THE FIRST ISSUE OF KH17
S T EN T CO N O F LE
TA B
Healthy parks; Healthier people
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No smoke without fire
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The EU and the recognition of a transgender citizen
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Over the garden geo-block
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Heat up your place with the energy from food waste
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Credits:
The Young and the Jobless
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Articles written by the Media Team of Kutnรก Hora 2017.
Principles of the Cotonou Agreement
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Why Turkey is Afraid of Greeks
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Layout done by Vanda Petrak (HR)
Healthy parks; Healthier people The health benefits of green spaces in urban areas are prominent, yet the role of green infrastructure and urban planning in the 21st century is underestimated and needs to be addressed. Cities need to be celebrated and curated Throughout history cities have been centres of commerce, culture and learning as well as providing the breeding ground for mankind’s great advances, past and present. Ten years ago (in 2007.) for the first time in human history, the majority of the world’s population was living in urban areas. With this shift in society it is vital to recognise that cities are comprised of more than just humans, buildings and traffic jams. The transformation into a “homo urbanus” brings a multitude of challenges and problems with it. Now is the point in history when urban planning enters the stage. In need of an explanation? Look no further! Urban Planning is a relatively new profession which strives to maintain wellbeing for all inhabitants of the so-called urban jungle. In a perfect world cities avert diseases caused and spread by overcrowding, poor sanitation, water quality and pollution on their own; since this is not happening on its own: urban planners to the rescue! In evergrowing cities the pressure for space is undeniable.
The (health) benefits are countless: Access to parks reduces stress levels and symptoms of depression, as well as the perception of general-health. Simply being near a green area increases the likelihood of achieving the suggested amount of daily physical activity that city folks are so desperately lacking. To ensure that people across all ages can enjoy the great outdoors of their city, there need to be biking tracks, clean paths, as well as benches to get some rest on and bins for garbage disposal. On the flipside a poor walking infrastructure and lack of recreational facilities cause physical inactivity levels to rise even higher, which has been identified by the WHO (World Health Organisation) as the 4th leading risk factor for causing global mortality.
Building a walkable city While this is not feasible for every major city, simply the sheer atmosphere of a town can decide between walking to a destination or taking the subway, even if it’s just for one or two stops. A walkable city is simply a better city! The focus lies in a human centered approach to design. Simply put it is: making people aware of the spaces they inhabit and what is around them, realising which daily commutes are walking distance and making the walkability of a city seen as a societal factor. For example, Strolling home after a meeting with a friend is way more pleasurable than being squeezed into an overcrowded subway-carriage during rush hour! To summarize: the aim of urban planning would be to stop planning cities for cars and traffic, because that only gets you cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, it’ll get you people and places! We now have the opportunity for human-centred design, to place people back at the heart of our cities!
Still, open spaces and green areas are a must! 3
Written by Margit Kienzl (AT) 4
No, the reason behind the refugees not flying into Europe is called “The Council Directive 2001/51/EC”, and not “sweaty omelette with cheese”. What is the Council Directive 2001/51/EC? Excellent question, let me explain.
