HAVE YOUR SAY: CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE For a EUnited Europe 2021-2022
1. CLIMATE CHANGE & ENVIRONMENT
by Çağlasu, Aleyna, Maëlle, Alice, Chrysa
1. Current situation in EU In Europe things do not go as well as in the past. There is a war going on in Ukraine and an economic crisis. On the other hand, Europe has organised many opportunities for young people to improve their lifestyle, their school life etc. More specifically,through its environmental policy, the European Union (EU) has been improving Europeans' well-being since 1972. Today, the aim of EU environmental policy is to ensure that by 2050 we are living well, within the limits of the planet. To reach this goal, the EU is striving to move towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy, to safeguard biodiversity and to protect human health through legislation on air quality, chemicals, climate, nature, waste and water. Policies are implemented to protect the environment in the coming years.environment and climate policies underline that although Europe has helped to improve the environment in recent years, Europe has not made sufficient progress and the environmental outlook for the next decade is not positive.
2.The problems citizens face in their everyday life? Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been polluting the world more and more. Poisoning our own environment, nature and resources is a big problem in Europe and elsewhere. There are many environmental problems that cause the end of the world and feed global warming. Global warming and climate change are fogging the future of humanity and only humans can prevent this so we must do something as soon as possible. Between 1850 and 2017, the temperature of the planet has increased by 1.1 degrees. We only have some years left to do something to save our planet and to prevent irreversible damage from climate change. -
Air pollution Noise pollution Global warming Decreased potable water resources Pollution of factory waste etc.,
3. Possible solutions/suggestions to address this problem Humans have created many ways to fight climate change, for example, you can change your lifestyle to a more ecological one by stopping overconsumption, taking public transport…. We really need to do something to help the situation to live a healthy life in the future 1.Protect green spaces Parks and gardens in the city prevent the cities from overheating and stabilize the temperature to a great extent. You can mobilize municipalities for greening the idle areas around you and support afforestation and greening activities. 2.Talking to people Convincing more people to change is as important as making efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. By talking to people around you about the changes you have made in your life and telling them what they can do about global warming, you can help them change their lifestyles too. 3.Using renewable energy Non-renewable energy sources are the biggest problem of global warming. To prove this, people can first use renewable resources. By using energy saving light bulbs, public transport can be done individually and using solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydraulic energy and informing citizens can be done by the state. 4. Research Learn a little more every day. Climate change is growing and getting more dangerous every second. It can also be a precaution by learning more and different methods to save our earth.
2. HEALTH
by Sarah, Prune, George Vr, Ecem, Aslı
1. Current situation in EU Health is not going so well in EU because of the many negative facts that happen. These days we live in difficult situations both with the war that is happening and has brought many disasters and it hasn’t even finished yet and with the pandemy of covid 19 that has cost many lives of many people. So health in EU is not in the best situation but in this difficult moments we have to stay calm,strong and united so as our health will not be disturbed The coronavirus pandemic has revealed a need to work together to build stronger health systems and protect European’s physical and mental health.
Even if some countries face difficulties, the EU is there to help them and allow them to live in the best possible conditions during this period (by sharing money for example). As the world is aware of, health isn’t in a good condition nowadays even if it’s better than before. The virus Covid-19 hasn’t gone nor ended its vital effects. In addition it leaves heavy psychological damages. But surely everybody can say that it’s getting better everyday.
2. Problems citizens face in their everyday life. Citizens face covid 19 that has killed many people. Also the war that is happening nowadays and the many disasters that it has brought and a difficult period of time because the prices of all foods and goods are very high as and for oil and fuels that are very expensive hurtling a big amount of people dont go outside. People can be exposed to a wide variety of chemicals in their daily lives through polluted air and water, consumer goods and diet.
