Plenary Session: Wake-up call for the Council before the next summit

12 June 2013

Jobs for young people, social investment responses to economic crisis and the architecture of EMU were the key issues debated by MEPs, the Council Presidency and the Commission President in the run-up to the European summit on 27 and 28 June.

Decisions are being taken, but not put into effect, MEPs stressed. Parliament summarised the key issues in three resolutions voted after the debate.

Jobs for young people

The European Parliament will closely monitor progress in putting into effect "youth guarantee" schemes to offer young people employment, education or apprenticeships within four months of their becoming unemployed. MEPs also welcome the €6 billion allocated to the Youth Employment Initiative. They nonetheless point out that the cost of implementing youth guarantee schemes across the eurozone is estimated at €21 billion by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and therefore urge that the EU's long-term budget allocation for these schemes be revised upwards. The resolution on youth guarantee schemes was approved by 539 votes to 103, with 16 abstentions

Social investments

Targeted social investments should be an important part of the Member States' economic and employment policies coordinated through the European Semester process, underlines the resolution. MEPs call on the Commission to consider developing a scoreboard of common social investment indicators to monitor progress in the Member States. The resolution on social investments was approved by a show of hands.

Making EMU more democratic

Parliament calls for more ambitious measures to respond to the crisis. Its resolution deplores the postponement of all decisions on the future architecture of economic and monetary union (EMU) and the lack of the democratic accountability in both the EMU and in EU participation in the "troika" system (International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Commission).

The resolution stresses that stability and growth can be restored only a deep, democratic and inclusive EMU. MEPs also insist on the need to act to establish a banking union, recapitalise banks directly via the European Stability Mechanism and include a strong "social pillar" in the European Semester economic policy coordination process.

Press release

See also Council needs to use next summit to act, warn MEPs

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