No smoke without fire
You are the CEO of an airline that is doing well on the market of commercial travelling by aircraft. That is quite the achievement by itself, considering the current state of said market, with airlines such as Air Berlin barely keeping their heads above the water line. The monthly revenue report for your corporation landed on your office desk yesterday and it is with almost juvenile excitement that you pick up the various, number filled documents. You cannot contain your excitement because you know it will be good news. You know that if everything went according to your business analyst’s calculations you will finally get your hands on the new Boeing 777X. Yes, I agree with you. The previous scenario is quite unthinkable and intangible. I mean, I would even go as far as to call it an impossibility. I have at least never heard of such a thing. “Refugees taking a commercial, mundane flight to safety”. It makes no sense to me, though. Why do refugees not just take normal flights into Europe? Why do they embark on these obviously dangerous boat rides over the Mediterranean? I mean I’ll give you that one, the food that is served on planes tends to be quite horrible, but surely the refugees don’t hate plane food that much. 5
It is a legally binding addition, if you will, to article 26 of the Schengen Convention that implements the Schengen area. This is the area within the EU where citizens of EU member states can roam freely. In 2001 the Council of the EU was scared that illegal third country nationals, officially referred to as “aliens”, would abuse this right that EU citizens get to enjoy. So, in retrospect, they added the Council directive 2001/51/EC which states that any form or shape of commercial transportation that transports illegal immigrants into EU, will be fined. When I say fined, I do not mean the fines you get when you take your chance and illegally park your car for 10 minutes while you buy groceries. No, the minimum level lump sum that you are fined with if you happen to bring in a few illegal immigrants is 500’000 euros. That is, if you are lucky, have a good reason for the slip up, and a bad prosecutor in court. So, what is the consequence of this? Airlines are scared of accidentally bringing people who do not have proper documents into the EU, because they do not want to risk being penalised, which you as the CEO of your own airline surely understand. What the Council did not know at the time, however, was that there was a global humanitarian crisis brewing, one that would displace literally millions of innocent people in need of a new home. Now the directive not only prevents illegal immigrants from entering the EU, but also refugees. Since airlines oftentimes cannot confirm the legality of transporting refugees, because of trouble with bureaucracy of passports and visa applications, they refrain from transporting them completely. Great, you are a refugee who has travelled thousands of kilometres to fly to safety, just to be denied at the finishing line. Obviously, this is the point where desperation hits. You have come this far, and you are not giving up now. So consequently, you pay a literal fortune to get on the disastrous rubber boats that you cannot find on TripAdvisor. Essentially, the directive is obsolete since it was created without a backup plan. It was created without that “what if” background thought, which effectively becomes the root of the problem. I have to applaud the EU for initiatives such as the Emergency Response Mechanism (ERM) that truly help combat the humanitarian crisis we are facing today. However, until the directive is modified and rewritten to fit the situation we currently are in, the EU cannot sleep at night with good conscience. Examples for this include, yet are not limited to the pictures of Alan Kurdi. You know, the one of the little boy who was washed up on a beach in Greece. When that changes, we can with good conscience sleep at night. Written by Robin Bucher (FI) 6
THE EU AND THE RECOGNITION OF A TRANSGENDER CITIZEN Furthermore, suicide cases are also common among European transgender citizens under the age of 25 years.
Their only dream and goal for a significant part of their lives was to be themselves, someone they really are. However, many problems affect their desire for an everyday social and private life. Despite the fact that the actual number of transgender people in Europe is yet unknown, it is certain that these people regularly face acts of discrimination, bullying and violence in their daily life. These acts not only have a long term impact on their social and professional lives, but commonly damage their mental health. Discrimination affects transgender people in many forms. They are forced to face problems in access to employment, housing and healthcare. Moreover, transgender communities are often targeted by hate speech, hate crime, physical and psychological violence. Nowadays rates of crime against transgender people keep rising higher and higher. Statistics say that since 2009. more than 1500 people were found dead in incidents all around Europe (according to Transgender Europe’s Trans Murder Monitoring Project).
Transgender communities face many other different conflicts. One of the main is public opinion. Many people around Europe express doubts based on traditional values about inclusion of gender diverse people into society. This is caused by lack of awareness and education among the public and often leads to further incidents of discrimination.In a number of European countries, those who want the change of gender to be legally recognized encounter many problems. Citizens of Malta, Ireland and Denmark only need to notify the government of their decision, as these countries do not require any medical diagnosis. However, some other Member States still force transgender people to go through sterilization procedure in order of legal recognition. This surgery is one of the hardest, longest and most expensive in the present medical world. 7
Additionally, some EU states still consider being transgender a mental illness, so recognition in these countries also requires the official diagnosis of mental illness signed by a psychiatrist.
to stop these acts and help members of transgender communities feel comfortable and safe within the European society.
