merrion street

Youth Affairs Minister Frances Fitzgerald joined Ms. Androulla Vassiliou, EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, at the opening of a major EU Youth Conference. The Conference is the highlight of Ireland’s EU Youth Presidency Programme and marks the culmination of consultations with 11,000 young people across 27 EU member states.

Commenting on the findings of this EU-wide consultation, Minister Fitzgerald said:

Europe’s young people have told us that unemployment is one of their biggest concerns and represents the greatest challenge to young people’s social inclusion throughout the EU. As President of the EU Council of Youth Ministers I have put youth employment at the top of our Council’s agenda.

Commenting on the Conference Minister Fitzgerald said:

This conference is highly significant and will discuss the findings of consultations held with over 11,000 young people across Europe. Some 150 young people and 100 key policy-makers from all 27 EU member-states will discuss and agree conference outcomes and conclusions. I will present these conclusions for adoption by the Council of Ministers in Brussels in May 2013 and the findings will feed into policy-development by the Council.

Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said:

Young people have borne the brunt of the current crisis - and an alarmingly high number of them are facing social exclusion. We cannot afford a lost generation: we need to give them hope and ensure that inclusion brings tangible results. That means we have to make the most of our funding opportunities and do more to promote active participation in civil society and civic life.

Read the full press release

.