Introduction to the European Youth Guarantee

This chapter focuses on the Youth Guarantee (YG) to understand how European governance mechanisms can affect adult education in member states. It clarifies how young adults that are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs) came to be conceived as a privileged target of European policy, the reasons behind the YG, and how the European Union (EU) financially supports its implementation. Accordingly, this chapter offers the background for the examination of member states’ responses or rejoinders to the YG that are presented in Chaps. 9 to 17.