COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Youth on the Move An initiative to unleash the potential of young people to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in the European Union
Date: 2010-09-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: education, education policy, job creation, knowledge economy, sustainable development, teaching quality, young person, young worker, youth policy

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 15.9.2010 
COM(2010) 477 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Youth on the Move 
An initiative to unleash the potential of young people to achieve smart, sustainable and 
inclusive growth in the European Union 

{SEC(2010) 1047} 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Youth on the Move 
An initiative to unleash the potential of young people to achieve smart, sustainable and 
inclusive growth in the European Union 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The  Europe  2020  Strategy  sets  ambitious  objectives  for  smart,  inclusive  and  sustainable 
growth. Young people are essential to achieve this. Quality education and training, successful 
labour market integration and more mobility of young people are key to unleashing all young 
people's potential and achieving the Europe 2020 objectives. 

Europe’s future prosperity depends on its young people. There are close to 100 million in the 
EU,  representing  a  fifth  of  its  total  population1.  Despite  the  unprecedented  opportunities 
which  modern  Europe  offers,  young  people  face  challenges  –  aggravated  by  the  economic 
crisis  -  in  education  and  training  systems  and  in  accessing  the  labour  market.  Youth 
unemployment  is  unacceptably  high  at  almost  21%2.  In  order  to  reach  the  75% 
employment target for the population aged 20-64 years, the transition of young people to the 
labour market needs to be radically improved. 

By 2020, it is estimated that 35% of all jobs will require high-level qualifications, combined 
with a capacity to adapt and innovate, compared to 29% today. This means 15 million more 
jobs requiring high-level qualifications3. An increasing number of jobs require e-skills, but 
the EU economy is hampered by a shortage of highly qualified ICT practitioners4. Fewer than 
one person in three in the EU (31.1%5) has a higher education degree compared to over 40% 
in the US and over 50% in Japan. The EU has a lower share of researchers in the labour force 
than  its  competitors6.  The  Europe  2020  Strategy  has  agreed  the  EU  headline  target  that  by 
2020,  at  least  40%  of  30-34  years  olds  should  have  completed  tertiary  or  equivalent 
education. 

Too many young people leave school early, increasing their risk of becoming unemployed or 
inactive, living in poverty and causing high economic and  social costs. Currently, 14.4% of 
18-24  years  old  in  the  EU  have  less  than  upper  secondary  education  and  are  not  in  further 
education  and  training7.  The  EU  benchmark  is  to  reduce  early  school-leaving  to  10%. 
Europe  also  has  to  do  better  on  literacy  –  24.1%  of  15-year  olds  are  low  performers  in 
reading literacy and this share has increased in recent years8. 

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Eurostat, 2009, 15-30 year olds. 
Eurostat, June 2010, < 25 y. 
CEDEFOP projections. 
eSkills Monitor study, European Commission, 2009. 
Eurostat, 2008, 30-34 year olds. 
MORE study, European Commission, 2010. 
Eurostat, 2009. 
OECD, PISA, 2006. 

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The implementation of national strategies for lifelong learning remains a challenge for many 
Member  States,  including  developing  more  flexible  learning  pathways  to  allow  people  to 
move between different education levels and attract non-traditional learners. 

1.1. 

Focus of the initiative 

Youth on the Move is the EU's flagship initiative to respond to the challenges young people 
face  and  to  help  them  succeed  in  the  knowledge  economy.  It  is  a  framework  agenda 
announcing  key  new  actions,  reinforcing  existing  activities  and  ensuring  the 
implementation  of  others  at  EU  and  national  levels,  while  respecting  the  subsidiarity 
principle. Candidate countries should also be able to benefit from this initiative, through the 
appropriate mechanisms. It will harness the financial support of the relevant EU programmes 
on  education,  youth,  and  learning  mobility,  as  well  as  the  Structural  Funds.  All  existing 
programmes will be reviewed to develop a more integrated approach to support the Youth on 
the  Move  initiative  under  the  next  Financial  Framework.  Youth  on  the  Move  will  be 
implemented in close synergy with the "Agenda for New Skills and Jobs" flagship initiative, 
announced in Europe 2020. 

Youth on the Move will focus on four main lines of action: 

•  Smart and inclusive growth depends on actions throughout the lifelong learning system, to 
develop key competences and quality learning outcomes, in line with labour market needs. 
Europe needs to extend and broaden learning opportunities for young people as a whole, 
including  supporting  the  acquisition  of  skills  through  non-formal  educational  activities. 
Youth  on  the  Move  will  support  these  actions,  inter  alia,  by  proposing  a  Council 
Recommendation  to  encourage  Member  States  to  tackle  the  high  level  of  early  school 
leaving,  through  the  2011  European  Year  of  Volunteering  and  with  a  Council 
Recommendation  on  the  validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning.  The 
Commission is also promoting apprenticeship-type vocational training and high quality 
traineeships as workplace learning experiences, building bridges to the labour market. 

•  Europe needs to raise the percentage of young people participating in higher education or 
equivalent  to  keep  up  with  competitors  in  the  knowledge-based  economy  and  to  foster 
innovation. It also needs to make European higher education more attractive and open to 
the rest of the world and to the challenges of globalisation, notably by promoting student 
and  researcher  mobility.  Youth  on  the  Move  will  seek  to  improve  the  quality, 
attractiveness  and  responsiveness  of  higher  education  and  promote  more  and  better 
mobility  and  employability,  inter  alia  by  proposing  a  new  agenda  for  the  reform  and 
modernisation of higher education, including an initiative on benchmarking university 
performance  and  a  new  EU  international  strategy  to  promote  the  attractiveness  of 
European higher education and to foster academic cooperation and exchanges with world 
partners. 

•  The  EU's  support  for  learning  mobility  through  programmes  and  initiatives  will  be 
reviewed, expanded and linked up with national and regional resources. The international 
dimension will be reinforced. Youth on the Move will support the aspiration that by 2020 
all young people in Europe should have the possibility to spend a part of their educational 
pathway  abroad,  including  via  workplace-based  training.  A  Council  Recommendation 
aimed at removing obstacles to mobility is proposed as part of the Youth on the Move 
package, accompanied by a 'Mobility Scoreboard' to measure Member States' progress in 

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this regard. A dedicated website on Youth on the Move giving access to information on 
EU mobility and learning opportunities9 will be set up and the Commission will propose a 
Youth  on  the  Move  card  to  facilitate  mobility.  The  new  intra-EU  initiative  "Your  first 
EURES Job" will support young people to access employment opportunities and take up a 
job  abroad,  as  well  as  encouraging  employers  to  create  job  openings  for  young  mobile 
workers. The Commission will also consider transforming the preparatory action "Erasmus 
for young entrepreneurs" into a programme to promote entrepreneurs' mobility. 

