Baltic Forum of the European Youth Parliament - Pre-session Issue by Annemari Sepp

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OF T YOUT

CONTENTS MEET THE OFFICIALS

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Is sharing actually caring?

IMCO

16-17

Refugees since 1685-what Europe can learn from its history

LIBE I

18-19

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14-15

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FEMM

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‘Feminism’: a cry for conflict?

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12-13

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ECON

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Where are you now that we NEET you?

4-7

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WELCOME FROM THE WELCOME FROM THE HEAD ORGANISER PRESIDENT

8-9

10-11

20-21

Do you hear the voices?

LIBE III

22-23

Stability with Inclusion

SEDE

24-25

A Story of “mobile” Peters

TRAN

26-27

LIBE II

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Stay protected: How can we avoid falsehood in the media?

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CHAIRS OF THE TEAM YOUTH P

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President: Daniels Grinevics Vice Presidents: Marilou Pelmont, Niks Berzins, Eoin O’Leary

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Chairpersons: Eeva-Liisa Puidet, Samuel Nelemans, Adelaide di Maggio, Kaarle Olav Varkki, Elza Linda Purvinska, Lauris Lauža, Lukasz Napiorkowski, Dana K. Skrupska, Niklavs Matusevich, Reinis Tutans, Eirini Samara, Sharon Galfre

EHT ORGANISERS FO HTUOY

F CITLAB RUE EHT FO ILRAP HTUOY MUROF CITLAB

NAEPORUE EHT FO TNEMAILRAP HTUOY

MUROF CITLAB NAEPORUE EHT FO TNEMAILRAP HTUOY

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Latvian and Lithuanian help: Ieva Elizabete Ergle, Simonas Rubis Teachers coordinator: Anna-Helena Saarso

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Head Organiser: Annika Ader Organisers: Anastasia Lvova, Elina Udekjul, Ilja Samoilov, Meeri S천elsepp, Saale Tartes, Andrus Raudsep

MUROF CITLAB

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MEDIA OF THE TEAM YOUTH P

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Editor: Imogen Findlay Lay-out: Annemari Sepp Video Editor: Kyrylo Korol Photographer: Natalia Khenkina Photos in this issue: Pexels.com

Journalists: Ann Iosebidze, Kaisla Richardson, Kaja Silva Aulik, KarlJoosep Volmerson, Michael Ernst, Mighel Molenkamp, Utkan Dora Öncül, Yulia Nahirniak

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OF THEOFEUROPEAN THE EUROPEAN BALTIC FORUMOF THE EUROPE YOUTH PARLIAMENT OF THE EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT YOUTH PARLIAM YOUTH PARLIAMENT Baltic Forum of EYP

PROGRAMME 26th of November-Thursday 19:30-20:30 Delegates arrivals and registration 21:00-22:30 Welcoming evening: Quiz night 27th of November-Friday 09:30-10:00 Transfer to Narva College 10:15-11:00 Opening of the Forum 11:00-11:20 Coffee break 11:20-14:00 General Teambuilding 14:00-15:00 Lunch 15:00-16:45 Teambuilding in committees 16:45-17:00 Coffee break 17:00-19:00 Teambuilding in committees 19:00-19:45 Dinner 19:45-20:30 Teambuilding 20:30-21:00 Transfer 21:30-23:00 Evening event 28th of November-Saturday 08:00-09:00 Breakfast 09:00-09.30 Transfer to Narva College 09:45-10:00 Introduction to Committee Work 10:00-11:45 Committee Work 11:45-12:00 Coffee break 12:00-14:00 Committee Work 14:00-15:00 Lunch 15:00-16:45 Committee Work 16:45-17:00 Coffee break 17:00-19:00 Committee Work 19:00-19:45 Dinner 19:45-20:30 Eurovillage preparation

20:30-23:00 Evening event: Euroconcert in an Eurovillage 23:00 Transfer to hotel 29th of November-Sunday 08:00-09:00 Breakfast 09:00-09:45 Transfer to Narva College 09:45-13:00 Committee Work & Finalising 13:00-14:30 Narva tour 14:30-15:30 Lunch 15:45-17:15 Workshops 17:15-17:30 Coffee break 17:30-19:00 General Assembly preparation 19:00-19:45 Dinner 19:45-20:15 Transfer 20:30-23:00 Evening event: Retro Disco 30th of November-Monday 08:00-08:45 Breakfast 08.45-09:30 Transfer 10:00-10:30 Opening of General Assembly 10:30-11:15 General Assembly 11:15-11:45 Coffee Break 11:45-13:00 General Assembly 13:00-14:00 Lunch 14:00-15:15 General Assembly 15:15-15:45 Coffee Break 15:45-17:00 General Assembly 17:00-17:30 Coffee Break 17:30-18:30 Closing ceremony

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*The organisers reserve the right to make adjustments to the schedule, should the need arise. Participants will be informed of any changes.

