Academic Preparation Kit – Kempele 2016

Preparation Kit for Delegates Kempele 2016 – Regional Session of EYP Finland 11th – 13th November 2016

European Youth Parliament (EYP) The European Youth Parliament represents a non-partisan and independent educational project, which is tailored specifically to the needs of the young European citizens. European Youth Parliament Finland, established in 2001, is the National Committee of the EYP in Finland.

The EYP encourages independent thinking and initiative in young people and facilitates the learning of crucial social and professional skills. Since its inauguration, many tens of thousands of young people have taken part in Regional, National and International Sessions, formed friendships and made international contacts across and beyond borders.

The EYP has thus mad a vital contribution towards uniting Europe.

Today the EYP is one of the largest European platforms for political debate, intercultural encounters, political educational work and the exchange of ideas among young people in Europe. The EYP consists of a network of 41 European associations in which thousands of young people are active in a voluntary capacity. The EYP is a programme of the Schwarzkopf Foundation.

European Union (EU) The European Union is an economic and political union of 28 Member States. The EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992 upon the foundations of the European Communities.

The EU has developed a single market through a standardised system of laws, which apply in all Member States, and ensures the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital, including the abolition of passport controls within the Schengen area. It enacts legislation in justice and home affairs, and maintains common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Eighteen Member States have adopted a common currency, the euro.

With a view to its relations with the wider world, the EU has developed a limited role in foreign and defence policy through the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Permanent diplomatic missions have been established around the world and the EU is represented at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the G8 and the G-20.

The EU operates through a hybrid system of supranationalism and intergovernmentalism.

In certain areas decisions are taken by independent institutions, while in others, they are made through negotiation between Member States.

The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community formed by six countries in the 1950s. Since the, it has grown in size through enlargement, and in power through the addition of policy areas to its remit. The last amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU came into force in 2009 and was the Lisbon Treaty.

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The Institutions of the European Union The European Council is responsible for defining the general political direction and priorities of the EU. It comprises the heads of state of government of EU Member States, along with its President (currently Donald Tusk from Poland) and the President of the Commission.

The Council of the European Union (commonly referred to as the Council of Ministers) is the institution in the legislature of the EU representing the governments of Member States, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The exact membership depends on the topic: for instance, when discussing agricultural policy the Council is formed by the 28 national ministers whose portfolio includes this policy area.

The European Parliament is directly elected parliamentary institution of the EU. Together with the Council, it forms the bicameral legislative branch of the EU. The Parliament is composed of 751 MEPs. The current president is Martin Schultz from Germany.

The European Commission is the executive body of the EU. It is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union’s treaties and the general day-today running of the Union. The Commission operates as a cabinet government, with 28 commissioners. The Current President is Jean-Claude Juncker from Luxembourg.

Other important institutions of the EU include the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Central Bank. The EU also has several agencies and other institutions.

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Committee topics Kempele – Regional Session of EYP Finland 2016 Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO): Chairpersons: Constance de Walque and Asnāte Neimane Keeping track: Many lobbying meetings go unregistered regardless of the increased usage of online tracking systems such as the Transparency Register. How can the EU increase its transparency, when it comes to influencing the policy cycle?

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL): Chairpersons: Erik Koeken and Maria Pokkinen Growing Digital Age: While the digital sector is on the rise, the EU is battling youth unemployment. How could the Member States make the digital sector more appealing to young people and through it increase employment?

Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM): Chairperson: Filip Jiroušek Unequal representation: Regardless of the progress made in the recent years when it comes to gender balance, research shows that women are still underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Which steps can the Member States take to increase gender equality in those fields?

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE): Chairpersons: Anna Martin and Elias Vaara Technology in energy: As fossil fuels continue to be a major contributor in the EU energy production, sustainable methods are less common. How can the Member States expand the usage of other technologically advanced methods to boost the usage of renewable energy?

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs I (LIBEI): Chairpersons: Siina Matihaldi and Anneliis Saarend Virtual finances: With the introduction of virtual currencies, crime in cyberspace has a new incentive.

How can the Member States ensure the safety of consumers who use online markets?

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs II (LIBE II): Chairpersons: Miriam Aitken and Elena Marro Voting polls: In the light of the close voting results in the British Referendum, almost 30% of the population did not make it to the polls. What measures can the Member States take to increase voter turnout in their referendums and elections, whilst bearing in mind technological advancements?

Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN): Chairpersons: Illia Koshytskyi and Avnik Melikian Driving without drivers: As technology has advanced far enough that driverless cars and trucks are a possibility, transportation networks could gain a strong boost. What position should the Member States take, whilst bearing in mind the advantages and dangers of these innovations?

Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE): Chairpersons: Fania Christodoulides and Jarna Heikkinen Cooperation in protection: In the light of recent terror attacks in Europe, the EU is calling to establish measures which would decrease threat-levels. While bearing in mind the technological advancements Europe possesses, how can the Member States increase their cooperation?

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Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) Keeping track: Many lobbying meetings go unregistered regardless of the increased usage of online tracking systems such as the Transparency Register. How can the EU increase its transparency, when it comes to influencing the policy cycle?

By Constance de Walque and AsnÄ te Neimane Executive Summary Lobbying is an important way for different interest groups to influence decision-making processes, however, not all activities can be traced and registered. This can lead to few interest groups dominating certain policy areas without serving public interest. Even though the Transparency Register has been active since 2011, not all interest groups provide accurate data or have registered at all. Transparency is needed in order for the EU citizens to have a more understandable decision-making process. This also contributes to their active participation in the democratic life of the EU. Main Problem The EU is a political and economic union with democracy as a core value, yet everyday its legitimacy is questioned. This is partially caused by the fact that ordinary citizens do not know what is going on behind closed doors. The decision-making process as set out in the EU treaties works with the institutional triangle (the Commission, the Parliament and the Council) with input from the Member States and interest groups. These do not only represent the civil society but also various economic interests. When the impartiality of the decision-makers is uncertain, how can trust in the policy cycle exist?

A large amount of firms, organisations and associations aim to influence all the legislation that is passed in the EU. Consequently, Brussels became the second largest hub of lobbyists, after Washington.

Decision-makers take into account the views of such organisations and it is an essential component to the democratic legislative process. However, to be able to hold their governments accountable, citizens have the right to know who influenced what. Transparency on this topic has become an important issue.

Certain measures are already in place, but they are not efficient enough. More transparency is needed as to satisfy public scrutiny. It is therefore crucial to find new initiatives on how to register lobbying meetings.

Increasing transparency would also mean tackling the revolving doors phenomenon, which happens when former employees in the private and/or public sector decide to change career paths and go into the other sector. In several cases, they can use their knowledge as a former insider to create connections more quickly and more efficiently. As there is no precise data on how much this phenomenon influence policies, there is not yet an adequate solution to register them.

Introduction Videos Euroballs: The power of lobbying This video gives a good overview of how lobbying works in Brussels and what its main features are. It also gives an idea of different strategies lobbyists use when trying to convince the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei-NrGDFsYk Who runs the EU ? documentary A fully fleshed out analysis of what the problem is exactly around lobbyism and why it is essential to register it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMuUEd6w54E&list=WL&index=51

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Actors, Interests and Conflicts ●

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Alter-EU: a coalition of over 200 public interest groups and trade unions concerned with the increasing influence corporate lobbyists have. Through different campaigns they raise awareness of the improvements that should be made regarding EU lobbying.1 Corporate Europe Observatory: a research and campaign group that works to increase transparency over corporate lobbying in the EU institutions. 2 The Council of the European Union (Council): one of the main decision making bodies in the EU, sharing legislative and budgetary power with the European Parliament.

Pressure group: an organisation, which tries to influence public policy in the interest of a particular cause. Pressure groups can be divided in two groups - private economic interest groups and public or social interest groups. The former target influencing policies on competition, trade or anything that would affect business (e.g. Committee of European Agricultural Organisations in the EU (COPA)), while the latter mostly are non-profit organisations representing public interests such as the environment, human rights and animal welfare (e.g. the Human Rights Watch).3 The European Commission: with 27 Commissioners and the President, it has the right to propose laws in a wide range of policy areas. It is a main lobbying and interest group target as it has executive power in the EU. The European Parliament: alongside the Council shares the legislative and budgetary powers.

The European Parliament has been a member of the Joint Transparency Register Secretariat since 1995, has implemented a new set of rules in order to encourage lobbyists to sign up in the Transparency Register, as well pushed the Commission to make the Transparency Register mandatory by 2017.4

Current Legislation & Policies ●

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The Code of Conduct is a part of the Transparency Register that firms agree upon when they sign up in the Register. It also applies for the European Commission staff and MEPs. It has 12 general rules.

The European Transparency Initiative (ETI) regroups most of the current policies implemented to increase transparency. It was initiated in 2005 with a Green Paper by the European Commission. The ETI opened the path for a register of lobby groups and several other actions, such as a publication of the beneficiaries of EU funds and the Code of Conduct.

The Joint Transparency Register for Interest Representatives is the main focus of the ETI. It is a register where lobbyists that work with the European Commission and European Parliament can indicate who they are, who they work for, the amount their firm spends on lobbying each year, and which legislations they have an interest in. The European Parliament had its own register since 1995 and the Commission joined in 2008, after it had been revised. The Transparency Register works on a voluntary basis, meaning that firms are not obliged to sign up.

However, signing up gives an access to the buildings of the European Parliament, which is not granted to the non-registered lobbyists. It is estimated that approximately 75% of businesses

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Alter-EU Home page. Alter-EU. https://www.alter-eu.org/

Corporate Europe Observatory Home page. Corporate Europe Observatory. http://corporateeurope.org/about-ceo Pressure groups and lobbying in the EU. Civitas UK. http://civitas.org.uk/content/files/CIT7.-Pressure-Groups.pdf

EU lobbyist register to become mandatory by 2017. Euractiv. http://www.euractiv.com/section/public-affairs/news/eulobbyist-register-to-become-mandatory-by-2017/

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and 60% of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), who are lobbying in Brussels are currently registered.5 The Legislative footprint is a policy set up for public officials in which they have to record all their interactions with interest representatives, to pinpoint who influenced what piece of legislation. It is currently in place, although not very effective as it works on a completely voluntary basis.

The Roadmap on the Establishment of a mandatory Transparency Register for Interest Representatives is an initiative put forward by the Secretariat General of the Commission in 2015. It sets out the main objectives of the Commission concerning transparency in the next few years.6

Perspectives As transparency in the decision-making process is an increased source of concern for the citizens, it seems legitimate that the EU will try to tackle this issue in an adequate manner. In 2015, a Roadmap for the mandatory Register was issued by the EU. However, it will still have to pass through all the lawmaking steps, making it uncertain whether or not it will succeed. Additionally, some interest groups that are already registered have not provided clear or correct information on their affairs. Steps to cover that issue have yet to be decided. Groups such as Alter-EU have their own agenda on how to increase transparency. Another issue the EU still has to be accountable for, is the clear difference between private economic interest groups and social interest groups as to the amount of time they are heard by policymakers.

Lobbying is not an inherently negative process, it is even necessary for a democratic society. The problems are who lobbying currently represents and what can be done to hold firms, NGOs and governments accountable. Finally, it is doubtful whether it is possible to fully control the revolving door phenomenon as it is largely up to the employees themselves to determine their employment path.

Should the EU make Transparency Register mandatory for all its main institutions? How can a fair balance be stricken between private and social interest groups to ensure equality or is it even necessary to do so?

How can the revolving door phenomenon be controlled? What other means could the EU take to increase transparency of the policy cycle?

Key Definitions ●

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Green paper: a plan suggested by the Commission on what measures should be taken, but leaving the decision open, meaning that it can be revoked at any moment without consequences. It is often followed by concrete actions and directives.

Policy cycle: the European Union is made up of three main bodies, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. On a legislative initiative from the Commission, the Parliament and the Council propose amendments, debate and vote to create new laws for the EU. Revolving Doors: this refers to the phenomenon of employees from the political sector moving into the private sector and thus using their sensitive EU knowledge for their personal gain. The

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Lobbying in the EU - Library briefing. European Parliament. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/bibliotheque/briefing/2013/130558/LDM_BRI(2013)130558_REV1_EN.pdf 6

Establishment of a mandatory transparency register for interest representatives. European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/smartregulation/impact/planned_ia/docs/2015_sg_010_transparencyr_04022015_updated_fvp_en.pdf

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opposite could also happen with employees moving from the private into the public sector, where they may have conflicts of interest.

