WE ARE EUROPE! Conclusions and Recommendations

For young people in the southern countries of the eurozone, unemployment is an oppressive problem. Whereas (according to the most recent date of Eurostat) general unemployment in the EU amounts to 10.6% and youth unemployment to 22.9%; youth unemployment in Greece is a staggering 58,3%, with Spain (53,0%), Italy (42,3%) and Portugal 35,0% following not far behind. A whole generation is at risk of being left behind without any real perspective to lead a decent life, let alone build up a career. With the educational and health care system being severely hit by austerity measures, even the outlook for the next generation is worrying. Without a serious turn-around of the current crisis management and a new ‘solidarity pact’ between the north and the south, the young generation of the southern member states will be sacrificed and the European project will fail. The measures, which have been taken so far, are simply not enough to give youth a real perspective. What can young Europeans do to reclaim the European project and to reclaim their future?