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[Mr Guy Ryder]
Mr Van Rompuy, it is a real honour to welcome the first ever
permanent President of the European Council,
to address, for the first time, our International Labour Conference.
We know that you put Jobs and Growth already on the agenda
of the very first European Council that you chaired, back in February 2010.
And now, your proposals endorsed by last December's European Council
to develop a social dimension, including social dialogue,
to a genuine economic and monetary union are very greatly valued.
From the ILO side let me assure you, Mr President,
that we are ready to be partners to address the crisis,
with an emphasis on decent work, promoting enterprises,
good governance, investment and social justice.
[Mr Van Rompuy] Just last year,
the European Council redirected considerable amounts of EU funds,
helping 800,000 young people in the eight most affected countries.
Last February we set aside €6 billion specifically for that cause
in the Union's next seven-year budget.
As I said, it will again be the highest priority on the mind of leaders in our next meeting
of the European Council at the end of the month.
Ladies and gentleman, every day, talented, motivated, energetic young people
keep knocking on doors.
In most of our countries,
the situation of youth unemployment is severe.
In certain countries, it's simply dramatic.
Just as long-term unemployment, early unemployment can leave very deep scars.
A closer look at some figures first.
In the European Union as a whole,
more than 5 million young people between 15 and 24 are unemployed.
That category can, however, reveal very different situations.
That's why we must go beyond the mere figures that the press loves to quote.
Especially when those figures are astronomical,
they risk creating a defeatist mood, a mission-impossible mindset.
It's only when you break down the figures and look at realities
that we can get a grip again on the situation
and work out targeted actions, action with real impact.
We both know,
to quote your 1919 Preamble,
that "injustice, hardship and privation (..) can produce unrest so great
that the peace and harmony of the world are imperilled".
Or translated into some of the EU's daily work today,
we know that,
when we work with our 27 countries on rescue mechanisms,
on surveillance of budgets, bubbles and banks,
or on youth employment policies,
we do not only do this for the sake of balance-sheets
and healthy economies.
We are doing this also for eminently political reasons.
To preserve, beyond monetary stability, the security of our countries,
our societies, our citizens.
It's even a matter of civilisation.
And both our organisations may be proud for having been honoured
with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize --
a happy occasion, which for the ILO occurred in 1969
(the year of your fiftieth anniversary)
and for the European Union just last year.
We are still young!
We are colleagues.