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OF THE EUROPEAN

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During my first EYP events I was confused by many things, like the kissing on the cheeks when I was greeted by people from other countries. But when we started to get to know each other we found out that despite different greetings, all of us had trouble doing school assignments or were not able to get that one good song out of our heads (which did not help with concentration for doing the school assignments). We found out that we were not that different after all.

FO OF C MUR ORUE EHT OY NAEP RAP HTU AIL TNEM

We, the young people, are the ones that create the future, although it does not always seem that way. During dinner parties with our families, our opinions are not listened to or we do not even get a chance to speak. But our opinions do matter because the different way the young people think about current issues is what will create a new and better future. Who would be better at suggesting solutions for the future than the people who will be living in it?

ITLAB

The most important thing about this forum is that it is a place where we can all learn about our different backgrounds and our own personal abilities which we can then further develop to become citizens of a more inclusive European society.

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O T EM C H N T F B MUR UE E A O L R T FO Y T I O R O C TUU FO EH HM ROF NAEP EHT E U U P E M U A R R EPOR O HTUOY P TUOY MAIL ILRA NNAA EAP AP H TNEM AILR TNEM

WELCOMING WORDS FROM THE HEAD ORGANISER

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In just a matter of days, I will say my welcome words and the Forum will begin. I cannot wait to get my speech out of the way and start listening to what you have to say. Let’s make these couple of days in Estonia worth our while, shall we?

ROPE YOUT AN H PA RLIA MEN T

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This time, however, the speeches you will have to endure will be short. This time, we care more about what you have to say to us, not the other way around. The Baltic Forum is your opportunity to meet like-minded, promising individuals from all three Baltic States and beyond to discuss some very relevant topics. It is your opinion that matters, and we are very excited to hear it.

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IC FO OF T R HE E UROP UM YOUT EAN H PA RLIA BALT MEN IC FO T OF THE RUM EURO YOUT P EAN H PA RLIA MEN OF T B

‘It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Baltic Forum of the European Youth Parliament’ are the first words you will hear from me on 27 November in Narva, Estonia. These words, as dull as they are, will mark one of your first EYP moments - listening to some old EYP’er delivering a speech, something quite common in our sessions.

OF T HE E M UR YOUT H PA OPEAN RLIA MEN T

Dear delegates,

All the best, Dan Grinevics

BALT IC FO I CA FO THE RUM OF T E U ROPE YU HE E LTIC FOR OUM T AN H R U U

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OF THE E WELCOMING WORDS FROM THE YOUTH PRESIDENT PA

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YOUT

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EMPL

WHERE ARE YOU NOW THAT WE NEET YOU? Written by: Kaja Silva Aulik

Referring to the Joint Employment Report of the European Commission and the Council of the EU, more than 1/8 of young people in the EU are not in employment, education or training (NEETs). Something as ordinary for us as getting an education and a job has somehow become completely unattainable-why?

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So what exactly is going on? For any regular person nowadays, the typical course of things tends to be getting an education, finding a job, fitting a family and social life somewhere in the midst of things, then living as happily as possible until you inevitably starts to slow your life down by retiring and enjoying the last of your days. However, over the past couple of years the amount of young people aged 15-21 who are not in any kind of education, employment or training has increased. The main causes seem to be rather predictable, such as a lack of educational qualifications and therefore school exclusion, having children Baltic Forum of EYP

at an early age, not living with their parents, having health problems, and wanting to get jobs before qualifications. The problem is nothing new, yet we have not yet found an adequate solution either. Anyone with empathy will realise that these youths are just like you and the person next to you, but when discussing the topic of what they want to do in life, they need a bit more help. Just 50 years ago, many of the aforementioned reasons were either completely taboo or not seen as a problem, but times have changed and the more you think about it, the less any

When looking at the most common reasons for becoming a NEET, the solution might seem tricky to find, since one cannot force anyone to do well in school or enjoy studying. I feel like this particular point requires one of those “classic EYP answers” consisting of media campaigns and informative school lessons which would ideally lead to every youngster being informed of their options and finding what they want to do. I can already feel the eye-rolls of experienced EYPers cringing simply upon hearing these words, but I find it very hard to believe that there are young people in the world who have nothing they are good at or passionate about. The key is getting information

