Academic Preparation Kit - 20th National Session of EYP Ireland

Academic

Preparation Kit 20th National Session Informed Europe: Growth through Understanding 17th - 20th April 2017

The EU: An Introduction

4-8

Committee on Constitutional Affairs

9 - 13

Committee on Foreign Affairs

14 - 18

Committee on Culture and Education I

19 - 24

Committee on Culture and Education II

25- 29

Committee on Employment

30 - 34

Committee on Environment , Public Health & Food Safety

35 - 39

Committee on Industry, Research & Energy

30 - 45

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice & Home Affairs

46 - 50

Committee on Fisheries

51 - 56

Committee on Transport & Tourism

57 - 61

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Dear all, A warm welcome to all who are reading this booklet. It is my pleasure to have this opportunity to introduce you to the 20th National Session of EYP Ireland, which I have the honour of presiding. I hope you are looking forward to the conference which will soon be upon us! You all have had the opportunity to be introduced to the world of EYP through your Regional Sessions. I hope you will all be able to build on these experiences and gain more knowledge, skills and friends from your time in Cork.

EYP Sessions give us as young people the opportunity to discuss and debate problems facing our communities, countries, and the world. Over the course of the weekend you will be immersed in your committee topic, and later the topics of others, and I hope this will instil as well as strengthen your interest in current affairs. I also hope each of you to challenge yourself to try something new during this Session. If you’re someone who’d never imagine making a speech in public, perhaps start by speaking up in some way in General Assembly. If you’re someone who’s usually fervently arguing why their solution is the best way forward, maybe try and work out compromises and work towards a middle ground. Challenge yourself to take some steps outside of your comfort zone and the best way to do that is be prepared.

Over the past few weeks, the chairs team have researched their topics and crafted overviews to assist you in your academic preparation. The theme of the Session “Informed Europe: Growth Through Understanding” has allowed us to present issues as diverse as multilingualism, constitutional affairs, and healthcare. Highlighting the importance of being informed as an introduction to an academic preparation tool seems paradoxical, however, I think it’s important to underscore that information and understanding play a large role in many, if not all, problems we face today. I hope through your preparation and discussion of these topics, you’ll come to realise how much of an influence information and understanding can have in a variety of fields.

Over the course of the session, and in your preparation, I hope you learn something new about the academic side of current affairs, but also about other participants from across the continent and, perhaps most importantly, about yourself. You will be presented with so many opportunities and challenges during the Session I hope that you to make the most of it, all while having a lot of fun.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon, Cliona Cowhig (IE)

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The EU: An Introduction EU Institutions The 3 main institutions of the European Union are:

- The European Commission, - The European Parliament, - Council of Ministers.

These three institutions are involved in processing, drafting, debating, amending and passing regulations, directives, decisions, recommendations and opinions in relation to a variety of sectors. Over the course of this brief overview we’ll explain these institutions, how they work together to pass EU legislation (the ordinary legislative procedure), the types of laws they can pass, and the balance of power between the EU and Member States for each sector (competences).

Institutions Explained - European Parliament The European Parliament is the only directly elected EU institution and consists of 751 MEPs, allocated roughly on the portion of EU population in each country.

Elections for the European Parliament occur every 5 years.

The main responsibilities of the European Parliament are legislative it co-decides on adopting or rejecting EU legislation with the Council of Ministers.

The European Parliament’s role in policy-making has been elevated with the Treaty of Lisbon allocating more powers to it. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), gather in committees to discuss issues facing Europe today, their conclusions are forwarded to the Commission, and in this way the European Parliament can influence the legislation that is initiated.ment decides, along with the Council of the European Union, whether to accept, reject or amend proposals by the European Commission. The European Commission is accountable to the European Parliament.

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- Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers) is composed of the Ministers from each Member State, responsible for the topic being discussed.

The Council of Ministers holds co-decision-making power with the European Parliament, is also responsible for drafting the EU budget with the European Parliament, coordinate national policies, and also to dictate the EU’s foreign policy.  - European Commission Situated in Brussels, Belgium the European Commission consists of: 28 commissioners; one nominated by each Member State, who oversee a variety of portfolios ranging from energy to budget to education, culture, youth and sport. One Commissioner is elected President of the European Commission; the current European Commission President is Jean-Claude Junker. The Commission can be viewed as similar to a national government with the President being similar to the Prime Minister, and Commissioners similar to Ministers responsible for their own specific policy area.

Directorates-General; if we view the European Commission as similar to national government’s cabinets, the Directorates-General can considered as national governmental departments, which over-see the implementation and development of the decisions made by the EU. Committees; there are a number of different types of committees, all of which are responsible for providing the commission with feedback on decisions. Their power ranges from purely advisory to complete blocking of decisions, depending on the committee. These groups all work together in the Commission, and have the responsibility for drafting and proposing laws, oversee the implementation of EU policies in Member States, manages the EU budget and represents the EU internationally. The Commission has the right of initiative, which means that they are the only EU institution that can formally propose legislation.

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Ordinary Legislative Procedure The aforementioned EU institutions work together to pass EU legislation. The EU’s standard decision- making procedure, the Ordinary Legislative Procedure, can be explained with this info-graphic, adapted from European Movement Germany.

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What Types of Laws can the EU propose?

The European Union can issue several legal acts; however, not all are fully binding for its Member States. There are several types of legal acts which are applied in different ways: - A regulation is a binding legislative act. It must be entirely enshrined in the law of EU Member States.

- A directive is a legislative act that sets goals; each Member State can achieve these goals through whatever mechanism they see fit.

- A decision care made in specific cases and only apply to the Member state or organization to which they are made for.

-

Recommendations are legislation that is non-binding.

-

Opinions are non-binding and issued by EU institutions or other bodies setting a formal opinion on matters, usually legislation currently under debate.

Competences There are 3 levels of power sharing between the EU and Member States. Each policy area falls in one of these levels and they are the following: Exclusive, Shared and Supportive. The division of competences between the European Union and the Member States is defined according to three main principles: - The principle of conferral requires the Union to act only in the policy areas and to the extent granted to it by the Treaties.

