EU official urges action to help NEETs

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A European Union (EU) official on Tuesday urged immediate action for the economic and social integration of the NEETs group, or millions of young Europeans aged between 15 and 24 "not in employment, education or training."

"Unless something is done quickly, the plight of those falling into NEET status during the current crisis risks becoming self-perpetuating, long after the economy has recovered," Androulla Vassiliou, EU commissioner for education, culture, multilingualism, sport, media and youth, said at the opening ceremony of a youth conference in Vilnius, Lithuania.

At the European level, the Youth Employment Initiative holds a budget of 6 billion euros (8 billion dollars) targeting NEETs, while the Youth Guarantee recommends that member states offer all young people a job, an apprenticeship, a traineeship or continued education within four months of leaving education or becoming unemployed.

"We need it to become a reality across Europe. It is vital that this Youth Guarantee is quickly implemented," Vassiliou added.

Youth unemployment has been one of the major challenges for the EU and its member states following years of economic and debt crises. The rate of NEETs within the EU was nearly 13 percent in 2011, or about 7.5 million young people.

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