Even though European institutions are trying to play a bigger role in the protection of transgender citizens, there are still a lot of improvements that need to be done in this area. For example, national governments rarely have a clear legislation of anti-discrimination or the legislation lacks protection of transgender people who are not willing to undergo gender reassignment. Currently there is number of European non-governmental organizations (for example ILGA, TGEU) that are giving different kinds of help to members of transgender communities. They give trans people a voice in Europe, raise awareness on issues transgender people are facing and support trans movements. Some of them even do research and provide authorities with information, which helps in consulting major organizations (for example the UN). Some European countries have their own NGOs, which work in partnership with ILGA and TGEU.
Some prominent NGOs fighting for transgender rights in the EU: The Finnish national human rights NGO Seta was founded in 1974 and since that time has been involved in many transgender support events around the country. This organization runs a special unit named Transgender Support Center that provides free support and advice regarding gender identity and expression and its activities always include social and youth work. The Gender Trust is a charitable organization based in the UK, which focuses on promoting public education about transgender people and gender identity issues. In 2007. this NGO was suggested as one of the best professional organizations from which a person can seek guidance if troubled with gender identity issues.
Despite the work of these and many other NGOs, transgender people are still being affected by acts of violence and discrimination. Our main goal is
Another UK-based campaign group Press for Change (PFC) protects rights of transgender citizens in order to seek respect and equality for all trans people all around Great Britain. Many of the PFC members have been awarded an MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in recognition of their work representing transgender people.
Written by Anna Gurariy (CZ) 8
OVER THE GARDEN GEOBLOCK
The internet and digital technologies are transforming our world. But existing barriers online mean citizens miss out on goods and services, internet companies and startups have their horizons limited, and businesses and governments cannot fully benefit from digital tools. Plans to reverse the fragmentation of internet shopping and other online services have been unveiled by the EU executive, which called for a digital single market in Europe covering everything from e-commerce to broadband spectrum, courier and parcel delivery rates, and uniform telecoms and copyright rules. The Digital Single Market Strategy is built on three pillars: Access: better access for consumers and businesses to digital goods and services across Europe; Environment: creating the right conditions and a level playing field for digital networks and innovative services to flourish; Economy & Society: maximising the growth potential of the digital economy. However, all of these plans raised a significant amount worries from both companies and citizens.
So last week I decided to start earning my own allowance and get a job. Since some friends of mine have already started working in different Online English teaching schools, I decided to give it a try myself. Having been sent a data sheet with numerous companies, I found one that suited my needs. It was a mobile phone application, that resembles Skype and offers you to chat with people with various interests and help them improve their English speaking skills. The pay was sufficient and my phone was good enough for the requirements, so I installed it. The first thing I already saw as a problem was PayPal. I come from Serbia, a country which has only got this payment system a few years and it is still a complicated process to get an account. So, obviously, the first thing they asked me was my nationality. There was a list and I was supposed to select my country of residence. Scrolling through, I saw that there was no Serbia. As I usually do when things like this occur, I checked whether there is any other neighbouring country. When I couldn’t find them, I sent an email asking is it even possible to work from my country. Still being curious, I scrolled the whole list and suddenly started laughing like crazy. There was a Yugoslavia option! I mean the country hasn’t existed for twenty something years now! And this is what got me interested in The Digital Single Market.
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The Motion Picture Association of America and other media producers reportedly expressed concern that the new portability rule would ultimately prevent them from deciding where to license content and to have a region-by-region approach when going to market. The Independent Film & Television Alliance also criticized the EU’s plan, arguing that Brussels’ push for a Digital Single Market would “severely limit producers’ and distributors’ ability to structure and finance production within and outside of Europe”. Of the myriad challenges a country faces in transporting its old manufacturing base into the digital age, the most daunting surrounds its manpower shortage. Germany doesn’t have enough skilled digital workers today, and it’s unlikely to obtain it as its population ages and shrivels. Some forecasters put the looming deficit as high as 3 million by 2030, a shortage with potentially devastating consequences for German industry. And if a country as big as Germany has a lack of skilled people, imagine the problems which could arise in other EU and non-EU countries. The final draft of the new legislation is expected be completed by 2016. and, once adopted, the new rules are set to come into force in all EU Member States by the beginning of 2018. Until then, the solutions to these problem need to be found.
