European governments, employers and trade unions called on Thursday for reduced labour costs, more apprenticeships for young people and lower taxes on business start-ups as a way of easing the impact of fast-rising unemployment.

At a meeting in Prague, they agreed a 10-point programme that also urged the EU’s 27 countries to fight the scourge of long-term joblessness by providing intensive training and job search opportunities in the first weeks and months after an employee loses work.