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At the 1997 Luxembourg Summit on Employment, EU governments agreed a set of principles relating to the provision of education and training measures which aim to reduce the chances of economic marginalisation and social exclusion among young people who have been unemployed for six months or more. This book introduces the findings of qualitative research conducted in eight member countries and contrasts and compares state approaches to implementation of these principles, critically assessing their impact and highlighting those factors which improve, or provide barriers to, effective integration. The conclusions are presented within the context of current debates surrounding the impact of globalisation, the changing structure of advanced economies and the question of citizenship. The authors illustrate the existence of similarities in policy objectives, mechanisms of implementation and the problems encountered regarding the effectiveness of delivery. It is argued that while such similarities illustrate that EU member states are beginning to develop youth unemployment measures based on common criteria, full convergence will simply not be possible in a Europe that continues to be characterised by uneven patterns of social and economic development at local, regional and national levels.