•  Europe must urgently improve the employment situation of young people. Youth on the 
Move  presents  a  framework  of  policy  priorities  for  action  at  national  and  EU  level  to 
reduce youth unemployment by facilitating the transition from school to work and reducing 
labour  market  segmentation.  Particular  focus  is  put  on  the  role  of  Public  Employment 
Services,  encouraging  a  Youth  Guarantee  to  ensure  all  young  people  are  in  a  job,  in 
education or in activation, creating a European Vacancy Monitor and supporting young 
entrepreneurs.  

2. 

DEVELOPING  MODERN  EDUCATION  AND  TRAINING  SYSTEMS  TO  DELIVER  KEY 
COMPETENCES AND EXCELLENCE 

There  is  a  need  for  better  targeted,  sustained  and  enhanced  levels  of  investment  in 
education  and  training  to  achieve  high  quality  education  and  training,  lifelong  learning  and 
skills  development.  The  Commission  encourages  Member  States  to  consolidate  and,  where 
necessary,  expand  investment,  combined  with  strong  efforts  to  ensure  the  best  returns  to 
public resources. In a climate of pressure on public funds, diversification of funding sources is 
also important. 

In  order  to  reduce  early  school  leaving  to  10%,  as  agreed  under  the  EU  2020  Strategy, 
action should be taken early, focused on prevention and targeting pupils identified as being at 
risk  of  dropping-out.  The  Commission  will  propose  a  Council  Recommendation  to 
reinforce Member State action to reduce school drop-out rates. The Commission will also 
establish  a  High-Level  expert  Group  to  make  recommendations  on  improving  literacy 
and will present a Communication to strengthen early childhood education and care. 

Young people are confronted with an increasing number of educational choices. They need to 
be enabled to take informed decisions. They need to get information about education and 
training paths, including a  clear  picture of job opportunities, to lay the basis for managing 
their career. Quality career guidance services and vocational orientation need to be further 
developed,  with  strong  involvement  of  labour  market  institutions,  supported  by  actions  to 
improve the image of sectors and professions with employment potential. 

High quality learning and teaching should be promoted at all levels of the education system. 
Key  competences  for  the  knowledge  economy  and  society,  such  as  learning  to  learn, 
communication in foreign languages, entrepreneurial skills and the ability to fully exploit the 
potential  of  ICT,  e-learning  and  numeracy10,  have  become  ever  more  important11.  The 

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Linking to existing PLOTEUS portal on learning opportunities. The Commission has also published on 
the  'Your  Europe'  portal,  an  'education  and  youth'  section  containing  information  on  rights  and 
opportunities for students and young people in Europe. 
The  Commission  will  in 2010  establish  a  thematic  working  group of policy-makers  and  experts from 
the  Member  States  to  examine  the  causes  of  low  performance  of  school  students  in  maths  (including 
numeracy) and science. 

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Commission will present a Communication on competences supporting lifelong learning 
in 2011, including proposals to develop a common language between the world of education 
and the world of work12. 

The demand for qualifications is being driven upwards, including in low-skilled occupations. 
Projections foresee that around 50% of all jobs in 2020 will continue to depend on medium-
level  qualifications  provided  through  vocational  education  and  training  (VET).  The 
Commission  has  underlined  in  its  2010  Communication  on  European  cooperation  in  VET13 
that  it  is  vital  for  this  sector  to  modernise.  Priorities  include  ensuring  that  pathways  and 
permeability  between  VET  and  higher  education  are  facilitated,  including  through  the 
development  of  national  qualifications  frameworks,  and  maintaining  close  partnerships  with 
the business sector. 

Early  workplace  experience  is  essential  for  young  people  to  develop  the  skills  and 
competences required at work14. Learning at the workplace in apprenticeship-type training 
is  a  powerful  tool  for  integrating  young  people  gradually  into  the  labour  market.  The 
provision  and  quality  of  apprenticeship-type  training  greatly  varies  among  Member  States. 
Some  countries  have  recently  started  to  set  up  such  training  schemes.  The  involvement  of 
Social  Partners  in  their  design,  organisation,  delivery  and  funding  is  important  for  their 
efficiency and labour market relevance. These actions should be further pursued in  order to 
increase the skills base in vocational pathways, so that by the end of 2012 at least 5 million 
young  people  in  Europe  should  be  able  to  enrol  in  apprenticeship  training  (currently,  the 
figure is estimated to be 4.2 million15).  

Acquiring  initial  work  experience  through  traineeships  has  gained  importance  for  young 
people  in  recent  years,  allowing  them  to  adjust  to  labour  market  demands.  Some  Member 
States  have  also  set  up  work  experience  schemes  in  response  to  reduced  job  openings  for 
young  people.  These  schemes  should  be  accessible  to  all,  of  high  quality  and  with  clear 
learning objectives and should not substitute regular jobs and probation periods. 

Unemployment  among  graduates  from  different  levels  of  education  and  training  is 
increasingly  a  cause  for  concern.  European  systems  have  been  slow  to  respond  to  the 
requirements  of  the  knowledge  society,  failing  to  adapt  curricula  and  programmes  to  the 
changing  needs  of  the  labour  market.  The  Commission  will  propose  an EU  benchmark  on 
employability in 2010 in response to the Council request of May 2009. 

Youth  on  the  Move  should  also  aim  to  expand  career  and  life-enhancing  learning 
opportunities for young people with fewer opportunities and/or at risk of social exclusion. In 
particular,  these  young  people  should  benefit  from  the  expansion  of  opportunities  for  non-
formal  and  informal  learning  and  from  strengthened  provisions  for  the  recognition  and 
validation of such learning within national qualifications frameworks. This can help to open 

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Recommendation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  18  December  2006  (OJ  L  394, 
30.12.2006). 
European Skills, Competencies and Occupations taxonomy (ESCO). 
COM(2010) 296. 
See own initiative European Parliament report by Ms E Turunen "Promoting youth access to the labour 
market, strengthening trainee, internship and apprenticeship status", June 2010. 
Report from the Working Group on Mobility for Apprentices, February 2010 (European Commission). 

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the  doors  to  further  learning  on  their  part.  The  Commission  will  propose  a  Council 
Recommendation to facilitate the validation of this type of learning16. 

Key new actions: 

•  Propose  a  draft  Council  Recommendation  on  reducing  Early  School 

leaving  (2010):  The 
Recommendation will set out a framework of effective policy responses related to the different causes of high 
school drop-out rates. It will focus on pre-emptive, preventive as well as remedial measures.  