- The principle of proportionality ensures that the content and form of the action does not exceed only what is needed to achieve the objectives set by the Treaties.

- The principle of subsidiarity determines that in areas of shared competence, the Union may intervene only if it is capable of acting more effectively than the Member States.

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Exclusive Competence: The EU can only act in this field, and Member State law must change and adhere to this. The EU have exclusive competence in the following areas:

- the establishing of the competition rules necessary for the internal market;

- monetary policy for the Member States whose currency is the euro;

- the conservation of marine biological resources under the

common fisheries policy;

- common commercial policy;

- the conclusion of international agreements.

Shared Competence: The EU and Member States can both make binding legislation in these areas; however, the law of Member States cannot contradict existing EU legislation. Shared competence between the EU and EU countries applies in the following areas:

- internal market;

- social policy, but only for aspects specifically defined in the Treaty;

- economic, social and territorial cohesion (regional policy);

- agriculture and fisheries (except conservation of marine resources);

- environment;

- consumer protection;

- transport;

- trans-European networks;

- energy;

- area of freedom, security and justice;

- shared safety concerns in public health matters, limited to the aspects

defined in the TFEU;

- research, technological development, space;

- development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

Supportive Competence: The EU can only intervene to support, coordinate or complement the action of Member States, i.e. it has no legislative power. Supporting competences relate to the following policy areas: protection and improvement of human health;

- industry;

- culture;

- tourism;

- education, vocational training, youth and sport;

- civil protection;

- administrative cooperation.

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Committee on Constitutional AFCO Affairs 25 years after the Maastricht Treaty: more or less Europe? In light of Jean Claude-Juncker’s “five pathways to unity” white paper, what steps should the EU take to address growing Euroscepticism around Europe?

By Mark Reidy (IE)

Explanation and Relevance of the Topic The Maastricht Treaty, signed on the 7th of February 1992 by the twelve members of the European Communities, created the European Union and eventually a common currency, the Euro. This has been amended several times, further integrating the nations of Europe as they have moved toward a goal of “ever closer union”. As well as integrating, the EU has also expanded, from six Member States in 1952 to twenty-eight today.

This expansion and integration has not always been welcomed. From the early days of the EU there were people who disagreed with or were at least sceptical of the goals and process. This political orientation came to be known as Euroscepticism.

It has enjoyed the most success in the United Kingdom, where a successful public vote for leaving the European Union was held. Politicians in several other states, notably France and the Netherlands, have also campaigned on a promise to also bring their countries out, or at least to renegotiate their membership. It remains to be seen if these calls will lead to concrete action.

In the wake of the Brexit vote, the European Commission prepared and published a “White Paper on the Future of Europe”1 This document sets out 5 possible routes for the Union to take as it goes forward, which in the White Paper are known as:

1. Carrying On

2. Nothing but the Single Market

3. Those Who Want More Do More

4. Doing Less More Efficiently

5. Doing Much More Together

Some of these options are radical, some are not. All bar one would probably 1 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/white-paper-future-europe-reflections-and-scenarios-eu27-2025_en

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AFCO require treaty change, a change to the legal framework which underlies the functioning of the EU. Treaty changes are a difficult process that can take years as it requires the approval of all of the Member States. Some Member States require subnational units like states or provinces to agree, some like Ireland may require a referendum. Two proposed European treaties have failed in the last 2 decades due to this requirement, compared to 3 that have passed.

Some countries and regions have expressed doubts or concerns about Europe.

They have been accommodated by being allowed to opt-out of certain agreements, or by availing of statuses similar to EU membership without actually being members. Some have been accommodated by being deferred to and letting their concerns direct progress in certain areas. This Europe á la carte approach is discussed further below, and presents its own issues.

Overall, the solution has yet to present itself. It will involve the careful balancing of the desires of various groups, some which believe in greater integration, some which believe in none. It is unlikely that anything will settle the issue permanently, but Europe has always been in a state of flux. It has adapted to new challenges and schools of thought as it has readied itself to face the world of tomorrow.

Europe is not a singular end-goal, but a process that will change over time and seek new directions, directions the people of Europe must dictate.

Video explaining the EU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O37yJBFRrfg

Key Conflicts Euroscepticism and Europeanism Euroscepticism is a broad church of opinion and it comes from many sources.

Some are sceptical of the idea of any sort of supranational (that is, higher than a national government) government. Some question only certain areas, such as the Euro or the Schengen Area. Some are happy with how the union is now and desire no further integration, no “ever closer union”.

They range from people who merely want some changes or doubt the success of the EU in certain areas, to people who think that the EU as a whole should be dismantled.

On the other side of this broad ideology are various pro-european or integrationalist ideologies, such as Eurofederalism, confederalism or simply Europeanism. Some followers are called Europhiles. There is a lot of grey here. Most countries and people are eurosceptic in certain areas and pro-europe in others. Ireland for example is very eurosceptic when it comes to defence and military matters, but very pro-europe in regards to the Euro and the Single Market.

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AFCO European Unanimity and Multi-speed Europe One way of dealing with the lack of consensus about European integration is to allow some Member States to opt out of certain agreements and programmes, while allowing others to create deals that further integrate in smaller groups like the Benelux or Visegrád countries. This is also known as a Europe á la carte approach.

It can help assure countries wary of integration, especially in contentious areas like fishing, migration or defence. Allowing European laws to diverge this way can lead to things like disharmony in the Single Market or even fragmentation of the European Project as a whole. It also makes the EU substantially more complicated and can contribute towards a perceived lack of democracy by making the decision process less transparent.

Key Actors and Current Measures in Place European Commission This is one of the central arms of the European Union, and is occasionally likened to a governmental cabinet (like of ministers) in Ireland. It is headed by the Commission President, currently Jean-Claude Juncker. It holds the “Right of Initiative”, the ability to set the agenda, as it were, of the Parliament and Council.

European Commission Explained, by the Commission: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=nWpgO1EPO_Y Official Website of the European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/ index_en European Parliament The assembly of 751 representatives of the people of Europe, directly elected by them every 5 years. With calls to address the so-called “democratic deficit” its powers have expanded over the years, although it remains far more constrained than a normal national parliaments.