Transparency Register: online register set up in June 2011 by the European Parliament and the European Commission where special interests lobbying these EU institutions must provide detailed information regarding their organisation including name, type of organisation, relevant activities, number of staff involved, and financial disclosure of lobbying budget. Organisations with accredited individuals (see above) are also on the Transparency Register.

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Distribution of organisations per category on the EU transparency register as of 20.09.167 Links Alter EU website. Alter EU. https://www.alter-eu.org/ Corporate Europe Observatory website. Corporate Europe Observatory. http://corporateeurope.org/about-ceo Pressure groups and lobbying in the EU. Civitas UK. http://civitas.org.uk/content/files/CIT7.-PressureGroups.pdf EU lobbyist register to become mandatory by 2017. Euractiv. http://www.euractiv.com/section/publicaffairs/news/eu-lobbyist-register-to-become-mandatory-by-2017/ https://lobbyfacts.eu/charts-graphs

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Charts and Graphs. Lobbyfacts.eu. https://lobbyfacts.eu/charts-graphs

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Lobby Facts website. Lobby Facts. http://lobbyfacts.eu/ European Transparency Initiative. EUR-lex. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=URISERV:ai0003 Lobbying in the EU institutions - Library briefing. European Parliament. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/bibliotheque/briefing/2013/130558/LDM_BRI(2013)130558_R EV1_EN.pdf Lobbying in the EU: current rules and practices. European Parliament. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/etudes/join/2003/329438/DG-4AFCO_ET(2003)329438_EN.pdf The EU legislative procedure. European Parliament. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/external/html/legislativeprocedure/default_en.htm Establishment of a mandatory transparency register for interest representatives. European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/smartregulation/impact/planned_ia/docs/2015_sg_010_transparencyr_04022015_updated_fvp_en.pdf Transparency and the EU. European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/homePage.do?locale=en#en EU Lobby Regulation: A Brief Assessment and Comparison of the Evolving EU Lobby Regulation System.

University of Dublin. http://www.academia.edu/10893374/EU_Lobby_Regulation_A_Brief_Assessment_and_Comparison_of _the_Evolving_EU_Lobby_Regulation_System Lobbying on finance, a private matter. Corporate Europe Observatory. http://corporateeurope.org/economy-finance/2015/03/lobbying-finance-privatematterhttp://corporateeurope.org/economy-finance/2015/03/lobbying-finance-private-matter Meetings. Corporate Europe Observatory. http://corporateeurope.org/financiallobby/2014/09/regulating-finance-necessary-hill-battlehttp://corporateeurope.org/financiallobby/2014/09/regulating-finance-necessary-hill-battle Statistics and info on lobbying in Europe. LobbyFacts. https://lobbyfacts.eu Pressure groups and lobbying in the EU Factsheet. Civitas UK. http://www.civitas.org.uk/eufacts/OS/CIT7.phphttp://www.civitas.org.uk/eufacts/OS/CIT7.php EU Lobbying. Transparency International. http://www.transparencyinternational.eu/focus_areas/lobbying-the-eu/ Europe: a playground for special interests amid lax lobbying rules. Transparency International. http://www.transparency.org/news/feature/europe_a_playground_for_special_interests_amid_lax_lo bbying_rules Legislative footprint. Transparency International. http://www.transparencyinternational.eu/tag/legislativefootprint/http://www.transparencyinternational.eu/tag/legislative-footprint/ The real influence of lobbyists in Brussels. Transparency International. http://www.transparencyinternational.eu/2015/03/whats-the-real-influence-of-lobbyists-in-brussels/

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Lobby meetings with EU policy-makers dominated by corporate interests. Transparency. http://www.transparency.org/news/pressrelease/lobby_meetings_with_eu_policy_makers_dominated _by_corporate_interestshttp://www.transparency.org/news/pressrelease/lobby_meetings_with_eu_p olicy_makers_dominated_by_corporate_interests Lobbying in Europe. Transparency International. https://issuu.com/transparencyinternational/docs/2015_lobbyingineurope_en?e=2496456/12316229 Lobby meetings with EU policy makers dominated by corporate interests. Transparency. http://www.transparency.org/news/pressrelease/lobby_meetings_with_eu_policy_makers_dominated _by_corporate_interests EU Integrity watch website. EU integrity watch. http://www.integritywatch.eu http://alter-eu.org/fulllobby-transparency-now-frequently-asked-questions

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Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) Growing Digital Age: While the digital sector is on the rise, the EU is battling youth unemployment. How could the Member States make the digital sector more appealing to young people and through it increase employment?

By Erik Koeken and Maria Pokkinen Executive Summary According to statistics, one of five young Europeans is unemployed8, partly due to an ineffective employment system in some European countries. However, there is a great potential in the digital sector to boost the market and create jobs for the youth of Europe. Moreover, current digital market in the EU is fragmented and investment barriers constitute obstacles to unleash the full potential. That is a missed opportunity, because a fully-functioning digital single market would bring a significant increase in Europe’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Main Problem Youth unemployment is currently at a very high rate in the European Union. It is a real issue for Europe, since the unemployment decreases Europe’s GDP, deteriorates living standards, constrains social budgets, and lowers tax income, but also worsens perspectives for many young people, who give up on finding employment. However, it would be too quick to state that this high rate of youth unemployment is caused by a lack of jobs, since research has shown that the number of people employed has remained steady since 2005 in most European countries.9 Thus, if not for a lack of jobs, what causes such largescale youth unemployment?

Part of the problem can be attributed to a failing communication between employers and educational institutions, which causes the youth to attain the wrong skills. For example, employers have stated that many potential employees lacked sufficient soft skills, such as presenting skills, effectively performing group work, or work ethic.10 As a growing field of occupation, the digital market plays a role in employing those youngsters, however, it is negatively influenced by its image. Many youngsters, especially women, view the digital market as a rather complex and anti-social market. This image limits the amount of young and educated workers, who want to work in the digital market.11 Moreover, many companies throughout Europe experience difficulties with working in the digital sector, as well as trading across borders in the EU via the digital market. There are many existing barriers online, which limits companies’ and startups’ possibilities. This prevents them from extending their businesses and thus creating jobs. Neither businesses nor governments can fully benefit from digital tools.

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Germany the clear winner in EU fight to find jobs for the young. The Guardian.https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/sep/10/calabria-bavaria-eurozone-youth-unemployment-jobopportunities 9

Education to employment: Getting Europe’s youth into work. McKinsey. http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/socialsector/our-insights/converting-education-to-employment-in-europe 10

Education to employment: Getting Europe’s youth into work. McKinsey. http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/socialsector/our-insights/converting-education-to-employment-in-europe 11

Women Want Computers To Be Less Nerdy and More Fun. The Glasgows Group. http://cordis.europa.eu/news/rcn/102039_en.html

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Additionally, there is a fragmented digital market, meaning every Member State has its own, more or less isolated, digital market. This is mostly caused by the differences in legislation between the Member States, which makes it hard for digital companies to operate across borders.

To conclude, a fully-functioning Digital Single Market would result in the exponential growth of digitalisation and innovation, which is essential in order to stay competitive. Moreover, better information flows can improve health, food safety, resource efficiency, and crucially, youth employment.

Introduction Videos The first video gives a good insight on the state of the European Digital Market through the extensive use of statistics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK-UuUnQalM The second one offers a fragment analyses on the current state of the labour market in the EU, and offers ideas on how to positively increase the state of the labour market: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KYLCdGHSSw Actors, Conflicts and Interests ●

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DG CONNECT: Directorate general which focuses on innovating the European Digital Market, in order to keep it as competitive and innovative as possible. Its aim is to set up an European Single Digital Market, which is an open market that is not limited by the EU’s internal borders.

Employers: Many large internet companies officially have their headquarters in the EU (e.g.

Google in Ireland). However, this rarely results in a large amount of jobs, because a lot of the hands-on work gets done in cheaper labour countries, like Vietnam or Bangladesh, whereas a lot of knowledgeable work gets done in Silicon Valley. There are of course exceptions to this phenomenon, such as ASML (the biggest manufacturer of chip machines in the world), which does its production in the Dutch city of Eindhoven.

European Commission: The European Commission has the right of legislative initiative, which means that they can propose laws to the European Parliament and they aim to create a Single Digital Market (see definitions).12 European youth: With an increasing number of youngsters being skilled in technology on a tertiary level, there is definitely a positive trend going on. However, many youngsters are still without a job. Furthermore, although women are becoming increasingly more skilled in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT), they are still far behind their male counterparts, regarding the number of people working in the ICT field.13 Member States: The Member States have different laws regarding e.g. copyright, geoblocking, and cross-border sales. This makes it harder to create a Single Digital Market, since those laws limit the trade possibilities within Europe.

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME’s): Many SME’s are having trouble getting access to foreign digital markets, due to many differences in legislation between the countries. As a result, the SME’s lose a lot of potential revenue, since they do not have the funds to adopt to all those different digital markets. Furthermore, research has indicated that SME’s are most strongly affected by the lack of skills by the youth, and thus there is a lot to gain in this enterprises.

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Digital Single Market: bringing down barriers to unlock opportunities. European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/digital-single-market_en 13

Women Want Computers To Be Less Nerdy and More Fun. The Glasgows group. http://cordis.europa.eu/news/rcn/102039_en.html

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Current Legislation & Policies ●

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Europe 2020: Is an economic strategy adopted by the European Commission which aims, among others, to create an innovative Single Digital Market. This is aimed to be achieved through uniform legislation regarding digital matters, fast internet in the entire EU, and by promoting ‘digital literacy’. The goal is to achieve all this before 2020.14 Grand coalition for Digital Jobs: a multi-stakeholder partnership, which aims to increase the digital skills of the Europeans, as well to tackle the problem of thousands unfilled ICT-related vacancies.15 Open Education Europe (OEE): A portal which provides many free-to-use educational resources. This portal is still under development. However, in order for this portal to have its maximum amount of impact, the broadband connection through Europe, especially in rural areas, needs to be improved.16 “One Stop Shop”: Instead of having to declare and pay value-added tax (VAT) directly to each individual Member State where their customers are based, businesses will be able to make a single declaration and payment in their own Member State.17 Startup Europe: An EU-initiative (as part of the Horizon 2020 programme) which aims to improve the startup system by improving communication between funders and entrepreneurs, and by funding new and innovative startups. 18 Youth Guarantee: An initiative by the European Union, which is focused on decreasing youth unemployment through encouraging communication between the key stakeholders regarding employment.19

Perspectives During the past decades, the world has become increasingly more digital, a process which will continue in the future as well. As such, the digital market will take a more prominent position in the global market and it is therefore important for the EU to stay competitive in this market. As a result of this growing market, there will most likely be an increased demand for highly skilled ICT specialists in the digital market. Having said this, education might not be able to keep up with this demand, because the costs of studying are on the rise (according to students themselves). Although many countries heavily subsidise university tuition fees, many students state that they have problems to sustain the costs of living while studying. Moreover, many countries only partly, or not at all, subsidise non academic courses.20 Furthermore, in order to tackle the problem of digital companies not being able to have a fully functioning single market, the European Union wants to implement a universal Digital Single Market (DSM). The Digital Single Market is a market where online activities are exercised under conditions of fair competition and a high level of consumer and data protection, irrespective of the consumer’s nationality or place of residence. Furthermore, the Single Digital Market should also include universal laws across

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Europe 2020 strategy. DG CONNECT. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/europe-2020-strategy

Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/grandcoalition-digital-jobs 16 17

ICT in Education. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/ict-education

One stop shop. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/dem/monitor/one-stop-shop-business 18 19 20

Startup Europe. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/startup-europe

Youth Guarantee. European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1079 Education to employment: Getting Europe’s youth into work. McKinsey. http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/social-

sector/our-insights/converting-education-to-employment-in-europe

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the European Union regarding the digital market, which the European is currently trying to achieve.21 This should make it much easier for Small-Medium Enterprises to trade with foreign Member States.

As another point of view, the Digital Single Market, which is part of the European Commission’s means of creating more wealth, is criticised for being very expensive, and simply a means of the European Union to gain more power over the Member States.22 Having discussed this, some important questions arise. Firstly, should (and if so, how?) the EU interfere in the digital market? Moreover, with the existing problems in education, how should the supply of ICT specialists keep in sync with the increase of the demand? Lastly, keeping in mind the difficulties the EU has regarding tackling youth unemployment, can the EU use the digital market to decrease youth unemployment?

Key Definitions ●

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Copyright in the digital single market:23 Delivering on its Digital Single Market Strategy, the Commission is rolling out an ambitious modernisation of the EU copyright framework. The objective is to make EU copyright rules fit for the digital age.

