EP: 5.3m Europeans under 25 unemployed

The European Parliament (EP) on Thursday called for stronger measures to fight unemployment among young people in the European Union (EU), revealing that 5.3 million Europeans under 25 years old are unemployed.
According to the press release, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) raised issues to tackle in a resolution passed, including common minimum standards for apprenticeships and decent wages. EU funding of employment-related programmes should also be increased in future budgets, it added.
Sustainable economic growth is impossible without reducing inequalities, says the text, which was approved by 502 votes in favour, 112 against and 22 abstentions.
It warns that youth unemployment has reached unprecedented levels, averaging 23 percent across the EU, with peaks of over 50 percent in some member states.
EU MEPs call on member states to reduce administrative burdens for the self-employed, micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises, introduce favourable tax policies and establish a more favourable climate for private investment.