•  Launch a High Level Expert Group on Literacy (2010) to identify effective practice in Member States to 

improve reading literacy among pupils and adults and formulate appropriate recommendations. 

•  Raise the attractiveness, provision and quality of VET as an important contribution to the employability 
of young people and the reduction of early school leaving: The Commission, together with Member States 
and  the  social  partners,  will  re-launch  cooperation  in  the  area  of  VET,  at  the  end  of  2010,  and  propose 
measures at national and European level. 

•  Propose a quality framework for traineeships, including addressing the legal and administrative obstacles 
to transnational placements. Support better access and participation in high quality traineeships, including 
by stimulating companies to offer traineeship places and be good host enterprises (e.g. through quality labels 
or awards), as well as through Social Partner arrangements and as part of a Corporate Social Responsibility 
(CSR) policy. 

•  Propose  a  draft  Council  Recommendation  on  the  promotion  and  validation  of  non-formal  and 
informal learning (2011) to step up Member State action to promote recognition of skills acquired through 
these learning activities. 

3. 

PROMOTING  THE  ATTRACTIVENESS  OF  HIGHER  EDUCATION  FOR  THE  KNOWLEDGE 
ECONOMY 

Higher  education  is  a  major  driver  of  economic  competitiveness  in  the  knowledge-driven 
economy,  making  high  quality  third-level  education  essential  in  achieving  economic  and 
social objectives. With an increasing number of jobs requiring high-level skills, more young 
people will need to enter and complete higher education in order for the EU to reach the 
Europe  2020  target  of  40%  attainment  of  higher  education  or  equivalent.  In  addition, 
research  should  attract  and  retain  more  young  people  by  providing  attractive  employment 
conditions.  Realising  these  objectives  will  require  a  multi-faceted  approach,  aiming  at 
modernising higher education, ensuring quality, excellence and transparency and stimulating 
partnerships in a globalised world. 

Some European universities are amongst the best in the world, but are hampered in realising 
their  full  potential.  Higher  education  has  suffered  a  long  period  of  under-investment, 
alongside major expansion in student numbers. The Commission reiterates that for a modern 
and well-performing university system, a total investment of 2% of GDP (public and private 
funding  combined),  is  the  minimum  required  for  knowledge-intensive  economies.17 
Universities should be empowered to diversify their income and take greater responsibility for 
their long-term financial sustainability. Member States need to step up efforts to modernise 

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Volunteering, participation, activities within youth organisations and youth work provide opportunities 
for  learning  outside  formal  structures. They  can  help  reinforce other  activities  of  Youth on  the  Move 
and engage young people otherwise at risk of being bypassed. The European Year of Volunteering 
2011 will provide fresh impetus to develop these activities further. 
COM(2005) 15. 

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higher  education18  in  the  areas  of  curricula,  governance  and  funding,  by  implementing  the 
priorities  agreed  in  the  context  of  the  Bologna  process,  supporting  a  new  agenda  for 
cooperation and reform at EU level and focusing on the new challenges in the context of the 
Europe 2020 Strategy.  

Maintaining  a  high  level  of  quality  is  crucial  for  the  attractiveness  of  higher  education. 
Quality  assurance  in  higher  education  needs  to  be  reinforced  at  European  level,  by 
supporting  cooperation  among  stakeholders  and  institutions.  The  Commission  will  monitor 
progress and set out priorities in this field in a report to be adopted in 2012, in response to a 
Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council19. 

In a more global and mobile world, transparency regarding performance of higher education 
institutions  can  stimulate  both  competition  and  cooperation  and  be  an  incentive  for  further 
improvements  and  modernisation.  However,  existing  international  rankings  can  give  an 
incomplete  picture  of  the  performance  of  universities,  over-emphasising  research,  while 
excluding  other  key  factors  that  make  universities  successful,  such  as  teaching  quality, 
innovation,  regional  involvement  and  internationalisation.  The  Commission  will  present  in 
2011  the  results  of  a  feasibility  study  to  develop  an  alternative  multi-dimensional  global 
university  ranking  system,  which  takes  into  account  the  diversity  of  higher  education 
institutions.  

Europe’s innovation capacity will require knowledge partnerships and stronger links between 
education,  research  and  innovation  (the  'knowledge  triangle').  This  includes  fully  exploiting 
the role of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the Marie Curie 
Actions, while drawing out the lessons learned in both. In this context, the Commission will 
reinforce and extend the activities of the European platform for dialogue between universities 
and business (EU Forum for University Business Dialogue), with a view to increasing the 
employability of students and to developing the role of education in the 'knowledge triangle'. 

Higher  education  is  becoming  increasingly  internationalised.  More  mobility,  international 
openness and transparency are needed to attract the best students, teachers and researchers, to 
create and reinforce partnerships and academic cooperation with universities from other parts 
of  the  world.  This  will  require  a  specific  emphasis  on  reinforcing  international  cooperation, 
programmes and policy dialogue in higher education. A Communication setting out the key 
challenges and actions needed for higher education in Europe in a 2020 perspective will 
be presented in 2011, including an EU internationalisation strategy20. 

Key new actions: 

•  Support  the  reform  and  modernisation  of  higher  education,  by  presenting  a  Communication  (2011), 
which  will  set  out  a  new  reinforced  agenda  for  higher  education:  This  will  focus  on  strengthening  the 
employability  of  graduates,  encouraging  mobility,  including  between  academia  and  industry,  promoting 
transparent  and  high  quality  information  on  study  and  research  possibilities  and  the  performance  of 
institutions. It will also focus on opening up opportunities to non-traditional learners and facilitating access 
for disadvantaged groups, including through adequate financing. The reinforced agenda will also propose an 
EU internationalisation strategy, promoting the attractiveness of European higher education.  

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COM(2006) 208. 
Recommendation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  15  February  2006  on  further 
European cooperation in quality assurance in higher education (2006/143/EC) (OJ L 64, 4.3.2006). 
Council Conclusions on the internationalisation of higher education of 11 May 2010. 

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•  Benchmark higher education performance and educational outcomes: The Commission will present the 
results of a feasibility study in 2011, to develop a multi-dimensional global university ranking system, taking 
into account the diversity of higher education institutions. 

•  Propose  a  multiannual  Strategic  Innovation  Agenda  (2011),  defining  the  role  of  the  EIT  in  Europe's 
multi-polar  innovation  context  and  laying  down  priorities  for  higher  education,  research,  innovation  and 
entrepreneurship over the next seven years. 

