New discount card for 115,000 unemployed ΔΥΠΑ

Thousands of unemployed people will receive a European Youth Card with discounts and benefits in health care, as well as when shopping, visiting cultural leisure facilities, entertainment and receiving various services.

ΔΥΠΑ Governor Spyros Protopsaltis, together with Education Minister Niki Kerameos, will announce today the cooperation between the Unemployment Agency and the Youth and Training Foundation. Presumably 115,000 unemployed will join the government assistance program and enjoy benefits European youth card. According to Dnews, this is a card that is already being issued to young people under 30, and will now be extended to the unemployed. This is a discount card, not a credit or debit card, which is valid for one year and can be renewed every year until the age of 30. The card is intended for:

a) subsidized unemployed,

b) students in 49 EPAS internship programs (6361 as of March 2020)

c) students of 29 IEK OAED (2128 as of March 2020).

The European Youth Card is already used by almost 6 million holders across Europe, who are offered a catalog of more than 100,000 offers. In Greece, the number of card holders reaches 13,000, and the number of collaborating enterprises and organizations is 160. In our country, young people who hold a card have access to a wide range of partner enterprises and cover many different areas of activity, for example:

• Transport: city / intercity, railway, ferry tickets.
• Education: distance learning programs of Greek universities, postgraduate centers, institutes of vocational training (VET),
• Vocational training centres, foreign language schools, dance classes.
• Tourism: hotels, room rentals, campsites, hostels, car rentals.
• Culture: cinemas, theaters, museums, cultural events, concerts.
• Shops: clothes, opticians, hairdressers, jewelry, books, manufactured goods (for home/gifts).
• Entertainment/food: restaurants, bars, cafes.
• Health: polyclinics, diagnostic centers, medical consultations.
• Sports: gyms, physical education classes, outdoor sports.
• Beauty: hairdressers, beauty salons.
• Services: telephony, internet, insurance, accounting, printing, repair.

Card users can receive discounts abroad (through the European Youth Card Association). According to ΟΑΕΔ, in Greece the total number of subsidized unemployed in February was 228,665 people, and in January – 232,870 people. The issuance of the European Youth Card is part of the overall reform framework provided by the labor market policy. The new structure is expected to have a close link between the unemployment subsidy, training and active job search. In addition, it is expected that young people will have financial incentives to return to the labor market more quickly.

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