Furthermore, it is important to remember that nothing is impossible. These youngsters who are considered NEETs are just like you & me, except their life has been a tad more complicated in certain aspects. Often when the solution to a problem seems unrealistic, people turn a blind eye and let it be, but this is not the case. The solution to this problem may not be one that comes with little effort in just a few minutes-it is a hard one to tackle, but everyone coming to the Baltic Forum is already trying to solve a very current topic. We are changing the world as we know it, so don’t underestimate your opinion, your experiences and your importance because right now, the NEETs need you.

to those who need it, but who do not know they need it.

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of those reasons actually feel like unresolvable issues.

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FEMM ‘FEMINISM’: A CRY FOR CONFLICT? Written by: Kaisla Richardson

Why ‘feminism’ is a word of invitation and solidarity for both men and women, and not a cry for war.

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In our society, gender stereotypes can be found everywhere. The baby boy gets a blue blanket; the baby girl gets a pink blanket. At the age of 7, a Barbie doll is brought home for Sally, while Dan gets a toy truck. In junior high, boys and girls are separated for gym class. The girls dance, practice yoga, and walk; the boys play football, wrestle, and play hockey. These sorts of separation continue until Sally stays home to take care of the baby and the house, while Dan goes off to work every morning. Now, the cases mentioned above are not a rule; there are exceptions, but the examples above represent an overwhelming trend. Most of these separations and stereotypes are not made maliciously. Many remain as a result of past culture. They come ingrained in culture today, and many people accept them without ever giving them a second

Perhaps ‘feminism’ is a word that favours the female sex. To many people, it portrays females as the victim and does not draw attention to gender stereotypes and pressures faced by men. In this way, ‘feminism’ is an often misunderstood and off-putting term. It could be considered that simply talking about ‘gender equality’ instead of ‘feminism’ might draw more people (men and women) into the conversation, which in turn would allow for greater positive change. ‘Gender Equality’ is the term favoured by the European Parliament. The European Parliament has recognised that gender equality is restricted due to negative gender stereotypes. The next step is to take action. The EU currently supports NGOs such as the UN women solidarity movement HeForShe that aims to make gender equality both a men’s and women’s issue. Progress has been made and still is being made, but the world is still a long way away from where it needs to be in terms of gender equality. UM

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, feminism is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes”. Unfortunately, feminism is sometimes seen as a women’s offensive that portrays men as the ultimate enemy and oppressor.

thought. This being said, stereotypes and standards towards women, and men, need to be changed. They become an issue when women face obstacles in the workplace that men don’t frequently face, such as a pay gap and harassment. They become an issue when men don’t feel comfortable expressing their emotions because they’ve always been told to ‘suck it up’ or to ‘be a man’.

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“Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong… It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum not as two opposing sets of ideals.” (Emma Watson for HeForShe, 2014)

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IMCO

IS SHARING ACTUALLY CARING? Written by: Mighel Molenkamp

Opportunity or threat: a deeper view on how the sharing economy affects our daily lives.

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You are on a Euro trip and want to go from Amsterdam to Brussels, but you have not arranged any transport yet. Via BlaBlaCar you find someone who has to make the same journey as you do and has a seat left. You get in touch with this person, and you are on your cheap ride to Brussels the next morning. Because of travels, you do not feel like cooking. EatWithMe connects you with a family who have an extra spot at their dining table, you merely have to share the costs for ingredients. Accommodation? Airbnb provides a platform for owners to sublet excess property for a fair price. This sharing economy has taken a prominent place in our daily lives, and people are constantly sharing under-utilised assets from spaces to skills to stuff for monetary or non-monetary benefit. Many of these services had their in-

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ception between 2008 and 2010, in the aftermath of several financial crises. Increasing unemployment rates and decreasing purchasing power forced consumers to look for additional ways to earn and save money. The idea of using already existing resources rather than buying new ones corresponds with the significance of sustainability these days, as the emphasis shifts from ownership to sharing. Sharing platforms offer opportunities to increase social connections, like meeting new people or getting to know oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neighbours. The immense speed of sharing services make it an attractive option, while digital technology ensures that you are just one tap away from your desired service. The sharing economy creates a lot of new jobs, but it also jeopardises old ones in the same sector. There have

Now, is sharing actually caring? While the sharing economy provides us with many opportunities in terms of speed, innovation and sustainability, it also has substantial drawbacks. There is still much to be done to ensure all of us can benefit from the innovative potential and high accessibility of the sharing economy.

