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Section 3: EU Policy Developments

form part of a growth initiative built on two mutually • An EU Skills Panorama will be produced from
reinforcing pillars: 2012, to improve transparency for job-seekers,
workers, companies and/or public institutions
• An EU-level pillar drawing on the strength and (see Section 3.5).
synergies of working together at EU level. • The development of the European Skills Pass-
• A Member-State-level pillar based on releasing port is expected in 2012.
the growth potential of structural reforms iden-
tified as part of the European Semester. Youth on the Move. Some key actions have already
been launched to fight youth unemployment, such
In the employment package, the Commission has as:
proposed a set of concrete measures for a job-rich
recovery across the EU. Co-operation between the • Youth@work, an awareness-raising campaign
Commission, the member-states, the social partners to build contacts between young people and
as well as public and private stakeholders will be small businesses (SMEs).
needed to implement the specific actions proposed • The European Vacancy Monitor, which gathers
to tap into the potential of human capital and to up-to-date information on job vacancies.
implement the use of structural funds, in particular
the European Social Fund, as proposed by the Com- The European framework for youth employment is
mission for the next programming period. built upon four pillars:
Lifelong guidance policy development should be
considered as a cornerstone of the actions. • Help to get a first job and start a career.
• Support for youth at risk.
3.6.2 Europe 2020 headline targets • Providing adequate social safety nets for young
people.
On the employment target, the EU-27 employment • Supporting young entrepreneurs and self-
rate for 2011 is likely to be only slightly above the employment.
Policy
2010 level of 68.6% and to remain below its pre-crisis
high of 70.3%. Within this framework, the Commission has pro-
On the poverty reduction target, the EU target of posed specific areas for action in member-states,
getting at least 20 million people out of poverty and including Youth Guarantees to ensure that all young
social exclusion by 2020 will not be reached, based people are in jobs, further education or activation
on current national targets. measures within four months of leaving full-time
education. In addition, the Commission will present,
Complementary flagship initiative actions before the end of 2012, further actions to support
transition into the labour market, to provide more
Agenda for New Skills and Jobs. Currently, there traineeships and to encourage mobility.
are 23 million unemployed people in the EU, cor-
responding to 10% of the working-age population. Renewing the flexicurity agenda
Skills mismatches and shortages are still hindering
economic recovery. General measures to address the balance between
Thirteen key measures are being launched. In par- security and flexibility have been taken in a number
ticular: of member-states. But the crisis is changing the
approach of flexicurity and many issues are emerging.

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