How the European Parliament Works (EPP): https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=pgAV9HdAEvg How the European Parliament Works (Spunout.ie): https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=nRX3z6JDWso National Governments National governments are the government of the individual member states. They are the ones with the power to decide what route Europe should take as it goes into the future by being able to agree changes to the foundational treaties of the European Union.

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AFCO The Peoples of Europe Ultimately, it is the people of Europe who will have to choose the path that the EU should take. They have the power to elect representatives, and in some cases will have the power to vote on various matters directly. They can lobby their representatives in the various institutions to get the results they want. Their opinions will impact on the direction that representatives choose to take.

Key words and Statistics Two-Speed Europe/Multi-Speed Europe: The idea of allowing certain countries to integrate together faster, while other countries take more time.

Democratic Deficit: The lack of, or perceived lack of, democracy that surrounds EU law making and negotiations. This has lead to dissatisfaction, especially with the institutions of the European Union.

Competence: A competence in EU terms is an area of governance. Some competencies are shared, some are exclusive to member states and some are exclusive to the European Union.

EU-28: The 28 current Member States of the European Union.

EU-27: The 27 States who will make up the European Union after the exit of the United Kingdom.

EA-18: The 18 Member States who are members of the Eurozone i.e. use the Euro.

Single Market: A system of rules and agreements that seeks to guarantee the four fundamental freedoms of the EU. These are the Freedom of Goods, Services, Capital and People.

Schengen Agreement: An agreement on borders and visas between most EU and some non-EU states. Ireland and the UK are currently not parties to this agreement. It has led to the dismantling of “hard borders� in much of continental Europe. The area covered by this is referred to as the Schengen Area. This is not the same as Free Movement of People.

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AFCO Key Questions What powers does the EU have now?

Why are some people unhappy with the Single Market?

Why do some people and countries want to leave the EU? How can we balance the fears of those who subscribe to euro-skepticism with the desires of those who are pro-Europe?

What powers should the EU have?

Why don’t some countries want to use the Euro?

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Committee on Foreign Affairs AFET A new era of EU-US relations? Considering the actions of the new US administration, taking action against immigration, press freedom, environmental protection and other areas in keeping with EU-ideals, how should EU-US relations proceed going forward?

By Matthias Kaufmann (CH)

Explanation and Relevance of the Topic The historic relationship between the EU and the U.S. is based on shared values of human dignity, freedom, the rule of law, democracy, equality, the market economy, and a strong fundamental respect for human rights, including minority rights. Both have historically been beacons of globalism and human rights, defenders of freedom and the international order. The relationship between these two continents and unions spawned a period of stability, peace, and prosperity unique in the continents history.

However, the new administration in Washington swept into the White House on a tide of anti-immigrant, anti-globalism, and anti-establishment speech. The current president has also expressed derision for the EU and a wish for the EU to be dismantled through Member States (MS) leaving the union.1 This indicates a break from the governing together mentality and a step away from the key pillars upon which the EU was founded on including free movement of people, free trade, globalism, and press freedom.

Furthermore Trump administration denies climate change2 what is clearly contradicts the EU’s commitment to the UN sustainable development goals for 2030. The policies resulting from those very different positions might have a large impact on governmental regulations regarding the economy through the resulting discrepancies in environmental protection standards of production.

The new administration has adopted an isolationist policy. Most prominently the 1 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/13/donald-trump-wants-eu-break-wake-brexit-vote-outgoing-us-ambassador/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/13/donald-trump-wants-eu-break-wakebrexit-vote-outgoing-us-ambassador/ 2 https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/03/trumps-epa-chief-rejects-that-carbon-dioxideemissions-cause-climate-change/519054/

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AFET executive order which enforced a travel ban on six countries Muslim Majority countries (Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Iran, Libya and Somalia) and also completely ceased the US’ refugee program. This move has been widely criticised by a number of European leaders, including the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and London’s mayor Sadiq Khan, as racist, ineffectual, chaotic, and fearmongering.

3 Many of the EU leaders who have subsequently met with Donald Trump have expressed the EU’s stance as a pro-immigration one. While criticising isolationist policies, such as the above, that are intended to increase US domestic security MS are still eager to cooperate with the US on common security threats. MS have consistently stated that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) will continue based on their common values of democracy, freedom, and human rights.4 This Donald Trump era has mirrored the rise of populism in the EU, many anti-EU political figures using the US president’s’ rhetoric and meteoric rise as a springboard to their own political aspirations.5 The anti-immigrant and anti-establishment message resonated with many in the EU. Links for further research: http://www.euronews.com/2016/05/20/immigration-how-do-the-us-and-eucompare https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/29/climate-changecompanies-challenge-trump-mars-staples-gap https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

Key Conflicts The EU is a union based on promoting its shared values and shared interests, it wishes to promote international cooperation and globalism while also attempting to create a society where individual freedoms and fundamental rights coincide with personal and social responsibility. The common foreign affairs policy allows the EU to speak with one voice about key issues by coordinating the EU’s foreign policy. However, the EU must also respect the decisions of external nations and also respect the interests of individual MS in relation to their individual relations 3 4 5

https://www.rt.com/news/375517-germany-france-uk-trump/ https://www.ft.com/content/3aca8574-e7c7-11e6-893c-082c54a7f539 http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/11/opinions/donald-trump-shadow-dutch-election-andelman/

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AFET with the US. The EU and the US are major trading partners, much of EU’s exports are to the US and the trade balance is positive meaning the EU’s exports to the United States are greater than its imports. Machinery, transport equipment, chemicals and related products account for a large share of these imports and exports.6 The continued promotion of open trading policies while also keeping good relationship with the US is essential for many European businesses and economies. The transatlantic trade and investment partnership (see below) has been under negotiation since 2013, however, it is likely to not be pursued or renegotiated by the new US administration.78 Furthermore, many European countries are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) along with the United States. Many of the these countries rely cooperation with the US for security and protection. The security situation at present is complicated by the EU facing threats from both Russia and Islamic extremists.9 There is, however, now concerns that the US would not automatically defend a NATO nation under attack10 and there are some questions about relations between the current Russian and US administrations.11 How already noted, the EU is based on promoting shared values such as freedom of speech, democracy etc. The EU says that free trade goes with free movement of persons and harmonised laws go with free trade. Those ideals are clearly in conflict with the latest U.S. policies what poses the question to what extend should the EU continue free trade with the U.S.?

