Young Europeans are fed up with national politics and the failure of governments to respond effectively to the crisis. They want better progress made in tackling youth unemployment and many would like to see wide-ranging educational reforms, including better recognition for non-formal education and more training on sustainability and entrepreneurialism. These are some of the recommendations and ideas presented by the AEGEE (Association des États Généraux des Étudiants de l’Europe) European Students’ Forum yesterday, during one of the events organised as part of their Europe on Track, a project involving two teams of interviewers travelling across Europe and speaking to students and young people.
The project – which is interviewing hundreds of young people across the continent – investigates attitudes towards youth mobility in the EU. However, it it seems that the mobility of Europe’s young people is not always seen as a voluntary decision, but often inspired by the need to travel in order to seek work abroad. The young people who are participating explain that many of their friends nowadays feel they have no other option than to emigrate. Despite this, they also see youth mobility as a valuable way to obtain professional experience and qualifications in order to eventually return to look for a job in their home country.
Do YOU think that youth mobility in Europe is a good thing? Among the young people interviewed, there is also a sense that the EU offers them many opportunities, and that stronger ties with other EU countries can bring benefits over the long-term. Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below, and we’ll take them to policy-makers and experts for their reactions.
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Actually it is both, maybe the crisis is a great opportunity to push the borders
It is certainly very good but lack of jobs and money makes it on many occasions impossible.
In Portugal, young people well formed, are being forced to leave its country due to crisis.
É verdade amigo muitos jovens Formados são obrigados abandonar Portugal porque não tem esperança no seu futuro as poucas oportunidades que ainda existem são para os amigos do peito Como cidadão de Portugal e da Europa estou solidário com todos jovens Portuguêses Formados
You could overthrow your government and force exit from your number 1 problem: the wealth destroying Euro.
1-both 2-maybe it is european politics
Young Europeans love to travel and would welcome opportunities to work elsewhere (other than their own countries) to gain experience and broaden horizons. However, they would much rather stay “close to home” in the long run. So geographic mobility is interesting to a point and should not be seen as a welcome solution to lack of jobs “at home”.
Yeap.. You get important life and work experiences and skills plus languages.. Plus you do not sit around doing nothing waiting for things to change.. Highly recommend!!!!
In times of resection people have always looked for opportunities in other lands, the free movement allows people young and old to do this more easily as well as returning home as and when necessary with out the risk of not being to work overseas it is much more important to maintain this in hard times than succumbed to short term small minds
Mobility would be a good thing if it is choosen not if it represents a necessity.
Generally, mobility enables people to gain experience alternative to what they know develop new skills and learn to recognize differences and similarities in other countries and cultures so in this sense mobility is a powerful tool for enhancing thinking and increasing competitiveness and opportunities. On the other hand mobility is seen almost as a threat by certain people who find it challenging to cope with change and/or new comers, in this case mobility is perceived as a threat. In my opinion we live in a globalised world so make the most of it travel, try, live well, make friends, work and learn but then go back to your roots …
Both…
It’s excellent. Politics is something that should not restrict anyone to live anywhere. World is your home.
It is excelent of course! However it could be even matter if we were not forced to do it, meaning mobility is great when it is by choice not when it is compulsury! ;)
YES to mobility, NO to forced migration. Pietro De Matteis, candidate for the #EP2014 with the list Stand Up for the United States of Europe / European Federalist Party
Mobility can be a really positive thing, and it is easier today than ever before to move country and keep in contact with friends and family back home.
At the same time, if one feels forced to move to a culture that does not want you then it can be a disheartening, depressing experience.
I think it’s quite clear what’s happening in Europe — due to the financial issues facing the various countries — you have large income discrepancies among the Euro zone constituents. The slow down of the European economies primarily impacts the young generations as students/new grads can’t find much needed jobs to set the foundations for their latter careers — only making this matter worse — resulting in this forced mobility issue. Obviously no one wants to go far away to find a job if there is one near their homes — this situation is displacing the youngsters and making their lives very difficult.
The one thing crisis provides that is a positive, is a kick in the butt. We need a mobile workforce in Europe, one that identifies with the territory as Home.
When a common currency makes your goods too expensive for the export, you have to sell abroad your workforce. This looks very much like deportation (e.g. like during II WW)
It wouldn’t be a problem if the current EU finantial structure didn’t perpetuate such asymetries between member countries
@Nuno Oliveira
WRONG!
Spain was a very poor country prior to joining the EU – now after billions of pounds of SOILICHARITY from Germany, UK, France and other Northern EU nations it is classed as a developed nation.
