Barroso yesterday (26 January) received the new president, who was in Brussels to meet with the EU institutions' leaders only three days after his inauguration.
Plevneliev is a businessman by background and former public works minister. He was elected as a candidate of the ruling centre-right GERB party of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
Barroso said he was especially concerned by the youth unemployment situation in the Union, saying it was "reaching crisis point". This is also a particular concern in Bulgaria with youth unemployment at almost 26%, he added.
"Other countries have even more difficulties in that area," Barroso said.
Youth unemployment stands at 30% in Ireland, 43% in Greece and 45% in Spain. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy recently asked that unused EU funds be used to stimulate youth employment and won the support of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said her country could be flexible in considering how existing EU funds can be used to stoke growth.
"I hope that the informal European Council will support my proposal to establish special action teams to produce targeted plans based on best practice, so that we can have job programmes for youth in all our member states, specifically those who have more difficulties in this area," Barroso said.
In this context, he added that there was a need for a review of the use of structural funds designated for regional development.
"We believe that this can be also a matter of discussion in the informal European Council – how we can, in some cases, redeploy unallocated money, money that is there, for the most immediate concerns and objectives in terms of growth in Europe," Barroso said.
Tapping unused funds for growth and jobs would likely be managed by the Commission in cooperation with the European Investment Bank (EIB). The idea is outlined in a joint Franco-German paper that is likely to be discussed at Monday's summit.
Asked by EurActiv if this was not a loss of sovereignty, Barroso said it was more about "sharing our obligations when we share common goals".
COMMENTS
A further EU €26 billion investment proposed for youth unemployment will not get us out of our long-term Youth Unemployment Problems as they will simply not go away
The unemployment figures are staggering as the few depressing examples of Spain and Italy at 51%, 30% in Ireland and 22% in the UK shows. But added to this depressing picture for those who find work they also struggle with low salaries and have little job security. Therefore the EU is not just treading water but looking at a future social and economic time bomb. What is wrong with the EU is the big question? Ultimately the answer lies in the fact that the ‘innovation chain’ in the EU is broken (it has been this way for many years now) and where not until our leaders and European industrialists realise this, there simply will not be a road back, not even by pumping in a further €26 billion into the present economic system. What the EU needs therefore more than anything else is the creation of new technological industries that nations like China cannot compete with (we have the brains here). Even they in this attainable future scenario would have to buy EU technological goods as there would be no alternative. Therefore the EU should be spending at least 20% of this €26 billion (some €5.2 billion) into setting up the EU’s (including the UKs) creative infrastructure where all the brainpower of the 750 million people of Europe can be harnessed and become ‘actively’ engaged. Any other strategy will fundamentally lead to further decline and where therefore we have to concentrate our efforts fully on a new realism in creativeness, innovation and the inventiveness of all the minds of the European community joining together. Until our political and business leaders understand this we are simple on a hiding to nowhere and where our young unfortunately will see lost generation after lost generation. But the other vital question that has to be asked, is why cannot we use our common sense for once and lay our future economic foundations FIRST? For good foundations as we all know are the key for any future economic dynamism and where our leaders should basically know this. Presently our economic foundations are not dynamic as the huge youth employment from one generation to another clearly shows. We cannot get away from this fact and therefore it is definitely time for different thinking.
Dr David Hill
Chief Executive
World Innovation Foundation
Interesting youth opportunitiess
FYI Youth policy
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