR ; Ms Vesna MARJANOVIĆ, Serbia, SOC ; Ms Ermira MEHMETI DEVAJA, ''The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', SOC ; Mr Jerzy MONTAG, Germany, SOC ; Mr João Bosco MOTA AMARAL, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Oľga NACHTMANNOVÁ, Slovak Republic, SOC ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Liliana PALIHOVICI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Mr Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS, Greece, UEL ; Mr Johannes PFLUG, Germany, SOC ; Ms Foteini PIPILI, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Gabino PUCHE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr René ROUQUET, France, SOC ; Mr Armen RUSTAMYAN, Armenia, SOC ; Mr Rovshan RZAYEV, Azerbaijan, EPP/CD ; Mr Indrek SAAR, Estonia, SOC ; Mr Kimmo SASI, Finland, EPP/CD ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Samad SEYIDOV, Azerbaijan, EDG ; Mr Leonid SLUTSKY, Russian Federation, SOC ; Mr Yanaki STOILOV, Bulgaria, SOC ; Mr Christoph STRÄSSER, Germany, SOC ; Mr Björn von SYDOW, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Vilmos SZABÓ, Hungary, SOC ; Mr Spyridon TALIADOUROS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Petros TATSOPOULOS, Greece, UEL ; Ms Theodora TZAKRI, Greece, SOC ; Mr Egidijus VAREIKIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Ms Nataša VUČKOVIĆ, Serbia, SOC

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

Europe’s young people are suffering disproportionately in the current crisis. European countries must do more to prevent them from becoming a lost generation. Youth unemployment rates in some member States are extremely high, especially in southern Europe, and reflect the difficulties faced by young people in finding jobs.

However, a more accurate indicator of the youth employment crisis is the NEET concept: the total number of young people not in employment, education or training. Last year, there were 7.5 million NEETs aged 15 to 24 in Europe.

Millions of job-seekers are in education or “in-work poverty” and others have simply given up looking for a job. These groups are not captured in youth unemployment statistics.

A long inactive period can leave young people scarred for years. Many young people who face long-term unemployment are socially marginalised. Some economists and sociologists are already speaking about “a lost generation”. This phenomenon is already affecting democracy and human rights in Europe.

The Parliamentary Assembly should consider and examine separately the reasons why the problem of unemployment among young people in each country has increased so significantly. This steep rise in unemployment, particularly among young people, requires the Assembly to begin examining the situation, making proposals and discussing a common strategy concerning youth unemployment.