4. 

SUPPORTING  A  STRONG  DEVELOPMENT  OF  TRANSNATIONAL  LEARNING  AND 
EMPLOYMENT MOBILITY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 

While mobility among the overall population in the EU is not particularly high, studying and 
working abroad is particularly attractive for young people. The majority of 'mobile' people in 
the EU are between 25 and 34 years old. This age group tends to have better knowledge of 
languages  and  fewer  family  obligations.  Increased  mobility  is  also  due  to  increasingly  open 
borders and more comparable education systems. This trend should be supported by providing 
young people with access to more opportunities for enhancing skills or finding a job. 

4.1.  Promoting learning mobility 

Learning  mobility  is  an  important  way  in  which  young  people  can  strengthen  their  future 
employability and acquire new professional competences, while enhancing their development 
as  active  citizens.  It  helps  them  to  access  new  knowledge  and  develop  new  linguistic  and 
intercultural competences. Europeans who are mobile as young learners are more likely to be 
mobile  as  workers  later  in  life.  Employers  recognise  and  value  these  benefits.  Learning 
mobility  has  also  played  an  important  role  in  making  education  and  training  systems  and 
institutions  more  open,  more  European  and  international,  more  accessible  and  more 
efficient21.  The  EU  has  a  long  and  successful  track  record  of  supporting  learning  mobility 
through  various  programmes  and  initiatives,  of  which  the  best  known  is  the  Erasmus 
programme22. Future schemes, such as the creation of the European Voluntary Humanitarian 
Aid Corps foreseen by the Lisbon Treaty, could also contribute to this process. Some Member 
States also use the Structural Funds, particularly the European Social Fund, for transnational 
learning  and  job  mobility.  Mobility  and  exchanges  of  higher  education  staff  and  students 
between  European  and  extra-European  universities  is  supported  under  the  Erasmus  Mundus 
and Tempus programmes. 

The Commission's aim is to extend opportunities for learning mobility to all young people in 
Europe  by  2020  by  mobilising  resources  and  removing  obstacles  to  pursuing  a  learning 
experience abroad23. 

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See COM(2009) 329 for references to studies and research. 
They  include  the  following:  higher  education  (Erasmus,  Erasmus  Mundus,  Marie  Curie)  for  students, 
doctoral candidates and staff; higher education and research (Marie Curie, mobility within Networks of 
Excellence and Technology Platforms); from higher education to business (placements within Erasmus 
and Marie Curie); vocational education and apprentices (Leonardo); second level education (Comenius) 
adult  learning  and  senior  volunteering  (Grundtvig);  the  cultural  sphere  (Culture  Programme);  youth 
exchanges  and  volunteering  (Youth  in  Action);  volunteering  (European  Voluntary  Service  within  the 
Youth  in  Action  Programme);  the  civil  society  (Europe  for  Citizens  Programme)  and  the  preparatory 
action "Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs".  
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/president/about/political/index_en.htm 

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The Green paper on Learning Mobility (July 2009)24 launched a public consultation on how 
best to tackle obstacles to mobility and open up more opportunities for learning abroad. This 
led  to  over  3,000  responses,  including  from  national  and  regional  Governments  and  other 
stakeholders25. These show a widespread wish to boost learning mobility in all parts of the 
education system (higher education, schools, vocational education and training), but also in 
non-formal  and  informal  learning  settings,  such  as  volunteering.  At  the  same  time,  the 
responses confirm that many obstacles to mobility remain. Therefore, in conjunction with this 
Communication,  the  Commission  is  proposing  a  Council  Recommendation  on  Learning 
Mobility, as a basis for a new concerted campaign among Member States to finally remove 
obstacles  to  mobility.  Monitoring  of  progress  will  be  reflected  in  a  'Mobility  Scoreboard', 
which  will  provide  a  comparative  picture  of  how  Member  States  are  progressing  in 
dismantling these barriers. 

To  improve  understanding  of  the  rights  of  students  studying  abroad,  the  Commission  is 
publishing,  alongside  this  Communication,  guidance  on  relevant  European  Court  of 
Justice rulings. This deals with issues such as access to educational institutions, recognition 
of  diplomas  and  portability  of  grants,  to  help  public  authorities,  stakeholders  and  students 
understand the implications of established case law. 

The "Bologna" Ministers for Higher Education, representing 46 countries, set a benchmark in 
2009  that  at  least  20%  of  those  graduating  in  the  European  Higher  Education  Area  should 
have had a study or training period abroad by 202026. In response to the Council request of 
May  2009,  the  Commission  will  propose  in  2010  EU  benchmarks  on  learning  mobility, 
focusing in particular on students in higher education and VET. 

European instruments and tools to facilitate mobility, such as European Credit Transfer and 
Accumulation System (ECTS), the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning 
(EQF)  and  Europass,  should  be  fully  implemented  in  order  to  provide  their  full  benefit  for 
mobile  learners27.  Virtual  mobility,  through  the  use  of  ICT  and  e-learning,  should  be 
promoted to complement physical mobility. The Commission will develop existing Europass 
elements  into  a  European  skills  passport,  to  increase  transparency  and  transfer  of 
competences  acquired  through  both  formal  and  non-formal  learning  across  the  European 
Union.  In  this  context,  it  will  develop  tools  to  identify  and  recognise  competences  of  ICT 
practitioners and users, including a European Framework for ICT Professionalism in line with 
the EU e-skills strategy28. The Commission will also seek to develop a Youth on the Move 
card to speed up the integration process for mobile learners when moving abroad and provide 
other advantages in line with national youth or student cards. 

EU funding supports student, researcher, youth and volunteer mobility through a number of 
programmes,  although  the  number  of  young  people  who  are  able  to  benefit  from  these 
remains  relatively  small  at  around  380,000  per  annum.  The  Commission  will  improve  the 

24 
25 
26 

27 

28 

COM(2009) 329. 
See Commission Staff Working Paper SEC(2010) 1047 for an analysis of the responses received. 
http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/bologna/conference/documents/Leuven_Louvain-la-
Neuve_Communiqué_April_2009.pdf 
In particular, the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF), the Europass, the 
Diploma  Supplement,  the  European  Credit  Transfer  and  Accumulation  System  (ECTS,  for  higher 
education),  the  European  Credit  System  for  Vocational  Education  and  Training  (ECVET)  and 
Youthpass. 
Announced in the Digital Agenda - COM(2010) 245; "e-Skills for the 21st Century" COM(2007) 496. 

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efficiency  and  functioning  of  these  programmes  and  promote  an  integrated  approach  to 
support Youth on the Move under the next Financial Framework.  