Key Actors and Measures in Place Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership - The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, now generally known as TTIP, is primarily a deal to cut 6 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/USA-EU_-_international_trade_and_investment_statistics 7 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/11/22/difference-ttip-tpp-does-donald-drump-wantscrapped/ 8 http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/782189/donald-trump-eu-ttip-trade-deal-playing-games-canada-ceta 9 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/plenary/2016-11-21/3 10 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/21/donald-trump-america-automatically-nato-allies-under-attack 11 https://www.ft.com/content/e347826a-ff6e-11e6-8d8e-a5e3738f9ae4

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AFET tariffs and regulatory barriers to trade between the US and EU countries, making it easier for companies on both sides of the Atlantic to access each other’s markets. Industries it would affect include pharmaceuticals, cars, energy, finance, chemicals, clothing and food and drink.

NATO - an alliance of 28 countries bordering the North Atlantic Ocean. It includes Canada, the United States, Turkey and most members of the European Union.

NATO’s mission is to protect the freedom of its members. For example, on July 8, 2016, NATO announced it would send up to 4,000 troops to the Baltic states and eastern Poland. It will increase air and sea patrols to shore up its eastern front after Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Donald Trump demands an increase of military spending, especially by the European NATO members.12 United States Congress - The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States. The two chambers are the federal government and the senate. The United States Congress meets in Washington D.C. and it’s members both senators (100) and representatives (435) are directly elected. Apart from the power to create legislature the United States Congress has power over the financial and budgetary policy of the U.S., it possesses the exclusive power to declare war and it oversees the executive branch of the state.

The President of the United States of America - is the head of state and head of government of the U.S..The President can directly implement legislations through Presidential Decision Directives (PDD). PDDs are a form of an executive order issued by the President of the United States with the advice and analysis of the National Security Council. The directives articulate the executive’s national security policy and carry the “full force and effect of law”.

The European Council and The Council - The European Council defines the general political direction and priorities of the European Union. It’s members are the heads of state or government of EU countries, European Commission President, High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy. It defines the common foreign and security policy taking into account the strategic interests of the Union, including matters with defence implications. The European Council, in particular the Foreign Affairs Council, then takes the decisions needed to define and implement the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) following 12

http://time.com/4676097/donald-trump-nato-spending-germany-merkel/

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the European Council guidelines. The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy chairs the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. The High Representative, together with the MS, then puts the CFSP into effect, ensuring its implementation is consistent and effective. To do this, he or she can call on national and EU resources.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) serves as a foreign ministry and diplomatic service for the Union. The High Representative is head of the service, which is composed of expert staff transferred from the Council, the MS and the European Commission. The EU has delegations in the majority of countries around the world and they are part of the EEAS. They work closely on CFSP matters alongside national embassies of EU MS. Links for Further Reasearch https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jul/03/what-is-ttip-controversialtrade-deal-explained http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/wtf-is-ttip-the-eu-us-trade-dealexplained-1.2655173 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gates-criticizes-nato-how-much-does-uspay/

Key Questions How do we balance the individual interests of MS while also protecting and promoting EU values?

Does the EU need to broaden their relations to be more inclusive, focusing on countries other than the US? Does the EU need to take a more active role on the international stage in promoting and protecting democracies and freedoms?

To what extend should the EU continue free trade with the U.S. while keeping in mind the clear conflict of ideals?

How should the EU deal with the recent U.S. policies on climate change considering the resulting differences in standards for the production of goods?

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CULT I Committee on Culture and & Education I Sexual and relationships education varies greatly across Europe.

How can the EU promote access to evidence-based information and guidance for all its young citizens? Furthermore, how can we ensure this education addresses the broad variety of issues facing young people including; consent, pornography, STIs and “sexting”?

By Olivier Moussel (LU)

Explaination and Relevance of the Topic “Young people are going to learn about sex and our question has to be where do we want them to learn? From the media? From their friends? Or do we want them to learn from an educated, responsible adult?”

-Tamara Krenin The attitude of the general public towards marriage and relationships has changed dramatically in the last decades.Today, young Europeans have their first sexual contacts between ages 16 and 18 on average and have several sexual partners before marrying at around 25.1 When engaging in any form of sexual activities the risks of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STI) are of concern from both individual and public health perspectives.

Traditionally, sexuality education focused on the potential unintended consequences of sexual intercourse, such as unwanted pregnancies and STIs. Nowadays many believe that sex education is not adequate for children and young adults. A more holistic approaches including topics, such as consent, pornography and sexting are being included in curricula, especially in Northwestern Europe.2 There are a number of problems faced by young people in this area. The situation in Eastern Europe, where disturbingly high HIV/AIDS rates3 and constant increases in teen pregnancies are often common, is worrying. Sexting between young 1 WHO and BZgA, “Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe” (2006), p. 11 http://www.oif.ac.at/fileadmin/OEIF/andere_Publikationen/WHO_BZgA_Standards.pdf 2 Denmark includes pornography and sexting in their school curriculum: http://europe.newsweek.com/show-pornography-schools-urges-danish-sexology-professor-311090?rm=eu 3 HIV/Aids surveillance report: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/178369/HIV-AIDS-surveillance-in-Europe-2011-v4. pdf

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CULT I people is widespread in certain Member States(MS), such as Ireland, where 42% of teenagers admit to having sent some form of sexual image by text.4 The average age at which children first watch pornography is 11,5 often before having had any sex education classes. The questions many teenagers have concerning sex are often not answered during sex education. Their expectations and beliefs are consequently often shaped by easily available online pornography. Furthermore, knowledge surrounding consent is lacking, 27% of EU respondents6 consider sexual intercourse without consent acceptable in certain situations. Additionally, the difference between consent and rape is rarely discussed in sex education classes.7 Progressive sex education program in Sweden: https://www.theguardian. co m /e d u ca t i o n / 2 0 1 5 / jun/05/swedish-sexeducation-games-maturedebate Sex education across the EU, pages 7-11 are crucial for your understanding of the topic: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/note/join/2013/462515/IPOLFEMM_NT(2013)462515_EN.pdf\

