Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council of 22 May 2008 on the participation of young people with fewer opportunities
Date: 2008-05-22
Institutions: Council of the European Union, Representatives of the Governments of the Member States
Subjects: Council of the European Union, equal treatment, social integration, socially disadvantaged class, young person, youth policy

7.6.2008

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Official Journal of the European Union

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I

(Resolutions, recommendations and opinions)

RESOLUTIONS

COUNCIL

Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States,
meeting within the Council of 22 May 2008 on the participation of young people with fewer
opportunities

(2008/C 141/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE REPRESENTA-
TIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES, MEETING
WITHIN THE COUNCIL,

(4)

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

contributing to the

The European Council adopted at
its 2005 Spring
Summit the European Pact for Youth as one of the instru-
ments
the
renewed Lisbon Strategy with a view to improving — by
means of cross-sectoral strategies — young people's
employment opportunities and social
their
education, training and mobility, giving priority to young
people with fewer opportunities.

implementation of

inclusion,

In its Resolution of 7 December 2006 (1), the Council
suggested that Member States encourage the provision of
wide-ranging and equal opportunities
for all young
people to participate in civic life and that a structured
dialogue with young people
those
engaged in various and innovative forms of active citizen-
ship, non-organised young people and young people with
fewer opportunities thus creating conditions for equal
participation of all young people.

should involve

In its Resolution of 25 May 2007 (2), the Council invited
the Member States and the Commission to improve the
coherence of measures to implement the European Pact
for Youth and to make sure that ‘such measures actually
reach their target groups, in particular young people with fewer
opportunities, by taking into account their needs, backgrounds
and motivation’.

(1) Resolution of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments
of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on implementing
the common objectives for participation by and information for young
people in view of promoting their active European citizenship
(OJ C 297, 7.12.2006, p. 6).

(2) Resolution of the Council and of the Representatives of the Govern-
ments of the Member States, meeting within the Council:
‘Creating
equal opportunities for all young people — Full participation in society’
(OJ C 314, 22.12.2007, p. 1).

In its Communication of 5 September 2007 entitled
full participation in education,
Promoting young people's
employment and society (3)
the Commission emphasised
that it is in the social and economic interest of Europe
that the full potential of all young people is used; refer-
ence was therefore made to the importance of achieving
social
inclusion and equal opportunities for all young
people paying particular attention to those with fewer
opportunities.

(5)

The Spring 2008 European Council emphasised the
importance of strengthening the social dimension of the
Lisbon Strategy, of combating poverty and social exclu-
sion, of promoting active inclusion and increasing
employment opportunities for those furthest from the
including young people, and urged
labour market,
Member States to take concrete action in order
to
learners with a
improve the achievement
migrant background and from disadvantaged groups,

levels of

NOTE THAT:

1. work under the German Presidency focussed on equal oppor-
tunities and social participation for all children and youth
within the framework of the team presidency programme on
social and professional integration of young people;

2. the results of the peer-learning activities on the participation
of young people with fewer opportunities have shown that
such young people require special attention in all Member
States and that it is particularly necessary that public authori-
ties at local and regional level, civil society, youth workers,
youth organisations and young people themselves work hand
in hand to foster their well-being;

(3) COM(2007) 498 final.

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3.

of

representatives

organisations met

in the framework of the structured dialogue, young people
and
on
youth
18-21 April 2008 on the occasion of
the Slovenian
Presidency's youth event and formulated a set of conclusions
regarding the mobility, employment, non-formal
learning
and competence-building, integration and political participa-
tion of young people with fewer opportunities, and the role
of young people in intercultural dialogue.

UNDERLINE THAT:

1. while recognising the differences between Member States,
the situation of young people with fewer opportunities
(such as young women and men from less-privileged educa-
tional, socio-economic or geographical backgrounds, or
with disabilities)
concern in many
an issue of
European countries;

is

2. despite contemporary globalisation and migratory flows
that create new opportunities and enrich European diver-
sity, a number of young people with fewer opportunities
still face economic and social difficulties;

3. the very cohesion of our societies is endangered by the fact
that a considerable number of young people in Europe lack
opportunities to actively participate in education, employ-
ment and society;
therefore, empowering every young
person to fulfil his or her potential and to participate
actively in community life is essential for the sound and
sustainable development of societies and contributes to
overall social cohesion by building mutually trusting rela-
tionships with other groups of society,
including older
generations;

4. unemployment, poverty, poor health, cultural, social and
economic exclusion and all
forms of discrimination are
obstacles to the well-being of young people and may hinder
their active participation in society;

