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A European (Youth) History
A European (Youth) History
Speech by Antonio Seguro, President of the Youth Forum of the European Communities, at the Youth Forum Symposium on Youth Rights, Avignon, 1990 Dear Friends, It is difficult to take the floor after the excellent presentation by Laurence, which not only summarized our three days of work in this Symposium, but al~o gave an overview of our work and experience regarding the European dimension. I would first of all like to apologise for my French, obviously my Portuguese is much better, but speaking French is one of the conditions of the closing session of a European meeting. I would also like to thank Mr Guy Ravier, Member of Parliament and Mayor of Avignon for hosting this Symposium, the Secretariat of the Youth Forum, the volunteers from Avignon for their help, the participants, and also of course Madame Mitterrand for the excellent co-operation between the Fondation France-Libertés and the Youth Forum since April 1989. Together we have demonstrated that when working on the development of the European Community, we can exchange experiences and at the same time do some useful and political work in relation to E.c. social and cultural policy. To speak about youth rights and human rights is not new, but these topics still remain topical. We should stop talking however and start implementing a genuine policy which will guarantee real access to rights. All of us in this room have the possibility to buy a Rolls-Royce, but how many of us ca.n really buy one ? We do not want rights to be guaranteed on paper, and then in reality find that only a small minority has access to these rights. The debate on youth rights inside the Youth Forum started a longtime ago. This topic has been a major concern in our work on the European dimension. 1992, the Single Market and its impact on young people has been a priority for the last two years and this Symposium in Avignon will not be a one-off event ; it is only a step, a tool for discussion on the basis of our knowledge and our expertise and a way of making our own contribution to this new Europe that we have the right and duty to help develo p. This is why we should also take concrete measures in favour of children, minors, immigrants ; improve the situation of employment and training through joint actions between the European Social Fund and the PETRA Programme. There is also a need for action to combat marginalisation and special attention should be given, as Laurence pointed out, to housing for young people as this is a means of promoting young people’s independence and puts young people in a position to make their own decisions about their future. There should also be a debate on a guaranteed minimum income, following mutual recognition of diplomas and vocational training qualifications. But Europe is not just a Single Market, it is much more than that ; it is about creating the conditions that will enable us to live together ; it is making sure that European citizens have the possibility to learn about the history of other countries, to accept the differences that exist in Europe. This is why a fair knowledge of history, of ways of living and of thinking are
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