Across Europe, young people are taking to the streets. Students in France are marching for smaller classes and better-funded schools. Protesters in Portugal are camping out in Lisbon's main square, demanding homes they can afford. In Italy, students have occupied schools. One Italian university student says she and her brother can barely afford the rent for their shared room, and that she once commuted from 75 miles away just to save money.
Sign the petition urging the European Commission and the Council of the EU to open up budget room for schools, universities, and affordable housing.
The protests started for different reasons in different countries, but the fear behind them is the same. A generation of young Europeans worries they will not have the opportunities their parents had. They are asking for investment in education, an end to soaring housing costs, and a job market that gives them a fair chance. Their protests are inspiring each other, and student unions across the continent are now sharing advice and tactics.
Many of the governments facing the most pressure, including France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Belgium, are carrying heavy debt, which makes it hard to increase public spending. But the EU has already shown it can find flexibility when it decides something matters. Under the bloc's budget rules, finance ministers have used a "national escape clause" to let more than a dozen countries raise defense spending without facing penalties.
The same approach could protect spending on schools, universities, and affordable housing. It would let governments invest in young people without being punished for it by EU budget limits.
If Europe can make room in its budget rules for defense, it can make room for classrooms and homes.
Sign the petition and demand the European Commission and the Council of the EU extend that flexibility to education and housing.
