Next Generation EU. The Recovery Fund could not have had a clearer name. The wish to invest in the new generations coming from Brussels cannot be ignored in Italy, one of the member countries where the condition of youth is among the most alarming (just remember that the level of unemployment of this segment of the population is close to 30%). The appeal was received in part in the Guidelines for the definition of the national recovery and resilience plan (PNRR) - #NEXTGENERATIONITALIA presented by the Treasury on 15 September, where there is some mention of the generational question: “It is necessary to strengthen the paths for the integration of young people into the labor market. (…) The PNRR also provides for an investment aimed at strengthening active employment policies, which have so far been lacking, and youth employment”, as well as among the objectives of the document:
- Improve student readiness and the share of high school graduates.
- Reduce the incidence of early school leaving and inactivity of young people.
- Take Research and Development (R&D) spending above the EU average (2,1%, up from our current 1,3%).
These guidelines, after being discussed in Parliament, must be transformed by mid-October into a structured and credible proposal to be submitted to the European Commission. These noble intentions in favor of young people will have to be transformed into a series of feasible, concrete and, above all, long-term projects. Today, the moment is more propitious than ever, as prominent economists keep repeating. Seize this opportunity to "Radically change the orientation of culture and policies in order to give the younger generations a generalized and lasting perspective", says Enrico Giovannini, director of the Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS).
Similarly, at the end of August Mario Draghi had dedicated a large part of his historic speech to future generations: “After the catastrophe of the pandemic, we must face the difficult and pitfalls phase of reconstruction, which must be based on flexibility, pragmatism. Young people must be placed at the center of every reflection". Fabrizio Barca, coordinator of the Forum of Inequalities, specifies: “It's not a question of youthfulness. There is a very serious generational crisis in Italy, which manifests itself in high school dropouts, very low university participation, very low entry wages, when not zeroed (the famous free work), very high presence of precarious work”.
Appeals pronounced in favor of more courageous youth policies, as well as the 2021 Youth Plan, a rich document written by 48 youth, student, cultural and territorial associations, who know the realities, concerns and problems of their peers better than any other institution. Among the many proposals, projects and requests, the question of representation stands out: "Starting from Next Generation EU, the new generations are involved in a structural and systematic way in the debate and in political choices, with a collaborative and non-consultative approach". A topic on which the National Council of Youth is also working, as its President Maria Cristina Pisani underlines: "To guarantee stable and continuous forms and methods of participation and representation of the youngest, we are working a new edition of the States General of Youth Policies”.
A problem, that of the presence (or rather, the absence) of young people in decision-making bodies, which we have already dealt with on Firstonline and which directly affects the scarcity of the related public policies, helping to make the inequalities and structural problems that affect most part of the under 35s, even more strident. Will this lack of say also affect the management of funds from Europe? It certainly seems so, according to data from Corriere della Sera on Thursday 24 September, which reports that the projects presented by the Ministries would require three times the money destined for Italy (precisely 667 billion, compared to the 209 that will be available in the form of loans and transfers ), which it will make it even more difficult to choose how to allocate these funds and how to direct them towards virtuous projects for young people.
However, the political situation in which the country finds itself, added to the strong underlying message of the Next Generation EU, could constitute a real turning point in this sense. A government that came out substantially strengthened since the recent electoral round, a majority party which, at least on paper, sees investment in young people as a priority (see the Generational Manifesto on the PD website) and, above all, the "political credit" to be spent in favor of a of population usually neglected in the electoral campaign as well as in the annual budget manoeuvres. Every financial law in recent years has seen political forces clash over how to allocate public money in compliance with the parameters of Maastricht: bonuses of all kinds, welfare and then pensions, pensions and more pensions.
Relatively limited resources, to be directed mostly towards the most active electoral pool, i.e. the elderly, who are much more present at the polls than their children and grandchildren. The latter do not lend themselves to being electoral cannon fodder, much less a lobby, thus becoming victims and accomplices at the same time of their isolationism and their political influencing. Quota 100 was the latest demonstration of this dynamic, marking a country resigned to the decline and aging of its society, reluctant to take any courageous and far-sighted measure. It was 2019, just one year ago. A more distant era than it really is, one more reason to change course and stop being among the countries with the highest youth unemployment in Europe.
Thanks Flavio for following these developments!
However, we must accompany reforms with an important cultural transition!
Here in Germany we young undergraduates / you are entrusted to companies that guide us, PAY us, and are addressed with deep respect (here there is no such thing as extra work). Here there is never a lack of transparency regarding our role and future in the company.
The "oldest", here and in 3/4 of Europe, guide and enhance the young forces. From the Bel Paese I hear only talk of trampling and inconsistency on the part of superiors.