The quality of the environment in which we live has an impact on our state of health. The more the planet deteriorates, the more there are deaths each year. Because of the Covid-19, many people die everyday (especially the elderly and people at risk). Even if the government and the nursing staff create vaccines and solutions to try to integrate covid into our daily lives, the situation remains tense. They still face the virus which can take their lives or their health conditions. Also they face many mental problems due to their loved ones or the general situation. Even though they want to normalize their lives, the situation rejects them.
3. Possible solutions/suggestions. Air pollution is closely linked to heart disease,stroke,lung diseases and lung cancer in citizens,as it is the biggest environmental health risk in Europe. Citizens may be exposed to various chemicals in their daily lives from their diet and consumption due to polluted air and water. For this,they can take more various measures.
To improve the environment and therefore health, we can take fewer car trips, sort and recycle our waste, say no to plastic packaging, use rainwater, limit water consumption and eat less meat. If we want create vaccines for example, it would be great to respect the environment at the same time (no plastic packaging, etc) recycle if possible, prevent against the pollution when we discard our masks and the nurses’ combination.
3. A STRONGER ECONOMY, SOCIAL JUSTICE and JOBS
by Jeanne, Camille, Bill, Esranur Sümeyye
1. Current situation in EU. EU countries need to work together to ensure that our unique social market economy allows businesses to thrive , while protecting those in need. Nowadays in Europe, each country has its own currency and this doesn’t help at all.Social justice, is a problem about imbalances that are being observed in Europe, just like education and health. Last but not least, nowadays a lot of people who live in war countries have to leave. As a result, they must go to another one so they can find a job to take care of their families. In some European countries this inequality is more pronounced than in others, which indicates that countries must face this problem together. The daily value changes of currencies, which are different in each country, can be given as an example of the fact that the economy worldwide is not stable in a bad way.
2. Problems citizens face in their everyday life.
Nowadays, people mainly face couple of problems with economy, social justice, and jobs. Today , many people are experiencing financial difficulties. With the increasing population growth and unemployment in the 21st century, people began to experience economic difficulties. Livelihood standards has increased. Protests about social justice are being held all over the world. Social stratification is showing its effect more day by day. People who live in Europe and travel,have to change their currency when they change country. So, there is an unbalanced life from one currency to another.
3. Possible solutions/suggestions.
Countries working together, regulation of social balance, more international work in the field of equality can regulate this situation in behalf of humanity
One of the major problems of our society in Europe, and everywhere in the world, is the climate. But the European Union lead an environmental projet supports the transition to a low-carbon. An economy development plan should be prepared where people will not suffer.
4. EU IN THE WORLD
by Agathe, Clara, George K, Furkan, Deniz
1. Current situation in EU
Today Europe is a place of constant development and cooperation. European Territorial Cooperation is central to the construction of a common European space, and a cornerstone of European integration. It has clear European added value: helping to ensure that borders are not barriers, bringing Europeans closer together, helping to solve common problems, facilitating the sharing of ideas and assets, and encouraging strategic work towards common goals The european Union is The largest trading bloc in the world Indeed, Europe produce more than a quarter of the world’s wealth. It also tries to fight against poverty in two different ways : on the one hand, by providing humanitarian aid in the territories in crisi ans on the other hand by providing development aid. The European Union ants its Member States are the world’s main providers of development aid. Firstly, Europe has a very important place in the world. With 35% of world exports, the European Union is the world's leading export zone. This means that the European Union is the first region to export goods and services. The European Union is also the second largest agricultural power in the world. Overall, the European Union is the world's leading economic power with 26% of global GDP in 2010.
