EUROPEAN COUNCIL : SOCIAL PARTNERS' PLEA TO EU LEADERS.

• Position: Bernadette Segol of the European Trade Union Confederation - Interview

It is a first: the European social partners have been asked to express their views on youth employment in front of the heads of state and government and are determined to make the most of this opportunity. Until now they have only been invited by the presidents of the Council and the European Commission ahead of the spring meeting. A few hours before the meeting, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Secretary-General Bernadette Segol pledged to request a plan to kick-start growth and employment mobilising 1-2% of the EU's GDP. BusinessEurope, which represents private employers, will call for structural reforms of the labour market and strengthening educational systems.

"TALKING ABOUT EMPLOYMENT IS ONE THING, TAKING ACTION IS ANOTHER"

Three questions to Bernadette Segol, ETUC secretary-general.

The heads of state and government are expected to agree on concrete measures to improve youth employment. What are your thoughts?

I think the idea of using the 6 billion of the initiative for youth employment over the first two years is a good one. Especially since 6 billion really isn't that much money. The problem is deciding what to do in the five years that will follow, once all the money has been spent. Because we can't stop there. As for the youth guarantee, we want it to be included in country-specific recommendations and for there to be serious monitoring of what has been done. We also want the countries that put it in place, and therefore have to spend public money, to have this money taken out from their deficit. [...] I...