The EU looks at young people: these are the measures to encourage the new generations

One of the things that has been on the EU's agenda in recent years has been a deeper look at the youngest, new generations that take the European project for granted and recognize it in initiatives such as Erasmus.. But the European Parliament has taken this legislature as that of youth, since 2022 was also the year dedicated precisely to them. Thus, from the European Parliament they have been – together with the rest of the institutions – chaining measures to make life easier for those who are called to build the Union of the future. What are these steps?

Goodbye to the “exploitation” of interns

This has been one of the most resounding positions, on the way to a directive that ends the labor exploitation of young trainees.. For the European Parliament, this regulation must set minimum quality standards, including rules on the duration of internship periods, their remuneration and the access of trainees to social protection, in accordance with the laws and practices in force in each Member State.

Internship periods, Parliament states, must have adequate compensation, which covers at least the cost of basic needs, such as food, accommodation and transportation, taking into account the cost of living in each country, Parliament indicates.. The plenary encourages Member States to make internships more accessible to people with disabilities or from disadvantaged backgrounds, and to support internships in other Member States. MEPs also want the Commission to review the current quality framework for traineeships and introduce more binding rules for Member States in this area.

Labor internships facilitate young people's access to the job market, recalls the European Parliament. A recent Eubarometer survey shows that four out of every five young people surveyed (78%) have completed at least one internship period, and for one out of every five (19%) their first work experience was an internship.. However, there are doubts about the quality of the practices. MEPs believe that their quality must be guaranteed so that young people can gain experience and obtain adequate remuneration.

Gender equality in senior positions in companies

Equality is one of the challenges of the present and the future and it is also an intergenerational issue, although it directly involves young people.. Thus, in this case the directive will oblige companies to establish transparent recruitment processes, so that at least 40% of non-executive director positions or 33% of all director positions are occupied by people of the lesser gender. represented before the end of June 2026.

Merit should continue to be the key criterion in the selection processes. Listed companies will have to report on the representation of men and women on their boards of directors to the competent authorities once a year; If they have not met the objectives, they must detail their plans to do so. This information will be published on the company website so that it can be easily found. The law will not apply to SMEs with fewer than 250 employees.

Member States must establish effective, dissuasive and proportionate sanctions – such as fines – for companies that do not apply open and transparent procurement processes.. In addition, the courts may annul the appointment of any board of directors that fails to comply with the principles of the board.

The European Commission first presented its proposal in 2012 and the European Parliament adopted its negotiating position in 2013.. The file remained blocked in the Council for almost a decade, until the employment and social affairs ministers finally agreed on a position in March 2022.. Parliament and Council negotiating teams reached an agreement in June.

Minimum wages across the EU

In September of last year, the European Parliament took a giant step in terms of standardizing minimum wages throughout the EU, despite the fact that this is a responsibility of the Member States.. The European Parliament has nevertheless played its role. This directive seeks to improve the working and living conditions of all EU workers, as well as promote economic and social progress.. To achieve this, it establishes minimum requirements that guarantee adequate minimum wages either through national legislation or collective agreements.. In addition, it improves effective access for all workers to minimum wage protection.

The new regulations will apply to EU workers who have an employment contract or an employment relationship. EU countries where the minimum wage is already protected exclusively through collective agreements will not be obliged to introduce these rules or to apply these agreements universally.

Setting the minimum wage will remain a responsibility of Member States, which will have to ensure that it allows workers to lead a decent life, taking into account the cost of living and the general salary level.. When assessing whether their current legal minimum wages are adequate, Member States may take as reference a basket of goods and services at real prices, or 60% of the median gross wage and 50% of the average gross wage.

Better conditions for digital workers

Already at the beginning of 2023, Parliament wanted to focus on a fundamental sector for young people: that of digital workers. These conversations are already underway. The idea is to establish rules on the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence to monitor and evaluate workers by platforms.

The importance of the social pillar

All in all, young people are a decisive part of the social pillar of the European Union, which MEPs do not want to abandon despite the change in priorities, and especially in the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.. Precisely for Iratxe García, leader of the social democrats in the European Parliament, it is also important to “strengthen the European social pillar, with measures that will, for example, improve access to housing for young people or the implementation of a strategy against poverty with binding objectives”.