Cross-border sale:24 The buying and selling of goods and services between businesses in neighboring countries, with the seller being in one country and the buyer in the other country.

Digital Single Market (DSM) is a market where online activities are exercised under conditions of fair competition and a high level of consumer and data protection, irrespective of the consumer’s nationality or place of residence.25 Geo-blocking:26 is the refusal to sell, or automatically re-routing and geo-filtering, based on the location of the consumer. Companies such as Netflix use this technique to limit their services based on locations. For example Netflix customers in Finland get a different access than users in Germany or in Belgium.

Information and communications technology (ICT)27 covers all technical means used to handle information and aid communication. This includes both computer and network hardware, as well as their software.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)28 are the category of micro, small and mediumsized enterprises which employ fewer than 250 persons and which have an annual turnover not exceeding 50 million euro, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding 43 million euro.

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Digital Single Market. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/digital-single-market EU wil 700 miljard voor de Digital Single Market. Lang Leve Europa!. http://langleveeuropa.nl/2016/09/eu-wil-700-

miljard-voor-de-single-digital-market/ 23

Copyright in the digital single market. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/copyright 24

E-commerce, cross-border sales. European Commission, http://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?action=display&doc_id=15810 25

The digital single market. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/digital-singlemarket 26

Geo-blocking. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/geo-blocking-digital-singlemarket 27

Glossary: Information and communication technology (ICT). Eurostat. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/Glossary:Information_and_communication_technology_(ICT) 28

What is an SME? European Commission.

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/business-friendly-environment/sme-definition_en

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The Digital Single Market strategy29 was adopted on the 6 May 2015, includes 16 initiatives to be delivered by the end of 2016.

The Investment plan for Europe: Jobs, growth and investment are one of the Juncker Commission’s 10 priorities. The Investment Plan for Europe aims to stimulate financing for investment, with the support of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) – together, the EIB Group. This strategy is part of the ‘virtuous triangle’ of structural reforms, responsible fiscal policies and investment. 30

Statistics In order to make the large amount of data easier to understand, the Chairpersons of this committee made a more visual overview in the form of an infographic. Below, you will find a screenshot of this infographic, however, the full infographic can be accessed through the following link: https://magic.piktochart.com/output/16494866-empl-first-draft-copy

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The digital single market. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/digital-single-

market 30

The Investment plan for Europe. European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/jobs-growth-and-

investment/investment-plan_en

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Links Links primarily focused on the digital market: Digital single market analysis. Brunswick group. June 2016 https://www.brunswickgroup.com/media/739985/Brunswick-digital-single-market-analysis.pdf Europe 2020 indicators - R&D and Innovation. Eurostat. September, 2016 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Europe_2020_indicators__R%26D_and_innovation Households - level of internet access. Eurostat. July, 2016 http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=isoc_ci_in_h&lang=en Investment plan for Europe. European Commission. December, 2015. https://ec.europa.eu/priorities/sites/beta-political/files/investment_plan_booklet_en.pdf Why we need a digital single market. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/priorities/sites/beta-political/files/dsm-factsheet_en.pdf Links primarily focused on the youth unemployment: Unemployment statistics. Eurostat. September, 2016 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics Youth unemployment rate in Europe. The Statistic Portal. July, 2016 http://www.statista.com/statistics/266228/youth-unemployment-rate-in-eu-countries/

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Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) Unequal representation: Regardless of the progress made in the recent years when it comes to gender balance, research shows that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields are still underrepresented by women. Which steps can the Member States take to increase gender equality in those fields?

By Filip Jiroušek Executive Summary Statistically there are more women, who have a bachelor’s degree in STEM subjects, yet 50%-70% of these female graduates are less likely to complete a Master’s degree in this field. Even after fully finishing studies, twice as many male STEM graduates continue to STEM employment than female graduates and the pay gap is significant. This goes so far that only 16% of those employed in private sector in Finland are women.

Main Problem Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields have always been perceived as a “man’s”31 job, for example IT, biochemistry or car manufacturing. But why do men and women have different pathways, whilst having so similar abilities?

Even though there are more women studying in STEM fields than men in the first higher education level, women are not well represented in those fields. In year 2012 STEM university graduates represented 22.8% of all graduates. This problem is to be seen worldwide; UNESCO Institute of Statistics shows that out of all of the world’s researchers only 28%32 are women and they are also much less likely to complete a Master’s degree in STEM subjects. Additionally, a study by the European Commission states that only 28% of STEM PhD graduates in 2012 were women33.

While the situation in higher education has slightly improved34 in last years, in the vocational education and training (VET) area it has become worse. In 2006 the EU average was 32% it decreased to 29.4% in year 2012. While the exact representation of importance varies significantly in Member States, the STEM VET fields are still male-dominated and the proportion of women graduates in even lower than for university graduates in most Member States.35 The lack of women in STEM fields causes many problems. A study done for the European Parliament regarding the future of the labour market on STEM fields states that there are not enough students in STEM fields and there will be STEM shortages in Europe in the future36. According to Mind the GAP project 1.3 million more people with technical skills will be required by 2020 and currently we do not have sufficient amount of new graduates to fill these vacancies. At the same time the same study by the European Parliament states that the proportion of students going into STEM is not increasing at the

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Study Finds Stereotypes Persist for Women in STEM Fields, Wellesley College, http://www.wellesley.edu/news/2016/march/node/86071#5W53Voo17rsf7MJl.99 32

Women in Science, UNESCO Institute, http://www.uis.unesco.org/_LAYOUTS/UNESCO/women-inscience/index.html#!lang=en 33

She figures 2015, European Commission, https://ec.europa.eu/research/swafs/pdf/pub_gender_equality/she_figures_2015-final.pdf 34 35

In 2006 STEM was represented by 22.3% of all university graduates, in 2012 by 22.8%.

STEM: Country Comparisons – Europe …a critical examination of existing solutions to the STEM skills shortage in comparable countries, Dr Ian R Dobson, http://www.acola.org.au/PDF/SAF02Consultants/Consultant%20Report%20-%20Western%20Europe.pdf 36

Does the EU need more STEM graduates? Final report, European Commission, http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/does-the-eu-need-more-stem-graduates--pbNC0416008/

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European level and the underrepresentation of women in these fields remains persistent.37 It is also important to keep in mind, that according to many studies, for example one done by Joshua Price (2010)38, the gender of instructors in schools or universities have no impact on the persistence of students within STEM fields.

Overall, there is a high demand for workers in STEM fields. The unemployment rates are well below the average unemployment rates since the beginning of the 2000s all over the Europe, even in countries particularly impacted by financial crisis such as Spain or Greece39.

Introduction Videos TEDx Talk of Dr. Jenna Carpenter talking about women in engineering and especially why there are so few of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw_9t82qD60 Christina Hoff Sommers, in a show called The Factual Feminist, talks about her point of view on STEM gender bias: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-6usiN4uoA Actors, Interests and Conflicts ● ●

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European Centre for Women and Technology (ECWT): Non-profit Norwegian organisation which unites over 130 other organisations all over the Europe.

European Commission 40: Executive body of the EU. It represents the interest of the EU as a whole, not the individual Member States. It is also the only institution of the EU empowered to initiate legislation and enforce European law.

European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE): An autonomous body of the European Union, established to support the work of EU governments and EU institutions in the field of gender equality.

Girls in Tech (GIT): Global non-profit organisation, founded in year 2007, focusing on the engagement, education and empowerment of girls and women in technology fields.

STEM Gender Equality Congress (SGEC): Organised by Science Impact Ltd, SGEC is a 2-day annual conference. This event offers opportunities for networking, learning, and collaborating in regards to gender equality in STEM fields.

STEMettes: London based organisation which goal is to inspire the next generation of females into STEM fields.

Current Legislation & Policies ●

Horizon 202041: Horizon 2020 in the the biggest framework programme created by the EU and European Commission is funding research, technological development, and innovation. The

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Encouraging STEM Studies for the Labour Market, EMPL Committee, European Parliament, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2015/542199/IPOL_STU(2015)542199_EN.pdf 38

The Effect of Instructor Race and Gender on Student Persistence in STEM Fields, Cornell University ILR School, http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1138&context=workingpapers 39

Encouraging STEM Studies for the Labour Market, EMPL Committee, European Parliament, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2015/542199/IPOL_STU(2015)542199_EN.pdf 40

About the European Commission, European Commission, http://ec.europa.eu/about/index_en.htm 41

Horizon 2020: The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. European Commission ,https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/

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programme started in 2014 and will run for over 7 years until year 2020. The estimated funding of the programme is €80 billion.

Science with and for Society programme (SSP): For the years 2016 and 201742 European Commission is trying to make science more attractive and open up further research and innovation activities. One of the main goals is to ensure gender equality, in both the research process and research content.

Strategic engagement for gender equality 2016-201943: Published at the end of 2015; it sets the framework for the European Commission's future work towards improving gender equality.

The main focus of gender-equality policy is on the following five existing thematic priority areas: ○ increasing female labour-market participation and the equal economic independence of women and men; ○ reducing the gender pay, earnings and pension gaps and thus fighting poverty among women; ○ promoting equality between women and men in decision-making; ○ combating gender-based violence and protecting and supporting victims; ○ promoting gender equality and women’s rights across the world.

Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)44: TFEU is one of the two primary treaties of the EU and it sets basic principles of EU law. Article 15745 focusing on work and pay equality between men and women.

Perspectives According to Professional Engineer Karen D. Purcell one of the key factors in encouraging women into STEM careers and education is early exposure to STEM subjects. “Correcting the negative perceptions that girls develop at a young age can, however, lead them to embrace math and science when they reach high school, rather than avoid the subjects.”46she said. Another possible solution to attract and retain female faculty is to ensure mentoring for all facility. Doctor Cathy A. Trower said: “Mentoring is crucial for STEM women because without it they might not be privy to the good old boys’ club or behind the scenes conversations that are crucial to fitting in the department and to getting tenure.”47 In 2012 European Commission launched a project “Science: it's a girl thing!”. The campaign targeted girls from age 13 to 18 and the goal was to encourage them to study scientific fields. Through online and face-to-face activities with inspiring women scientist role models, the campaign reaches out to these teenagers to give real information about the excitement and challenges of being a professional scientist or engineer. 48 The campaign was itself was called by many a waste of money and a fiasco49. After running

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Horizon 2020: Work Programme 2016 - 2017, Science with and for Society, European Commission, http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2016_2017/main/h2020-wp1617-swfs_en.pdf 43

Strategic engagement for gender equality 2016-2019¨, European Commission, https://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/sites/antitrafficking/files/strategic_engagement_for_gender_equality_en.pdf 44

Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:12012E/TXT&from=en 45

Article 157 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, https://europadatenbank.iaaeu.de/user/view_legalact.php?id=16 46

5 Ways to Get Girls into STEM, Karen D. Purcell, P.E., Edutopia, http://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-ways-girls-involved-STEM-karen-purcell 47

Why so few?: women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics., Hill Catherine, AAUW, https://www.aauw.org/files/2013/02/Why-So-Few-Women-in-Science-Technology-Engineering-and-Mathematics.pdf 48

Science: it's a girl thing!, Women in Research and Innovation, An initiative of the European Commission, https://science-girl-thing.eu/en 49

Science: it's a girl thing! A viral fiasco, The Guardian,

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for 3 years the project was replaced in 2015 with another another campaign called Hypatia funded by Horizon 2020. The project gathers different societal actors with united goal of bringing more teenagers, especially girls, into STEM careers.

Barack Obama said “One of the things that I really strongly believe in is that we need to have more girls interested in math, science, and engineering. We’ve got half the population that is way underrepresented in those fields and that means that we’ve got a whole bunch of talent…not being encouraged the way they need to.” Do you agree? Disagree? Why so? Overall, gender gaps can be found in many fields. Can you find examples where the gender gap was at least partially eliminated? How was it achieved?

Key Definitions ● ●

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Gender equality: One of the basic human rights based on the principle that everyone should receive equal treatment and not be discriminated against based on their gender.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM): This acronym refers to the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is typically used when addressing higher education policies and workforce development. In 2015 STEM fields represented over 15 millions jobs in the EU50 which is 6.6% of all workplaces in the EU. Vocational education and training (VET): VET aims to equip people with knowledge, knowhow, skills and/or competences required in particular occupations or more broadly on the labour market. VET usually take place before entering workplace. As a retraining it makes labourforce more flexible.

