Member of European Parliament Dubravka Šuica has received a response from the European Commission to the question which she posed at the end of August regarding the amount of funds intended for youth employment in Croatia.

Commissioner László Andor, responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, signed the response which says that said that the amount of funds for each region or Member State under the Initiative for Youth Employment will be known by the end of September.

˝Judging by Andor’s response, by the end of this month we will know what the package for Croatia for youth employment will be. I urge the government to shortly thereafter declare they intend to spend the money on, and I am especially concerned because youth are not informed enough about this topic. While the government is engaging in political performances, opportunities are passing by us in silence˝, said Šuica.

Three main objectives for the fight against youth unemployment are outlined further in the response from the European Commission:

a) promoting sustainable and quality employment and encouraging mobility of the work force;

b) investing in education, skills and lifelong learning;

c) promoting social inclusion and combating poverty.

"Upon the recommendation of the Commission, if we are to reduce youth unemployment, we should invest more in education. According to the draft budget for 2014, there are provisions for further cutting of costs in education, which is shameful. When the government thinks about young people and investing in education, they are watching them through the prism of cost. Education of young people is not an expense; investment in young people is the only risk-free investment at all˝, concluded Šuica.