2. Problems citizens face in their everyday life There are various problems but the most important is the fact that the citizens do not find themselves in this political identity. They have a feeling of irreversibility and realize the very weak link between what they want and what is expressed in meetings and decision-making. Population ageing in Europe is caused primarily by three factors: declining fertility rates, increased life expectancy, and migration. The causes of population ageing vary among countries. Shortcomings of basic or strategically relevant products or services because of global crises and conflicts,especially in energy area(oil,gas). On of the major problems of the European Union is its dependence on world powers. The EU is still dependent on the rest of the world for basic products, in particular for energy. Its energy dependency rate exceeds 50%. Its dependence on OPEC countries and Russia is strong.This dependence was a problem during the COVID-19 crisis because imports were more complicated but also during the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. This conflict led Europe to take severe economic sanctions against Russia. A difficult situation with such energy dependence.The price of energy that comes from Russia has therefore risen sharply and if one day these commercial links cannot be interrupted, Europe will find itself in a very bad situation.
3. Possible solutions/suggestions The spread of irregular migrants should be prevented and a long-term economic plan should be made. European fabrication (renewable energy sources as well) should be better promoted and sustainable to decrease the external dependence,to prevent shortcomings of products. Solutions can however be put in place such as a voting system for EU residents and that they have the opportunity to propose their ideas. To reduce the problem of dependence on world powers, Europe must create its own renewable energy, which will also be an ecological asset.
5. VALUES & RIGHTS, RULE OF LAW, SECURITY
by Louane, Lilia, Thomi, Bilge, Merve
1. Current situation in EU As far as I read from the official website of EU,I have learned that EU does lots of things under the heading of it. The European Union has set out concrete measures to strengthen their capacity to promote and uphold the rule of law. They monitor the rule of law in all EU countries and have adopted a new ‘rule of law framework’. The EU constantly works to tackle inequalities in our Union, for example through the Eu Gender strategy.The Anti-Racism action Plan and ect. These actions build upon anti-discrimination rights established in the Charter of Fundamental Rights that prohibit any discrimination based on any ground such as race, gender, religion, disability, as well as ethnic or social origin.
Reading the website of EU, I have found that EU have done many things to protect all european citizens , to live in a big community of security and to live free with all values and rights. The European Security Union aims to ● ● ● ●
ensure that EU security policy reflects the changing threats landscape build long-term, sustainable resilience engage the EU institutions and agencies, governments, the private sector and individuals in a whole-of-society approach bring together the many policy areas with a direct impact on security.
Since Turkey isn’t exactly in Europe I might not be able to talk about the situation in Europe very accurately but I assume it is almost the same all around the world. Our values take a big part in our lives as they are one of the things that help keep the community safe. They also bring awareness to the table about being more considerate of other people which helps with the protection of their rights. Even though it saddens me to say this, it is the harsh truth that most of our values are forgotten and rights ignored. Of course this problem affects the sense of security you can have in the worst way possible. In an environment where even the bare minimum isn’t provided, it is nearly impossible to feel safe. I am aware of the fact that some precautions are taken to prevent these violations from happening. However it is simply not enough so I believe more serious measurements should be put into action.
2. Problems citizens face in their everyday life As we aren’t a member of EU I want to talk about the problems in general. Unfortunately people are not very tolerant to each other and the differences. Actually in my opinion differences make life more colorful. and we need all colors in our lives. To live in a harmony is important. To be clear , I am referring to such a serious and recent problem in our EU community. The greatest threat the EU currently faces in its immediate surroundings is the tension between Ukraine and Russia. The Russian leader’s initial aim was to overrun Ukraine and depose its government , ending for good its desire to join the Western defensive alliance Nato. But he failed to capture the capital Kyiv and has now shifted his ambitions to Ukraine’s east and south. If I were to talk about the possible problems I could face in my everyday life regarding security, I would put the lack of safety in the first place. I am fortunate enough to live in a safe area but how dangerous it is to live in those areas that are not as safe is honestly worrying. Also I believe I could face inequality because of many reasons.
We think that the financial inequalities are a real problem (We are talking about the fact that there are people who can't even buy food whereas some people have billions of euros). In our opinion, the wealth gap between the richest and the poorest people is too huge.
3. What are the possible solutions/suggestions to address this problem? According to us for all problems, the best solution is good education. If we educate people about the importance of values and rights,importance of rule of law and security.Education has the utmost importance here along with other things. higher punishments for some crimes would make Europe safer. Indeed, we think that the fact that some criminals are put in very good conditions despite their actions.
6. DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
by Ambre, Farah, Thanasis, Mert, Sami
1. Current situation in EU Digital transformation is a concept that defines the process of finding solutions to social and sectoral needs with the integration of digital technologies, and accordingly the development and change of workflows and culture. Digital transformation provides convenience in many matters such as time, files, paper and material. I am sure that it reduces the workload especially in big companies in America and it is a great convenience for the citizens. The EU attaches importance to digital transformation projects. The EU invests in digitalization, which will facilitate us in the conduct of state affairs, the development of social life, and education. In order to achieve this, investments are made in software, robotic coding, engineering, application design and graphic design. Young people are working to improve themselves in these areas. With the covid-19 era, the whole world has understood the importance of digitalization. Head of EU Delegation to Turkey, Ambassador Christian Berger, said, “The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the importance of communication and working together for all citizens of the world and the business world. We will focus on making all European countries benefit from digital services and innovations by focusing on our work on our member and candidate countries and our investment areas.” said. You must have a phone number to create a bank account, and to create an account on almost every big plateform. Thousands of homeless people do not have an access to internet, neither to a phone.
2. Problems citizens face in their everyday life Technology provides us with all kinds of convenience and gain. I can't see a problem, but using so many technological items in our daily lives causes us to be under the influence of radiation. Although it makes our life easier, this is bad. In daily life, digitalization solves many problems that require human power and intelligence. People are getting less tired day by day. This is actually a good thing, but it has its downsides. For example, people can become dependent on social media, which is one of the most important parts of digital transformation, by spending time outside of their purpose, damaging their psychological state. Another important problem: One of the goals of digital transformation is to reduce the use of physical force, to encourage people to think more and generate innovative ideas. However, people can’t adapt to the rapidly digitalizing world, use their bodies less and lose their thinking ability by spending a large part of their minds on entertainment. To give an example, I can say that instead of doing activities that will improve themselves in their spare time, I can say that those who spend their time just playing games or people who take reading out of their lives.
If you are not connected to all of this, you might feel rejected, have troubles doing things such as pay online, book things, find specific shops… It’s also difficult to be able to do such things if you don’t have internet connexion, or a bad one. It’s hard to be unable to contact others.The ads are also a big problem, they are not really supervised, and often say lies, they are more than often based on false studies, not allowing us to choose the best
3. What are the possible solutions/suggestions to address this problem? Although it makes our life easier, we need to balance the time we use technological devices. There should be a real authority ruling the technologies and internet, in order to protect and help the users. These problems can be solved by disseminating technology in a way that appeals not only to a certain segment but to the whole society. People should be helped by showing what digitalization is, how they can benefit from digitalization in their lives and how to do it right. An important point here is to keep the society up to date and willing to learn.
7. EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY
by Baptiste, Eléonore, Stratos, Antonis, Mehmet, Yeliz
1. Current situation in EU It is important to vote for your future. You must have your say about the issues in your country. High participation rates are the hallmark of healthy democracies. When the people vote it is good for the future of the community also all people have the rights to be a member of the talk about problems of their countries. It is important that people vote to make their country a better place. Citizens' opinions and choices are valuable.
The citizens can elect their representatives at the European Parliament. It's important as their representatives must have an opinion close to the one the citizens have.
2. What are the problems citizens face in their everyday life? People want to be more involved in the way decisions and policies are shaped at European level, and not just at election time. One daily problem that citizens face is the problem that create when people don’t vote. When people don’t vote, votes don’t represent all citizens. And it causes many problems in daily life. If the people don't vote, they cannot express themselves and they may disagree with the decisions made by their representants.
