Nikki Sinclaire MEP Challenges the
Commission Over Unemployment - "Admit to Your Negligence!"
€82Billion sitting idlely in
Commission
Issue Date: 24th April 2012
The European Union has 82 billion euros it needs to use by
2013, and seemingly no concrete plans as to what to do with it. This is at a
time of economic crisis and growing unemployment.
The money is sitting in the bank accounts of the European
Structural Fund a €347 budget (2007/13). This sum dwarfs the €76 billion that
was allocated to the European Social Fund for the period of 2007-2013, which is
intended to stimulate employment.
British MEP Nikki Sinclaire has slammed the European
Commission, asking them in a formal parliamentary question to admit to their
negligence. "1 in 5 young people under the age of 25 in the EU cannot find
a job, and this money - given by taxpayers - is just sitting there. 7.5 million
people between 15 - 24 are neither in work, education, or training. The
Commission is presiding over the creation of a lost generation, and this is a
tragedy that Europe will have to live with for a long time" she said in
Brussels today.
Miss Sinclaire is a member of the European Parliament's
Employment Committee, where she is often outspoken in her criticism of the EU and
in her defence of British workers interests. Last year she exposed the fact
that whilst being a major contributor to the EU budgets, the British government
had failed to make any use at all of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund
(EGF) which is intended to help to retrain redundant workers. "With up to
€500million available each year, money has gone to retrain workers from such
companies as Nokia, Peugeot, Renault, Volvo and others on the continent, but
not one single penny has ever gone to redundant British workers." She
revealed. This is despite the fact that the EGF actually has a UK
representative in the Department for Work and Pensions
ENDS
Notes for
Editors:
The EU
allocated €347 billion to its 'Structural Funds' for the period 1 January 2007
to 31 December 2013. €76bn of this is
allocated to the European Social Fund, with the aim of creating employment.
Between
2007-2013 England will receive £2.5 billion is from the European Social Fund
(ESF), but this is subject to match-funding by the UK government.
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=326&langId=en
