Youth unemployment in Europe has been one of the major political, economic and social challenges of the last decade. Even though statistics indicate progress on youth unemployment, young people still have problems in accessing the labour market and especially decent working conditions. This is not only a major challenge for the long-term competitiveness of the European economy globally, but the younger generation’s lack of prospects on the labour market is also likely to fuel social malaise and trigger generational conflicts in European societies. Against this backdrop, this Policy Dialogue addressed the following questions: What is the impact of young people’s current prospects on the labour market on social cohesion in Europe? To what extent do youth unemployment and growing inequalities across generations represent a threat to the social fabric? How effective is the education system in preparing young people for the changing nature of the labour market? Can the EU do anything to preserve generational fairness?

Speakers included: Brando Benifei, Member of the European Parliament, Claire Dhéret, Senior Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre, Beata Nagy, Art Director at JobAct Europ, Projectfabrik. The event was moderated by Henning Hoff, Executive Director of Berlin Policy Journal.