Key new actions: 

•  Set  up  a  dedicated  Youth  on  the  Move  website  for  information  on  EU  learning  and  mobility 
opportunities  (2010):  This  website  should  give  full  transparency  to  all  relevant  EU  programmes, 
opportunities and rights related to learning mobility for young people, and be progressively developed, e.g. 
linking  EU  actions  to  national  and  regional  initiatives,  providing  information  about  funding  possibilities, 
education and training programmes across Europe (taking account of ongoing work on transparency tools and 
the existing PLOTEUS portal), listing quality enterprises providing traineeships and similar. 

•  Propose a draft Council Recommendation on promoting the learning mobility of young people (2010), 
addressing  obstacles  to  learning  mobility  at  national,  European  and  international  level.  This  builds  on  the 
feedback from the 2009 public consultation on the Green Paper “Promoting the learning mobility of young 
people”.  Through  regular  monitoring,  a  "Mobility  Scoreboard"  will  benchmark  and  measure  progress  in 
removing these obstacles in the Member States. 

•  Develop  a  Youth  on  the  Move  card  to  facilitate  mobility  for  all  young  people  (i.e.  students,  pupils, 
apprentices, trainees, researchers and volunteers), helping to make the integration process of mobile learners 
smoother.  

•  Publish guidance on the European Court of Justice rulings on the rights of mobile students (2010): This 

covers issues such as access, recognition and portability of grants. 

•  Propose  a  European  Skills  Passport  (2011),  based  on  existing  elements  of  Europass,  to  record  in  a 
transparent  and  comparable way  the  competences  acquired  by people  throughout  their  lives  in a  variety  of 
learning settings, including e-skills and informal and non-formal learning. This should facilitate mobility by 
easing the recognition of skills across countries. 

4.2. Promoting employment mobility 

As  underlined  most  recently  in  the  Monti  report29,  even  in  the  economic  downturn,  jobs 
remain unfilled  in the  EU.  This  is  partly  due to a lack of labour mobility within the Union. 
However, a majority of Europeans (60%) think that people moving within the EU is a good 
thing for European integration, 50% think it is a good thing for the labour market and 47% 
think it is a good thing for the economy30.  

Working abroad is particularly attractive for young people. Yet there are still many obstacles 
that,  in  practice,  hinder  free  movement:  these  need  to  be  removed  to  make  it  easier  for 
young  workers  to  move  and  work  within  the  Union  and  acquire  new  skills  and 
competences.  Young  people  are  often  willing  to  work  abroad,  but  do  not  take  up  job 
opportunities in other countries because they are not aware of them, and because of the costs 
of moving. Advice and financial support to cover the relocation costs of young job applicants 
in the new country, as well as some of the integration costs usually borne by the employer, 
could  contribute  to  better  matching  labour  supply  with  labour  demand,  while  giving 
young workers valuable experiences and skills. 

Young  labour  market  newcomers  and  businesses  often  do  not  connect  easily,  and  Public 
Employment Services (PES) do not always offer services suited to young people and do not 
engage  companies  enough  in  recruiting  young  people  all  over  Europe.  EURES  and  the 

29 
30 

"A new strategy for the single market", report by M. Monti, 9 May 2010, p. 57. 
"Geographical and labour market mobility", Special Eurobarometer 337, June 2010. 

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employment  opportunities  it  offers  are  not  fully  exploited  by  the  PES,  even  if  12%  of 
Europeans know about it and 2% have actually used it31. 

Facing  future  labour  shortages,  Europe  needs  to  retain  as  many  highly  skilled  workers  as 
possible and also attract the right skills for the expected increase in labour demands. Special 
efforts will be needed to attract highly skilled migrants in the global competition for talent. A 
wide  range  of  aspects  beyond  traditional  employment  policy  contribute  to  the  relative 
attractiveness of a work location. As certain professions see too many Europeans emigrating 
and too few third country immigrants coming in, policies should address this. This includes 
raising awareness of citizens’ rights when moving within the EU, in particular in the field 
of  social  security  coordination  and  free  movement  of  workers,  simplified  procedures  for 
social security coordination taking into account new mobility patterns, reducing obstacles to 
free movement of workers (e.g. access to jobs in the public sector), improving information to 
young people about professions in demand, raising the attractiveness of jobs in professions 
which  see  brain-drain  (e.g.  scientific  and  medical  professions)  and  identifying  within  the 
New Skills and Jobs initiative those occupations with shortages to which young talent within 
and outside the EU should be attracted. 

Key new actions: 

•  Develop a new initiative: "Your first EURES job", as a pilot project (subject to it receiving the required 
financial support by the budgetary authority) to help young people with finding a job in any of the EU-27 
Member States and moving abroad. Looking for a job abroad should be as easy as searching in one's  own 
country: "Your first EURES job" will provide advisory, job search, recruitment and financial support to both 
young  jobseekers  willing  to  work  abroad  and  companies  (in  particular  SMEs)  recruiting  young  European 
mobile  workers  and  providing  a  comprehensive  integration  programme  for  the  newcomer(s).  This  new 
mobility  instrument  should  be  managed  by  EURES,  the  European  job  mobility  network  of  Public 
Employment Services. 

•  Create in 2010 a "European Vacancy Monitor", to show young people and employment advisers where the 
jobs are in Europe and which skills are needed. The European Vacancy Monitor will improve transparency 
and information on available jobs for young jobseekers by developing an intelligence system on labour and 
skills demand all over Europe.  

•  Monitor the application of the EU legislation on freedom of workers, to ensure that incentive measures in 
Member  States  for  young  workers,  including  in  vocational  training,  are  also  accessible  to  mobile  young 
workers,  and  identify,  in  2010,  areas  for  action  to  promote  youth  mobility  with  Member  States  in  the 
Technical Committee on the free movement of workers. 

5. 

A FRAMEWORK FOR YOUTH EMPLOYMENT 

While  all  Member  States  have  youth  employment  policies  in  place,  and  many  have  taken 
additional  action  during  the  crisis  -  often  with  close  involvement  of  the  Social  Partners  -, 
much  still  needs  to  be  done32,33.  Measures  for  reducing  high  youth  unemployment  and 
raising  youth  employment  rates  in  times  of  tight  public  budgets  must  be  efficient  in  the 
short term and sustainable in the longer term to address the challenge of demographic change. 
They  should  cover  in  an  integrated  manner  the  sequence  of  steps  for  young  people  in  the 

31 
32 

33 

Special Eurobarometer 337, June 2010. 
Sources: Youth Employment Study (2008) providing an inventory of main policies in place for all EU-
27 Member States. The Employment Committee report on youth employment (2010) gives an overview 
of recent measures enacted in Member States. 
OECD series of thematic reviews on Youth Employment in selected OECD countries (2008-2010) 

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transition  from  education  into  work  and  ensure  safety  nets  for  those  who  risk  dropping  out 
from education and employment. The existing EU legislation to protect young people at work 
must be implemented fully and adequately34. 