5. tailored measures targeted to young people with fewer
should be based on cross-disciplinary
opportunities
research on young people and their living conditions. Such
a knowledge-based approach is particularly relevant when
dealing with issues related to young people with fewer
opportunities;

Member States
still depends on socio-economic back-
ground, and additional efforts and strategies are therefore
necessary to address this structural inequality;

8. non-formal and informal learning has a key role to play as
an instrument supporting the social and economic inclu-
sion of young people with fewer opportunities;
in this
context, the work of youth workers and youth organisations
with these youngsters is of particular importance;

9. at European level, the Youth in Action Programme is a key
for promoting the active participation and

instrument
social inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities;

10. culture, youth work and sports activities play an important
role in contributing to the inclusion and well-being of
young people with fewer opportunities.

EMPHASISE IN PARTICULAR THAT:

young people with fewer opportunities should be given special
attention at an early stage, in order for them to be better inte-
grated in society. They should also be offered every opportunity
(through special support or mentoring) to take part in actions
open to all young people.

INVITE THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION TO:

1. give high priority to young people in the most vulnerable
situations when implementing the objectives of the Lisbon
Strategy and the European Youth Pact, and pay special
attention to them in devising their national flexicurity stra-
tegies;

2. further develop the transversal approach to youth issues
and the shaping of cross-sectoral policies, which is particu-
larly relevant in respect of young people with fewer oppor-
tunities;

3. counteract gender stereotypes and promote gender equality
in all actions taken to empower young people with fewer
opportunities;

4. support young people in adopting a healthy lifestyle and
include this specific target within their health policies, with
a particular focus on young people with fewer opportu-
nities;

6. the transition and mobility between training and education
systems and the labour market is of great importance for
the prevention of unemployment and social exclusion of
young people;

5. act against the intergenerational transmission of unemploy-
ment and economic inactivity through, inter alia, initiatives
aiming at creating good employment opportunities for
young people;

7.

in the context of the Community cooperation framework
in the field of education, tackling the problem of early
school leavers and educational disadvantage is a major chal-
lenge; evidence shows that educational achievement in most

6. reinforce as a priority the social inclusion of young people
with fewer opportunities, in particular by promoting equal
opportunities for children and young people in the context
of the EU social protection and social inclusion process;

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7. support the development of the existing forms of participa-
tion and encourage the creation of new ones that include
young people with fewer opportunities and support the
to
development of
improve their access to ICT, media and information, espe-
cially at local and regional level, within the framework of
the open method of coordination in the field of youth;

innovative and targeted measures

8. pay due attention to the participation of young people with
fewer opportunities as such and also to the social benefit of
this
assessing
programmes targeted at young people;

participation, while

developing

and

9. work with youth organisations for developing an inclusive
approach in the structured dialogue with young people
with fewer opportunities at all levels, and adapt the format
of encounters if necessary;

10. broaden awareness of

and expertise
regarding the social, economic and other factors deter-
mining the well-being of young people and the situation of
young people with fewer opportunities;

and knowledge

11. reinforce the dissemination of good practices at all levels

via exchange of data, experiences and networking.

INVITE THE MEMBER STATES TO:

1. facilitate the development of sustainable strategies or inte-
grated measures in national policy plans aimed at improving
the conditions for the involvement and inclusion of young
people with fewer opportunities in society.

Particular considerations should be given to interdisciplinary
and intersectoral early intervention measures to prevent or
mitigate the risks of children and young people becoming
socially excluded;

2. make available EU funding (EU programmes and Structural
Funds) for supporting the social inclusion and active partici-
pation of young people with fewer opportunities;

3. provide increased support

to youth workers and youth
leaders working with young people with fewer opportunities,
inter alia by enhancing further training and improving recog-
nition of their skills;

4. encourage and support youth and social organisations in
their actions on behalf of young people with fewer opportu-
nities;

5. promote tailored information and facilitate access to such
information for young people with fewer opportunities;

6. where appropriate, develop and improve mechanisms for
vocational guidance and counselling to enable young people
with fewer opportunities to find a job;

7.

identify the obstacles in the way of participation by young
people with fewer opportunities, seek ways to overcome
these obstacles and encourage especially the participation of
young people with fewer opportunities from the local level
up to the national level both within representative democ-
racy and in the youth structures; provide greater support for
learning to participate.

INVITE THE COMMISSION TO:

1. consider possible lines of action at European level, based on
good practices identified in cooperation with Member States,
to facilitate the inclusion of young people with fewer oppor-
tunities and their participation in society;

2. take into account the objectives of the current Resolution
when proposing the priorities for the future framework of
cooperation in the field of youth.