This week, under the leadership of liberal Hristo Petrov MEP (We Continue The Change, BG), the European Parliament adopted recommendations to strengthen the Youth Guarantee and make it more effective for young people furthest from the labour market.
The evaluation of the Reinforced Youth Guarantee highlights significant progress, while also identifying persistent gaps in outreach, coverage and the quality and sustainability of offers.
The recommendations call for the Youth Guarantee to become a more targeted instrument, providing personalised, inclusive and locally tailored support to young people who are not in employment, education or training.
Job offers, apprenticeships, traineeships and education should be better matched to individual needs and complemented by opportunities such as entrepreneurship, volunteering and skills recognition. This would provide a more holistic approach to supporting young people into employment and helping them build sustainable career paths.
The initiative reaffirms the liberal commitment to delivering tangible opportunities for young Europeans. Investing in young people’s transition to employment not only strengthens their career prospects, but also supports Europe’s competitiveness by helping address persistent labour shortages.
Petrov says the focus must now be on reaching those still left behind and turning the Youth Guarantee into a pathway to lasting opportunities:
“Young people do not need a new slogan. They need a real opportunity, at the right time. The Youth Guarantee is a promise that Europe has made to its young people, and its credibility depends on keeping that promise. The next step is clear: reaching out to those still left behind, offering each young person a tailored pathway, and making sure that an opportunity offered today leads to an empowering future tomorrow”.