Statistics A breakdown of female researchers in Europe as a percentage of total researchers in 2013 or latest year available.51

https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2012/jun/29/science-girl-thing-viral-fiasco 50

Analytical highlight: Focus on Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills, European Commission, http://skillspanorama.cedefop.europa.eu/sites/default/files/EUSP_AH_STEM_0.pdf 51

UIS Policy Brief No. 34, November 2015, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, http://www.uis.unesco.org/ScienceTechnology/Documents/fs34-2015-women%20in%20science-en.pdf

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Analytical highlight: Focus on Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills, European Commission http://skillspanorama.cedefop.europa.eu/sites/default/files/EUSP_AH_STEM_0.pdf Does the EU need more STEM graduates? Final report, European Commission http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/does-the-eu-need-more-stem-graduates--pbNC0416008/ European Commission and gender equality http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/index_en.htm Encouraging STEM Studies for the Labour Market, EMPL Committee, European Parliament http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2015/542199/IPOL_STU(2015)542199_ EN.pdf Horizon 2020: Work Programme 2016 - 2017, Science with and for Society, European Commission http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2016_2017/main/h2020wp1617-swfs_en.pdf Strategic engagement for gender equality 2016-2019, European Commission https://ec.europa.eu/antitrafficking/sites/antitrafficking/files/strategic_engagement_for_gender_equality_en.pdf The Gender Gap in STEM Fields: Where are the Women?, Beast Magazine http://www.beastmagazine.lu/the-gender-gap-in-stem-fields-where-are-the-women/ Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, AAUW https://www.aauw.org/files/2013/02/Why-So-Few-Women-in-Science-Technology-Engineeringand-Mathematics.pdf Women in Science - UNESCO Project http://www.uis.unesco.org/ScienceTechnology/Pages/saga-launch.aspx

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Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Technology in energy: As fossil fuels continue to be a major contributor in the EU energy production, sustainable methods are less common. How can the Member States expand the usage of other technologically advanced methods to boost the usage of renewable energy?

By Anna Martin and Elias Vaara Executive Summary Fossil fuels are a major contributor in the EU energy production, due to their low cost and easy access.

However, fossil fuels are nonrenewable sources of energy and at the same time harmful to the environment. Moreover, the current rate of fossil fuel usage will lead to an inevitable energy crisis in the future, which can be avoided only by promoting the use of more sustainable methods of energy production. How can we tackle the problem that is eating up our planet?

Main Problem The increasing global population and economic growth has lead to an increase in the demand and usage of global energy. Since countries have not divested from using fossil fuels for energy, the high demand has consequently resulted in an increased use of non-renewable and environmentally harmful forms of energy production. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas need to be burnt in order for their energy to be released and used in industry. This processes releases by-products such as carbon dioxide. The carbon emissions are the main threat to the environment and one of the reasons for global warming.

Global warming has affected and continues to affect the planet in various ways, such as the collapse in the global food production, droughts, floods, heatwaves, and melting of ice-sheets.52 In addition to that, fossil fuels are an example of non-renewable energy meaning that they will eventually run out. People are currently using these resources too much, and before they completely run out a new and sustainable solution has to be found. 53 Thus, moving away and shifting from fossil fuels to more sustainable methods of energy production is essential for the sake of the planet. However, alternative sustainable technologies are costlier which therefore discourages Member States and the public to use them; as well as less available since not as much research or finances has been allocated towards them. In addition, the use of alternative technologies can be difficult, as they have to rely on outside factors such as the sun or wind energy to be effective. For instance, some countries may have more rivers suitable for hydroelectric power, while others may have more yearly sunshine resulting in a higher production of solar energy.

Introduction Video The first video explores the ideas related to the completion of a single energy market and the reformation of how Europe produces, transports and consumes energy, explaining why we need to switch to more sustainable energy methods and what the consequences will be. http://europa.eu/!hR86XP The second video is about the KIC InnoEnergy Innovation Projects, which are further discussed in the following section. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPfumyb4mT4&feature=youtu.be

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Church, J. A. & White, N. J. (2006). A 20th century acceleration in global sea-level rise, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L01602

The End Of Fossil Fuels. electricity.co.uk https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/our-green-energy/energy-independence/theend-of-fossil-fuels

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Actors, Interests and Conflicts ●

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CrowdfundeRES - One of the main reasons behind the lack of shift towards more renewable energy is because of lack of monetary resources. Crowdfunding works by getting the public to pay small amounts of money for causes such as renewable energy in order to come up with a larger amount that can be dedicated to that cause.54 Energy Union - Launched by the European Commission to “reform how Europe produces, transports, and consumes energy.” The energy union has 5 goals: Decarbonisation, Energy efficiency, to encourage an internal energy market, give Member States energy security as well as encouraging research, innovation and competitiveness in the sector. Part of the strategy also includes subsidising renewable energy in order to give more incentive for Member States to shift to these goals. 55 KIC InnoEnergy - Supports and encourages current projects that are undergoing with their research and innovation in sustainable technology.

Miguel Arias Cañete - The EU Commissioner for Energy and Climate action. His main aims are to increase Europe’s energy security as well as propose laws that will encourage the implementation of the 2030 plans in the climate and energy framework. He is also responsible for promoting EU policies that are in favor of renewable energy. Mr. Cañete works in unison with the Vice-President of the Energy Union Maros Sefcovic Maroš Šefčovič - The European Commission Vice-President for the Energy Union. His main responsibility is to lead the energy union as a whole by putting together all infrastructure, legislation and economic aspects as well as decreasing Europe’s energy dependence in order to prevent energy shortages, by diversifying the sources of energy (e.g renewable energy)

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European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan)56 – part of the European Commission designed to support decreasing the price of renewable energy costs and encouraging research and innovation in that sector. Consists of different smaller groups focusing on different aims.

Renewable energy directive – binding targets for all EU Member States. Progress towards national targets is measured every two years when EU countries publish national renewable energy progress reports. The Member States publish a report showing their targets for future RES-E consumption, as well as how they are planning to meet those targets. Some of the targets include: 10% of their transport fuels come from renewable sources by 2020 and 30% less energy use by 2030.

The Maastricht Treaty set an objective of promoting stable growth while protecting the environment57.

The Amsterdam Treaty added the principle of sustainable development to the objectives of the EU58.

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Project. CrowdfundRES. http://www.crowdfundres.eu/project/

Energy union: secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy for Europe http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/energy-union/ 56

Strartegic Energy technology Plan https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/technology-and-innovation/strategicenergy-technology-plan 57

Treaty of Maastricht on European Union eur-lex.europa.eu http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3Axy0026 58

Treaty of Amsterdam. europarl.europa.eu

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Directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives - The opportunities for growth and employment that investment in regional and local production of energy from renewable sources bring about in the Member States and their regions are important. The Commission and the Member States should therefore support national and regional development measures in those areas, encourage the exchange of best practices in production of energy from renewable sources between local and regional development initiatives, and promote the use of structural funding in this area59.

Code-2 Project: A project that analyses the potential for Member States to use combined heat and power energy (CHP) creating roadmaps on how to most effectively go about in doing so, as well as examining the reasons why it has not been uptaken rapidly.60

Perspectives As can be seen above, there are many initiatives and frameworks that are currently undergoing to lead to a more sustainable Europe. However as Miguel Arias Cañete said “The Energy Union will be an ambitious project that will set a new direction and a long vision for European energy and climate policy.61” A lot of time is needed to implement these in all Member States however, virtually every government has agreed the world must limit the global temperature increase to 2C. Research and innovation for an efficient solution needs time and financial resources and the public as well as Member States will not shift from their comfortable fossil-fueled ideas unless a better, easier and more efficient sustainable method and system is established.

Energy efficiency can be achieved in many sectors including buildings, transport, and, everyday technology. One of the main aspects of this problem starts with financial issues, Member States need to invest enough finances to undergo proper research in order to come up with innovative sustainable technologies. However, what should these innovations focus on - energy extraction, energy production (e.g combined heat and power62), decarbonisation or cheaper forms of renewable energy (e.g solar power)?

Additionally, there are some effective public Government interventions that should be implemented. The most commonly used ones are feed-in tariffs, feed-in premiums, quota obligations, tax exemptions, tenders, and investment aids. These aim to encourage Member States to shift towards more sustainable methods as well as for research. If these public interventions are not carefully designed, they can distort the functioning of the energy market and lead to higher costs for European households and businesses. Tax exemptions and reductions are used extensively in the energy sector. In the renewables industry they are used at industry level often to encourage biofuel production, and at household level to encourage household investments.

Looking more closely at some Member States current conditions, Denmark’s current energy grid is over 40% renewable, mainly because of the success of building large offshore wind farms. It has been greatly successful because of the wind the country naturally has as well as the policies they have implemented

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/treaty/pdf/amst-en.pdf 59

Directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives. eur-lex.europa.eu http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32009L0028 60

Cogeneration observatory and dissemination europe. Code2-project.eu http://www.code2-project.eu/wpcontent/uploads/CODE-2-European-Cogeneration-Roadmap.pdf 61

Committee launches work on energy union. europa.eu http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-4103_en.htm 62

What is CHP, an Introduction. Energ-group.com http://www.energ-group.com/combined-heat-andpower/cogeneration/introduction-to-chp/

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for it to prevent frustration from the locals e.g monetary compensation to people who may be affected by the addition of these wind farms. 63 Moreover, Britain has invested in solar power which has proved to generate more heat than coal at a number of occasions - a great milestone for solar power technology.

Experience shows that the level of support alone does not necessarily determine success in terms of renewables production. A well-designed support scheme needs to be embedded in a coherent policy framework. Support schemes work best when they are part of a long-term predictable and stable policy/strategic framework with clear objectives. Should governments set policies or tempt the population to use more renewable sources by tax exemptions? How much current binding energy laws should exist for Member States for there to be an efficient framework and system? Should there be flexibility between Member States depending on their economic and fossil fuel availability as well as their research opportunities?

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Carbon capture and storage (CCS): capturing waste carbon dioxide (CO2), transporting and storing it, usually underground, where it will not enter the atmosphere.

Energy technology is an interdisciplinary engineering science having to do with the efficient, safe, environmentally friendly and economical extraction, conversion, transportation, storage and use of energy, targeted towards yielding high efficiency whilst skirting side effects on humans, nature and the environment.

Feed-in premiums: Under a feed-in premium (FIP) scheme, electricity from renewable energy sources (RES) is typically sold on the electricity spot market and RES producers receive a premium on top of the market price of their electricity production.

Feed-in tariffs: a policy mechanism designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies.

Fossil Fuel Divestment: Removing all assets and funds from companies that use fossil fuels as their source of energy.

Global warming: an increase in the Earth’s temperature, caused by the greenhouse effect increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants.

Greenhouse effect: The greenhouse effect is the process by which radiation from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be without its atmosphere.

Quota obligations: refer to the definition of minimum shares of renewable energy sources (RES) in the energy mix of power utilities, electricity suppliers or sometimes also large electricity consumers.

Renewable energy: Energy that comes from a source which is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power.

Smart grids: energy networks that automatically monitor energy flows and adjust to changes in supply and demand.

Solar energy: Radiation emitted from the Sun which can be transformed into a useable renewable energy source.

Tax exemptions: A tax exemption is a certain amount of money that can be subtracted from a taxpayer's total adjusted gross income for the entire year.

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Denmark, The Little Country With Big Renewable Energy Goals. Cleantechnica.com https://cleantechnica.com/2016/03/09/denmark-the-little-country-with-big-renewable-energy-goals/

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Statistics

This graph shows the estimated decrease in fossil fuels with our current usage. 64

The above graph shows CO2 emissions linked to fossil fuel usage65 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/17/why-cant-we-give-up-fossil-fuels Links (Sources and further research): Directive 2009/28/EC of the European parliament and the Council. EUR-Lex europa. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32009L0028

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The end of fossil fuels https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/our-green-energy/energy-independence/the-end-of-fossil-fuels

Why can’t we quit fossil fuels? The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/17/why-cant-wegive-up-fossil-fuels

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The End Of Fossil Fuels. electricity.co.uk https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/our-green-energy/energyindependence/the-end-of-fossil-fuels Why can’t we give up fossil fuels . The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/17/why-cant-we-give-up-fossilfuelshttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/17/why-cant-we-give-up-fossil-fuels About Poreen. Poreen.eu. http://poreen.eu European Energy Policy. EUR-Lex europa. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/summary/chapter/energy/1801.html?root=1801 Sustainable, secure and affordable energy for Europeans. ec.europa.eu https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/energy.pdf Arctic sea ice shrinks to lowest extent ever recorded. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/aug/27/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-lowest-extent Home. ETIP-Wind. https://etipwind.eu/?ref=tpwind Renewable Energies. KIC Innoenergy. http://www.kic-innoenergy.com About CrowdfundRES. Crowdfundres.eu. http://www.crowdfundres.eu/project/ 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework. ec.europa.eu http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/strategies/2030/index_en.htm Energy from renewable sources explained. ec.europa.eu http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/Energy_from_renewable_sources Denmark, The Little Country With Big Renewable Energy Goals. Cleantechnica.com https://cleantechnica.com/2016/03/09/denmark-the-little-country-with-big-renewable-energy-goals/ What is CHP, an Introduction. Energ-group.com http://www.energ-group.com/combined-heat-andpower/cogeneration/introduction-to-chp/ Cogeneration observatory and dissemination europe. Code2-project.eu http://www.code2project.eu/wp-content/uploads/CODE-2-European-Cogeneration-Roadmap.pdf https://etipwind.eu/?ref=tpwind https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/energy.pdf

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Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs I (LIBE I) Virtual finances: With the introduction of virtual currencies, crime in cyberspace has a new incentive.

