Samaras in Paris for EU Youth Unemployment Summit

The meeting, that will take place at the Palais de Elysee will be attended by heads of government and ministers of employment, the heads of the EU Council, the EU Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Investment Bank.

The meeting is a sequel of the first such summit that took place in Berlin, 3 July.

According to the French presidency, tomorrow's summit will move along the lines drawn out in Berlin and no additions are expected to the programs. The aim is to ascertain whether all the means have been mobilized and to reaffirm the political willingness of all parties to attain all goals within two years.

In Berlin, parties had agreed to harmonize a whole "arsenal of measures" to face the problems of six million unemployed youths in Europe.

Among measures is a 12 billion euro package for the two year period aimed at 13 countries in region where youth unemployment is especially acute.
Country members have been called upon to tender national plans to the European Commission before the end of December.

The European Investment Bank has pledged a further 6 billion annually, while another 6-7 billion have been pledged by the European Social Fund for the next three years, for an overall total of around 40 billion euros.

At the focus of the effort is is the principle of a "guarantee for youth" adopted by the EU, with the main aim being that no young person remains unemployed without a job or educational proposal fro more than four months.