Evidence  shows  that  robust  policy  coordination  at  European  level  within  the  common 
principles  for  flexicurity  can  make  a  real  difference  for  young  people.  Together  with 
stakeholders  including  Public  Employment  Services  (PES),  Social  Partners,  and  NGOs, 
specific  EU  and  national  endeavours  are  needed.  They  should  be  based  on  the  following 
priority  actions  to  reduce  youth  unemployment  and  improve  youth  job  prospects.  The 
priorities for action should be seen as a contribution towards the employment target of 75% 
set out in Europe 2020. 

The lack of decent job opportunities for young people is a widespread challenge throughout 
the  global  economy.  Raising  youth  employment  in  our  partner  countries  and  notably  in  the 
EU's Neighbourhood will not only benefit them, but also have a positive impact for the EU. 
Youth  employment  has  come  even  further  to  the  fore  of  the  global  political  debate  in 
response  to  the  crisis  and  recovery,  underlining  a  convergence  of  policy  priorities  and 
stimulating  policy  exchange.  This  was  highlighted  by  the  ILO  Global  Jobs  Pact, 
recommendations from the G20 Employment and Labour Ministers, the G20 Global Training 
Strategy or the OECD Youth Forum.  

5.1.  Help to get the first job and start a career  

After  finishing  secondary  school,  young  people  should  either  get  a  job  or  enter  further 
education - and if not, they must receive appropriate support through active labour market 
or social measures, even if they are not entitled to benefits. This is important, particularly in 
Member  States  with  few  job  openings,  so  that  young  people  are  not  left  behind  at  an  early 
stage.  A  prerequisite  is  to  ensure  that  young  people  have  wider,  earlier  access  to  these 
measures,  even  if  they  are  not  registered  as  jobseekers.  For  young  people  with  a  migrant 
background or belonging to specific ethnic groups, more tailored measures may be needed to 
improve  the  progress  made  by  this  fast  growing  youth  population,  who  often  experience 
particular difficulties in starting their career. 

Graduates from vocational pathways and from higher education also need support to move as 
quickly as possible into their first full-time job. Labour market institutions, especially Public 
Employment  Services,  have  the  expertise  to  inform  young  people  about  job  opportunities, 
and to give them job search assistance – but they need to adapt their support to the specific 
needs  of  young  people,  particularly  through  partnerships  with  training  and  education 
institutions, social support and career guidance services, trade unions and employers, who can 
also offer this kind of support as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy. 

Employers,  when  offered  a  choice  between  an  experienced  worker  and  a  novice,  will  often 
prefer the former. Wage arrangements and non-wage labour costs can provide an incentive 
to  employ  new  entrants,  but  should  not  contribute  to  precariousness.  Collective  bargaining 
can  also  play  a  positive  role  in  setting  agreed  differentiated  entry  wages.  Such  measures 
should  also  be  complemented  by  secondary  benefits  and  access  to  training  to  help  young 
people remain in a job. 

34 

The  Commission  will  soon  present  an  analysis  (through  a  staff  working  paper)  of  the  application  of 
Council Directive 94/33/EC of 22 June 1994 on the protection of young people at work. 

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Young workers are very often hired via temporary contracts, which may allow firms to test 
skills  and  productivity  of  workers  before  offering  them  an  open-ended  job.  However,  too 
often,  temporary  contracts  are  just  a  cheaper  alternative  to  permanent  ones,  particularly  in 
countries  where  the  gap  in  dismissal  regulations  between  these  contracts  is  high  (i.e. 
severance pay, notice periods, possibility to appeal to courts): then the result is a segmented 
labour  market,  where  many  young  workers  experience  a  sequence  of  temporary  jobs 
alternating  with  unemployment,  with  little  chance  of  moving  to  a  more  stable,  open-ended 
contract and incomplete contributions to pension provisions. Young women are particularly at 
risk  of  falling  into  this  segmentation  trap.  The  successive  use  of  such  contracts  should  be 
limited,  since  its  is  bad  for  growth,  productivity  and  competitiveness35:  it  has  long-lasting 
negative  effects  on  human  capital  accumulation  and  earnings  capacity,  as  young  temporary 
workers  tend  to  receive  lower  wages  and  less  training.  Possible  ways  to  tackle  this  are  to 
introduce  fiscal  incentives  to  firms  using  permanent  contracts  or  for  the  conversion  of 
temporary  contracts  into  permanent  ones.  In  order  to  shed  further  light  on  this  particular 
context, the Commission will present in 2010 a comprehensive analysis of factors affecting 
the labour market outcomes for young people and the risks of labour market segmentation 
affecting young people. 

5.2. 

Support youth at risk 

Indicators  for  youth  labour  market  performance  do  not  fully  capture  the  fact  that  an 
astonishing 15% of European 20-24 year olds are disengaged from both work and education 
(NEET  youth:  neither  in  employment,  education  or  training)  and  risk  being  permanently 
excluded from the labour market and dependent on benefits. It is essential, as a first priority, 
to  tackle  this  problem,  to  provide  suitable  pathways  for  these  young  people  to  get  back 
into  education  and  training  if  needed  or  to  bring  them  in  contact  with  the  labour 
market. Every effort should also be made to ensure as many young people with disabilities 
or health problems  as  possible  are in  work, to minimise  risks of  future inactivity and  social 
exclusion. Public Employment Services are crucial to boost and coordinate such efforts. One 
option  is  to  develop  partnerships  and  agreements  with  employers  who  are  offered  special 
support for recruitment of youth at risk.  

5.3.  Provide adequate social safety nets for young people 

Active  inclusion  of  young  people,  with  particular  focus  on  the  most  vulnerable  groups, 
requires  a  combination  of  adequate  income  support,  inclusive  labour  markets  and  access  to 
quality  services36.  Many  unemployed  young  people,  especially  if  they  have  never  worked, 
have no access to unemployment benefits or other income support. To address this problem, 
access  to  social  benefits,  where  appropriate,  should  be  ensured,  and  where  necessary, 
expanded  to  provide  income  security,  while,  at  the  same  time,  effective  and  efficient 
activation measures and conditionality should ensure that benefits are only awarded if the 
young person is engaged in active job search or in further education or training. This is of key 
importance to avoid benefit traps. Modernisation of social security systems should address the 
precarious situation of young people.  