Key Conflicts The quality of sexuality education is generally better in urban areas, than rural areas, which is possible since standards of sex education are not monitored in most countries. Despite evidence proving that sex education programmes lead to less unwanted pregnancies and STIs, significant opposition remains. Some parties argue, that sex education does not belong in public schools and is a step towards a nanny state. In MS, such as Slovakia sexuality education is sometimes taught by clerics, which some would argue can lead to a biased curriculum.8 4 Irish teens have one of the highest sexting rates in Europe: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/irish-teens-have-one-of-the-highest-sexting-rates-in-europe-739123. html 5 Pornography is replacing sex education: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/8961010/Pornography-is-replacing-sex-education.html 6 Poll by Raidió Teilifís Éireann(RTÉ) https://www.rte.ie/news/2016/1125/834358-sex-consent-day-to-end-violence-against-women/ 7 Do people understand what rape is? http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34470205 8 Situation in Slovakia explained on p.31: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/note/join/2013/462515/IPOL-FEMM_NT(2013)462515_ EN.pdf

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CULT I Today, school curricula, as well as the methods and timing of its delivery vary greatly across Member States.9 Eastern european sexuality education programs usually largely focus on the biological aspect and briefly teach contraceptive methods.

By contrast, in Sweden, age appropriate sex education sometimes starts at the age of 3. In Austria, parents are included in sexuality education classes of their children. In Denmark, external experts such as prostitutes or HIV-positive persons are invited to speak in schools about their experience. Educating students about the difference between rape and consensual sex is part of an holistic approach towards sex education.

Additionally, discussion about education surrounding pornographic material is taking place in some European countries. The exposure to pornography at an early age can have lasting impacts on children and increase the likelihood these individuals will engage in high risk sexual behaviors.

Short video about Abstinence only education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTBbujrB9zM

Key Actors and Current Measures in Place The European Union(EU) has supportive competences in education, however sexuality education can also be viewed as a matter of public health as it is defined in article 16810 of the Treaty on the functioning of the EU. The EU is consequently able to promote sex education, since it is promoting public health.

Concrete recommendations to implement sex education have been made by the Council of Europe in relation to the European Social Charter.11 9 “A reference guide to policies and practices. Sexuality education in Europe� (2006): http:// hivhealthclearinghouse.unesco.org/sites/default/files/resources/sexuality_education_europe_reference-guide_policies_practices.pdf 10 Article 168 of the treaty of the functioning of the EU: http://www.lisbon-treaty.org/wcm/the-lisbon-treaty/treaty-on-the-functioning-of-the-european-union-andcomments/part-3-union-policies-and-internal-actions/title-xiv-public-health/456-article-168.html 11 Recommendations of Council of Europe: https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016804fda79&format=native

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CULT I By the means of the EU Health Programme12, the EU has the opportunity to contribute in the creation of programmes and projects regarding sexual and reproductive health and more precisely in the fields of STI prevention and sexuality education and information.

National governments play the role of regulators in the sphere of sexuality education, since it falls in their national competence.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations(UN) system. It provides leadership on global health matters, sets norms and standards, provides support to countries and monitors and assesses health trends.

WHO Regional Office for Europe in cooperation with German Federal Agency for Health Education (Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung – BZgA) has developed a framework called “Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe”, which recommends ways to structure sexuality education.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)13 is an UN body, which supports sexual and reproductive health, as well as family planning. It partners with governments, communities, NGOs, foundations and the private sector to raise awareness and mobilise the support and resources needed to achieve its mission.

UNFPA funded the creation of a “Sexuality and Life-skills Education Set”14 which consisted of a manual for teachers, a notebook for students and a manual for parents, published in 2005. However, negotiations over introduction of this material to school curricula are still ongoing.

International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network (IPPF EN)15 is a global non-governmental organisation (NGO), which aims to promote sexual and reproductive health, and advocating the right of individuals to make their own choices in family planning.

12 EU Health Programme: https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/programme/docs/summary-prog_en.pdf 13 About the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): http://www.unfpa.org/about-us 14 UNFPA “Sexuality and Life-skills Education Set” http://countryoffice.unfpa.org/mongolia/2017/03/10/14356/unfpa_launches_ldquo_life_skills_education_rdquo_facilitators_manuals/ 15 IPPF EN http://www.ippfen.org/

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CULT I The Sexual Awareness for Europe or ‘SAFE Project’16(2006-2012) was an initiative funded by the European Commission(EC) and led by the IPPF European Network. The initiative seeked to raise awareness on issues pertaining to sexual and reproductive health and resulted in three main reports, one of them being a “Reference Guide to Policies and Practices in Sexuality Education in Europe”.

It’s main findings suggested to enhance co-operation among EU countries, coordination among agencies and harmonization of public health policies, health promotion strategies and programmes.

Keywords and Statistics Sex(uality) education An age-appropriate, culturally relevant approach to teaching about sex and relationships by providing scientifically accurate, realistic, non-judgmental information.

Sexual and reproductive health(SRH) The integration of the physical, emotional, intellectual and social aspects of sexual being in ways that are positively enriching and that enhance personality, communication and love.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Also known as Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are diseases that are passed on from one person to another through sexual or genital contact.

Sexual rights embrace the rights to: • sexual health, • sexuality education; • decide whether or not, and when, to have children; Nanny State- where the government is regarded as overprotective or interfering unduly with personal choice. Regarding sexual education, the argument would be that this should be left to parents rather than state intervention through the education system.

Key Questions How can governments and local authorities ensure that young people in the region receive adequate education on reproductive health related issues?

How can it be ensured that the information provided in sexual education courses are tailored to the needs of youngsters?

16 SAFE Project http://www.ippfen.org/our-approach/programmes/sexual-awareness-europe

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CULT I Should professionals (e.g. doctors, nurses, experts) be involved in the school curriculum on sexual education?

