The Economic and Social Situation of young people in the Euromed region

The information report on The economic and social situation of young people in the Euro-Mediterranean region is the EESC's contribution to the 2014 Euromed Summit of Economic and Social Councils.

The choice of topic was made due to the key role that young people have played in the region since the Arab Spring and are set to continue to play in the coming years, especially considering the demographic structure of societies in the Arabic speaking countries in the Mediterranean. These demographic structures will present a major challenge for governments and societies alike in the coming years with estimates that two million jobs or more need to be created annually over the next decade only to maintain current employments levels. Failure to deliver these jobs will lead to economic and social pressures which could one more spill onto the streets.

The information report will seek to take a holistic approach to situation of young people in the north and south of the region, looking not just at the employment market but at wider trends amongst young people also outside of work, their self-perception, their political and social outlook on the future, their living arrangements, their view of their parents' generation and other older generations, as well as their view of the region and its role in a globalised world.

The work has been given added impetus thanks to the specific request by the secretariat of the UfM, in line with the UfM's own priorities, for the EESC to deliver a report relating to young people for the next summit. The possibility of holding a joint seminar with the ESC of Jordan involving civil society organisations working on young people in Jordan is being explored.