Renzi announces that in Italy the Youth guarantee has been extentend up to the age of 29

“We hope this is a real commitment, which will be respected,” commented ‘Giovani Bruxelles’, an association based in the capital of the EU, the first group fighting for this kind of extension

In the last meeting of the Italian Council of Ministers, the “Youth Guarantee” has been extended up to 29 years of age in Italy, exceeding the European proposal by 4 years. “We are widening the age bracket from 18-25 years to 18-29 years,” announced the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi during the press conference. “We hope this is a real commitment, which will be respected,” commented ‘Giovani Bruxelles’, an association based in the capital of the EU, the first group fighting for this kind of extension. “Finally a proposal taking into consideration over-25s! A great result for our #Garanziaover25 campaign” tweeted the group.

Being idle can be more expensive than acting. Investing to help young adjusting themselves into the job market, to make them getting a job, is extremely more proficient for public finances than leaving them alone. This was one of the thoughts leading EU Heads of States and Government during their meeting on 22 April 2013 – when they launched the “Youth Guarantee”, an ambitious and well-funded project. It allows young people aged under 25 to receive a qualitatively interesting job offer (even abroad), to go on with their studies, to begin an apprenticeship or training period, in any case a kind of targeted education within 4 months from the beginning of the unemployment period or from the end of the studies.

The Guarantee will cost (adding up Member States’ contributions to the European Union funds) about 21bn euro a year, about 0.22 percent of the EU GDP. It will reach almost six million young persons aged between 15 and 24 who are currently unemployed. Italy registered about 650,000 individuals, over 10 percent of the European total. Brussels is to contribute with 6bn euro, and the rest will be funded by Member States, which in some cases, according to the Commission, “will have to put in place specific reform plans” for this project to be brought about.

Things evolved quite fast, this time in Italy too, even though the implementation of the plan showed some difficulties. On 15 January 2013, the Commission distributed the first batch of funds, with Italy receiving 530.18bn euro. Only Spain received a higher amount, 881.44bn euro; France was funded with 289.76bn euro.

Everyone likes the Guarantee, given that it has worked in helping many young people approaching the job market. Yet, Italy had two problems to be solved – the age bracket was too tight and the Italian bureaucracy could have represented its Achilles’ heel. There a group of youngsters in Brussels, Giovani Italiani Bruxelles, composed almost totally of employed people, which has been fighting for “Italian specificity” since the very day after the approval of the Guarantee. Francesca Romana Minniti and Daniel Puglisi explained: “youth unemployment does not stop when you are 25, Italian graduates are among the least to finish their studies in Europe. That’s why we need an ‘over25 guarantee’.”

Italian high schools last a year more than its European counterparts do, and that does not create problems if you stop your studies there – you are well under the 25 years old benchmark. Yet, if you want to go on with your studies, and you are quite fast too, you can get your first university diploma when you are 22, 23; if you want to go further and get your degree or a PhD, add two years more (and be fast). “And that’s how you get to 25 – just out of University, already out of Guarantee,” added Francesca and Daniel, who were seriously devoted to this battle. Before the last meeting of the Council of Ministers, held earlier this week, the risk was to get a project unable to help qualified indivuals ready for the job market, letting them go abroad to find their way.