Young people today are increasingly lacking access to social rights, according to a new report, which will be presented by Caritas Europa on March 28.
The research was conducted in 16 European Union member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Romania and the United Kingdom.
Caritas’s research looks into how young people at risk of poverty have limited access to rights, such as housing, work and education. It also looks at other issues of concern for Europe’s youth, such as intergenerational transmission of poverty, stigmatisation, marketisation and the commodification of youth.
Caritas also reviewed the effectiveness of policies currently in place at national level, as well as European initiatives, such as the European Youth Employment Strategy and the European Pillar of Social Rights. Its research also includes a series of recommendations to the European Union and member states.
“The European Commission said last year in a report that for the first time since World War II, there is a real risk that today’s young adults may end up less well-off than their parents,” said Jorge Nuño Mayer, Secretary General of Caritas Europa. “This study confirms this situation and should act as a wake-up call for those who have not being taking the European Commission’s warnings seriously.”