35 
36 

See Directive 1999/70/EC. 
Commission  Recommendation  on  the  active  inclusion  of  people  excluded  from  the  labour  market  of 
03.10.2008  (OJ  L  307,  18.11.2008),  endorsed  by  the  Council  on  17  December  2008  and  by  the 
European Parliament in its Resolution of 6 May 2009. 

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A  growing  number  of  young  people  are  being  moved  onto  (permanent)  disability  benefits. 
While  some  may  not  be  able  to  work  fully,  even  with  suitably  adapted  workplaces,  others 
could find a way back to the labour market through well designed activation policies.  

5.4. 

Support young entrepreneurs and self-employment 

A life-time job with the same employer is certainly not going to be the norm: most workers 
will  change  companies  several  times,  and  most  current  and  future  jobs  are  in  SMEs  and 
micro-enterprises. In addition, self-employment is an important driver of entrepreneurship and 
can thus significantly contribute to job creation, especially in the services sector.  

Self-employment offers a valuable opportunity for young people to make use of their skills 
and shape their own job. It is also an option to be considered seriously by those helping young 
people  to  plan  their  career  paths.  The  interest  and  potential  of  young  people  to  become 
entrepreneurs  needs  to  be  strongly  encouraged  by  fostering  entrepreneurial  mindsets  and 
attitudes in education and training. This should be supported by the public and private sectors. 
To  this  end,  young  people  need  more  opportunities  to  have  entrepreneurial  experiences,  to 
receive  support  and  guidance  on  business  plans,  access  to  start-up  capital  and  coaching 
within the starting period. Here also, Public Employment Services have an important role, 
in  informing  and  advising  young  jobseekers  about  entrepreneurship  and  self-employment 
opportunities. 

Key new actions:  

The Commission will: 

• 

In  order  to  address  public  spending  constraints,  work  with  Member  States  to  identify  the  most  effective 
support  measures,  including  job  placement,  training  programmes,  recruitment  subsidies  and  wage 
arrangements,  security  measures  and  benefits  combined  with  activation  and  propose  adequate  follow-up 
actions.  

•  Establish  a  systematic  monitoring  of  the  situation  of  young  people  not  in  employment,  education  or 
training (NEETs) on the basis of EU-wide comparable data, as a support to policy development and mutual 
learning in this field.  

•  Establish,  with  the  support  of  the  PROGRESS  programme,  a  new Mutual  Learning  Programme  for 
European  Public  Employment  Services  (2010),  to  help  them  reach  out  to  young  people  and  extend 
specialised  services  for  them.  This  programme  will  identify  core  elements  of  good  practices  in  Public 
Employment Services and support their transferability.  

•  Strengthen bilateral and regional policy dialogue on youth employment with the EU's strategic partners 

and the European Neighbourhood, and within international fora, particularly the ILO, OECD and G20.  

•  Encourage  the  greater  use  of  support  to  potential  young  entrepreneurs  via  the  new  European  Progress 
Micro-finance Facility37. The Facility increases the accessibility and availability of microfinance for those 
wanting to set up or further develop a business, but having difficulties in accessing the conventional credit 
market.  In  many  Member  States  young  micro-entrepreneurs  who  seek  funding  under  the  Micro-finance 
Facility will also benefit from guidance and coaching with the support of the ESF. 

In the framework of Europe 2020 and the European Employment Strategy, Member States should focus on: 

•  Ensuring that all young people are in a job, further education or activation measures within four months of 
leaving school and providing this as a “Youth Guarantee”. To this end, Member States are asked to identify 

37 

www.ec.europa.eu/epmf 

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and  overcome  the  legal  and  administrative  obstacles  that  might  block  access  to  these  measures  for  young 
people who are inactive other than for reasons of education. This will often require extending the support of 
PES, using instruments adapted to the needs of young people. 

•  Offering a good balance between rights to benefits and targeted activation measures based upon mutual 
obligation,  in  order  to  avoid  young  people,  especially  the  most  vulnerable,  falling  outside  any  social 
protection system.  

• 

In  segmented  labour  markets,  introducing  an  open-ended  "single  contract"  with  a  sufficiently  long 
probation period and a gradual increase of protection rights, access to training, life-long learning and career 
guidance  for  all  employees.  Introducing  minimum  incomes  specifically  for  young  people  and  positively 
differentiated non-wage costs to make permanent contracts for youngsters more attractive and tackle labour 
market segmentation, in line with common flexicurity principles.  

6.  EXPLOITING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF EU FUNDING PROGRAMMES  

Several  existing  programmes  already  support  the  Youth  on  the  Move  objectives.  For 
education  and  training,  the  Lifelong  Learning  programme  (including  Erasmus,  Leonardo  da 
Vinci,  Comenius  and  Grundtvig),  Youth  in  Action,  Erasmus  Mundus,  Tempus  and  Marie 
Curie  Actions  address  specific  target  groups.  Their  objectives  should  be  strengthened, 
rationalised and better used to support the Youth on the Move objectives. 

Teachers, trainers, researchers and youth workers can act as mobility multipliers at different 
levels:  persuading  young  people  to  participate  in  a  mobility  experience,  preparing  the 
participants, staying in contact with the host institution, organisation or enterprise. In the next 
generation  of  mobility  programmes,  the  Commission  will  propose  a  greater  focus  on 
increasing  mobility  of  multipliers,  such  as  teachers  and  trainers,  to  act  as  advocates  for 
mobility. 

The Commission will examine the possibility to step up the promotion of entrepreneurship 
mobility  for  young  people,  in  particular  by  increasing  Erasmus  work  placement  mobility, 
promoting  entrepreneurship  education  in  all  levels  of  the  education  system  and  in  the  EIT, 
enhancing business participation in Marie Curie actions and by supporting the "Erasmus for 
young entrepreneurs" initiative.  

These programmes alone, however, will not be able to cater for all demands. Hence, there is a 
need  to  link  up  funding  from  many  sources  and  have  wider  engagement  of  public 
authorities, civil society, business and others in support of the Youth on the Move objectives, 
to achieve the critical mass required. 

The European Social Fund (ESF) provides considerable help to young people. It is the main 
EU  financial  instrument  to  support  youth  employment,  entrepreneurship  and  the  learning 
mobility of young workers, to prevent school drop-out and raise skill levels. A third of the 10 
million ESF beneficiaries supported each year are young people, and about 60% of the entire 
ESF  budget  of  75  billion  euros  for  2007-2013  plus  national  co-financing  benefits  young 
people.  The  ESF  also  significantly  supports  the  reforms  of  Member  States'  education  and 
training systems and participation in life long learning, contributing 20.7 billion euros. 