What other ways besides formal education can be utilised to deliver sexual education?

Should sexual education primarily focus on biology or on human interaction and relationships?

Is there a need for a common sexual education curriculum across Europe?

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Committee on Culture and CULT II & Education II Considering the European Union facilitates free movement of people between Member states; how can we ensure the diversity of languages spoken across the EU does not present a barrier to this movement, while simultaneously ensuring the multilingual heritage and minority languages of Europe are protected?

By Leanne Brosnan (IE) and Elias Hidoussi (NO)

Explaination and Relevance of the Topic Multilingualism as an EU priority As stated in the Commission Communication entitled ‘A New Framework Strategy for Multilingualism’, “language is the most direct expression of culture; it is what makes us human and what gives each of us a sense of identity”. The diversity of languages within the EU can have both positive and negative implications on EU citizens and their mobility. This range of languages can be viewed as opportunities for diversification but also as barriers to integration. The motto of the European Union, united in diversity, reflects the idea of European integration while preserving the cultural and linguistic differences of EU citizens. On the other hand, the existence of so many different cultures and languages in the EU highlights the need for a mutual European identity. To stress the importance of national differences, it is worth mentioning that currently the EU has 24 official languages, but more than 60 indigenous regional or minority languages are spoken through the continent. The EU treaties are published in official and working languages and in 24 national ones for the benefit of the citizens.

International organisations, such as Unesco, the Council of Europe and the OSCE, are concerned with the risk that regional and minority languages (RMLs) face and undertake actions to protect their linguistic rights. Non-respect for regional or minority communities’ linguistic rights is qualified as racial discrimination, a breach of human rights. While language policy is an exclusive competence of its Member States, the EU can support actions promoting and protecting RMLs. The importance of free movement The internal market is considered a milestone of the European economic integration. Free movement of goods, free movement of persons, free movement of services and free movement of capital and payments together with the EU competition policy and the common commercial policy constitute a framework

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CULT II for companies operating. Knowledge of diverse languages by European citizens is an important factor facilitating the access to foreign markets for companies and the opening of new labour opportunities for EU citizens looking for a job or looking to reside in another EU country. The key milestone in establishing an internal market with free movement of persons is the conclusion of the two Schengen1 agreements.

Migration has been fundamental to the enhancement and development of society throughout the history of the EU and beyond. However, migration is also a human and economic reality that has to be managed by governments in keeping with the values shared by the Council of Europe’s member states, among which human rights and democratic citizenship occupy important spaces.. Language is central to many of the challenges posed by migration, especially integration and the maintenance of social cohesion. Language can serve as a barrier to education, the labour market and civic engagement.

Key Conflicts The challenge for the multilingualism policy in the EU is connected with the future and current accession of new EU Member States and also the ones existing.

Education in a minority language is essential to protect the identity of a minority group, because it’s ability to survive as a cultural group is vulnerable if no specific policies for preservation and education are implemented.

Furthermore, conflict may arise in relation to the phrase ‘linguistic diversity’.

This phrase could be interpreted broadly to include not only the 24 EU official languages but also any other languages which enjoy official status in any Member State, minority and regional languages in the EU irrespective of their legal status and potentially the languages of immigrant groups One of the four freedoms enjoyed by EU citizens is the free movement of workers.

This includes the rights of movement and residence for workers, the rights of entry and residence for family members, and the right to work in another Member State and be treated on as equal as nationals of that Member State. Restrictions apply in some countries for citizens of Member States that have recently acceded to the EU. The rules on access to social benefits are currently shaped primarily by the case law of the Court of Justice.2 A “mainly English” or “mainly one language” policy for business and economic affairs would improve the establishment of an EU identity and facilitate the smooth free movement of people. However such a policy would undermine the EU’s 1 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xffvPWmoWsQ http://www.europarl.europa.eu/atyourservice/en/displayFtu.html?ftuId=FTU_3.1.3.html

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I

CULT II promise to its members, under the official motto “united in diversity”. While the “mainly English” policy facilitates better the free movement of people, it could be argued that this homogenisation undermines the EU’s values. Important laws are made at an EU level, and it must be addressed how important it is for Europeans to understand them in their own language.

Online job portals normally use one classification system and one language.

Which makes it difficult to exchange data between them, particularly when the systems are based in different countries. This makes it harder to find the right job abroad for EU citizens, specially RML speakers.

Key Actors and Current Measures in Place Linguistic plurality is one of the main objectives of the EU explicitly included in the Treaty of Lisbon.3 According to Article 3(3) TEU, the European Union “shall respect its rich cultural and linguistic diversity and shall ensure that Europe’s cultural heritage is safeguarded and enhanced”. Linguistic diversity is also protected by Article 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU which provides that: “The Union shall respect cultural, religious and linguistic diversity.”

Member States send to institutions of the Community may be drafted in any one of the official languages selected by the sender. The reply shall be drafted in the same language” [EEC Council 1958]. EU citizens are entitled to use any of the official languages while communicating with bodies of the European Union Not only can the Member States consider most, if not all, of the solutions given by the EU to solve this issue, but they also have the freedom to introduce answers that fits their societies best. The majority of these Member States have at least one minority group that feels that its language is being undermined and threatened. Often we find that minority groups find it difficult to integrate within the labour market, education system and civil society. This in itself presents a barrier to the free movement of people within the EU. European Day of Languages: Encouraged by the huge success of the European Year of Languages in 2001, the EU and the Council of Europe decided to celebrate the European Day of Languages every year on 26 September, with events to promote language learning throughout the EU The Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union was created on 28 November 1994 as a rational response to the translation needs of a large number of European agencies and offices.

European classification of Skills,Competences, Qualifications and Occupations 3

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=457

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CULT II (ESCO): ESCO identifies and categorises skills, competences, qualifications and occupations in a standard way, using standard terminology in all EU languages and an open format that can be used by third parties’ software.

The European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML): The ECML is a unique institution whose mission is to encourage excellence and innovation in language teaching and to help Europeans learn languages more efficiently.

