92001E1903

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1903/01

by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(28 June 2001)

Subject: Youth

The Commission has recently frozen one of the major projects embarked on in the field of youth: the White Paper on youth policies in the European Union, which was to have been presented in November 2001.

A multitude of European youth groups and associations, experts, governments, etc. have been involved in the project.

Why has the Commission frozen this work in the wake of the efforts made by the above organisations?

What will be done to compensate for the severe setback which suspension of the White Paper means for society and, in particular, for young people in Europe?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-1694/01, E-1733/01, E-1903/01, E-1904/01 and E-2050/01 given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(2 August 2001)

The Commission believes that the policy of European co-operation in the youth field should be strengthened. This is why, at the end of 1999, the Commission began to draw up a White Paper on this subject at the instigation of the Member of the Commission with responsibility for Education and Culture.

The Commission wanted a hitherto unprecedented consultation process to take place beforehand: consultations with young people in each Member State in 2000, in connection with which a European-level meeting was held in Paris in October 2000; consultations with civil society organisations and academics; discussions with the Member States. This process was completed in March 2001 in Umeå, Sweden.

The Commission, now sure of the support of young people and the Member States, has since then been in the process of drawing up the White Paper, which should be published before the end of the year.