The Youth Network Event

The Youth Network Event aims to build a strong partnership between the European Parliament and youth organisations, and allow for networking between European youth organisations active in the area of fostering European democracy and active citizenship.

The 2022 edition of the event will take place on 22-23 June 2022 with participants from around 100 youth organisations. Like in the past, the event will be organised in a fully participatory format providing unique environment for open dialogue between the European Parliament and young people.

The deadline for application is May 15th, 2022. Apply filling out this form.

If you have questions, please write at youth@europarl.europa.eu

Schedule

The programme of the event is currently under preparation and will be finalised soon. The draft outline is as follows:

• 22 June – arrivals in the morning. Afternoon – visit of the Parliament Hemicycle and presentation on how the Parliament works. Networking drink in the evening
• 23 June – working groups 09.00 to 18.00.
• 24 June – departure

Additional Information

Following this call for applications, Parliament will select 40 young people representing youth organisations from all EU Member States to participate.

The language of the event is English.
Your accommodation and travel will be arranged and covered by the organisers.
Lunch will be provided on 23 June, as well as the networking drink on the evening of 22 June.

The EU gives priority to regional youth organisation and organisations that have as their main target group disadvantaged youth.

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L'articolo Youth Network Event | 22-23 June 2022 proviene da Youth Networks.

It is a plan of re-generation and recovery, that touches many fields of action: from the economy to education, from technology to ecology and care for the environment. It shows therefore an overall commitment to overcome the Covid pandemic and to further develop certain priorities that make the European Union stand out into the world.

The NextGenerationEU shows indeed the effort to emerge stronger from the pandemic, transform economies and societies, and design an Europe that works for everyone.

Budget and Priorities of NextGenerationEU

The European Unione agreed on a total budget of €750 billions to fund the NextGenerationEU recovery plan. The main objectives of the plan are:

• a greener Europe;
• an healthier Europe;
• a more digital Europe.

The budget that the European Union set out goes to projects with the aim of improving and implementing such objectives.

Make It Green

Europe is on track to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. With NextGenerationEU, the EU will invest in environmentally-friendly technologies, roll out greener vehicles and public transport, and make our buildings and public spaces more energy efficient.

The chance is there to take: everyone can play a role in making a greener Europe, by taking public transport or biking, by eating more vegetables and less meat, by buying second hand, recycling and reusing.

A Digital Europe

In the next 10 years, the EU will transition to a digital decade.

The initiatives to address on the field are:

• connect everywhere with 5G and EU-wide ultra-fast broadband;
• a digital identity (eID), making it easier to access online public services;
• artificial intelligence, to fight climate change and improve healthcare, transport and education;
• green and efficient cities and towns;
• security on online shopping.

The EU is funding online training courses so that everyone, young or old, can improve their digital skills. We’re helping small and medium-sized businesses go online. And we’re making e-education more accessible.

The Health System

Due to the Covid pandemic, we have learned how weak and inefficient our healthcare system can turn out when facing global crises. For this reason, the NextGenerationEU plan will:

• work with all EU countries to protect against health threats;
• invest more in research and innovation to develop vaccines and treatments;
• modernise our health systems;
• fund training for Europe’s medical and healthcare professionals.

Over those three priorities, the NextGenerationEU plan aims at funding initiatives to:

• encourage young people to study science and technology;
• support education and apprenticeships;
• offer loans and grants to young entrepreneurs;
• guarantee equal rights and opportunities, fighting racism, xenophobia, homophobia;
• promote gender equality and strengthen women’s empowerment.

You’ll soon be able to find here more information about NextGenerationEU projects in your area.

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L'articolo NextGenerationEU: a Plan to Restart proviene da Youth Networks.

For this reason, the European Union gives non-residents the possibility to get a EU Blue Card.

EU Blue Card To Work In Europe

High-qualified workers from non-EU countries can apply for a Blue Card that allows them to live and work in the European Union.

There are some requirements to meet in order to get a Blue Card. Applicants must:

• Own a valid work contract or binding offer of highly qualified employment for at least six months;
• Have an offer of a gross annual salary that meets the threshold of the member states;
• In case of regulated professions, it is necessary to fulfill the conditions to exercise the profession itself;
• For unregulated professions, it is necessary to have relevant higher professional qualifications;
• For IT workers, it is necessary to have higher professional skills.

EU Blue Card: How It Works

The applicants will receive a notification of the decision over their request within 90 days from application.

Concerning the validity of the permit, each member state decides on a standard validity period for EU Blue Cards, with a mandatory minimum of 24 months.

The Blue Card is issued for the duration of the contract plus 3 months.

What Rights You Earn with the EU Blue Card

The good news for anyone willing to work in Europe, is that with the Blue Card you will earn specific rights that align yourself to any other EU citizen.

