Katarina Barley at the YES Summer Camp: A Europe that works for youth is our priority

A Europe that works for youth - that was the focus as Executive Vice President of the Party of European Socialists (PES) and Vice-President of the European Parliament Katarina Barley joined 500 young European socialists and social democrats in Portugal today.

The young generation of progressives is gathering for the annual Summer Camp organised by the Young European Socialists (YES), the youth organisation of the PES. The next European mandate was on the agenda of the youth event:

PES Executive Vice President and Vice-President of the European Parliament Katarina Barley said:

"It is great to see the youth of our political family gathering today, united and determined. I want to thank YES for this amazing event. As a political family, we will draw on this energy and ensure young people and their priorities are at the very centre of our action for the next mandate.

"As the second largest force in the European Parliament, we are well positioned to continue fighting for a Europe that works with and for its young people. That means pushing for more affordable housing, full youth employment and paid traineeships, gender equality, youth participation and representation, action on climate change, good mental health services, and much more. "We continue this fight amidst a worrying rise of the far right in Europe. As the PES family, we will fight the far right, and we will never enter any coalition or arrangement with them. And alongside young progressives, we will stand up against the division and hate that the far right represents."

Leader of Portugal's Partido Socialista, Pedro Nuno Santos, also participates in the event alongside progressive youth figures, including YES President Enric Lopez Jurado, International Union of Socialist Youth President Hend Mgaieth, Juventude Socialista Secretary General Miguel Costa Matos, YES Secretary General Sofie Amalie Stage and many others.

Participants at the YES Summer camp during the discussion with Katarina Barley.

The YES Summer Camp features various speeches, discussions, workshops, and other activities focused on priorities for the next European mandate. As part of the event, the PES organised workshops on mental health and education.

Thanks to the PES family, significant progress has been made at the EU level on important issues for young people. This includes the creation and reinforcement of a European Youth Guarantee to ensure young people access to employment, education, apprenticeships, and traineeships; a Directive on Traineeships; a Platform Work Directive to protect gig workers; the Gender Equality Strategy to make progress on equality between men and women; and the European Green Deal - the most ambitious project to fight climate change ever envisaged.

Youth has also been a priority of the PES during the 2024 European elections. Throughout the campaign, Nicolas Schmit, PES Common Candidate, strongly emphasised the importance of youth policy and youth involvement. The PES proudly participated in youth-focused events organised by YES, European Student Union, the S&D Group, and others during the elections.

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