Some EU countries have upgraded themselves courtesy of EU assistance/SOLICHARITY but others, well, perhaps some of their ill-fortune has a tad to do with their own culture?
the swedes travell, the croats emigrate.
Traveling is one thing, emigrating is another! I think most of young Europeans leave their home country to find a job in another European country. This is emigration. They/ We become economic emigrants. Awful. We are being forced to live our home for what? For a better future? To have money? What?
It’s not a bad thing, it is great. But the correct question will be: “Are they going to come back?”. 2 millions of Bulgarians left in a period of 25 years of transition, right now young and educated don’t see a chance to stay in their home countries. Is youth guarantee going to chance that?
I feel like there are a lot of students who think that emigrating is the best solution in order to life a decent life. But it is not that easy. Each country has its ups and downs. If you go abroad, you should not expect to have a perfect life.
To say that young Europeans are seeking adventure and travel trivializes the enormous problem that we have no chances in our countries. Travel is for holidays, not for working.
Yes,a very good one!
I agree with Emil. Until German, Dutch, Swedish, French youth traveling around Europe and they are introduce other EU countries, Bulgarian, Croats, Greek youth thinking only to run away from their countries because they don’t have any chance for normal future like youth in western European countries. EU must do many things to do that youth have equal opportunities in all 28 EU member states for normal and satisfied future, because I don’t have it in my country (Croatia).
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Yes!!!
Jaime Martins sentence is easily reusable for most of south of Europe lol
I think euroepan comissions whan the people to move constantly from country to country in order they dont feel from any particular region. They will end with no properties, and no love feeling with any particular region. EU is killing old traditions with this policy, and they now perfectly what are they doing. Nomad’s are poor typically..
@Jaume Roqueta
Well said!
To me the dilemma is quite simple:
1. Everybody should be able to find a job and proper living conditions in their own european country and not feel forced out of it.
2. Whoever wants to migrate should be able to do it and the EU should provide some opportunities to this end.
To me the dilemma is quite simple:
1. Everybody should be able to find a job and proper living conditions in their own european country and not feel forced out of it.
2. Whoever wants to migrate should be able to do it and the EU should provide some opportunities to this end.
To me the dilemma is quite simple:
1. Everybody should be able to find a job and proper living conditions in their own european country and not feel forced out of it.
2. Whoever wants to migrate should be able to do it and the EU should provide some opportunities to this end.
Hell no. We got enough job stealers from other Eurosoviet countries as it is.
The fairy tale of mobility: Estefana Almenta, 29, from Spain explains, why moving to find the right job was not an alternative for her. Instead she opted for opening her own small business in Spain: http://tinyurl.com/oy9pdum
If they migrate it will take time for them to come back to their home countries, unless the economic situation improves, there is almost no motivation. Once abroad they may built their own families. At the end it will lead to the next historical people migration as it was many times before. Remember the migrations of Irish people to North America. The problem is that in their home countries the skills of the leaving youth will go and the chance for an economic rebuilding vanishes. For example: in Germany quit a lot of Teachers for kindergarten from Greece have been engaged on the last months. They are well prepared and were very much welcome. The same apllies for caregiver from Poland and other countries. But will they sstay? The best is if the emigrants learn additional skills in the country they selected, save some money and have the courage to come back and participate in the modernization of their home countries. We have also to make a difference regarding the country of emigration. It is a difference if they stay in the EU or choose oversea destinations.
I’ve been working in London, UK, because of the crisis in Spain. And I’m one of the thousands that have to migrate looking up for some money to survive.
No one wants to leave his homeland especially if it is so beautiful like Greece. However, economic and social conditions lead many young people to emigrate in search of a better life. Surpirisingly, most of them emigrate outside the eurozone thus indicating that a usurers’ monetary union is the best way to total socio-economic catastrophy!
If you overthrew the government, hanged Samaras and Venizelos and got a new government to get you out of the slavery that is the Euro system, you’d be better off. Tell me, why don’t you do it? Why the love to continue paying for French and German bankers? Because they successfully scaremongered you into thinking it would be worse without the Euro? Really?
No pity from me until you overthrow these banker stooges and hang them.
It is not so easy to overturn a well-established, EU-funded elite. Should you have a magic “solution” to the question, OK. Otherwise, stop blaming us: we are not only blackmailed regarding our internal economic order; we are in constant blackmail via non-EU threats (namely Turkey and its military threats against our territorial integrity)
Only few wish to leave their EU-nests to find a job in another EU country just due to their ambitions or their wish to gain new perspectives or get acquainted with other european backgrounds. Most of them only need to get a legitimate job contract that corresponds to their (usually very high) educational background. It is a reluctant step for self-preservation. I include myself to this case.