3. What are the possible solutions/suggestions to address this problem? To overcome the problem I had mentioned on the previous page, there are also a number of other EU initiatives that support public participation, such as Citizens’ Dialogues, European Citizens’ Initiative and petitions addressed to the European Parliament. We need to tell people how important it is to vote, and only a vote is also important. This problem can be, in our opinion, solved by inciting more people to vote and by explaining to them that their votes can change the way their country changes.
8. MIGRATION
by Nathan, Mathias, Athanasia, Apostolia, Tugba, Elifnaz
1. Describe the current situation in EU regarding your to ARAL/TUGBA: Migration is a important issue. I have learned that there are types of it. People migrate because of education, job, war and ect. European’s point of view is that ‘ managing migration through a predictable, balanced and reliable system’. I think that’s very important because because of the war in Syria, we have over 3 million immigrant and managing that number is too difficult.
Athanasia: Migration in Europe has increased in the past years. There are many people from countries with war that came to Europe to find an asylum. This is difficult sometimes because almost all European countries have immigrants and it’s impossible for them to find places for these people. In addition many countries now, provide to the refugees shelters, food, water and basic necessities in order to live.
Apostolia: In the European Union, unfortunately, there countries that migrate because of war ,work,economy and studies.
BAL Elifnaz: Immigration is one of the biggest issues these years. In Europe, most of the citizens don't want immigrants. Because they are unemployed and they don't know the country's culture to which they immigrated. They also need certain areas to live in, which is quite tough to provide. Sometimes, the immigrants even faced racism like their skin color or faith. France: For the moment, Europe supports migration in member state of the European Union. However, some people have been waiting for residence permits for years and are therefore deprived of many freedoms. It’s a huge problem that need to be solve as soon as possible for humanitarian reasons.
2. Problems citizens face in their everyday life Immigrants can have problems to get used to the life of the new country in general Now there is a new migration issue in Europe because of the war in Ukraine. Citizens are facing multiple problems. For example, they don’t have a job, which means that they have no income. They can’t send their kids to school because they can’t afford it. It is difficult for then to learn the language that is spoken to the country that they live in. In addition they get racist comments from other people for many reasons such as their skin color,their religion and most importantly the fact that they are refugees. They are called with different names and are judged for everything they do. :In Greece immigration is to a large extent. There are many families who want them and helped them but there are also many families who make daily complaints that they do not want them. For example, many people make a fuss and want to leave the country because they believe what is not good for their country. In general, citizens see the immigrants as excess. And they think the immigrants don't deserve to live in the country. Because for them, the immigrants only exploit the country and do nothing for the country. That’s why they complain about the immigrants in their daily life.
This subject is generating many negative reactions from citizens. For example, in France this creates many polemics and political debates. It is therefore a very divisive subject. And sadly, it is mostly more about racism than economic issues as these people claim. This problem comes mainly from the fact that migrants are badly treated by their host country.
3. Possible solutions/suggestions. The immigrants can be given information about the culture everyday life of the country they have migrated. As for the migration from Ukraine, everybody has to do their best to help them. All these problems can be solved if all of us help. We can organize campaigns to inform the public about the issue. By doing this, money can be raised to help them. By making small things for them that would mean the world to them. Also Europe can give them some allowance, until they will be able to make ends meet all by themselves. From my point of view, the problem would be solved if there was not so that many families would be forced to leave their country. Also if the economic situation of the country was in good dimensions then there would not be this difficulty to look for a country with better more jobs. One of the biggest reasons why citizens don't want immigrants is their inability about some topics. Such as business, and general knowledge about the culture. When immigrants don't work or anything about the future of the country, citizens have a great prejudice against these people. So I believe that if we provide business opportunities, educate them about the culture, and bring them an active position in the society, the prejudice and the other issues about the immigrants will decrease or completely disappear. First, it is in no way the fault of migrants, but rather the fault of the countries, which welcome them in large numbers, but absolutely do not take care of them. These people are abandoned in a country they do not know, surrounded by people who reject them, mostly racists. To solve these problems, more countries should accept to welcome migrants, to help the other countries which are very quickly overwhelmed.
