” “Making "the European Union relevant to the young": this is the invitation sent by the Forum of Young Europeans, in an open letter signed by its president, Bettina Schwarzmayr, to the heads of state and government of the European Union on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaties of Rome. On a positive note, "the European projects have provided peace and stability and have created opportunities that the previous generations have never been offered to such an extent", but there are also causes for worry: "more than the fifty years that have just gone by, it will be the next decades that will affect most of the life of the young people of today", and a rosy future is still distant. But what are the challenges for the young in the near future? The challenges of economic globalisation "are particularly threatening for the young, who are much affected by the increased insecurity of the labour market and society, and who, more than other generations, are facing a state of uncertain employment". Among the greatest challenges for the European Union of the 21st century, the European leaders "cannot neglect the increasing generational gap in terms of income, security and independence". Although the young today are on average "more mobile, multilingual and educated than in the past, it has become harder to find a permanent job and be able to afford a house and an independent life". (to be continued)” “
