MEP Lynn Boylan calls on EU to do more around youth unemployment

TALLAGHT politician and Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan has called on the EU to do more around youth unemployment after a report released stated that the efforts of the Union had fallen short – with Ireland one of the countries analysed in the report.

The EU’s Youth Guarantee was according to Ms Boylan a “flagship EU Council policy” designed to ensure that all young people up to the age of 25 receive “a good quality offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship” within four months of leaving formal education or becoming unemployed.

However, according to Ms Boylan, a report released yesterday from the European Court of Auditors stated that for a variety of reasons the Youth Guarantee has “had a limited effect and failed to reach initial expectations”.

Ms Boylan, who is a Sinn Fein MEP, said: “Ireland was one of the countries analysed in the report, and, unfortunately, our performance is in line with many of the failures across the EU as a whole.

“Indeed, the report shows how in spite of positive exits to employment, education, or training in all of the other countries covered in the report in 2015, Ireland had a negative level of exits.”

She added: “Further criticisms are levelled at the manner in how the youth guarantee was implemented in Ireland.

“In fact, it included a criticism that I have been raising for years; that the decision to focus on a narrow subpopulation would lead to a situation where a significant part of the NEET [neither in employment, education or training] population was not targeted from the start.

“Young people with disabilities and single parents were among those excluded in Ireland. This method of exclusion is exactly what the Auditors raised as a major issue in the report.”

She added: “In order to make sure that we get young people back in employment, education, or training, there needs to be a symbiotic relationship between the EU and the Irish Government to ensure that there are guaranteed strategies with clear goals to reach all young people who need help.

“And ensure that EU funding is not used to replace national social welfare payments but is used to add extra value for these young people.”