9. EDUCATION & CULTURE
by Timéo, Barthélémy, Anastasia, Rafet, Mina
1. Current situation in EU European culture can be described as the Western Culture itself or its source. Europe is very developed in terms of education. There is a strong commitment at the EU level to ensure that culture is mainstreamed in all policy areas, with a special focus on the protection of cultural heritage and cultural diversity, which are key elements in cultural identity and expression. Also , on the whole, young people have a higher level of education than older adults, and youth unemployment rates have begun to decrease. In a Eurobarometer survey published in 2018 they placed education, skills and the environment at the top of a list of priorities for the EU. The EU is working to preserve Europe’s common cultural heritage. In European culture there is art, architecture, cinema, different types of music, literature and philosophy. Culture is present in many EU policies, such as education, research, social policy, regional development and external relations. The creation and promotion of culture relies on media and digital technologies. The EU encourages cooperation in the field of culture between national authorities and international organisations. Within the framework of the Erasmus programme, the EU also provides funding, tools and resources for individuals, organisations and policy reforms in the following fields: studies, training, stays abroad, knowledge exchange.
2. Problems citizens face in their everyday life ● ●
Lack of economic opportunity and unemployment Religious conflicts
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Corruption
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Young people are less likely to vote, or stand for election than older adults.
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Unequal access to school in different countries
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The problems of European cultural integration arise from national selfishness.
3. Possible solutions/suggestions Inequality of economic opportunity: The probability of a poor person to do a job is very low, but on the contrary, the probability of a rich person to do that job is very high. The solution to this is justice. The solution to religious conflicts is honest clergy. If the clergy mislead their religion, the public will be affected. The solution to corruption is honest businessmen and statesmen.
We can create new short-term education programs that include reaching a wider spectrum of young people, especially those from disadvantaged and hard-to-reach groups, making the results of the consultative process, known as youth dialogue, more tangible, and improving synergies between policy areas for greater effectiveness. By this way, we can teach teenagers to be active in daily situations and problems. Access to school and basic skills for everyone. - Accepting other people’s cultures even if we don’t like them.
10. YOUTH & SPORT
by Victor, Simon, Apostolos, Kalliopi, MERT, Aslı Nur, Reyyan
1. Current situation in EU regarding your topic Sport was included in the Lisbon Treaty (2009) as a new area of EU competence. The importance of having a European approach in this area is evident when it comes to promoting combating the threats affecting sport , such as match-fixing, violence or doping There is a portal about it in Europe. Here young people can find all the information they need to learn about sports. In addition, there are various activities on the portal to increase the interest of young people in sports. It's a really good opportunity for young people. he Fitness Day for Europe represents an initiative from the fitness and physical activity sector to celebrate the fun and importance of exercise and to encourage people to lead an active lifestyle. The BEACTIVE DAY partners host thousands of free events and activities organised across Europe and beyond in different locations such as fitness and sport centres, parks, high streets, schools, universities and workplaces, in the frame of the European Week of Sport.
2. What are the problems citizens face in their everyday life? Dependency of young people with the development of technology. However, one of the biggest problems is that they are addicted to technology, not sports activities. Citizens face many problems in their daily lives. More specifically, young citizens are not socializing because of technology and because of the increasing pace of lives. Next they can not enjoy their free time and their athletic activities.
3. What are the possible solutions/suggestions to address this problem? The state can provide more opportunities for young people to increase their interest in sports activities.We can instill in young people that the easier it is to access technology, the easier it will be to access sports.
The number of artistic and sports activities where we can be with people in our age range should be increased. So we can both discover our talents and socialize by making friends, and we do it in a healthy and fun way. In addition these events should organize small events with other schools or among themselves. These events may be sport competitions or training a sport for a certain period of time. It can be artistic activities to watch or participate in activities such as cinema, theater, opera, ballet, concert, exhibition, festival, folk dance.