EN Official Journal of the European Union C 85/5

CONCLUSIONS BY THE COUNCIL

of 21 February 2005

on Youth in the framework of the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy

(2005/C 85/02)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to:

1. the objective, set by the Lisbon European Council on 23 and 24 March 2000 and reaffirmed by the Stockholm European Council on 23 and 24 March 2001, of making the European Union ‘the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion’;

2. the White Paper ‘A new impetus for European youth’, adopted by the Commission on 21 November 2001, which recognises that ‘This strategy sets new goals for different policy fields which are closely related to youth, such as education, employment, social inclusion, information and civil society’;

3. the Council Resolution of 27 June 2002 adopting, on the basis of the aforementioned White Paper, the open method of coordination as a new framework for cooperation in the youth field and proposing the inclusion of the youth dimension in other policies and programmes;

4. the conclusions of the European Council of 4 and 5 November 2004, taking note of the letter of the Heads of State or Government of France, Germany, Spain and Sweden pointing out the importance of demographic factors in shaping the future economic and social development of Europe and calling for the elaboration of a ‘European Pact for Youth’;

5. the Commission Communication to the Spring European Council 2005 (‘Working together for growth and jobs — A new start for the Lisbon Strategy’) on the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy, which states that ‘we still need a vision for society which can integrate both the ageing and the young’ and underlines ‘the need for urgent action’,

UNDERLINES:

6. the importance of a youth perspective in the Lisbon Strategy, having regard to the demographic, economic, social and political development of the European Union, and in particular its ageing population;

7. the contribution made by youth's innovative capacity, spirit of initiative and enterprise, mobility and capacity for multicultural integration in terms of competitiveness, sustainable growth and social cohesion;

8. the importance of a concerted, cohesive and cross-cutting policy focused on young people;

9. the relevance, in this context, of the White Paper on youth, especially the open method of coordination and the inclusion of youth in other policies, as well as the need to strengthen synergies and complementarity among the different policies and programmes affecting youth;

10. that a better understanding of youth and young people's living conditions is a precondition for identifying effective measures to encourage young people to make the most of their potential;

11. that the Lisbon Strategy needs the support of young people to succeed,

SHARES:

12. in this connection, the belief expressed by the Commission that the Lisbon Strategy must ‘ensure that the reforms proposed help to give young people a first chance in life and equip them with the skills needed throughout their lives’;

13. the concern expressed by the Commission, in its Communication to the Spring European Council 2005, that young people should be targeted within the framework of certain key areas such as employment, the conciliation of family and professional life, investment in human capital and research and development,

CONSIDERS THAT:

14. on the basis of the existing instruments and mechanisms, such an approach, targeted towards young people, should be effectively integrated in the policies envisaged by the Lisbon Strategy;

15. the specific efforts in favour of young people must take account of gender equality and apply equally to young people with fewer opportunities, in particular in the fields of education, employment, social integration and mobility;

16. the active participation of young people in society is both an objective and a method guaranteeing the involvement of European citizens in the Lisbon objectives and contributing to the personal development of young people, their social integration and social cohesion in general. Consequently, it constitutes an additional factor for the success of the Lisbon Strategy,

INVITES THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL TO:

17. include, in the framework of the Mid-Term Review of the Lisbon Strategy, and of the discussions on the Commission's communication to the Spring European Council 2005, the initiative of a European Pact for Youth, encompassing particularly the fields of employment, social cohesion, education, training, mobility, as well as the conciliation of family and professional life;

18. define orientations for the concrete measures required to implement this initiative in all sectors concerned;

19. take note of the Commission's intention to adopt a communication on this initiative;

20. entrust the Commission and the Member States with the task of ensuring that young people and youth organisations, inter alia, via the ‘European Youth Forum’, are fully involved in this approach;