The owner of a Blue Card indeed can:

• enter, re-enter and stay in the territory of the EU country issuing the card;
• access high qualified employment in the member state issuing the card;
• request family reunification with permits with the same duration as the Blue Card;
• align to EU citizens in terms of working conditions, education and training, social security and access to services;
• accumulate period of residence in different member states to be eligible for an EU long-term residence permit.

Mobility with the EU Blue Card

The Blue Card holders have the right to move, through:

• Short-term mobility: meaning that they can travel to another EU country for a business activity for a short period;
• Long-term mobility: meaning that, after 1 year in a EU country, they can enter a second member state and apply for a new card via a quick and simple procedure.

The regulation of the EU Blue Card goes under the Immigration Policy of the European Union.

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The ministers of Education coming from the EU member States started following a draft document written on 16 April by the “Youth” group, that transmitted it to the permanent representation in the Council.

The youth organisations as relevant stakeholders

On the basis of the European Youth Strategy 2019/2027, the paper aims at providing a series of measures to resettle the difficult work situation awaiting the youngsters of nowadays. Young people shall be free to develop their working, social and personal skills and the European Union is asked to provide them with all the available tools to accomplish this goal.

It addresses to the youth sector’s stakeholders: member states, the European Commission and, this time, there’s space also for youth organisations (see p. 10 of the document). What does it recommend? Member states shall adopt concrete measures to promote formal and non formal education, deepen the development of the key competences recognized at European level, further explore ways of cooperation and youth entrepreneurship possibilities (in the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme and European Solidarity Corps too) and, overall, a special attention to steer national politics towards a better inclusion of youngsters into the work market.

The European Commission shall go on with the analysis of tools as the Youthpass and Europass, as well as guide national institutes to help young people exploit the possibilities offered by the EU in order to get into the work market. It will also provide information and results coming from the follow-up of studies based on qualitative and quantitavie researches in the field.

Finally, it is of great importance the fact that the Counil addresses also to youth organisations. They’re asked to sensibilize young people in relation of their rights and responsibilities; keeping their methodologies and their programmes updated, in order to comply with the work market needs; keep on to strive with the inclusion of youngsters with fewer opportunities in their programmes; making contacts with the national work market stakeholders, in regular dialogues that can provide the right guarantees for young people.

The Council recommended the youth workers (speaking for NGOs, youth associations and organisations) to implement always new programmes and encourage the young people to do an European mobility, also in light of the new European programmes such as Erasmus+ and European Solidarity corps (link). These in fact give to youngsters the possibility to do not only a study period aborad, but also to do an internship, a training course, a volunteering.

The issues to tackle

The paper gives an overview of the working situation in Europe. It focuses on the factors that are shaping a change with regards to this context.

• The demographical issue: the population is ageing and the work market is losing labour that needs to be quickly subsituted, in order to keep up with the needs of an assistance system that is going to become particularly demanding;
• The progress of technology: the process of digitalization, that the EU is fostering in the first place, is going to bring about a reshaping of the work market needs. It is causing a rapid obsoloescence both of tools and jobs, creating at the same time new possibilities for digital natives – as the European young people are;
• The mismatch between high qualified workers needed and the number (still to low) of graduated people coming from European universities;
• The climate change and the challenges that are to be tackled;
• The ageing population that reconnects with the first point;
• Finally, the development of a global economy, that’s reshaping the relationships between employers and employees.

The measures to implement

The European Council has proposed the following measures, included in the press release:

• adaptable and responsive education and training systems;
• the promotion of lifelong learning;
• smooth school-to-work and work-to-work transitions;
• equal access to quality jobs for all young people in the future.

L'articolo Youth policies: new EU Council conclusions proviene da Youth Networks.

What do we ask

Tens of organisations already signed the appeal proposed by Forum ZDF, asking for European policies to be more focused on human rights defence and peace. The three main calls are to:

• Campaign for a European Union that adheres to the European peace project instead of becoming a military power;
• Do not let the European Union provide arms to states that wage war or violate human rights to ward off refugees and migration;
• Increase the funds of the European Union for the promotion of non-violent conflict transformation and human rights.

The budget

The new European defence fund has a proposed budget of EUR 13 billion for armaments research and the development of new arms systems. Moreover, the rise of right-wing populism across Europe is likely to push for more expenses in the sector, to build border fortifications and military security policy.

Among the rest, this appeal is to request EUR 7 billion for non-violent conflict transformation and peacebuilding and EUR 3 billion for the promotion of human rights and democracy in the next EU financial framework (2021-2027).

Peace as a value

Nevertheless, the Treaty of Lisbon itself states that “the Union’s aim is to promote peace, its values and the well-being of its peoples” (Art. 3). The European defence Fund goes totally in the opposite direction: it foresees the use of the Community budget for the European Union to finance armament projects and military operations.

Here you can find the signatories and the appeal more in detail.

L'articolo Appeal: save the European peace project! proviene da Youth Networks.