youth

Freedom of movement is the most cherished right of EU citizenship (see press release No. 14/2011). Indeed, more and more Europeans benefit from this right and live in another EU Member State: in 2009, an estimated 11.9 million citizens were living in a Member State other than their own; in 2010 this figure grew to 12.3 million (STAT/11/105). Thanks to EU citizenship – which does not replace national citizenship but is additional to it – EU-citizens have access to a broad range of rights across all EU-Member States, including rights as consumers to access goods and services in other Member States, and the right as citizens to access education, to obtain recognition of their professional qualifications, to access healthcare, to acquire or preserve social security rights or the right to vote and to stand as candidates in elections to the European Parliament and in municipal elections in their Member State of residence.

Yet whilst more than one third (35%) of workers would consider taking a job in another Member State, nearly one in five still considers that there are too many obstacles to actually doing so. Together with language difficulties, a chronic lack of information is the most important barrier to cross-border commuting. A survey from 2010 showed that too many people still do not feel adequately informed about the different rights available to them: only 43% know the meaning of the term 'citizen of the European Union' and almost half of European citizens (48%) indicate that they are ‘not well informed’ about their rights (see Annex).

In addition, the EU Citizenship Report 2010 (see IP/10/1390 and MEMO/10/525) showed that, in fact, many barriers remain that prevent or discourage people from moving abroad. The report outlined 25 concrete actions to remove these remaining obstacles. One of these is to "strengthen citizens’ awareness of their EU citizenship status, their rights and meaning in their daily lives by proposing the designation of 2013 as the European Year of Citizens and by organising targeted events on EU citizenship and citizen-related policies during this Year". The European Year of Citizens will be characterised by a follow up to the EU Citizenship Report: in 2013, the Commission will publish an action plan for completing the removal of the remaining obstacles that hinder citizens from enjoying their rights as Union citizens.

By designating 2013 as the European Year of Citizens, the European Commission is delivering on the promise made in the EU Citizenship Report and answering the European Parliament's call for such a year.

The purpose of the European Year of Citizens is to facilitate Union citizens' exercising their right to move and reside freely within the EU by ensuring they can easily access information about their rights. More specifically, the aim of the Year is to:

• raise citizens' awareness of their right to reside freely within the European Union;

• raise citizens' awareness of how they can benefit from EU rights and policies and to stimulate their active participation in Union policy-making;

• stimulate debate about the impact and potential of the right to free movement, in particular in terms of strengthening cohesion and people's mutual understanding of one another.

To mark the European Year of Citizens 2013, a range of events, conferences and seminars will be organised across the EU at Union, national, regional or local level. The Commission is also planning to strengthen the visibility of the multilingual Europe Direct and Your Europe web portals as key elements of a 'one-stop-shop' information system on Union citizens' rights, as well as the role and visibility of problem solving tools, such as SOLVIT, to allow Union citizens to better make use of and defend their rights.

The proposed budget for the activities to take place during the 2013 European Year of Citizens is EUR 1 million.

Today's Decision will need to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers according to the "ordinary legislative procedure" (co-decision). The Commission expects to work in close cooperation with the other EU institutions, notably the European Parliament, and with the Member States to make sure the Year has a strong and lasting impact.

The Commission is also urging Member States to make better use of the European Social Fund which still has €30billion of funding uncommitted to projects. In addition, the Commission has put forward a set of concrete actions to be financed directly by EU funds.

In detail

The main actions financed directly by the Commission in the new 'Youth Opportunities initiative' are:

• using €4m to help Member States set up 'youth guarantee' schemes to ensure young people are either in employment, education or training within four months of leaving school;
• dedicating € 1.3 million to support the setting up of apprenticeships through the European Social Fund. An increase of 10% by the end of 2013 would add a total of 370,000 new apprenticeships;
• using €3m of the European Social Fund Technical Assistance to support Member States in the setting up of support schemes for young business starters and social entrepreneurs;
• gearing funds as much as possible towards placements in enterprises and targeting at least 130,000 placements in 2012 under ERASMUS and Leonardo da Vinci,
• providing financial assistance in 2012-2013 to 5,000 young people to find a job in another Member State through the 'Your first EURES job' initiative
• reinforcing the budget allocation for the European Voluntary Service in order to provide at least 10,000 volunteering opportunities in 2012
• presenting in 2012 a framework for high quality traineeships in the EU
• ensuring around 600 further exchanges under Erasmus for entrepreneurs in 2012.

Communication: Youth Opportunities Initiative

Summary - EU Youth Opportunities Initiative

Youth unemployment, which has peaked at over 40%, is a worrying trend.  Opportunities created through science, information and communication technology, engineering and maths are critical to building a modern workforce.  The European e-Skills week 2012 is a grass roots campaign focused on showing people how to get jobs and e-skills for life in the digital age.

Industry partners - including leading ICT companies such as Nokia, Microsoft, Cisco, Intel and numerous SMEs across Europe - in partnership with education bodies and public authorities, will deliver a large and diverse programme of events and activities in more than 30 European countries. Ministries of Education have embraced the importance of ICT and are working with industry to deliver an exciting choice of options for people looking for work, and for young people thinking about what career options are open to them.

“SMEs can only grow through employing highly skilled people,” outlined Dr Erkki Ormala, DIGITALEUROPE President. “The right skills encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. We cannot over-estimate the role of digital technology in job generation,” he said.

“The European e-Skills Week is a great initiative for you to get involved in to learn more about the skills you need to find a job,” said Marc Durando, Executive Director of European Schoolnet. “ICT is not just programming; there are so many options to be had from using technology creatively. Some of the greatest jobs can be found through technology -  imagine the world without Twitter or Facebook, which were built out of a passion for technology,” said Mr. Durando.

Industry research from IDC estimates that 90% of all jobs will involve basic level of e-skills by 2015. Addressing this key challenge – skills for jobs for growth over the next few years - is a critical issue.  Public-private partnerships with large companies have recognised the importance of having more people involved in a digital life, both for pleasure and for work.

The first European e-Skills week delivered hundreds events and activities in March 2010 that raised awareness amongst 65 million citizens in 35 countries of the importance of gaining e-Skills for jobs and for life.

Preparatory work for the European e-Skills Week 2012 will commence in December 2011 and activities will continue up until May 2012. Options for education, training, and opportunities for jobs and growth will be a highlight, and will demonstrate why ICT is so important for any new job.

To join the fight against unemployment citizens, companies and governments are invited engage in the European e-Skills Week 2012. To help deliver e-skills for jobs and for life check out http://eskills-week.ec.europa.eu  and find ways to build our digital future together.

Media Enquiries:

Natalia KUROP – DIGITALEUROPE, Director - Communications & Marketing

T. +32 2 609 53 26 >> F. +32 2 609 53 39 >> M. +32 487 34 05 71 >> E. natalia.kurop@digitaleurope.org

Jakob OHRGAARD – Information and Communication Officer, European Commission T: +32 2 229 505 83 E: Jakob.OHRGAARD@ec.europa.eu