Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
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733. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on the proposed EU Work Plan for Youth; if she supports this proposal; if so, what the Irish Government priorities will be; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1792/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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EU Council Conclusions on Maximising the role of youth policy in addressing the goals of Europe 2020, adopted in May 2013 during Ireland’s Presidency of the EU, invited Member States and the European Commission to develop a medium-term EU Work Plan for Youth.

The purpose of this Work Plan is to guide EU youth policy and youth related policy work in response to current youth and youth related themes and trends and in particular, to strengthen cooperation in the field of youth between the Member States and the Commission as well as collaboration with education and training and employment policies.

I believe that this EU Work Plan will bring added value to youth policy at EU level, while at the same time, promote the sharing of expertise of the youth field with other policy areas. Furthermore, it will strengthen cross-sectoral cooperation and streamline the aims of youth policy within the targets of Europe 2020. It will also enhance our flexibility to respond to emerging issues in the youth field in line with Council priorities.

At the Council of EU Youth Ministers last November, I identified youth employment as an important priority for inclusion in the EU Work Plan. This is the most pressing and pertinent challenge facing young people in Ireland and across the EU. The challenge of youth unemployment needs to be front and centre to our considerations and this needs to be prioritised in the EU Work Plan. Another area which I identified as being key is the issue of young people’s health and well-being. In particular, mental health is an issue of major importance for young people.

The first EU Work Plan will be discussed and developed under the Greek Presidency and will cover the period until the end of 2015. I will be working closely with my Trio Presidency Partners and EU Youth Ministers in this regard over the coming months.