Public letter to President Juncker

European Youth Forum and youngest MEPs call on President Juncker to keep his promise to Europe’s youth

As the new College of European Commissioners meets today, the European Youth Forum, along with two of the youngest MEPs in the European Parliament, the youngest members from the S&D and Green Groups, sent a public letter to President Juncker reminding him to keep his election promise to “address the plight of Europe’s youth for a better future”.

The joint letter calls on the Commission President to take immediate action in this regard through a series of measures aimed at ensuring a future for Europe’s young people – this includes action to create quality jobs; effective implementation of the Youth Guarantee; youth freedom of movement; consultation with youth civil society and access to quality education.

European Commission,

5 November 2014.

Dear President of the European Commission,

Dear Mr. Juncker,

In the history of the European Union, a European Commission has never taken office when the future of its young generations looks so uncertain. One in five young people cannot find a job, leaving 7.5 million young people that are neither in education, training nor employment. Although young people are the most positive age group toward the EU, they vote in much lower numbers than any other age group in European Parliament elections as they don’t see this way of political participation as a solution to their problems.

President Juncker – it’s time to change this destructive cycle. We welcome your election statement in the European Parliament on 22ndOctober that you were beginning the work to “address the plight of Europe’s youth for a better future”. We welcome this commitment as it contrasts with our disappointment that in nowhere in your Mission Letters to the Commission Vice-Presidents did you highlight the Education and Youth portfolio as a priority for them. However, as you stated “together we will succeed” and we are willing to grasp this challenge to create a EU that includes young people at its heart. We sincerely want to believe you are committed to deliver on the statements you have made in order to improve the situation of young people across Europe.

We would like to highlight the fact that over 240 candidates and 85 Members of European Parliament have supported the European Youth Forum’s LoveYouthFuture pledges – which focus on creating better conditions for Europe’s young people and thus Europe as a whole. Many of these pledges can be enacted by the European Union immediately. Some of these include:

• action to ensure quality jobs for young people – the EU should ensure a quality standard for internships so young people are not exploited and benefit from a learning experience that will help them get employed afterwards;

• the Youth Guarantee needs to be implemented efficiently so it reaches all young people that are long-term unemployed;

• young people’s view should not be ignored when policies are created about them, so there needs to be regular consultation with youth civil society;

• there needs to be more freedom of movement for young people, both through strengthening the accessibility of Erasmus+ and visa liberalisation;

• lastly, the importance of quality education in giving all young people a good basis for a productive and fulfilling life cannot be overstated and the EU must pursue this goal together with Member States.

President Juncker, if you do what you have committed to do for young people, we will be your supporters and allies. We believe that the new European Commission has an epic task to include Europe’s youth and we wish you all the best in your efforts.

Yours truly,

European Youth Forum – Peter Matjašič (President)

S&D – Brando Benifei MEP

Greens – Terry Reintke MEP