The level of youth unemployment has reached 23% in the European Union, while in some member states the number of people between the age of 16 and 25 is above 50%. The resolution adopted on Thursday, 17^th of July by the European Parliament finds that youth unemployment of this magnitude has never been seen in the EU and that there is a need to address this issue on an EU and member state level.

The resolution also states that unemployment is the major cause of inequalities and warns that we can secure sustainable economic growth in the EU only if we reduce this inequality. This can only be achieved by reducing unemployment - especially youth unemployment - and fighting poverty.

The document urges the Member States to implement strong measures to boost youth employment. The European Parliament is calling on Member States to also use funds such as the European Social Fund or the ERASMUS+ to finance a broader range of youth projects, especially those aimed to boost young entrepreneurship and to fight poverty and social exclusion among the youth.

“The problems of today's youth will show an impact on the demographic trends of the coming years. The EU can encourage, support and assist in the process, but the situation of youth unemployment cannot be changed without the national authorities” – pointed out MEP Csaba Sógor after voting.

The resolution adopted by the European Parliament finds that Europe needs to support small and medium sized enterprises as in 2012 these businesses provided 66,5% of all European jobs. Csaba Sógor explained his vote by saying: the SMEs are the backbone of the European economy, and the biggest help member states can offer them is to cut the red tape and significantly decrease bureaucracy, so that they can easily and legally employ young people.