A new fund, the Youth Employment Initiative, to help Europe's young unemployed, a call for help for Syria and a report on arms exports is shot down.

Youth unemployment / Syria / Arms exports

Times are hard for the 23%  of Europe's youth out of work.

But under a new €6 billion scheme,  the under-30s will be given a new boost.

The Youth Employment Initiative seeks to  guarantee a job, training or apprenticeship

for those out of work  for more than four months.

But will the new fund do enough  to bring down youth unemployment?

Six billion is a signal,  a political signal,

and beyond that the European Social Fund  will come in to support the same trend.

There are now 1.3 million refugees  of the Syrian crisis

and the UN projects that number will rise  to 3.5 million by the end of the year.

As the situation inside Syria  continues to deteriorate,

fighting threatens  to cross the Lebanon border,

which could destabilise  the region further.

The Humanitarian Aid Commissioner was  at the EP and said Europe must do more.

a comprehensive programme  to support Syrians

and this is where EU leadership  is absolutely paramount.

The conservative majority  of the Foreign Affairs Committee

rejected a report on arms exports  that could have enforced stricter controls.

With the war escalating in Syria,  the question of arming Syrian rebels

has been raised  by both the UK and France.

But the EU's arms embargo prevents  the export of weapons to crisis countries.

I think, and that's what became obvious  in the run-up to the discussion,

that there is a fear that the interests  of the arms industry will be weakened

if this common point of view is really  implemented more effectively.