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Written by Jovana Kalamković (RS)
Heat up your place with the energy from food waste The European path to food recycling
Imagine your regular day and then ask yourself: Did you leave the last bits of one of your meals uneaten? This means you have contributed to the problem of food waste.
In fact, 88 millions of tonnes of food are wasted in the European Union every year, which costs around 143 billion euros. And unfortunately, 53% of this amount is produced by households. These unflattering numbers are a result of people getting spoiled throughout the times. A regular European citizen is used to the best quality meals, which means that they throw their food away long before the actual use-by date just because it does not taste them perfectly.
One of the worst habits nowadays is throwing food away. If the ancestors of European citizens were to meet them, they would definitely not praise them for this virtue. It is very visible with people belonging to older generations because they usually feel it is wrong not to finish everything on their plate. It used to be exceptionally hard to get a hold of food at certain times in history. In addition, thinking about how people in, for example, Africa, starve, is forcing Europeans to think about how they could change the issue of so much food being wasted.
Another example of using waste is anaerobic digestion. The system uses microorganisms to decompose trash in the absence of oxygen.
This causes another problem: how to destroy or reuse it? However, what if Europeans came up with a way to utilise garbage and, above all, wasted food? When travelling across Sweden, many modern compounds can be spotted. At first, they could be seen as regular Scandinavian buildings but at a closer look it is clear that those are incineration plants. The recycling revolution of this country in the north of Europe can become an example for other Member States. The secret recipe of Swedish success is that they mostly destroy their waste in these plants and, moreover, make use of the energy produced while incinerating. As good as it may sound, the Swedish recipe is still not the best solution for dealing with garbage. Incineration plants are not very eco-friendly because they produce greenhouse gases and this is dangerous for the environment.
This groundbreaking technology is the future of recycling. Whilst producing heat, electricity and transport fuels and turning garbage into bio-fertilisers, it will not only help Europe with an excessive amount of waste, but it can also be an indispensable path to organic farming. The European Union is well aware of our present issues with millions of tons of trash. The EU’s objective is to promote circular economy and recycling. Taking into account the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, it adopted the EU 2020 strategy which aims to invent new technologies and expand the existing ones in order to treat food waste. The key way to eliminate this problem is: reduce, reuse, recycle. There are many people with brilliant ideas how to deal with our waste issues. So why couldn’t we all take these ideas up and try to be a part of the revolution in recycling?
Furthermore, Sweden does not have enough waste to operate its plants so it has to import trash from other states, such as Norway, Germany or Great Britain. 11
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Written by Hana Grohová (CZ)
The Young and the Jobless
Written by Ruxandra-Theodora Mazilu (RO) 13
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Principles of the Cotonou Agreement The Cotonou Agreement defines a perspective that combines politics, trade and development. The political dimension emphasizes the key role of political dialogue and peacebuilding policies as well as conflict prevention and resolution. There is a mandate to respect human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law when developing and strengthening the partnership. The Agreement contains innovative provisions to promote participatory approaches to ensure the involvement of civil society and economic and social players. As far as development strategies are concerned, there is a strong focus on growth and cooperative strategies which aim to reduce poverty. In order to establish a consolidated and effective strategic framework, the Agreement proposes a global strategy for development which requires the Community, Member States and ACP partners to work together. This new perspective measures progress according to results and promotes the integration of the private sector and civil society into this development process. The aim is to offer an integrated approach that reflects the complex and multidimensional nature of poverty (economic, social, cultural, gender, institutional and environmental dimensions).
