New Policy Brief: Disability Inclusion in EU Youth Policies
The NEVI-EVY project has published a new policy brief entitled “Disability Inclusion in EU Youth Policies: Assessing the Reinforced Youth Guarantee in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Poland.”
The publication examines how disability inclusion is addressed within national Youth Guarantee frameworks and evaluates the extent to which existing policies support young persons with disabilities in their transition from education to employment.
Despite the growing recognition of disability within European youth employment policies, the analysis reveals that significant implementation gaps remain. Young persons with disabilities continue to face barriers related to accessibility, limited personalised support, weak school-to-work transitions, fragmented coordination between services and persistent labour market discrimination.
Comparative analysis across four EU countries
The policy brief analyses the policy frameworks and implementation mechanisms in:
- Portugal;
- Spain;
- Italy;
- Poland.
The comparison shows that all four countries formally recognise disability as a vulnerability factor within youth employment and social inclusion policies. However, the availability and quality of disability-specific pathways, personalised support and coordinated services vary considerably.
The publication also highlights the importance of European funding instruments, including the European Social Fund Plus, in supporting national reforms and activation measures.
Key recommendations
The policy brief proposes five priority areas for action:
- Strengthen disability mainstreaming within the Reinforced Youth Guarantee.
- Develop personalised and continuous transition pathways.
- Improve coordination between employment, education, health and social services.
- Invest in accessibility, skills development and employer engagement.
- Strengthen disability-disaggregated data and monitoring systems.
Read the accessible version: https://nevi-evy.eu/publications/Disability-Inclusion-in-EU-Youth-Policies/
Download the full policy brief: https://nevi-evy.eu/publications/Disability-Inclusion-in-EU-Youth-Policies/Policy%20Brief%20Disability%20Inclusion%20in%20EU%20Youth%20Policies%20vf.pdf
The publication was authored by Tatiana Ferreira and Antonella Rocca, with Mariano Soler-Porta representing the EURYO Editorial Board.
The policy brief was developed within the NEVI-EVY – NEETcraft Initiative: Innovations for Empowering Youth with Disabilities project and contributes to the wider European debate on inclusive youth employment policies and equal access to labour market opportunities.