Based on a Recommendation of the Council of the European Union of 2013, all member states have implemented the EU Youth Guarantee. Under the Youth Guarantee, all young people are to receive a good quality offer of employment, continued education, apprenticeship or traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving education.

The idea at the heart of the Youth Guarantee is early support in order to avoid longer periods of unemployment for young people from the outset.

The member states have set out their respective steps for the implementation of the Youth Guarantee in national implementation plans. As part of the Youth Employment Initiative, member states with high youth unemployment rates receive financial support from EU funds in order to be able to finance the implementation of the Youth Guarantee.

The European Commission uses indicators for a regular monitoring of the national implementation of the Youth Guarantee by the member states in the framework of the European Semester, i.e. the coordination of national economic policies at the European level. The indicators measure the effectiveness of the provision of services for young people.

At the start of Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 July 2020, the European Commission published a proposal for a reinforcement of the Youth Guarantee that was unanimously adopted by the member states on 30 October 2020 following negotiations in the Council. Compared to the 2013 Recommendation, the reinforced Youth Guarantee has lowered the age limit from under the age of 25 to 29 years so that more young people can benefit from the Youth Guarantee. Another new feature is the focus on particularly vulnerable young people, such as those living with a disability, belonging to a minority or living in remote rural areas or disadvantaged urban districts. Young people are to receive early and tailored guidance and are to be given the opportunity to acquire the digital and green qualifications required due to the transformation of the world of work.

The unanimous adoption of the reinforced Youth Guarantee sends an important message: The fight against youth unemployment remains one of Europe’s priorities, also during the COVID-19 pandemic.