Young people, and in particular those that needed to enter the labour market for the first time were also strongly impacted by the pandemic, as witnessed by the notable increase of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), which marked the end of the six-year trend of declining NEET numbers. In addition, young people are generally less well covered by social protection systems across the Member States, resulting in a higher risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) for 16-29 year olds, than for older people To reflect on these developments, on 5 April, the SPC held a thematic discussion on Social Protection and Social Inclusion, with a particular focus on the specific situation of young people in accessing various benefits and services of social protection. The exchange was framed by presentations from the European Commission and Denmark and was moderated by Sarah Marchal, assistant research professor at the University of Antwerp