Presentation by Bojan Kocevski (Un)employment in EU EU strategies, policies and platforms for youth employment and youth entrepreneurship Presentation by Bojan Kocevski Youth Employability Stimulators of Tomorrow 25/01 – 02/02/2017, Szklarska Poręba, Poland #YESTbyYSC | #ErasmusPlus

Economic and debt crises hit Europe hard! Biggest crises after the Great Depression of the 1930s. Unemployment rates rose, especially youth unemployment which had a lot of socio-economic and political consequences Rise of inflation and prices Less employed -> less tax payers -> less taxes in countries budget -> lower GDP’s and money for social benefits of unemployed Lowered levels of investments because of risk and bigger interest rates More and more people at risk of social inclusion or poverty which leads to marginalization and social exclusion of unemployed The list goes on and on…

The scary numbers Eurostat estimates that 20.429 million people (8.3% of work force) in the EU-28 were unemployed in November 2016. Lowest: Czech Republic (3.7 %), Germany (4.1 %) and Hungary (4.6 %) Highest: Greece (23.1 %) and Spain (19.2 %) Youth (people under age of 25) unemployment rates are generally much higher, even double or more than double, than unemployment rates for all ages. Youth unemployment rate in EU-28 is 18.8%. Lowest: Germany (6.7 %) and Netherlands (10.6%) Highest: Greece (46.1 %), Spain (44.4 %) and Italy (39.4%) 23,7% of population is at risk of social exclusion and poverty! (Eurostat 2015,latest statistic). In Bulgaria, this number is highest in EU with 41%; in Macedonia is 41,6%! Lowest risk is in Czechia -14%

Call for united and cooperative approach To address the crises and its political, social and economic consequences everywhere, European Union was calling for united approach, cooperation and coordination between all countries in order to prevent future crises and ensure smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. As a consequence of this call, numerous strategies, policies, measures, funds and programmes emerged that got very high priority on the EU political and economic agenda.

Europe 2020 “To achieve a sustainable future, we must already look beyond the short term. Europe needs to get back on track. Then it must stay on track. That is the purpose of Europe 2020. It's about more jobs and better lives. It shows how Europe has the capability to deliver smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, to find the path to create new jobs and to offer a sense of direction to our societies.” - José Manuel BARROSO, Europe 2020 preface The Europe 2020 strategy is about delivering growth that is: smart, through more effective investments in education, research and innovation; sustainable, thanks to a decisive move towards a low-carbon economy; and inclusive, with a strong emphasis on job creation and poverty reduction. Five headline targets have been agreed for the EU to achieve by the end of 2020. These cover 1) employment; 2) research and development; 3) climate/energy; 4) education; 5) social inclusion and poverty reduction. To ensure that the Europe 2020 strategy delivers, a strong and effective system of economic governance has been set up to coordinate policy actions between the EU and national levels.

The 5 targets for the EU in 2020 1. Employment 75% of the 20-64 year-olds to be employed 2. Research & Development  3% of the EU's GDP to be invested in R&D 3. Climate change and energy sustainability greenhouse gas emissions 20% (or even 30%, if the conditions are right) lower than 1990 20% of energy from renewables 20% increase in energy efficiency 4. Education Reducing the rates of early school leaving below 10% at least 40% of 30-34–year-olds completing third level education 5. Fighting poverty and social exclusion at least 20 million fewer people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion

7 Flagship initiatives of Europe 2020 Inclusive growth An agenda for new skills and jobs European platform against poverty Smart growth Digital agenda for Europe Innovation Union Youth on the move Sustainable growth Resource efficient Europe An industrial policy for the globalisation era

Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) ET 2020 is a forum for exchanges of best practices, mutual learning, gathering and dissemination of information and evidence of what works, as well as advice and support for policy reforms. 4 EU objectives to address challenges in education and training systems and institutions by 2020: Making lifelong learning and mobility a reality; Improving the quality and efficiency of education and training; Promoting equity, social cohesion, and active citizenship; Enhancing creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, at all levels of education and training.

Renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field (2010-2018) It has two main objectives: To provide more and equal opportunities for young people in education and the job market To encourage young people to actively participate in society. The EU Youth Strategy proposes initiatives in eight areas: 1) Education & training, 2)Employment & entrepreneurship, 3) Health & well-being, 4) Participation, 5) Voluntary activities, 6) Social inclusion, 7) Youth & the world, 8) Creativity & culture.

The Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan It is a blueprint for action to unleash Europe's entrepreneurial potential, remove existing obstacles and revolutionize the culture of entrepreneurship in the EU. It aims to ease the creation of new businesses and to create a much more supportive environment for existing entrepreneurs to thrive and grow. The Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan identifies three areas for immediate intervention: entrepreneurial education and training to support growth and business creation; removing existing administrative barriers and supporting entrepreneurs in crucial phases of the business lifecycle; reigniting the culture of entrepreneurship in Europe and nurturing the new generation of entrepreneurs.

Erasmus+ Erasmus+ is the EU Programme in the fields of education, training, youth and sport for the period 2014-2020. Education, training, youth and sport can make a major contribution to help tackle socio-economic changes, the key challenges that Europe will be facing until the end of the decade and to support the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy for growth, jobs, social equity and inclusion. Europe 2020, ET2020 and EU Youth Strategy are integral part of Erasmus+ as its general objectives are to contribute towards the achievement of goals and objectives of those strategies.

Simply the EU's role for youth employment and youth entrepreneurship is to: Address the concerns of young people in employment strategies; Invest in the skills employers look for; Develop career guidance and counselling services; Promote opportunities to work and train abroad; Support quality internships/apprenticeships; Improve childcare and shared family responsibilities; Encourage entrepreneurship.

According to you, how European Union is combating unemployment and supporting youth entrepreneurship? Any specific programmes you can think of? Have you personally participated in any EU programme that addresses unemployment or supports youth entrepreneurship?

What are the barriers and challenges young entrepreneurs face in Europe? Do you have your own business or tried/plan to start your own enterprise in the future? If not, what stops you? What are the barriers or challenges you have?

EU support and funding platforms for youth employment and youth entrepreneurship 1) EURES – European Job Mobility Portal ec.europa.eu/eures 2) Your Europe Business portal europa.eu/youreurope/business/index_en.htm 3) EU programme for Employment and Social innovation ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1081 4) Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu 5) Access to Finance europa.eu/youreurope/business/funding-grants/access-to-finance/index_en.htm

What you should do? Prepare presentations for the platform you got Explore and research the portals and webpages as much as possible (open different tabs/sections) Don’t copy information from the front page that everyone can see and read by themselves! Discover what the programmes are for? How they can be used? For who the programmes are? Who can use them? If applicable, try to make account and learn how the registration process go.

Thank you for your attention! You may now clap  Bojan Kocevski bojan.koce@gmail.com macedonia@cetplatform.org /bkocevski @bkocevski