Tackling youth unemployment: MEPs conclude fact-finding visit to La Réunion

Four MEPs from Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee travelled to La Réunion, France, from 26 to 28 May to meet with the secretary general in charge of European affairs alongside other government officials. They also visited initiatives working to boost La Réunion’s economy and labour market, such as the maritime cluster, an innovation hub that ensures job creation at the island, and RSMA-R, a specialised military regiment training young people from disadvantaged background, with support from the European Social Fund +.

The delegation was led by Dennis Radtke (EPP, DE) who was joined by Sergio Humberto (EPP, PT), Hristo Petrov (Renew, BG), and Mariateresa Vivaldini (ECR, IT).

After the visit, head of the delegation Dennis Radtke (EPP, DE) said: “This visit gave us valuable insights on the special needs of an outermost region and delivered good examples how European money is spent and used to help young people access training and the labour market. Ahead of the negotiations on the next MFF, it was a particularly important visit to keep these experiences in mind."