“Reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training is the main priority of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the area of youth affairs. Currently, the number of such young people in Europe amounts to 14 million and the figure in Lithuania is growing too. We cannot let these young people become the new lost generation, ” says Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, Chair of the Committee on European Affairs and member of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party Political Group.

“The Social Democrat-led Government should approve the Employment Programme for 2014–2020 in September this year and adopt an action plan for the Programme by November. The Programme addresses youth unemployment and is aimed at increasing youth employment. Youth unemployment is  an urgent problem and if we fail to address  it today, we will face serious consequences in the near future, such as increased poverty, high crime rates, addictions  and young families unable to take care of themselves and their children,” Mr Kirkilas believes.

Lithuania is also actively preparing to run the EU Youth Guarantee Initiative, which ensures that every young person is offered a job within four months after completion of secondary education or vocational training, and Youth Employment Initiative, with 6 billion euros allocated from the EU budget 2014–2020 for implementation in all 28 Member States.      

Morta Vidūnaitė, Adviser to Gediminas Kirkilas, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, tel.: +370 5 239 6278, mob. +370 612 01121, e-mail: [email protected]