Next to that, thanks to increased cohesion policy allocations as from 2017, several YEI-eligible Member States will have the possibility to invest up to €2 billion more of ESF funding in youth employment measures.

Next to that, thanks to increased cohesion policy allocations as from 2017, several YEI-eligible Member States will have the possibility to invest up to €2 billion more of ESF funding in youth employment measures.

The Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) followed a proposal from the Commission and a high-level political call from the European Council of February 2013 to address unprecedented youth unemployment in certain regions of the European Union (EU).

Witnesses: From the Department of Finance: Doug Wyatt, General Counsel, General Legal Services; Doug Adlard, General Counsel, General Legal Services; Dan Hermosa, Counsel, General Legal Services; Michèle Dupont, International Relations Officer, International Trade and Finance Branch; Mark Hodgson, Policy Analyst, Federal-Provincial Relations and Social Policy Branch, Labour Markets/Employment/Learning; David Bell, Economist, Federal-Provincial Relations and Social Policy Branch; François Cadieux, Economist, Federal-Provincial Relations and Social Policy Branch, Strategic Planning; Ian Wright, Senior Project Leader, Financial Sector Policy Branch, Financial Markets Division ...[+++], Government Financing; Amanjit Pandher, Financial Economist, Financial Sector Policy Branch, Financial Markets Division, Government Financing; Alan MacNaughton, Director, Tax Policy Branch, Personal Income Tax Division; Robert Dubrule, Senior Tax Policy Officer, Tax Policy Division, Pensions, Resources, Trusts and Insurance; Grant Nash, Tax Policy Officer, Tax Policy Branch, Business & Property; Marlene Légaré, Senior Chief, Tax Policy Branch, Sales Tax Division; Greg Smart, Tax Policy Officer, Tax Policy Branch, Sales Tax Division; Glenn R. Campbell, Senior Policy Analyst, Federal-Provincial Relations and Social Policy; Ken Medd, Senior Tax Policy Officer, First Nations Taxation Section, Intergovernmental Tax Policy Division, Tax Policy Branch.

From the Department of Finance we have Doug Wyatt, general counsel, general legal services; Doug Adlard, general counsel, general legal services; Dan Hermosa, counsel, general legal services; Michèle Dupont, international relations officer, international trade and finance branch; Mark Hodgson, policy analyst, federal-provincial relations and social policy branch, labour markets/employment/learning; David Bell, economist, federal-provincial relations and social policy branch; François Cadieux, economist, federal-provincial relations and social policy branch, strategic planning; Ian Wright, senior project leader, financial sector po ...[+++]licy branch, financial markets division, government financing; Amanjit Pandher, financial economist, financial sector policy branch, financial markets division, government financing; Alan McNaughton, director, tax policy branch, personal income tax division; Robert Dubrule, senior tax policy officer, tax policy division, pension resources, trusts and Insurance; Grant Nash, tax policy officer, tax policy branch, business and property; Marlene Légaré, senior chief, tax policy branch, sales tax division; Greg Smart, tax policy officer, tax policy branch, sales tax division; Ken Medd, senior tax policy officer, first nation taxation section, intergovernmental tax policy division, tax policy branch; Glenn R. Campbell, senior policy analyst, federal-provincial relations and social policy.

In particular, this development should relate to: - commitments to increasing and improving investment in training, with priority given to measures for the unemployed and to training courses organised by undertakings for their workers; - development and improved dissemination of practices for organising working time, accompanied by an increase in employment and an upgrading of the jobs concerned without detriment to social protection or the promotion of equal opportunities; - more careful analysis of the impact of measures to reduce wage cost ...[+++]s, with particular regard to targeting, and more systematic research into alternatives to social security financing; - the encouragement of local development and employment initiatives, particularly by improving the legal, tax and financial framework of the activities concerned and by encouraging local efforts to that end; - intensifying the efforts to activate employment policies - particularly by adapting employment services - while preserving a high level of social protection; - increasing the attention given to those categories most affected: . young people: each person should have a sufficient level of education, training or occupational experience to ensure his or her employability; . the long-term unemployed, who should have received an opportunity for rehabilitation or reintegration training before reaching the "long-term unemployed" threshold; . women: more sustained attention must be given to policies for desegregating the labour market, in accordance with guidelines adopted by the Beijing Conference and laid down in the fourth Action Programme on Equal Opportunities.