Young Europeans and The New European Union Budget in A Discussion Forum

How much from the European Union budget for 2014 – 2020 is oriented to the young people? Will the foreseen six milliards Euros for programmes for back up of employment, training and education of graduates from school or university be enough? Will these funds be enough to cope with the issue of the 5, 5 million European citizens who are up to 25 years old? What will be the fortune of the Erasmus Programme for student exchange for which there was no money during the last year? How the European community will solve the issue of the recording unemployment that condemns a whole generation of the most educated citizens who Europe has ever had?

These were the issues discussed in the Conference titled The European Budget 2014 – 2020 in Support of the Youth Policies. The Forum was organized by the Bulgarian Socialists Delegation in the European Parliament in a partnership with the National Youth Forum in Bulgaria and UNWE. At the Large Conference Hall of the university gathered together experts from youth organizations and associations, representatives of the civil society, lecturers and students.

The European Union decision for its budget is a difficult compromise of bad priorities, outlined Ivailo Kalfin, co-reporter of the European Union on the European Union long term budget for 2014 – 2020. He pointed out that for the first time in its history the European Union had planned less expenses for the future 7 years in comparison with the existing ones which would lead to serious difficulties in the whole work of the European Union and implementation of the undertaken engagements. Among the most affected areas from cutting the initial suggestion by 8% are the scientific researches and competitiveness as well as the youth mobility, pointed out Kalfin. The European deputy made a comparison about the correlations in the present budget – if for a cow there were set aside 12 Euros, for the young European there was set aside only 1 Euro.

From the left to the right: Kaloyan Dimitrov, Ivailo Kalfin, Veselin Iliev (Conference moderator), Pascal Lyozhon, Petar Matiyashich, Lora Lyubemova

The youth policies “relying” on the budget were commented by Pascal Lyozhon, Head of the Youth Division at the Directorate – General for Education and Culture to the European Commission. He featured the European picture of the youth unemployment (twice higher than the unemployment in a world scale). He also emphasized on the increase of activity, education and mobility of the young people and outlined the youth European programmes.

Write to the politicians, they should invest in young people! It is the investment which would lead to sustainable development of the European Union, turned to participants in the Conference Petar Matiyashich, President of the European Youth Forum. He also pointed out that the six milliards Euros foreseen for the young people in the budget were not the back up for development.

At the Large Conference Hall

By a video greeting to the participants in the Conference turned the European deputy from Slovakia Katerina Nevedalova. As a useful discussion on an extremely important issue was defined the Conference by Kaloyan Dimitrov, Chairman of the Students Council. Now is the moment to be heard also our voice because young people are the active party and all that is part of the dialogue with the institutions, pointed out Lora Lyubenova, Deputy Chairwoman of the National Youth Forum in Bulgaria.

Ivailo Kalfin	Pascal Lyozhon	Petar Matiyashich

The Conference for the budget dimension of the European Union youth policies was the fourth consecutive Conference from the series of Forums organized by the European deputy Ivailo Kalfin. The debate at the UNWE was part of the initiative for popularizing in Bulgaria the novelties in the European financing during the next budget period.