How can the Member States ensure the safety of consumers who use online markets?

By Siina Matihaldi and Anneliis Saarend Executive Summary More and more information and money is transmitted online today. Therefore neither geography nor borders count in criminal’s malicious activities such as phishing, hacking, and identity thefts. In particular, customers are in danger when using virtual finances (such as bitcoin) and when their personal data is handled in an unsafe way on the Internet. Currently the EU is struggling with how to encourage economic growth via the Internet while simultaneously preventing cybercrime.

Main Problem Tyler Winklevoss, Co-creator of Facebook, has said about bitcoin: “We have elected to put our money and faith in a mathematical framework that is free of politics and human error.” 66 However, with virtual currencies being free of politics, there are questions concerning the possible impact of them on a number of sensitive fields. The most problematic field is consumer protection, as there are no safety nets, such as deposit guarantee funds, available to alleviate losses.67 Furthermore, Member States or the EU do not get taxes and fees of products similarly as they do when handling physical currency. Tax evasions are common when buying with virtual currencies68.

Traditionally, money exist as a medium of exchange, to store value, and as a unit of account. Currently no virtual currency fulfils these economic criterias. In addition, rates of virtual currencies are unstable and could have a destabilising influence on Member States’ financial systems. Therefore, investors have been careful and reputation of virtual currencies is controversial. As a consequence, no one can know if virtual currencies will collapse or not. Yet there is no competition legislation for virtual currencies. There are just a few actors in the field, consequently the Bitcoin mining market is swiftly consolidating into an oligopoly. The EU has not achieved a way of overlooking the virtual currency market, because of the lack of legislation and knowledge in the subject.

Due to the anonymity that virtual currencies offer, arms trade and other illegal purchasing are taking place. For example, Paris terrorist attacks in 2015 and Munich shooting in 2016 raised the interest of the suspicious side of virtual currencies.69 Authorities suspect that the weapons used in the incident had been bought in darknet70 with virtual currencies. There is also no consumer protection system while spending virtual money. Among the massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) virtual economy is crucial. The games like Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft have increased the popularity of virtual currencies. Although rules of the game companies restrict trade of virtual currencies and existing products, some players try to benefit of virtual world illegally. This have lead to the escalation of maleficial actions also in the real world.

66

“Winklevoss twins plan $20m Bitcoin float”. The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/currency/10154311/Winklevoss-twins-plan-20m-Bitcoin-float.html 67

Briefing: Virtual currencies. Challenges following their introduction. European Parliament. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2016/579110/EPRS_BRI(2016)579110_EN.pdf 68

Omri Marian, Are Cryptocurrencies Super Tax Havens?, 112 Mich. L. Rev. First Impressions 38 (2014) http://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr_fi/vol112/iss1/2 69

EU Targeting End of 2016 For Virtual Currency Controls To Fight Terrorism Threats. Cryptocoins news. https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/eu-virtual-currency-terrorism/ 70

A computer network with restricted access that is used chiefly for illegal peer-to-peer file sharing.

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Online consumers can do a lot to protect themselves, but in order to do so, they need to be aware of the risks of cybercrime and security measures that should be taken for prevention. Most common cyber crimes are hacking, copyright infringement, trade of illegal substances and weapons, child pornography, money laundering, espionage, identity and financial thefts. Unfortunately, just under half (47%) of EU citizens feel well informed about the risks of cybercrime. However, this varies a lot between countries, for an example in the Netherlands and Denmark 67% of respondents to the Eurobarometer 42371 survey said they feel very or fairly well informed, while in Romania and Bulgaria only 31% and 34% feel the same way.

Introduction Videos IB Times introduces the risks and measures have been taken to prevent the cyber crime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPOrW-jP90g Overview of cybercrime and the current situation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm1Wgd9bbOk Actors, Interests and Conflicts ●

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The European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) within Europol: Created to strengthen the law enforcement response to cybercrime in the EU and to help to protect European citizens, businesses and governments. Commenced its activities in January 2013.72 The European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (Enisa): The centre of expertise for cyber security in Europe. Established in 2004 to contribute to European-wide cyber security.73 INTERPOL: INTERPOL is the partner for any law enforcement agency looking to investigate cybercrimes on a cooperative level as it is a world-wide police organisation. By working with private industry, INTERPOL is able to provide local law enforcement with focused cyber intelligence, derived from combining inputs on a global scale. 74 Member States: Opinions and commonness of virtual currencies vary a lot between Member States. Germany has the most elaborate rules while for instance, the UK has yet to issue any guidance on this matter. There is also a difference between Member States when it comes to the level of online consumers awareness of cybercrime.

Current Legislation & Policies ●

The Directive on security of network and information systems (NIS Directive): Provides legal measures to boost the overall level of cybersecurity in the EU by ensuring

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Special Eurobarometer 423 - Cyber security. European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_423_en.pdf 72

EC3 in action https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/megamenu/european-cybercrime-centre-ec3-1837 73

European Union Agency for Network and Information Security https://www.enisa.europa.eu/

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INTERPOL enables police in our 190 member countries to work together to fight international crime

https://www.interpol.int/

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a) EU Member States’ Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRTs)75 work together in the EU CSIRT Network, b) a culture of security across sectors which are vital for the economy and society and moreover rely heavily on information and communications technology, such 12as banking and financial market infrastructures. Key digital service providers (search engines, cloud computing services, and online marketplaces) will have to comply with the security and notification requirements under the new Directive as well.

A Directive on attacks against information systems aims to tackle large-scale cyber-attacks by requiring Member States to strengthen national cyber-crime laws and introduce tougher criminal sanctions.76 Framework Decision on combating fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment, which defines the fraudulent behaviours that EU Member States need to consider as punishable criminal offences.77

Perspectives In economic theory, the law of supply and demand is considered one of the fundamental principles governing an economy78. For now digital finances have suffered from lack of interest and demand of the consumers. Two attractive characteristics of virtual currency are lower transaction fees and greater anonymity.79 Therefore a number of crimes, such as illegal trade and money laundering have increased, which raises mistrust even more. It is vital to bear in mind that digitisation is a booming phenomenon world-wide, especially in the EU. Many companies and individual investors are investing in digital currencies as well as buying goods and services with it, meanwhile hesitating about their safety. Virtual crime is more common while spending virtual money than physical one.

Virtual finance advocates justify the increase of virtual currencies by saying that financial transitions are cheaper and quicker. In addition, Researcher of National Centre of Scientific Research Primavera De Filippi argued that virtual currencies could relief the “how to supervise the supervisors” problem: banks would not be only actors in economic life. Virtual currencies could enliven finance by new inventions, such as virtual money applications, for example Apple allows virtual currency transactions in apps.80 Extending efficient supervision to virtual currencies might be difficult, if not impossible, so most regulators are now pondering how to regulate the points of contact between virtual currencies and fiat money, i.e. where one is exchanged for the other.

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A computer security incident response team (CSIRT) is a concrete organisational entity that is assigned the responsibility of coordinating and supporting the response to a computer security event or incident. It can be created for nation states or economies, governments, commercial organisations, educational institutions, and even non-profit entities. The goal of a CSIRT is to minimise and control the damage resulting from incidents, provide effective guidance for response and recovery activities, and work to prevent future incidents from happening.

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EUR-lex http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=URISERV%3Al33193 77 EUR-lex http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32001F0413 78 “Economic Theory - Supply and Demand”. Science 2.0.

http://www.science20.com/gerhard_adam/blog/economic_theory_%E2%80%93_supply_and_demand 79

Informed Investor Advisory: Virtual Currency. North American Securities Administrators Association. http://www.nasaa.org/30631/informed-investor-advisory-virtual-currency/

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Apple Allows Virtual Currencies in Apps, Opening Door to Bitcoin. Bloomberg Technology. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-06-03/apple-allows-virtual-currencies-in-apps-opening-door-to-bitcoin

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As for the perspective of the EU, there is little doubt that the forthcoming EU legislation on this matter will be profound, however, it is too early to assess what the situation of virtual currencies will be after their implementation. It is also thought that the technology behind the virtual currencies could be used in a variety of applications where data needs to be transferred without corruption.2 There are several questions we should keep in mind. For example, which EU branches could start to ensure consumer security online and how could the EU along with its Member States increase surveillance over virtual currencies? Since Bitcoin has oligopoly in the field, what should be done to increase variety, if it is even needed? Is new legislation needed? And finally, how can we raise awareness of cyber crime?

Key Definitions ● ● ●

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Cryptocurrency: A digital currency using cryptography in security means.

Bitcoin: The name of a cryptocurrency based on blockchain technology specially developed for Bitcoin and which is still the market leader amongst virtual currencies.

E-money: Electronic money is a digital equivalent of cash, stored on an electronic device or remotely at a server. One common type of e-money is the ’electronic purse’, where users store relatively small amounts of money on their payment card or other smart card, to use for making small payments. E-money can also be stored on (and used via) mobile phones or in a payment account on the internet.

Fiat money: A currency, which value only depends on supply and demand, not any physical commodity, such as precious metals.

Hacking: To gain unauthorised access to data in a system or computer.

Money laundering: The concealment of the origins of illegally obtained money, typically by means of transfers involving foreign banks or legitimate businesses.

Phishing: Criminal attempt to get sensitive or personal information via Internet.

Virtual currency: A digital representation of value, not issued by a central bank, credit institution or e-money institution, which in some circumstances can be used as an alternative to money' (ad-hoc definition, as used by the European Central Bank). Not to be confused with emoney.

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Statistics

The global price tag of consumer cybercrime. (http://resources.infosecinstitute.com/2013-impactcybercrime/)

How Bitcoin activity stacks up against other payment networks. (https://www.statista.com/chart/1681/daily-transaction-volume-of-payment-nnetworks) Links 2013 - The Impact of Cybercrime. Infosec Institute. http://resources.infosecinstitute.com/2013-impact-cybercrime/ Briefing: Virtual currencies. Challenges following their introduction. European Parliament. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2016/579110/EPRS_BRI(2016)579110_EN.pdf Cyber security: new rules to protect Europe’s infrastructure. European Parliament News. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/20160701STO34371/cyber-security-new-rules-toprotect-europe's-infrastructure Cybersecurity. European Commission website.

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https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/cybersecurity Framework Decision on combating fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment. European Commission website. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/organized-crime-and-humantrafficking/cybercrime/index_en.htm Franko Virtual Currency explained. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wygAEZP4Mxw James Lyne: Everyday cybercrime -- and what you can do about it. TED Youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSErHToV8IU Money muling. Europol website. https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/money-muling Network and Information Security (NIS Directive). European Commission website. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/network-and-information-security-nis-directive Virtual currencies: Bitcoin and beyond [infographic]. Atm marketplace. http://www.atmmarketplace.com/blogs/virtual-currencies-bitcoin-and-beyond-infographic-2/ Virtual Frenzies: Bitcoin and the Block Chain. The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-g-cecchetti/virtual-frenzies-bitcoin_b_8228444.html Special Eurobarometer 423 - Cyber security. European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_423_en.pdf

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Committee on Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs II (LIBE II) Voting polls: In the light of the close voting results in the British Referendum, almost 30% of the population did not make it to the polls. What measures can the Member States take to increase voter turnout in their referendums and elections, whilst bearing in mind technological advancements?

