22/09/2012 News
Strasbourg, 23.09.2012 - “Policies for young people and investment in human capital must not be considered as social expenditure but as medium- and long-term investment in the growth of individual countries and the European continent. Europe needs youth to grow and prosper. This might seem obvious, but the short-term policies unfortunately predominate today in a great many of European countries,” Luca Volontè (Italy, EPP/CD) stressed today on the occasion of the Youth Event on Young people’s access to rights: development of innovative youth policies organised in St. Petersburg.
“The future of Europe is threatened by its own short-sightedness and inability to look at the “day after tomorrow”. The risk we are now running is that of clipping the wings of young people, just at the age when their minds are most awake and when they are keener to commit and create than at any time during the rest of their lives,” he added.
He also recalled that one of the most worrying aspects of the current crisis in Europe was that it coincided with a demographic crisis. “In many European countries, expenditure on pensions is much higher than the revenue from social contributions of the working population. There are fewer and fewer people who can support growing pension needs as life expectancy increases and birth rates go down. Slowing GDP growth and population ageing lead to imbalances in social expenditure. Also, birth rates and unemployment rates are closely correlated, more markedly so in Italy, Germany and France,” he said.
“Since young people constitute a huge resource to Europe, what will be the consequences of aging? Implications will be huge for social organisation, the managerial classes, the political structures, and the culture of our societies. Unless there is a U-turn, we shall herald in a kind of demographic euthanasia. For tackling the demographic decline in Europe, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly urges governments to act, such as by adopting innovative policies to support young people and families. To advance and prosper, Europe needs to reactivate inter-generational solidarity and better share political, social and economic power with the young generation,” Mr Volontè stressed.
“I look hopefully at the “indignados” movement in North America and Europe. Until a few months ago, this movement was taking on ever-increasing proportions. The secret of its persistence and spread is the emergence of new social networks offering direct, bottom-up support to the unemployed and families. As state-run welfare systems show weaknesses and suffer from cuts, a new type of social cohesion is being created by ‘active’ solidarity, which stems from the struggle against inequality, - born from a renewed sense of justice,” he said.
He concluded by stressing that it is important to avoid approaching budgetary rigour and support for growth as taboos which divide governments, schools of thought and political families. “The message of Edgar Morin and Stephane Hessel, two philosophers closest to recent youth movements, is the most profound and radical of all: "it is time for a social economy based on solidarity". This also echoes the wisdom of Joseph Ratzinger in pleading for more social justice. One thought which I trust we all share, and which springs from the simple but powerful analysis that Benedict XVI made in Madrid last year, “If today’s youth do not find prospects for their lives, our today is mistaken and wrong.” Let us work together for better lives - in dignity and shared prosperity for all,” Mr Volonté said.