Organization for Youth Education & Development (OYED)

European Union Recommendations on Youth Policy

European Union Recommendations on Youth Policy

This paragraph will focus on the recommendations made by the European Union which are related to issues of youth policy.

According to Article 288 of the Treaty on European Union (formerly Article 249 TEC), a recommendation is one of two kinds of non-binding acts in European law. Recommendations are withoutlegal force but are negotiated and voted on according to the appropriate procedure. Though they are without legal force, they do have political weight. A Recommendation is an instrument of indirect action aimed at preparing legislation in Member States, differing from the Directive through the absence of obligatory power.
The following will provide a list of European Union decisions related to the field of youth policy.

1967
• 67/125/CEE: Recommendation of the Commission, 31 January 1967, for Member States regarding young workers protection.
The main goal of this recommendation was to protect young workers and to boost new social rights and social progress.
OJ 25, 13.2.1967, p. 405-408

1977
• 77/467/EEC: Commission Recommendation of 6 July 1977 to the Member States on vocational preparation for young people who are unemployed or threatened by unemployment
The main goal of this recommendation was to fight against youth unemployment which was constantly increasing since the beginning of the 1970s. 1
OJ L 180, 20.7.1977, p. 18-23

1981
European Social Fund: List of priority regions based on youth unemployment
• The European Social Fund created a list of regions within the European Union that should enjoy specific focus and attention in relation to tackling youth unemployment. 2
OJ C 42/3  27.2.81 p. 1-2

2001
• Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 July 2001 on mobility within the Community for students, persons undergoing training, young volunteers, teachers and trainers
This recommendation was made in order to put focus on the possibilities of mobility amongst young people engaging in studying, volunteering, participating in educational programs or working as teachers or trainers. 3
OJ L 215 9.8.2001

2008
• Council Recommendation of 20 November 2008 on the mobility of young volunteers across the European Union
This recommendation also focuses on the mobility of youth, but more specifically young volunteers.
OJ C of 13.12.2008

2010
• Proposal for a Council Recommendation: Youth on the move - promoting the learning mobility of young people
Youth on the Move4 is a comprehensive package of policy initiatives on education and employment for young people in Europe. Launched in 2010, it is part of the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.
Youth on the Move aims to improve young people's education and employability, to reduce high youth unemployment and to increase the youth employment rate - in line with the wider EU target of achieving a 75% employment rate for the working-age population (20-64 years) - by:

  1. making education and training more relevant to young people's needs;
  2. encouraging more of them to take advantage of EU grants to study or train in another country;
  3. encouraging EU countries to take measures simplifying the transition from education to work.5
OJ C 1999 /1, 7.7.2011,

2011
• Council Recommendation of 28 June 2011 on policies to reduce early school leaving
This Recommendation sees efforts to reduce rates of early school leaving as essential for achieving a number of key objectives in the Europe 2020 strategy. The reduction of early school leaving addresses both the aims for 'smart growth' by improving education and training levels and aims for 'inclusive growth' by addressing one of the major risk factors for unemployment, poverty and social exclusion. The Europe 2020 strategy therefore includes the headline target, which is to reduce early school leaving to less than 10 % by 2020. 6
OJ C 191, 1.7.2011, p. 1-6

• Council Recommendation of 28 June 2011 — 'Youth on the move' — promoting the learning mobility of young people
This Recommendation forms part of the 'Youth on the Move' initiative, and is consistent with the Europe 2020 Integrated Guidelines. 7
OJ C 199, 7.7.2011, p. 1-5

2012
• Council Recommendation of 20 December 2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning
This is a recommendation for the validation of non-formal and informal learning.8
OJ C 398, 22.12.2012, p. 1-5

2013
• Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee
This is a recommendation for the member states to ensure that all young people under the age of 25 years receive a good-quality offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education. 9
OJ C 120, 26.4.2013, p. 1-6

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