The main aims of the ECML are to help Member States implement productive language teaching policies, promoting dialogue and exchange of best practices, and supporting language programme networks and research projects Treaty of Maastricht 1992: established freedom of movement and residence for persons in the EU as cornerstone of Union citizenship The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML): is an international treaty designed on the one hand to protect and promote regional and minority languages as a threatened aspect of Europe’s cultural heritage and on the other hand to enable speakers of a regional or minority language to use it in private and public life. The charter is supervised by the Council of Europe and adopted by many EU Member States.4

Keywords and Statistics Regional Minority Languages (RML): As defined by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML), “regional or minority languages” are languages traditionally used within a given territory of a state by nationals of that state who form a group numerically smaller than the rest of the state’s population; they are different from the official language(s) of that state, and they include neither dialects of the official language(s) of the state nor the languages of migrants.

Multilingualism is the use of two or more languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world’s population.

Official languages : generally defined as those languages used in communication between institutions and the outside world (i.e. between institutions and other institutions) Working languages: defined as those languages used between institutions, within institutions and during internal meetings convened by the institutions operating within the EU. 4

http://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/148

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I

CULT II Lingua franca: a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different.

Key Questions How can the EU facilitate the free movement without having it clash with the rights of RMLs speakers?

How can the European Union promote its values of multilingualism and diversity while guaranteeing national governments’ sovereignty?

How can the protection and promotion of regional and minority languages be guaranteed without compromising mutual understanding through common languages?

How can the EU promote mutual understanding between minority and majority language speakers?

What can the EU do about language discrimination towards regional minority languages (RMLs) Â in the Labour market?

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Committee on Employment

EMPL

The rise of robotics and artificial intelligence: Robotics and Artificial Intelligence are starting to make their mark on the labour market and notable figures, such as Bill Gates, say that robots that replace labourers should be taxed, but the European parliament rejected such a proposal. How can the EU be prepared for the integration of these techniques to the labour market without halting innovation?

By Jenny O’Keeffe & Matteo Busetti (IT)

Explaination and Relevance of the Topic If we instinctively think of the rise of artificial intelligence, it’s easy to get carried away with dystopian visions of machines that rebel against their human creators.

Whenever we hear the term robot, we often imagine a machine that is programmed by a human, instructed by a computer and primarily carries out physical actions.

Nevertheless, today’s shift to automation and digital labour is being driven by a more advanced kind of virtual robot. Robots are no more mere executor machines,but rather have grown towards technology showing unexpected productivity and progressively substituting the execution of tasks that previously would have required both human and computer operators. Digitalisation has therefore raised questions on technology’s potential to substitute work: estimates1 show that on average across countries, 9% of jobs are at high risk of being automated, while for another 25% of jobs, 50% of the tasks will change significantly because of automation.

“Robotics are beginning to cross that line from absolutely primitive motion to motion that resembles animal or human behaviour” - J.J. Abrams The rise of robotics and artificial intelligence is one of the most challenging and relevant topics that our society currently has to deal with, especially if we consider it from the perspective of a digitalisation of the economy and all its consequences in the labour market.2 On the one hand digital techniques, advances in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasing opportunities and, in many cases, improving quality of life for many people. However, on the other hand, technological advancements are also bringing major disruptions to the labour market within a ruthless search for profit. While the disruptions 1 Survey on Adult Skills (PIAAC) - http://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/surveyofadultskills.htm 2 Automation and Independent Work in a Digital Economy - https://www.oecd.org/employment/Automation-and-independent-work-in-a-digital-economy-2016.pdf

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EMPL are not unprecedented – in fact the changes during the Industrial Revolution were undoubtedly more significant – what must be underlined is that these are occurring in a time of higher expectations for the level of welfare that society should provide to all citizens. Â

Key Conflicts Artificial intelligence (AI) can be commonly defined as the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior. Therefore, AI is all about programming machines that can learn. Discussions on this topic have been controversial over the past year, with several experts arguing both on the benefits and threats that AI may bring for the next future..

Hence, do the benefits outweigh the risks?

Prodictivity vs Unemployment With artificial intelligence, the chances of error are almost nil and greater precision and accuracy is achieved. The impacts of automation technologies are in fact being positively felt throughout the economy. The falling prices of robots, which do not require sleep or breaks and are able to function without stopping, are becoming more and more cost-competitive. Many experts believe that as these technologies become cheaper and more capable, they are going to exponentially find different applications to the current and future economy.

On the other hand, one of the most argued issues is that if robots begin to replace humans in every field, this will inevitably lead the labour market to mass unemployment.3 The recent trend towards increased automation comes partly from the Great Recession4, which forced many companies to operate with fewer workers. Nevertheless after growth resumed, many of these companies continued automating their operations.

Another hypothesis is that robotics may give the possibility to some companies to free employees from low-level work so they can focus on higher-value activities or discover innovative ways to provide value. To mitigate the risk of mass unemployment, companies may consider the possibility of actively working with the human resources department in order to develop a plan for employees who may lose jobs to robots.

3 Risks of Automation: A Cautionary Total-System, Perspective of Our Cyberfuture http://www.csl.sri.com/users/neumann/cacm239.pdf 4 The Great Recession was a period of general economic decline observed in world markets during the late 2000s and early 2010s. (Not to be confused with the Great Depression)

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EMPL

Utility vs Unpredictability In utilities such as predicting what a user is going to type and correcting human errors in spelling, machine intelligence is fundamental. Applications like Siri that act as personal assistants, GPS and Maps underline the importance of AI in daily life of all human beings.5 A negative aspect of AI is its unpredictability, there is no way of predicting how a machine is actually going to behave. The AI is programmed to do something beneficial, but it develops a destructive method for achieving its goal: this can happen whenever we fail to fully align the AI’s goals with ours.

Many experts are thoroughly convinced that if society wants to have fully - or just partially - automated systems that may require instantaneous human interventions in specific cases. Without a proper system research and development, as well as education relating to potential risks, the benefits of automation may just become a double-edged sword.