Questions of quality and safety risks also arise, since the provider of the service is not a brand or a company. Additionally, those who provide these services are technically not employees of the respective companies, they solely offer their services

through its platform. This also means that those active in the sharing economy are not protected by labour laws, and sharing platforms can hardly be held liable in case something happens. Airbnb does not screen hosts or renters, making users rely completely on ratings and rankings. Hosts have reported about finding their homes in a complete mess after renting it out, while consumers have been tricked into renting fake property.

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been a lot of protests in major cities across Europe, accusing sharing services of having an unfair advantage, seeing as they are not regulated thereby circumventing and infringing different competition, taxation and labour laws. Advocates of the sharing economy often claim that these services should be less strongly regulated than â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;oldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; services, as they foster innovation and sustainability. Advocates also claim it benefits competition, while the opposition claims it disrupts competition.

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LIBE I

REFUGEES SINCE 1685-WHAT EUROPE CAN LEARN FROM ITS HISTORY Written by: Michael Ernst

With thousands of people fleeing the war in the Middle East, devastated economic situations in their countries of origin or because of other motives, one has to ask themselves why we have the current Migration Period. The majority of people look at this crisis from an economic, political or military stance. Instead of simply following these approaches, I felt the need to contemplate this situation by looking at our very own history. RGB: #2E293A

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Fleeing because of religion “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”-The Bible

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The Edict of Nantes, issued in 1598, brought an end to the long-lasting religious wars in France. It allowed Protestants to live and work in a secure environment. This all changed when Louis XIV issued almost a hundred years later, in October 1685, the Edict of Fontainebleau that revoked all rights that had hitherto been acquired by Huguenots (French Protestants). The emigration of about 500,000 Hu-

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guenots followed and a huge wave of refugees struck the national borders of Switzerland, Great Britain and the Netherlands as well as colonies in South Africa and North America. To this day there are small communities around the world which embrace the almost ancient traditions of the Huguenots. Fleeing because of ethnicity “What on earth do you want? The question is settled. There are no more Armenians.”-Talat Pasha When reading a history book you often encounter war and battles, ac-

The Russian Revolution of 1917 meant becoming stateless for a ma-

For the longest time, people have said both that humans learn from history that humans donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t learn anything from history. It is now time to change this and find solutions for this pan-European problem on a level of history. The high influx of refugees in Europe is far less surprising when looking at how things were settled in the past. UM

Fleeing because of ideology â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed.â&#x20AC;?-Vladimir Lenin

jority of the people fleeing from the Communist Soviet Union. A total of 1.5 million people had to seek refuge after what had happened. Most of the refugees were aristocrats. Only 30 years later history repeated itself and programs against Jews started to take place in the whole of Germany and Europe. When Nazi Germany started to support attacks against Jewish shops and people, many of them chose to flee to the West of Europe.

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companied by slaughter and starvation. It is quite rare you find an incident more atrocious than the horrors of war. One of these cases is genocide, the homicide of a people. From 1908 to 1919 the Ottoman Empire systematically started to kill the Armenian minority in its country, with the total amount of deaths estimated to be between 800,000 and 1.5 million. The 880,000 surviving Armenians mostly became refugees and fled to other countries. Armenian minorities remain in countries all over the globe today.

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LIBE II STAY PROTECTED: HOW CAN WE AVOID FALSEHOOD IN THE MEDIA? Written by: Yulia Nagirnyak

Stephen Glass, a 25-year old journalist for “The New Republic” magazine, fabricated at least 27 articles and became one of the most successful journalists of his time, but how?

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It happened in the US just 17 years ago, in 1998. After the truth was revealed, his magazine suffered huge losses; he himself has not found a proper job since. Glass had been throwing dust in audiences’ eyes for three years and nobody doubted his words - not even his editor, who triple-checked every single fact. How can you know this is not happening to you right now?

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People tend to believe the media for one simple reason: journalists are paid to gather infor-

mation, therefore taking responsibility for conveying the truth. Big media companies such as BBC, CNN or DW claim to follow basic journalism fact-checking principles consisting of three stages of verification. They never include a fact unless authenticated by at least three independent sources.

68 people work there simply to verify information. Unfortunately, not all media firms do the same. Comparing news from several outlets may not only help to find differences, but also widen the story since every outlet has its own angle.