By Miriam Aitken and Elena Marro Executive Summary Over the last 40 years, voter turnout has been steadily declining in the established democracies. Low turnout is linked to a wide range of socio-economic, cultural, institutional, technological, and demographic factors. Political disenchantment, lack of trust in the electoral systems, and institutional hurdles are among the main causes of the general decline in civic participation and political activism.

Despite the explosive development of the Internet and its ubiquitous presence in almost all areas of life, the great potential of technology is not being used equally and efficiently in the political sphere.

Main Problem While electoral participation differs greatly between EU Member States, a general decline of political participation has been observed and highlighted by the lowest voter turnout ever in the European elections of 201481. A sense of being far removed from the politicians in representative democracies and the impression that individual votes have too little of an influence are factors that result in political disenchantment.82 Furthermore, institutional hurdles like complicated registration processes are also seen as factors that discourages voters from participating in politics.83 Additional barriers are in place for expatriates, who live and work outside their country of origin, as certain Member States revoke their national right to vote if they have lived in another country for a certain period of time. This results in citizens losing their right to vote as they cannot participate in elections of their country of origin or their country of residence.

Concretely, this could happen to an Irish person giving up Irish residence and moving to another country.

As the Irish law deprives citizens of the right to vote when they give up residence, unless they prove the intention to resume residence after 18 months, Irish expatriates lose their right to vote in Ireland. As long as they have not become a citizen in their new country of origin, they cannot vote in their new home either and thus become disenfranchised.84 Moreover, the lack of sufficient education and understanding of political issues can further alienate the citizens from politics. Several EU Member States have introduced different systems of electronic voting to increase electoral participation. With that in mind, young people, who are daily Internet users

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Results of the 2014 European elections. European Parliament. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2014results/en/turnout.html 82

Declining Political Trust, Disenchantment with Politics and Methods of Political Participation. Gesis Leibniz Institute for Social Sciences. http://www.gesis.org/fileadmin/upload/forschung/veranstaltungen/CfP_poltrust_Cologne2012.pdf 83

Attempts to Improve Voter Turnout. Boundless. https://www.boundless.com/political-science/textbooks/boundlesspolitical-science-textbook/political-participation-and-voting-9/voter-turnout-69/attempts-to-improve-voter-turnout-3845669/ 84

Disenfranchisement of EU citizens resident abroad - Situation in national and European elections in EU Member States. European Parliament Research Service. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2015/564379/EPRS_IDA(2015)564379_EN.pdf

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represent one of the least politically active groups of society85, regardless that Internet voting is expected to raise electoral participation. However, currently no statistics can confirm the positive effects of introducing e-voting.86 Additionally, the principle of universal suffrage must be respected and the existing digital divide between generations and regions could hinder the political participation of those lacking digital skills or access to technology.

Introduction Video and Infographic ●

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Less than one in four 18 to 22 year old applied to vote in the European elections. Several campaigns across Europe run by young people are trying to inform, motivate, and get first time voters involved in the democratic process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf3kIqiV2iY Infographic explaining the current digital divide in the EU and the tools to close the gap: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/eu-digital-divide-infographic

Actors, Interests and Conflicts ●

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Civil society: main actors of elections, whose active engagement results in high voter turnout. A lack of political participation leads to unequal representation among various parts of the population and affects democratic legitimacy. However, active civil society movements and groups can boost political activism.

National Parliaments: representatives of the civil society, who are appointed by the people through democratic election process.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs): non-profit organisations, who aim to encourage political participation through provision of information and protect the rights of voters.

Current Legislation & Policies ●

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AEGEE: The European Students’ Forum AEGEE is an initiative, which encourages political participation and has launched various initiatives to animate youths across Europe to participate in votes and election. Its main aim is to promote active youth participation in society and politics, through non-formal education and forums for discussions.

Digital Agenda for Europe 2020: Part of the Europe 2020 Strategy, the Digital Agenda for Europe 2020 aims at closing the digital divide by bringing internet access to all European residents and improving digital skills.87 Digital Signature Act: Estonian legal framework, which provides the option to vote digitally in national and European Parliament elections, where individuals use approved digital signatures to authenticate themselves.88 Recommendation C (2014) 391: The European Commission released a recommendation ‘Addressing the consequences of disenfranchisement of Union citizens exercising their right to free movement’ on 29.01.2014. It requests Member States to allow their citizens living in other

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How would you get more young people involved in politics? Debating Europe http://www.debatingeurope.eu/2015/12/14/get-young-people-involved-politics/#.WAyXUtxuKRs 86

Could Online Voting Increase Turnout? Generation Progress. http://genprogress.org/voices/2014/12/10/33647/couldonline-voting-increase-turnout/ 87

Digital Single Market, Digital Economy & Society, Europe 2020 strategy.European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/europe-2020-strategy 88

Digital Signatures Act, Riigi Teataja https://www.riigiteataja.ee/en/eli/530102013080/consolide

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EU countries to continue participating in national politics and recommends making this process as uncomplicated as possible.89 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ftu/pdf/en/FTU_1.3.4.pdf Perspectives: Different methods are being used to increase voter turnout in elections and votes. Compulsory voting, with varying degrees of enforcement, is in place in certain countries, such as Belgium and Luxembourg and generally results in a higher voter turnout90. In the last elections the turnout was very high at 89% in Belgium and 91% in Luxembourg compared to countries without compulsory voting, such as the United Kingdom with a 66% turnout.91 However, compulsory voting is controversial as it is believed to increase the number of random votes - people voting aimlessly because they are obliged to and thus is considered by some to be at odds with the idea of freedom associated with democracy.92 Furthermore, compulsory voting could increase protest voting.

E-voting experiences have shown both negative and positive results. On the one hand, the Netherlands had to abandon the practice after its electronic voting machines were hacked and, on the other hand, Estonia successfully introduced Internet voting on a national level. Different systems of electronic voting are being tried in different countries, with Estonia’s remote e-voting system allowing voters to cast their votes from private devices through the Internet, while others rely on electronic means, physically supervised by state representatives. As a result potential chances and risks of e-voting are still embedded in a wider discussion with many critics claiming that the lack of transparency and security is linked to the online practice. Concerns over the security of online data were highlighted by the dutch civil society movement called "We do not trust voting machines" who appeared on national television to show how the voting machines could be manipulated in 5 minutes. Furthermore, dangers of such sensitive data online persist, with worries about possibilities to digitally alter or delete voter registrations, thus preventing the voters in question from participating in elections.93 Proposals to facilitate the voting procedure have been made, including suggestions such as expansion of the postal vote or Same Day Registration which would allow eligible voters to register to vote and cast their ballots on the same day. However, top-down measure can only go so far. Various non-governmental organisations and civil society initiatives, such as AEGEE and Citizens for Europe94 or national programmes of citizenship education in schools, colleges, and universities work to encourage more active political and electoral participation and technology can play an important role in bringing politics closer to voters.

What bottom-up methods can civil society use to encourage active political participation? Which role should technology play in increasing voter turnout, without excluding parts of society and bearing in mind potential risks? How can Europe bridge its digital divide and engage elder citizens in the digital

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Commission Recommendation- addressing the consequences of disenfranchisement of Union citizens exercising their rights to free movement. European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/citizen/files/c_2014_391_en.pdf 90

Compulsory Voting, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm 91

Voter turnout data for United Kingdom, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) http://www.idea.int/vt/countryview.cfm?id=77 92

Compulsory Voting, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm 93

FBI alert sparks fears that state voting systems are under digital assault-Could hacks of Arizona’s and Illinois’ voter databases be part of a Russian attempt to meddle in the U.S. election? Politico. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/fbi-states-voting-systems-digital-assualt-227523 94

About. Citizens For Europe (CFE). http://citizensforeurope.org/about/

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world? In what ways can the youth be more actively engaged in politics? How can institutional barriers and bureaucratic issues, such as under-registration, be tackled?

Key Definitions ● ● ●

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Digital divide: the gap between various socio-demographic groups and geographic areas in terms of access to and usage of computers and information technology.

Electronic voting (e-voting): voting using electronic means physically supervised by representatives of governmental or independent electoral authorities.

Protest voting: a practice in which people vote against a particular party or vote for fringe candidates in order to show their discontent with the system or governing party and not because their candidates represent their opinions.95 Remote e-voting: possibility of voting from virtually any location that is accessible through Internet.

Voter turnout: the percentage of eligible voters who can cast a ballot in an election.

Statistics Statistics showing the increase of E-voters in Estonia, correlated with a general increase of voter turnout between the local elections 2005 and the local elections 2009.96

95 96

Definition of protest vote. Collins dictionary.http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/protest-vote Internet Voting Estonia- A Comparative Analysis of Four Elections since 2005. Directorate Of Democratic Institutions.

http://www.coe.int/t/dgap/goodgovernance/activities/evoting/coe_studies/ggis(2010)15_internet_voting%20_in%20_estonia%202005-2009%20e.asp?toPrint=yes&

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Statistic showing the turnout in European countries most recent national elections.97

Links ● ●

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AEGEE - European Student Forum. http://www.aegee.org/ Attempts to improve voter turnout. Boundless.com. https://www.boundless.com/politicalscience/textbooks/boundless-political-science-textbook/political-participation-and-voting9/voter-turnout-69/attempts-to-improve-voter-turnout-384-5669/ Commission Recommendation of 29.1.2014 Addressing the consequences of disenfranchisement of Union citizens exercising their rights to free movement. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/citizen/files/c_2014_391_en.pdf Compulsory voting. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm Digital Signatures Act. Riigi Teataja. https://www.riigiteataja.ee/en/eli/530102013080/consolide Disenfranchisement of EU citizens resident abroad - Situation in national and European elections in EU Member States. European Parliament Research Service. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2015/564379/EPRS_IDA(2015)564379_E N.pdf E-voting and the Estonian case: discussion points and principles. http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/nispacee/unpan009212.pdf E-voting system still presents serious security problems and vulnerability to a range of attacks that could undetectably alter election results. https://estoniaevoting.org/findings/summary/ Estonian Internet Voting System. Estonia.eu http://estonia.eu/about-estonia/economy-a-it/evoting.html Europe 2020 Strategy. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-singlemarket/en/europe-2020-strategy How would you get more young people involved in politics? Debating Europe http://www.debatingeurope.eu/2015/12/14/get-young-people-involvedpolitics/#.WAyXUtxuKRs

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Will Scotland Set a Turnout Record? Your Definitive Guide. Politics at Reading. http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/readingpolitics/2014/09/12/will-scotland-set-a-turnout-record-your-definitive-guide/

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Results of the 2014 European elections. European Parliament. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2014-results/en/turnout.html Rock the vote: A US initiative proposing a new way of using creativity and technology to engage and build the political power of young people. http://www.rockthevote.com/about-us/ The Estonian ID Card and Digital Signature Concept - Principles and Solutions. http://www.id.ee/public/The_Estonian_ID_Card_and_Digital_Signature_Concept.pdf The European Parliament electoral procedures. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ftu/pdf/en/FTU_1.3.4.pdf The May 2014 EU elections shown the lowest voter turnout on record. http://www.euractiv.com/section/eu-elections-2014/news/it-s-official-last-eu-election-hadlowest-ever-turnout/ Under-registration as a serious issue in some countries: Two-thirds of polling stations in Great Britain turned away at least one would-be voter at the 2015 General Elections because they were not on the electoral register. Causes and possible solutions. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8L8l8Sw8aKVRHJPQ19EQVZiTTQ/view?pref=2&pli=1 Voter turnout data for United Kingdom. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. http://www.idea.int/vt/countryview.cfm?id=77

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Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Driving without drivers: As technology has advanced as far as driverless cars and trucks, transportation network has gain a strong boost. What should be the position of EU the Member States on this matter, whilst bearing in mind the advantages and dangers of these innovations?

By Illia Koshytskyi and Avnik Melikian Executive Summary The concept of a driverless car is not a new one. Even though tests have proved to be generally successful, there are already some issues regarding how they operate. Still, most countries, including all the EU Member States, have not yet expressed formally their opinion on the driverless technologies.

Main Problem A few years ago the world saw Google’s self-driving car, one of the first vehicles that uses driverless technologies. Taking into consideration that 81% of accidents in Europe involve human error98, implementing driverless vehicles might seem quite advantageous, since they eliminate the human error factor. Data published last year by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety suggests that partly autonomous features implemented in today’s human-driven cars are already helping reduce crashes99.

On the downside, these technologies could be corrupted or hacked. Moreover, using only driverless cars might lead to having future generations of drivers with no practical driving experience. There are other concerns when it comes to negative consequences, for example in North California a self-driving car was stopped for driving too slow and it has also caused some accidents during the testing period in the United States100.