Yet  the  potential  of  the  ESF  must  be  maximised,  given  the  drastic  deterioration  in  the 
situation of young people since the design of ESF programmes. To this end, the Commission 
will carry out a stock-taking of current ESF measures and then work with Member States to 
identify  the  key  target  measures  and  policy  actions  which  should  urgently  receive  ESF 

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support.  This  will  be  done  through  the  ESF  reporting  and  the  Europe  2020  multilateral 
surveillance. Awareness-raising must also be stepped up, so young people can make the most 
of the opportunities offered by the ESF. 

The  Commission  will  examine,  together  with  the  Member  States  and  the  regions,  how  to 
better  support  youth  employment,  educational  opportunities  and  higher  education 
infrastructure  through  other  structural  and  cohesion  funds,  in  particular  the  European 
Regional Development Fund. In addition, PROGRESS and the new European Micro-finance 
Facility will be exploited further, as should national and regional funding.  

The  Commission  is  also  examining  whether  to  create  at  EU  level,  in  cooperation  with  the 
European  Investment  Bank,  a  student  lending  facility  as  a  complement  to  Member  State 
schemes. The availability of study loans for young people could be increased and contribute 
to more cross-border mobility in education, including the option for students to undertake an 
entire  study  programme  abroad.  Complementarity  with  the  existing  EU  programmes  on 
education and training should be ensured. A study is currently being carried out, with results 
expected in 2011. 

The  Commission  has  announced  that  it  will  propose  measures,  in  its  recently  adopted 
Communication  "A  Digital  Agenda  for  Europe"38,  for  'light  and  fast'  access  to  EU  research 
funds in ICT, making them more attractive to SMEs and young researchers. 

A coordinated review of existing education and training programmes will be undertaken 
with a view to developing an integrated approach under the post-2013 Financial Framework 
underpinning  the  Youth  on  the  Move  strategy.  The  aim  is  to  support  wider  learning  and 
mobility  opportunities  for  all  young  people  in  Europe,  as  well  as  supporting  the 
modernisation  of  education  and  training  systems  and  the  development  of  the  youth 
sector,  in  particular  through  transnational  and  international  cooperation  projects  and 
networks.  This  would  include  the  creation  of  education  partnerships,  capacity  building 
actions, international policy dialogue and the promotion of Europe as an attractive study and 
research destination. 

The  Commission  will  launch  a  public  consultation  in  September  2010,  to  allow  all 
interested parties to express their views on the future education and learning programmes. It 
will present proposals in 2011. 

In  the  next  programming  period,  ESF  support  should  be  linked  even  more  closely  to  the 
policy  priorities  of  the  Integrated  Guidelines  and  the  EU  and  national  employment  and 
education targets of Europe 2020.  

Key new actions:  

•  Given  the  growing  importance  of  the  issue,  the  Commission  and  the  Member  States  will  examine  ESF 
interventions  and  make  a  proposal  to  increase  awareness  of  and  maximise  the  potential  of  the  ESF  to 
support young people. 

•  Member  States  should  ensure  that  ESF  swiftly  supports  young  people  and  the  achievement  of  Europe 
2020 targets. The Commission will identify good practices for the efficient use of money to enhance youth 
employment opportunities and inspire their application more widely in the Member States' programmes. 

38 

COM(2010) 245. 

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•  Undertake a review of all relevant EU programmes fostering learning mobility and education, including 
via an open consultation of stakeholders, to be launched in September 2010, and make proposals in 2011 for 
the new Financial Framework. 

•  Examine the feasibility for the creation of an EU-level student loan facility, in cooperation with the EIB 
Group and other financial institutions, to reinforce transnational student mobility and improve young people's 
access to higher education, complementing Member State schemes. Results of a feasibility study are expected 
in 2011. 

7. 

MONITORING AND REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS  

The Commission and the Member States should cooperate on the follow-up to the Youth on 
the Move initiative in the context of the follow-up to the Europe 2020 Strategy, the existing 
arrangements  for  the  Strategic  Framework  for  European  cooperation  in  Education  and 
Training ('ET 2020'), the European Employment Strategy  and the EU Youth  strategy39.  The 
new  Integrated  Guidelines,  especially  the  employment  guidelines,  are  the  framework  for 
coordinated  policy  actions,  most  of  which  are  the  responsibility  of  Member  States.  The 
Commission will support Member States in the design and implementation of actions through 
funding and the open methods of coordination, notably through reinforced mutual learning 
and  peer  reviews  with  national  governments,  regional  and  local  policy  makers  and  other 
stakeholders and practitioners, as well as through regular monitoring of, and co-operation on, 
ESF programmes. 

The  actions  announced  in  this  Communication  will  be  reviewed  and  updated  over  time, 
within the 2020 horizon. 

8. 

INFORMATION CAMPAIGN  

The Commission will launch an information campaign in 2010 to support the Youth on the 
Move  initiative  for  the  next  decade.  The  campaign  will  include  a  specific  Youth 
Employment awareness-raising and mobilisation action in 2011, directed at young citizens 
and  labour  market  stakeholders  in  the  Member  States,  to  focus  national  and  EU  efforts  on 
reversing  youth  unemployment  trends  and  to  encourage  young  people  to  take  up 
opportunities.  The  campaign  will  actively  involve  national  and  regional  authorities,  the 
business sector, in particular SMEs, and other key stakeholders. 

9. 

CONCLUSION 

The Europe 2020 flagship initiative Youth on the Move puts young people at the centre of the 
EU's agenda to create an economy based on knowledge, research and innovation, high levels 
of education and skills in line with labour market needs, adaptability and creativity, inclusive 
labour  markets  and  active  participation  in  society.  All  these  represent  key  components  of 
Europe's future prosperity. Urgent action is needed from Member States and where relevant 
from  candidate  countries,  at  both  national  and  regional  levels,  as  well  as  the  EU  level,  to 
address the challenges faced by young people outlined in this Communication and ensure that 
education  and  training  systems,  as  well  as  labour  market  structures,  are  equipped  for 
economic  recovery  and  beyond.  Given  the  global  nature  of  these  challenges  for  the  EU, 
dialogue,  exchanges  and  cooperation  with  the  EU's  external  partners  should  be  promoted. 

39 

COM(2009) 200. 

EN 

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This  initiative  counts  on  the  support  of  other  European  institutions  and  on  the  active 
participation of all stakeholders to make it a success. 

EN 

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