3. Go to the local media. Who would be more accurate: French media covering a Japanese earthquake or Japanese media covering attacks in Paris? Neither. They try their best, but still cannot know for sure what is going on thousands of kilometres away. It is better to get information about a certain region from its local media.

The desire to get information as quickly as possible may be stronger than the desire to be certain of its validity. Here are several methods to prevent yourself from believing falsehoods:

4. Be diverse and up-to-date. Don’t just focus on the dominant few. Try combining different outlets such as newspapers, radio, magazines, TV and, of course, online media. Social media can also provide important information, often faster and even more accurate. Bellingcat, for example, publishes investigations based only on open-source information accessible online.

1. Check what others say. German magazine “Der Spiegel” claims it never apologises for mistakes because it never makes them.

This phenomenon of circular reporting became popular due to accessible information spreading with enormous speed. In 2007, a British medical magazine (BMJ) published a joke article titled “Energy expenditure in adolescents playing new generation computer games” that was referenced in almost 400 scientific publications.

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But gimmickry could be present even here. One small outlet publishes an unproven fact, which is then used by two others. If anything happens, they refer to each other to clear themselves of spreading misinformation. As a result, big media firms can quote falsehoods referring to these three small outlets as properly verified sources.

2. Look for the original source. Checking original sources is crucial to prevent misinterpretation. In winter 2015, Ukrainians noticed something suspicious in words of their Prime Minister. It turned out that Russian TV channel LifeNews had incorrectly translated his interview for German channel ARD, apparently claiming that Russia invaded Germany in 1941. Those who watched the original interview did not hear this mistake.

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LIBE III DO YOU HEAR THE VOICES? Written by: Ann Iosebidze

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Language is the apparel in which your thoughts parade before the public.â&#x20AC;?-George Crane

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Nowadays, people worldwide strive to make their voices audible and thus display their unique ideas, but for some this may be harder to accomplish than it seems at first glance. The key problem is rooted in their inability to speak and understand the official language of the country they live in. Due to this obstacle, the representatives of linguistic minorities in the Member States of the European Union are becoming victims of constant exclusion from communities and a lack of access to basic services such as education.

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In this context, EYP itself could not be more similar to the Member States. Regardless of whether you are a first timer or one of the already experienced alumni of EYP, you surely will have acknowledged the high level of positive changes this organisation Baltic Forum of EYP

has inspired in the process of your personal development. It will have shaped you into a well informed and capable individual ready to freely fight for your beliefs. Now think for a moment about all the youngsters who might be just as gifted and motivated as you are, but are deprived of the wonderful opportunities EYP has to offer due to one simple yet crucial reason: the language barrier. This is just a drop in the ocean of challenges that the representatives of linguistic minorities face. To put an end to this problem, just like individual National Committees of EYP are working on the inclusion of minorities into their activities, Member States of the EU must do the same; however, since the protection of linguistic rights remains a competence of a country, no universal regula-

All in all, the hope of achieving promising results in the long run lies in the approach of promoting the uniqueness of linguistic minorities and assisting them in raising their voices while cherishing their mother tongues, thus giving them the ability to express their real selves and ensuring that they will be heard. UM

Eventually, in a territory of the powerful Union gaining more competence and strengthening its ties on a

daily basis, linguistic minorities still continue to live in the ugly reality of social isolation and poor availability of education. These factors leave a lasting mark on both their motivation and performance and act as detrimental causes for the horrible conditions of their everyday lives.

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tions have yet been applied to tackle this issue. As for the efforts taken by specific countries, even though they have resulted in clear progress, they proved to be insufficient mainly because the vast majority of projects put into practice are focused on encouraging youngsters from different backgrounds to speak and study in the domestic language only. Contrastingly, the minorities naturally do not desire to assimilate into existing communities and would rather maintain their culture and language.

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SEDE

STABILITY WITH INCLUSION Written by: Karl-Joosep Volmerson

“The situation at our [European] borders has never been more urgent and never more unstable,” stated Federica Mogherini adding, “None of us, alone, can succeed in this complexity.” Concerning insufficient military forces, sanctions, slow reactions and patient negotiations-what do we have on our hands?