The driverless technologies require ongoing data collection to operate. An inbuilt laser system collects all the information on surroundings within the range of two football fields, while the inner sensors collect the information on a passenger: age, appearance, place of residence, work and study, sex etc. That means the manufacturer could have all the personal data on a passenger, raising the topic of human rights violations. It is stated that the car uses this data to analyse how to act in a certain situation, being the first artificial intelligence technology based on learning101.

The European market has seen driverless technologies much earlier than the American one - BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen have already presented their driverless vehicles, while the American market has only Google and Uber self-driving cars being tested102. Nevertheless, the EU Member States have no specific governmental regulations regarding the driverless cars, while some American states have already issued certain regulations that set the frames of data being collected on a passenger as well as the other regulations of collecting the data needed to operate a driverless car.

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Identifying the causes of road crashes in Europe. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3861814/.

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Who's Responsible When a Self-Driving Car Crashes? Scientific American. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/who-s-responsible-when-a-self-driving-car-crashes/.

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Driverless Cars Are Further Away Than You Think. MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/520431/driverless-cars-are-further-away-than-you-think/.

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How do driverless cars work?The telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/features/how-do-driverless-carswork/.

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Which countries are testing driverless cars? Swissinfo. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/future-of-transport_which-countries-are-testing-driverless-cars-/41999484.

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Many activists state that the main point why people should abandon the driverless technologies is the moral dilemma. What would the car do in a situation when a child suddenly appears on the road in front of the car and it is not able to stop before the crash? It has already been stated, that a car collects the information on a passenger and thus it raises a question whose life would be prioritised by the driverless technology in a situation like this?103 Introduction Videos A Ride in the Google Self Driving Car The video describes how the Google self-driving car technologies work. It represents the first experience of using driverless technologies while driving the Google self-driving car. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsaES--OTzM Are we ready for the self-driving car?

TEDx talk by Tyron Louw, a human factors expert working on understanding drivers' capabilities and limitations in their interaction with a highly automated driving system. In his talk, Tyron explores where we are on the road to the self-driving car, and what would happen if your self-driving car has a ‘bluescreen’ moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjQJwEKjz6g Actors, Interests and Conflicts ● ●

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Citizens of the EU: as the target audience for the change proposed, the citizens of the European Union are the ones who would start using self-driving cars.

Developers (e.g. Google Driverless Car Project, University of Berlin, Uber): these are the manufacturing companies and institutes that are currently developing driverless technologies.

There is a strong difference in interests between the consumers and the developers. For example, the developers want driverless technologies to be totally autonomous, which would require ongoing personal data collection. The developers also desire to remove the steering wheel and pedals so that the software and sensors can handle the driving without any interference104.

However, the consumers want to have an ability to control the driving process if something goes wrong with the driverless technology.

European Commission: EU institution that has the authority to propose legislation and has the executive power. Additionally it has laid the foundation for the implementation of measures described in Horizon 2020. It is also the actor that will monitor, whether the goals set for 2020, 2030 and 2050 are being successfully achieved or not105.

Member States’ governments: since the transport area and the area of Freedom, Security and Justice are the EU’s sharing competence, Member States have a jurisdiction to adopt transport and data protection laws concerning the use of driverless technologies within the territory of Member States. These are policy areas on which the Member States have agreed to act individually if the EU has not exercised (or planned to exercise) its competence.

103 104 105

The ethical dilemma of self-driving cars. Ted-Ed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixIoDYVfKA0.

How it drives. Google. https://www.google.com/selfdrivingcar/how/.

Horizon 2020. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/.

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Current Legislation & Policies ●

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Convention on Road Traffic Vienna, 8 November 1968106: The 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic is an accord among participating members of the United Nations administered by the UN Economic Commission for Europe. The Vienna Convention covers road traffic safety regulations and as such establishes principles to govern traffic laws. One of the fundamental principles of the Convention has been the concept that a driver is always fully in control and responsible for the behavior of a vehicle in traffic. With the advent of automatic systems to direct the behavior of various vehicle systems such as lighting, but increasingly towards collision avoidance, this basic principle is no longer completely in concert with advanced vehicle technologies. At present, there are no pending proposals to modify this agreement.

Data Protection Directive107: Under the Data Protection Directive, collecting and processing the personal data of individuals is only legitimate in certain circumstances laid down by Article 7 of the Directive. For Example: if processing is necessary in order to protect the vital interest of the data subject, for example, processing of medical data of a victim of a car accident and if the data controller or a third party has a legitimate interest in doing so, as long as this interest does not affect the interests of the data subject, or infringe on his or her fundamental rights, in particular the right to privacy. It shall be noted that Article 8 prohibits the processing of personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade-union membership, and the processing of data concerning health or sex life unless one of the exception criteria is met108.

Digitising European Industry. Reaping the full benefits of a Digital Single Market109 is the first industry-related initiative of the Digital Single Market package. Building on and complementing the various national initiatives for digitising industry, such as Smart Industry and l'industrie du futur, the Commission will use its policy instruments, financial support, coordination, and legislative powers to trigger further public and private investments in all industrial sectors and create the framework conditions for the digital industrial revolution. The measures to Digitise European Industry will link up national and regional initiatives and boost investment through strategic partnerships and networks.

European Parliament resolution of 3 February 2009 on pre-commercial procurement: driving innovation to ensure sustainable high-quality public services in Europe (2008/2139(INI))110highlights the benefits of the pre-commercial procurement model as one of the drivers of innovation and calls for the European Commission and Member States to work together to ensure that contracting authorities in local, regional, and other authorities develop the required expertise to implement innovative procurement. Public challenges could be solved by technological solutions developed through pre-commercial procurement. Such solutions could include design contests and challenge funds, such as the US Driverless Vehicle Challenge.

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Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Volunteers of cycling academy. http://176.9.76.16/Radlobby/wiki/VOCA/doku.php/vienna_convention_on_road_traffic 107

Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995/ Eur-Lex. http://eurlex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:31995L0046&from=en 108

Collecting and processing personal data: what is legal? European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/justice/dataprotection/data-collection/legal/index_en.htm.

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Digitising European Industry.Reaping the full benefits of a Digital Single Market. Eur-Lex. http://eurlex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1474190524454&uri=CELEX:52016DC0180 110

Pre-commercial procurement: driving innovation to ensure sustainable high-quality public services in Europe. EurLex. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52009IP0037&qid=1474190524454&from=EN

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Horizon 2020111: The multi-purpose programme on Research and Innovation aimed at improving social conditions of living within the EU. Therefore, 2.5 billion euros is allocated for innovation in transport systems. The Commission will invest more than 100 million euros, available within 7 years (2014-2020), in areas such as smart cities and homes, smart living environments for ageing well, driverless cars, wearables, smart city, agro-food or manufacturing.

It will lead to technology integration and also to validation of business models and standards; will support innovative experimentation and testing activities with a focus on cross-border collaboration facilitating access of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps112 to technology and EU-wide markets.

Perspectives Driverless technologies will enter our lives in the nearest future. The driverless vehicles have a lot of advantages over the driver-assisted ones. For example, using driverless trucks for long-distance deliveries would help simplify the process and make it safer, since it would eliminate the human error factor. Using Uber driverless cars would save time for clients whereas the driver might lose it due to the human factor113. However, the society nowadays is not yet ready to refuse driving a car on their own in favor of using the driverless technologies because of the moral dilemma114. Nevertheless, many problems concerning the moral factor could be solved by for example adding a steering wheel to the driverless vehicles. It would provide a driver with the opportunity to steer the vehicle when they are not satisfied with the vehicle’s actions. However, the Google Inc. has already refused to add a steering wheel to their self-driving car.

Another factor that might influence the future development of this technology is the heavy expenses that are needed to manufacture the driverless vehicle. However, there is an affordable driverless technology by George Hotz that would turn a regular car into a driverless one. Moreover, this concept does not share person’s data with a worldwide network like the Google Self-Driving car does115.

Using driverless technology could increase the quality of life for its citizens, reduce the level of harmful emissions, and promote economic growth. On the other hand, if trucks become self-driving then many truck and taxi drivers would lose their work. For example, Freightliner Inspiration platooning technology requires only one driver to operate two or more trucks simultaneously116. Thus, the Member States would face a rise in unemployment since many drivers would become unemployed. Moreover, decrease in jobs in this sector will affect their families and chains of business that benefit from these drivers like restaurants and hotels where drivers usually make a stop.

Concerning self-driving trucks, doubts still remain about the safety of this technology. Would enhanced navigation make drivers more prone to distraction? The autonomous vehicles might offer longer downtime to drivers, whereas cell phone use is involved in an estimated 1 in 4 driver-operated vehicle crashes117.

111 112 113

Horizon 2020. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/

A mid-cap company is a company with a market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion.

Uber’s self-driving trucks. Tech insider. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2_xh5GN9yM. 114

Moral dilemma of self-driving cars: Which lives to save in a crash. CBSNEWS. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/moral-dilemma-of-self-driving-cars-which-lives-to-save-in-a-crash/.

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Meet the 26-Year-Old Hacker Who Built a Self-Driving Car in His Garage. Bloomberg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTrgRYa2wbI. 116 117

Self-Driving Trucks: Are Truck Drivers Out of a Job? ATBS. http://www.atbsshow.com/self-driving-trucks

Green logistics: The Benefits and drawbacks of driverless freight (Self-driving trucks) and its impacts in our society.

Anthony-Claret Onwutalobi Lahti University of Applied Science Finland. https://goo.gl/FthH33

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An adaptation of the Vienna Convention118 is necessary to address questions in relation to further development of partly or fully automated driving. Discussions on these issues have recently started with the Working Party on Road Traffic Safety of the UN-ECE Transport Division.119 What should be the stance of the Member States when it comes to driverless technologies? Are these technologies ready to be used to make daily transport driverless? What are the benefits and concerns of using a self-driving vehicle, which also collects extensive data on the driver?

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Artificial intelligence technology is an area of computer science that deals with giving machines the ability to seem like they have human intelligence; the power of a machine to copy intelligent human behavior.

Driverless (self-driving) car is a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment and navigating without human input.

Self-driving trucks are vehicles equipped with self-driving software with a highway Pilot technology, which includes radar and a stereo camera, in addition to steering and cruise control systems to autopilot itself and reduce the burden on the human driver.120 Freightliner Inspiration is a platooning technology, developed by Daimler and Peloton Technology company, that connects two or more trucks via cloud technology and uses safety features like active braking, which is already found on many passenger cars today. The lead truck driver would control all the trucks, but drivers will still be needed to maneuver the highway exits, city streets, and backing up to the loading dock.

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Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Volunteers of cycling academy. http://176.9.76.16/Radlobby/wiki/VOCA/doku.php/vienna_convention_on_road_traffic 119

Official Journal of the European Union. European Commission. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=OJ:C:2013:293E:FULL 120

Green logistics: The Benefits and drawbacks of driverless freight (Self-driving trucks) and its impacts in our society.

Anthony-Claret Onwutalobi Lahti University of Applied Science Finland. https://goo.gl/FthH33

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Statistics The categories of specific causation factors, which were not mutually exclusive, are shown in Table 2.

Temporary personal factors were identified as a relatively common specific causation factor, particularly amongst pedestrians and car/MPV drivers. Human factors accounted for 81% of the total factors identified.

Links Autonomous car forecasts. Driverless car market watch. http://www.driverlessfuture.com/?page_id=384 Driverless Cars Are Further Away Than You Think. MIT Technology review. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/520431/driverless-cars-are-further-away-than-you-think/ EU considers new insurance laws for driverless cars. Euractive. https://www.euractiv.com/section/digital/news/eu-considers-new-insurance-laws-for-driverless-cars/

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Green logistics: The Benefits and drawbacks of driverless freight (Self-driving trucks) and its impacts in our society. Anthony-Claret Onwutalobi Lahti University of Applied Science Finland. https://goo.gl/FthH33 Member states divided over driverless car agreement. Euractive. https://www.euractiv.com/section/digital/news/member-states-divided-over-driverless-caragreement/ Moral dilemma of self-driving cars: Which lives to save in a crash. CBSNEWS. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/moral-dilemma-of-self-driving-cars-which-lives-to-save-in-a-crash/ Popular science. Driverless cars. Popsci. http://www.popsci.com/tags/driverless-cars Which countries are testing driverless cars? Swissinfo. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/future-oftransport_which-countries-are-testing-driverless-cars-/41999484 Why Europe might get driverless cars before the US. Techinsider. http://www.techinsider.io/citymobil2-brings-driverless-cars-to-eu-2015-12

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Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) Cooperation in protection: In the light of recent terror attacks in Europe, the EU is calling to establish measures, which would decrease threat-­levels. While bearing in mind the technological advancements Europe possesses, how can the Member States increase its cooperation?

