As the 2024 European parliamentary elections approach, the spotlight intensifies on the platforms of the EU political groups. This article zooms in on their plans for youth, education, and culture. We take a closer look at key concerns like youth unemployment, voting age, and the growth of the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programs. Dive into our examination of their party manifestos to see how they could transform the lives of Europe’s young people and reshape the educational and cultural fabric of the continent.
As the European Union gears up for the 2024 elections, there’s a pressing issue at hand: a significant portion of young adults are disengaged from the democratic process. Despite the profound impact of EU policies on their lives, many feel disconnected and disinterested in participating in the elections. A key reason for this disconnect may lie in the perceived lack of focus on issues vital to youth at the European level. While these areas are typically managed by individual member states, the EU plays a critical role in shaping overarching frameworks and fostering collaboration.
Yet, discussions surrounding EU affairs often overlook the concerns of young people. In this article, we delve into the significance of addressing this disconnect and examine the efforts of political parties to reignite youth engagement by prioritizing education, culture, and the future prospects of Europe’s young citizens.
Youth unemployment: Strategies to energize the youth job market
Youth unemployment is one of the most pressing issues in the European Union. Especially in the southern Member States, many young people struggle to find adequate work despite being highly skilled and qualified. The strategies of the European party groups to tackle this issue largely depend on their general economic views.
ALDE: “Provide apprenticeships for the mid-career and extend the Erasmus+ programmes to students at all educational levels to ensure that everyone is skilled to contribute to our labour force, regardless of age.”
ECR: not mentioned in the party manifesto
EPP: “A sustainable economy also means that young people have a chance to effectively start their lives and build their careers. We will continue to combat youth unemployment, expand Erasmus+, especially to young people living in rural areas, and strengthen Discover EU in order to offer every young European a chance to travel across Europe and to discover our European and national cultures.”
Greens: “Work should take place on decent terms and in safe conditions. We will dismantle the current system that exploits interns and trainees. We will end the practice of unpaid internships so that young people are guaranteed proper pay and safe working conditions.”
ID: no party manifesto
The Left: “Approval of a Guaranteed Employment Plan in the European Union, which would focus on programmes for reforestation and environmental protection, housing renovation and energy efficiency, promotion of care, training/employment for the unemployed and social economy initiatives that create jobs. It would be financed by the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and conditionality would be linked only to the creation of quality public jobs. An EU regulation guaranteeing the legal right to permanent contracts and full-time work and banning unpaid internships.”
European Socialists: “We will keep building on the European Youth Guarantee and strive for full youth employment. We will ensure that all internships are paid and exploitative practices prevented, with the adoption of a Directive on Quality Traineeships in the EU, without harming well-functioning national practices.”
Volt: “Foster EU research excellence by tripling the funding of Horizon to €300bn and simplifying access to funding for start-ups and smaller companies.”
Voting age 16: Towards a European standard?
The current voting laws in the EU are a mess. As each member state is responsible for setting its own voting laws, there is no universal voting age for European elections. For instance, in Germany, young people can vote at 16, while in most other member states the voting age only is 18. Some political groups have therefore included in their party manifestos the proposal to introduce a universal voting age of 16 for European elections to ensure equal rights for allEU citizens.
ALDE (X): “We are fighting to lower the voting age to 16 across Europe.”
ECR: not mentioned in the party manifesto
EPP: not mentioned in the party manifesto
Greens: “We fight for votes from 16 for all elections in Europe and the right to stand as a candidate from 18, starting with the European elections. As European Greens, we work towards having young candidates in electable spots on party lists. EU legislation must work for young people.”
ID: no party manifesto
The Left: “We believe that the right of universal suffrage can enable immigrants to actively participate in the commons, and the right to vote from 16 years of age would be a good first step towards strengthening democracy and participation.”
European Socialists: “We support the implementation by Member States of the Young European Socialists’ demand to lower the voting age to 16 in the European elections.”
Volt: “Lower the voting age to 16 and allow citizens to propose laws via petitions.”
Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps: Who wants to give more money to youth?
The Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps are two of the most successful programs created by the European Commission. Each year, more than one million young people participate in youth exchanges funded by the Erasmus+ program. Over the last three decades, more than 13 million students have been able to go abroad with the help of the Erasmus+ program. At the same time, the European Solidarity Corps enables young people to volunteer in other EU Member States as well as partner countries.
ALDE: “Provide apprenticeships for the mid-career and extend the Erasmus+ programmes to students at all educational levels to ensure that everyone is skilled to contribute to our labour force, regardless of age.”
ECR: not mentioned in the party manifesto
EPP: “We will continue to combat youth unemployment, expand Erasmus+, especially to young people living in rural areas, and strengthen Discover EU in order to offer every young European a chance to travel across Europe and to discover our European and national cultures.”
Greens (website): “We want the Erasmus programme to become equally accessible for all, regardless of your country or personal economic background.”
ID: no party manifesto
The Left: “The allocation of European study and research grants should be based on social criteria promoting European exchanges in training courses from secondary to university level.”
European Socialists: “We want a widened Erasmus+ accessible to all and effective recognition of diplomas.”
Volt: “Increase the budget for European exchanges to make ERASMUS+ more accessible and inclusive for school students, teachers and apprentices.”