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The values and goals of the European Union have been reached. Our internal image is damaged and in reality it affects us and leads to our downfall, especially related to war and humanitarian crises such as Ukraine, the Middle East and North Africa, all of which surround us and have direct effects on the European Union as a whole. Questions and doubts arise when discussing the strategy of reaching solutions together in the European Union as 28 independent countries having their own interests but sharing the same values. What are the main concerns? Baltic Forum of EYP

Firstly, the Common Security and Defence Policy sets the European Union to act as a worldwide safety provider. A proposal made by the European Commission to create an EU joint military force, seems to be a quick and effective response to the current insufficient situation. It is backed by many High Representatives such as Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, as well as Ursula von der Leyen, the Defence Minister in Germany. However, it also has many opposing parties, especially in the UK. It is opposed with the fact that defence, in

their opinion, is a national responsibility and would damage countriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interests. This gives rise to a question: are we ready to sacrifice further on our national level in order to stabilise difficulties in non-member states? Furthermore, the current migration crisis is mostly an outcome of the civil war in Syria as well as other countries, such as Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq. Presence and humanitarian aid from the EU is clearly insufficient in the Middle East and North Africa. Extreme and radical movements threatening the lives of millions of people living in the centre of the doom are only gathering resources and power. This causes the massive flow of people escaping from terrorism and war. The solution cannot be reached by not engaging. One of our values is human life, not closing borders and waiting for things to get better. With the need of acceptance of every member state, how far are we ready to go?

actions. The problem itself is growing every day and changing its faces. The Committee on Security and Defence is presented at the Baltic Forum in Narva to discuss the problems regarding this topic. They are facing very real, current questions that Europe as one needs to find answers and solutions for, including every issue and interest. The author of this article believes that the cooperation and debates are going to be productive and appealing, full of fresh, young and bright ideas. Good luck!

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Europe indeed has to reach a conclusion and begin with Baltic Forum of EYP

TRAN

A STORY OF “MOBILE” PETERS Written by: Utkan Dora Öncül

“We do not have urban mobility issues, we just have plenty of time to waste in massive traffic jams.” Well, not really.

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As the population of Europe is projected to reach 0.67 billion in 35 years, time consumed by the endless hours wasted in massive traffic jams while floundering in front of your steering wheel is likely to increase to a great extent. Therefore, the EU’s principles of offering its citizens a prosperous life will be damaged vastly, leaving European citizens with nothing but dissatisfaction through transportation in their daily routine.

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Considering EU citizens’ regular practice of eating from McDonald’s drivethroughs, visiting posh clubs showing off their Porsche or having to drive an extra 7km just to get that discounted KFC bucket, their unconscious dependence on petrol fuelled Renaults roaring with CO2 emissions even while completing the simplest daily Baltic Forum of EYP

tasks reflects the sad truth. Let’s meet Pedri from Sweden who steps up to his fancy electrically charged vehicle and leaves his cottage in Sodermalm, heading to Stockholm. He leaves the highway, avoiding the congestion charge, and fulfills his “hygge” meter in a IKEA furnished coffee shop. Pedri heads to work and increases the number of vehicles in the city centre, wasting his time and energy finding a parking spot. Late to work. Likewise, Pietro from Italy twirls the ignition key of his conventional Fiat 500 and departs to Rome city centre leaving his house in San Lorenzo, while still feeling the taste of his morning espresso in his scarf covered throat. He uses his TomTom naviga-

tion to navigate through ancient labyrinth of narrow streets and find the desired parking spot outside the historic area due to a vehicle ban, then scampers to the Architecture studio. Surprisingly, late to work again. On the same virtue, Peder from Istanbul, who is struggling to reach Bosporus Bridge connecting two sides of a 17 million inhabitant city, speeds through the emergency lane imitating that he is having a baby while devouring his Turkish bagel and bearing his testimony to his boss whilst stopped by a police officer. Even later to work. Conversely; Peter from Borgenhausen of M端nchen burns off the traces of Oktoberfest, cycling to the S-Bahn to his work at Volkswagen to develop the network of cars communicating with each other and suggesting a better route to minimise traffic jams in other areas of Germany. He is well reputed among his colleagues because of his time management. Never late to work.

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This 21st century living that we Europeans have adopted may seem sumptuous, avant-garde and unlaboured with the humungous help of cars, however as Peter proved, automobile dependent living beckons a future of uncomfortable transportation, always coming up with problems that harm us in terms of time, mentality and economy. As individuals of the European society, just like all the Peters, we have different ways of daily transport, but is it necessary to oppose urban mobility systems? Baltic Forum of EYP

BALTIC FORUM OF THE EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT

Initiated by: TEGUSAD EESTI NOORED

Supported by:

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OF THE EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT YOUTH PARLIAMENT

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