By Fania Christodoulides and Jarna Heikkinen Executive Summary As terrorism adapts to the rapid growth of technology, organisations like ISIL and Al-Qaeda use technologies such as end-to-end encryption to their advantage. Although the EU has certain programmes and policies in place, which aim to prevent, protect, pursue, and respond to terrorism, there is still a lack of cohesion among the Member States. With citizens living in fear and insecurity, how can the EU use technological advances, whilst bearing in mind Human Rights laws, to solve the issues of Member States’ cooperation in the fight against terror?

Main Problem Terrorism has posed a threat to security in Europe for decades, but over the course of recent years the threat level has increased. This is mainly due to the terroristic activity of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The most notable attacks in Europe from the past years are the Charlie Hebdo attack in January 2015, the attacks in Bataclan in November 2015, the Brussels airport attack in March 2016, and the attack in Nice in July 2016.

The nature of recruitment and communication related to terrorism has changed as new technologies such as social media, communication applications, and encryption technologies have been applied for these purposes. In some cases, the technological means for inhibiting these actions might be available, but preserving fundamental human rights and freedoms such as freedom of speech and right to privacy interfere with the potential surveillance mechanisms.

A conflict that has been discussed in the light of the recent attacks is whether the European military and informative cooperation should be increased. It is argued that a more profound cooperation between the Member States would be necessary in order to maximise the efficiency of counter-terrorist efforts in Europe. However, the EU does not enforce legislation, in almost all cases, it is the Member States themselves which fulfil this task, and for legislation to be created, it must be done in consent of both the Council and the European Parliament - appointed by the governments and elected by the people, respectively.

Another challenge in the fight against terrorism is to figure out how to best utilise new technologies in the different areas of counter terrorism. As the current European Union strategy is focused on four main pillars: Protect, Prevent, Pursue and Respond, it is essential to consider the possibilities that new technologies provide regarding all of these areas.

Introduction Videos Fighting Terrorism in the EU and Beyond it’s Borders. By The European Parliament.

This video highlights some of the measures the UN has taken to counter terrorism, enhance EU - UN cooperation and asks if the EU can create a holistic approach of at home/abroad security in fighting terrorism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1nP0PZIsbk

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EU calls for setting up new counter-terrorism centre. By AFP News Agency.

Building trust between EU Member States, creating a platform for communication and reacting to threats based on their severity level. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHxLC2R8_gA Introduction Infographic: Illustrates the EU’s Strategic Commitment against Terrorism and its four priorities.121

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The European Union consists of the European Commission which is the main executive body, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament, which take part in the legislative process in addition to the Court of Justice of the EU which ensures EU law is applied and interpreted in the Member States.

EU Intelligence Analysis Centre is an EU intelligence body that gathers information from the Member States’ intelligence and security services and then provides various decision making bodies of the EU with in-depth analysis.

Europol is a law enforcement body of the European Union and it works in cooperation with the police of the Member States to fight against international crime and terrorism.

The Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) is an a-political organisation, whose mission is to offer expertise and information regarding strategic counter-terrorism, as well as promote the United Nations’ (UN) counter terrorism plan. The European Union is a member of the GCTF alongside with 29 other countries.

The Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) was founded by the European Commission in 2011 to prevent radicalisation leading to violent extremism and facilitate cooperation between local actors.

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Introduction Infographic. The European Union Counter Terrorism Strategy. Council of the European Union. http://register.consilium.europa.eu/doc/srv?l=EN&f=ST%2014469%202005%20REV%204

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The self-proclaimed Islamic State, mostly known by acronyms ISIS, ISIL, or Da´esh, is a jihadist militant group that has control over a vast area Syria and Iraq. In Europe, ISIL is the most notable actor behind the recent terrorist attacks.

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EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, specifically Articles 7, 11 and 52122: Legally binding for all Member States, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, in particular Articles 7 and 11, gives everyone the right to privacy in communications and the right to freedom of expression, regardless of frontier, while assuring the pluralism of media. Article 52, however, gives the right for “limitations” if “they are necessary and genuinely meet objectives of general interest recognised by the Union or the need to protect the rights and freedoms of others”.

EU Civil Protection Mechanism: Established in 2001, it is meant to promote cooperation, in the event of an emergency, between the 28 Member States, as well as Iceland, Norway, Montenegro, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey.123 EU Counter Terrorism Strategy: Adopted in 2005, the strategy aims to combat terrorism globally, while ensuring human right laws, and allowing citizens to live freely, securely and justly, highlighting the priorities of preventing, protecting, pursuing, and responding to terrorism.

Revised in June 2014 to incorporate the use of social media and terrorism.124 European Parliament Resolution of 25 November 2015 on the prevention of radicalisation and recruitment of European citizens by terrorist organisations: promotes social inclusion, disabling of terrorist networks, and strengthening internal and external border controls.125 EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) Directive: Requires airlines to give EU countries their passengers’ data (collected upon ticket purchase and registration) in order to help local authorities combat terrorism and serious crime. Approved by plenary in April 2016, Member States now need to create national legislation to support this directive.126 European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection (EPCIP): Created in 2004, it is not confined to terrorism, the EPCIP identifies and tries to protect the infrastructure of two or more Member States in the event of an attack, fault or failure. Via the subsequent 2008 Directive on European Critical Infrastructures a common approach for assessing the need to improve the protection of European Critical Infrastructures was established.127 Horizon 2020: Initiated in 2014, Horizon 2020 is the EU’s current Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. It has a budget of 75 billion euros, and one of of its main focus areas is Societal Challenges, with a sub-area on “Secure societies – Protecting freedom and security of

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Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Eur-Lex, Access to European Law. http://eurlex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:12012P/TXT 123

EU Civil Protection Mechanism. European Commission, Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection. http://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/civil-protection/mechanism_en 124 125

EU fight against terrorism. European Council. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/fight-against-terrorism/

European Parliament Resolution of 25 November 2015 on the prevention of radicalisation and recruitment of European citizens by terrorist organisations. European Parliament. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P8-TA-2015-0410+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN 126

EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) directive: an overview. European Parliament News, Justice and Home Affairs. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/20150123BKG12902/eu-passenger-name-record-(pnr)-directivean-overview 127

Critical Infrastructure. European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/homeaffairs/what-we-do/policies/crisis-and-terrorism/critical-infrastructure/index_en.htm

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Europe and its citizens” This makes Horizon 2020 a main financial contributor to technological development against terrorism.128 ●

The European Agenda on Security 2015-2020: Promotes cooperation between Member States with regards to all threats, with the priority of terrorism and cybercrime in addition to organised crime. The motion for a resolution on the European Agenda on Security is legally non-binding.129

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), specifically Articles 12, 19 and 22130: Fundamental for all humans, the UDHR (and these Articles in particular) give the right to privacy, freedom of opinion and expression, in addition to the right to social security.

Perspectives The question remains whether or not terrorists have the right to privacy and free communication via technology and end-to-end encryption (based on Articles 12, 19 and 24 of the UDHR and Articles 7 and 11 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights) considering that Article 52 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, allows for “limitation” when it comes to these laws. Also, how to identify a potential terrorist out of the crowd of internet users? Using discriminatory characteristics - such as ethnicity or religion- is also a violation of their human rights. By selecting the wrong person, an innocent civilian’s privacy is violated.

In addition to this, The EU Counter Terrorism Strategy gives the priorities of preventing, protecting pursuing and responding to terrorism. Giving a holistic approach to technology and terrorism, how can each one of these priorities be satisfied? Using Directives and Programmes already in place, such as the EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) Directive and the European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection (EPCIP) how can current technologies make them more effective? New technologies are constantly being created - so is there a way via technology that allows for privacy to be preserved for civilians but terrorists are discovered? Facial recognition, fingerprint scanners, and metal detectors are increasing in accuracy, however a lot of terrorist attacks happen in areas where they are least expected nowadays, (ie churches and roads) so how can street technology increase? Moreover, can technological advancements enhance the cooperation between the Member States? Using Research and Development, how this be achieved?

Key Definitions ●

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Dark web is the part of the World Wide Web that is not indexed by standard search engines, like Google. To access the dark web, one must use special software, such as TOR, as well as know precisely what they are looking for to find it, since there are no proper search engines to be used.

Dark web enables the users to preserve their anonymity, hence it is also utilised by terrorist actors for spreading information and propaganda.

Encryption technologies are used to ensure privacy in communication via internet and they permit users to “go dark”, to become undetected by outsiders. ISIL, for example, has gone as far as creating its own encryption software to facilitate the coordination between its members. What is more, encryption software is being used in ordinary communication applications in order to ensure users’ privacy. Telegram is one of these highly secure applications that has its users among extremists.

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Horizon 2020: The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/ 129

European Agenda on Security. European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/homeaffairs/what-we-do/policies/european-agenda-security/index_en.htm 130

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. United Nations. http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

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Radicalisation is a phenomenon of people embracing radical ideology, which could lead to committing terrorist acts131. Recently, the role of social media has become significant as a tool for spreading extremist ideologies and recruiting young people.

Terrorism is defined by the EU as criminal offence that may damage a political, constitutional, economic or social structures of a country or an international organisation. Terrorism aims at intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organisation to act in a certain way132.

Statistics Graph 1: Jihadi terrorism in Western Countries (Europe, Australia Canada and the United States) from 2001 to November 2015.133 Illustrating the increase of failed plots and successful terrorist attacks over the course of 15 years. This graph also highlights that during July-November 2015, Europe had more attacks in comparison to the whole of Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States in any previous year (since 2001).

Links Top questions asked on the ISIS 'Help Desk'. CNN Money. http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/18/technology/isis-jihad-help-desk/index.html?iid=EL How Terrorists Use Encryption. Combating Terrorism Center at West Point https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/how-terrorists-use-encryption

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Radicalisation expalined, Migration and home affairs og the European Union http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/homeaffairs/what-we-do/policies/crisis-and-terrorism/radicalisation/index_en.htm 132

Council framework decicion on combatting terrorism, Official Journal of the European Communities http://www.statewatch.org/news/2002/jul/frameterr622en00030007.pdf 133

Graph1. The Plague of Daily Terrorism. The Economist. http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/11/daily-chart-12

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Anti-terror measures: How tech helps fight the counter-terrorism war. ITPRO. http://www.itpro.co.uk/security/23685/anti-terror-measures-how-tech-helps-fight-the-counterterrorism-war Votewatch Europe Website.http://www.votewatch.eu/ Secure societies – Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens. Horizon 2020, European Commision. https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/h2020-section/secure-societies%E2%80%93-protecting-freedom-and-security-europe-and-its-citizens Guy Verhofstadt 25 Nov 2015 plenary speech on Recent terrorist attacks in Paris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3VuHFFII48 Introduction of the EU counter-terrorism strategy, The Council of the European Union http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/fight-against-terrorism/?lang=fi Terrorist Attacks in Europe: This is how dangerous it has become. News.com.au. http://www.news.com.au/world/europe/terrorist-attacks-in-europe-this-is-how-dangerous-it-hasbecome/news-story/6698f619b28445b9da4ebd763b27e115 Terrorist Migration to the Dark Web. Perspectives on Terrorism. http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/513/html Background, Mission and Tasks. Eurojust, The European Union's Judicial Cooperation Unit. http://www.eurojust.europa.eu/about/background/Pages/mission-tasks.aspx About Us.Europol. https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/page/about-us Analysis Secrecy reigns at the EU’s Intelligence Analysis Centre.Statewatch. http://www.statewatch.org/analyses/no-223-eu-intcen.pdf Members and Partners. GCTF, Global CounterTerrorism Forum. https://www.thegctf.org/Aboutus/Members-and-partners Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN). European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-wedo/networks/radicalisation_awareness_network/index_en.htm Article about encryption. How Terrorists use encryption, Combating Terrorism Center https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/how-terrorists-use-encryption Article on ISIS using Telegram and other applications, An app called Telegram is the 'hot new thing among jihadists', CNN http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/17/technology/isis-telegram/ Article on the dark web and its use by terrorists, Gabriel Weimann http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/513/html

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Partners of Kempele 2016 – Regional Session of EYP Finland

Huomattavan hyvää sisältöä.

European Youth Parliament Finland – EYP Finland ry Melkonkatu 24 00210 Helsinki info@eypfinland.org www.eypfinland.org