2 February 2010, EU Presidency Youth Press Conference, Madrid, Spain

Spain started on January 1 its six-month term in the rotating EU Presidency in a strategic moment for Europe: under the new Lisbon Treaty and marked by efforts to bring Europe out of its worst recession in decades. In a Press Conference organised in Madrid in cooperation with CJE, Spanish National Youth Council and INJUVE, the Spanish National Youth Institute, the European Youth Forum and CJE expressed their expectation towards the Spanish Presidency.

"With 21.4% of young people aged 15-24 unemployed in Europe," declared Giuseppe Porcaro, European Youth Forum Secretary General, "the European Youth Forum believes that the new EU 2020 strategy should have a strong youth dimension by including concrete measures to tackle the urgent issue of youth employment and a renewed and updated European Youth Pact."

The Spanish Presidency, in cooperation with CJE, will promote a full programme of events tackling the main challenges for youth: employment, equality, participation, education. In order to address the issue of youth employment, and in view of a post-Lisbon Strategy with a stronger social dimension, the new EU 2020 strategy should in particular push forward smooth transition from education to employment in the EU, offering a clear stand to improving young people's access to the labour market, fostering increased youth autonomy, mobility, and involvement in shaping European citizenship.

On February 3, Giuseppe Porcaro, European Youth Forum Secretary General, met with Mr Celestino Corbacho, Spanish Minister for Labour and Immigration, together with a delegation of the Spanish Youth Council, guided by Daniel Lostao Sanjuan, CJE President. In their meeting, they discussed the inclusion of a strong youth dimension in the EU2020 strategy, especially focusing on youth employment. Mr Corbacho committed to bring these views to the Spanish Prime Minister in view of the discussions in the next Informal European Summit taking place in Brussels on February 11.

Read the European Youth Forum contribution to the EU2020 Consultation