In this area the agreement also proposed a more global approach to development which emphasizes objectives and priorities as opposed to a detailed description of areas of support as in Lome IV. As for the new trade framework, the ACPEC agreement provides a framework for supporting the mutually reinforcing effects of trade cooperation and development aid, through the pursue of trade liberalization. In addition, the financial cooperation has to be carried out under the principles of coherence, flexibility and efficiency. Plus there has to be a natural evolution of aid towards budgetary assistance and there won’t be entitlements, but indications. And what’s more important: this cooperation takes place under an inclusive approach that involves non-state actors in the formulation of support strategies. Other characteristics of this financial cooperation are the dialogue at local level and the completion of reviews within set time-frames. There has also been a rationalization of the instruments of cooperation, as the collection of European Development Funds’ instruments was too complex, and, a reform in the allocation of resources. This agreement maps out relations between ACP-EU until 2020 and negotiations for a new agreement are set to start in 2018. So, we pose the question: where do we go from here? 15
Written by Maria del Carne Dominguez (ES) 16
Why Turkey is Afraid of Greeks The Cyprus conflict, the annexation of northern island and declaration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (only recognised by Turkey), in the historical and geopolitical context is more than it seems.
The rivalry between Turkey and Greece is less about those countries’ relationship and more about Turkey thumbing its nose at the European Union. Greece is the weakest link in the EU in the eyes of Turkish decision-makers. This irrational fear of being encircled by enemies and ambitions for the dominant position at three seas is called Sèvres Syndrome. In Turkey, the Sèvres Syndrome is a popular belief that some outside forces, especially the West, “is conspiring to weaken and carve up Turkey.” The term originates from the Treaty of Sèvres of the 1920s, which partitioned the Ottoman Empire between the Kurds, Armenia, Greece, Britain, France, and Italy, leaving a small unaffected area around Ankara under Turkish rule; Danish political scientist Dietrich Jung describes the terms as “the perception of being encircled by enemies attempting the destruction of the Turkish state,” All things considered, Turkey’s prospects of joining the EU remain extremely dim.
Ethnic map of Cyprus in 1973
The island country of Cyprus was invaded by Turkish military forces on 20th July 1974. (Operation Attila). It followed the Cypriot coup d’état on 15th July 1974., when the coup plotters ousted President Makarios III and replaced him with pro-Enosis (Greek irredentist) nationalist Nikos Sampson as dictator, whose ultimate aim was the annexation of the island by Greece. Enosis (Greek: “union”) is the movement of various Greek communities that live outside Greece, for incorporation of the regions they inhabit into the Greek state. Widely known is the case of the Greek-Cypriots for union of Cyprus into Greece. In the eyes of Turkish diplomacy, Greece’s encroachment of Cyprus is a threat to Turkey’s ‘territorial integrity’. Turkish concerns are mostly related to ‘further loss of land’ and ‘encirclement’. The basis of this strategic discourse forms the assumption that if Cyprus is not controlled by Turkey, its security would be seriously undermined, especially if Greece were to have a dominant position on the island. According to this assumption, ‘possession of Cyprus by Greece through Enosis would have meant the encirclement of the southern shores of Turkey’, which is ‘Turkey’s only free access to the sea’, since the ‘Aegean coast is blockaded because of the possession of the Dodecanese islands by Greece’ (Ismail quoted in Kaliber, 2005, p. 325). Thus, from the military perspective it is this fear of encirclement which has made Cyprus so vital for Turkey and has continued to dominate the Cyprus discourse in Turkey (Kaliber, 2005, p. 325). For example, when Armenia and the Greek Cypriot government signed an agreement on military and technical cooperation in 2002, this was perceived as ‘an attempt at the encirclement of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus by the hostile forces’ (TRNC MFA statement quoted in Kaliber, 2005, p. 326).
Greek Cypriots Turkish Cypriot enclaves British bases
Written by Oleksii Kosobutskyi (UA) 17
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