EU at Milan employment summit

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso will press EU leaders to live up to their budget commitments at a special summit on employment in Milan on 8 October.

He will underline the importance of the EU's €1 trillion budget to help fund practical and effective ways to combat unemployment, in particular youth unemployment, for example through the Youth Guarantee, to which all Member States have signed up.

Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs László Andor, who will attend a meeting of EU labour ministers before the summit, will discuss ways to further accelerate and improve implementation of the Youth Guarantee. The summit is organised by the Italian Presidency of the EU's Council of Ministers.

The heads of Member States' public employment services will meet in Milan before the employment summit, following the recent launch of the Public Employment Services Network.

They will also discuss the role of public employment services in the implementation of the Youth Guarantee and table a paper for Labour Ministers and Heads of State and Government on the role of public employment services in the delivery of the Youth Guarantee.

(Source: European Commission website)