Europe must do more to address young people’s social realities, Sant says

The Labour MEP said the EU must care more about those carrying the burdens caused by its own decisions

Labour MEP Alfred Sant has called for a Europe that better understands the realities being faced by its youths.

The former Prime Minister was speaking at an event organized by the European Parliament Office in Malta with the theme ‘L-Ewropa Fis-Suq’ with a number of Maltese MEPs.

Sant insisted that Europe needed to address young people’s realities in order to win their confidence in the European project.

“A report by the European Commissoin highlights dissatisfaction with working life and degrading job conditions among young people in Europe,” Sant said.

“Lack of security, precarious work and the exploitation of young people in the digital sector are all signs that demonstrate that much needs to be done on the regulation of work conditions in Europe.”

Sant went on to emphasise his view that the EU needs to tools to address such shortfalls.

“Though the EU is managed with good intentions, it must care more about those carrying the burdens caused by its own decisions,” Sant said, adding that young people, workers, pensioners, and those in need of social protection normally end up shouldering the burdens.

These “dilemmas”, he said, were the result of “mechanisms used by the European project” which cannot continue to be ignored and must be addressed.

Sant said that the structures created by the single market placed the burdens on large sectors of the population across Europe, who their back to the wall, are protesting the European project and “sharing their solidarity with the populist movements”.

Europe, he said, was not as yet facing this dilemma.