European Union programme for social change and innovation
ECOS-V/024
European Union programme for social change and innovation
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- reiterates the need to focus the action under the programme mainly on young people, who have been hit especially hard by the crisis: with more than 20 % of young people out of work, they should be made a priority. Similarly, great attention should be paid to the long-term unemployment, a group which currently represents an average of 3.8 % of the working age population in the EU Members States;
- reaffirms its belief that the project, in the part relating to social innovation, needs to dedicate a significantly higher portion of the funds than that specified by the Commission to actual experimentation, especially for projects linked to political priorities an in particular, the social inclusion of young people;
- restates the importance of support for geographical mobility of workers at European level and considers that EURES will be an increasingly useful instrument only if it successfully connects demand with supply of labour and if its results can be effectively assessed. The Committee underscores the contribution that regional and local authorities can make in this sector;
- nonetheless has doubts about the decision to remove the references to gender equality and tackling discrimination from the social innovation programme.
- reiterates the need to focus the action under the programme mainly on young people, who have been hit especially hard by the crisis: with more than 20 % of young people out of work, they should be made a priority. Similarly, great attention should be paid to the long-term unemployment, a group which currently represents an average of 3.8 % of the working age population in the EU Members States;
- reaffirms its belief that the project, in the part relating to social innovation, needs to dedicate a significantly higher portion of the funds than that specified by the Commission to actual experimentation, especially for projects linked to political priorities an in particular, the social inclusion of young people;
- restates the importance of support for geographical mobility of workers at European level and considers that EURES will be an increasingly useful instrument only if it successfully connects demand with supply of labour and if its results can be effectively assessed. The Committee underscores the contribution that regional and local authorities can make in this sector;
- nonetheless has doubts about the decision to remove the references to gender equality and tackling discrimination from the social innovation programme.