5 Don’t fear AI: it’s already on your phone - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/15/artificial-intelligence-ai-smartphones-machine-learning

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EMPL Key Actors and Current Measures in Place If a human worker does $50,000 of work in a factory, that income is taxed. If a robot comes in to do the same thing, you’d think we’d tax the robot at a similar level.”6 Bill Gates (Microsoft co-founder) Both from a legal and political perspective, one of the most controversial themes of the AI issue has been the taxation - and more generally the regulation - of robots. Renowned personalities, such as Bill Gates, claim that whether robots replace workers, institutions should provide regulations which impose taxations to companies who make use of AI. Gates is actually optimistic about the prospect of a workforce made up significantly of robots. Nevertheless he realises that ‘tax revenue is essential to making training and new, irreplaceable jobs available to human workers’. An outcome of the so-called “robot tax” - claims Gates - may be, for example, the funding of something like a universal basic income (UBI).

However at a European Union’s level, the idea of a robot tax has not been embraced as positively as Bill Gates has. In fact the European Parliament (EP) has rejected a proposal to impose this sort of tax: the resolution - passed by 396 votes to 123, with 85 abstentions - is a recommendation to the bloc’s executive, the European Commission, which the Commission is not obliged to follow but must give reasons if it chooses not to. The decision to reject the robot tax was hailed by the robotics industry, which claims it would stunt innovation.7 Therefore, even though approximately 1.7 million robots already exist worldwide, their use is still not properly regulated. MEP Mady Delvaux’s report8 may have not passed completely, but is a starting point in order to tackle the various issues9 of machines’ regulation: Legal status of robots - there is the necessity to create a legal framework for robots that are currently on the market or will become available in the nearest future, which enables firms to sue or be sued.

6 Bill Gates: Job-stealing robots should pay income taxes - http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/17/bill-gatesjob-stealing-robots-should-pay-income-taxes.html 7 https://ifr.org/news/world-robotics-federation-ifr-why-bill-gates-robot-tax-is-wrong/1 8 DRAFT REPORT - with recommendations to the Commission on Civil Law Rules on Robotics http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML%2BCOMPARL%2BPE-582.443%2B01%2BDOC%2BPDF%2BV0//EN 9 Rise of the robots: Mady Delvaux on why their use should be regulated - http://www.europarl.europa. eu/news/en/news-room/20170109STO57505/rise-of-the-robots-mady-delvaux-on-why-their-use-should-beregulated

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EMPL A new European Agency for robotics - MEPs urge the Commission to consider creating a European agency for robotics and artificial intelligence to supply public authorities with technical, ethical and regulatory expertise.

A Code of Ethical Conduct - They also propose a voluntary ethical conduct code to regulate who would be accountable for the social, environmental and human health impacts of robotics.

Liability rules for robots10 - MEPs note that harmonised rules are especially urgently needed for self-driving cars; they call for an obligatory insurance scheme and a fund to ensure victims are fully compensated.

Key Questions Is Artificial Intelligence a threat to employment in EU Member States (MS)?

Should a tax be placed on robotic machines in the industrial manufacturing industry and other industries in EU MS, or would such a tax hinder growth in these industries?

Will the rapidly-increasing provision of robotics in the workplace negatively impact labourers in MS? What regulations should the European Union adopt in order to address automation in a profitable direction for all the stakeholders?

How can the EU balance technological innovation with the need to ensure employment and social protection for EU citizens?

A people-based process is linear, as activities move from one employee to another. In a digital process, on the other hand, activities are disaggregated, as technology pulls information from numerous inputs, kicks exceptions up to experts who can clear them, and then puts everything back together to create a solution.11 Which measures should the EU undertake in order to raise both awareness and understanding on the development and management of digital processes?

10 EUROPEAN CIVIL LAW RULES IN ROBOTICS - http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ STUD/2016/571379/IPOL_STU(2016)571379_EN.pdf 11 Employees: An endangered species? - https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/pdf/2016/04/employees-an-endangered-species.pdf

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Committee on Environment, ENVI Public Health & Food Safety Health is a basic human right. Research and development into medicines can be expensive leading the pharmaceutical industry to focus on drugs that can treat more common diseases. How can the EU encourage research and development into treatments for rare diseases while ensuring these medicines will be affordable and available to all who need them?

By Lorenzo Niemitz (IE) & Nikos-Pavlos Kotzias (GR)

Explanation and Relevance of the Topic Medical research is an area of research that we can broadly categorize under three different headings. Basic Medical Research, Preclinical Research, and Clinical Research. Respectively, these three categories cover the most fundamental biological research, lay the groundwork for focused clinical trials on patients, and finally move towards the complicated and well monitored clinical trials involving real patients.

All research requires funding and where this funding is allocated depends on the vested interests of the funding provider. As a result areas that are of less interest are often disadvantaged. Health, however, is a basic human right under article 35 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.1 While it is up to each individual Member State to organise health care and ensure that it is provided, the European Union’s role is to complement national health care and act as an overarching support system.

Rare diseases are a difficult case as by definition they affect a relatively small number of people, yet can be incredibly deadly, especially because of the fact they are largely neglected and rather unknown or undocumented. These diseases may be preventable, and undoubtedly the people suffering from them deserve a cure, but there’s no way of finding one without investing time and resources into research and development.

1 Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2010): Article 35, Health care “Everyone has the right of access to preventive health care and the right to benefit from medical treatment under the conditions established by national laws and practices. A high level of human health protection shall be ensured in the definition and implementation of all the Union’s policies and activities.”

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ENVI Key Conflicts Every type of research relies on funding which for medical research often stems from Pharmaceutical Companies who are looking to profit from the final product, essentially from the number of people using and purchasing the medicine as well as the final price point it is being sold at, which in turn is dependent on the demand.

As a result we often observe a bias in the direction medical research takes and the focus is shifted from the rare to the more common diseases. However, were this trend not interrupted by specific funding of research around rare diseases, cures may never be found. A surprisingly large group of European Citizens, up to 8%, suffer from one of these illnesses. With knowledge sharing on rare diseases at a very early stage or almost non-existent, research is faced with many obstacles, since a database with all the breakthroughs or even the diseases themselves has not been created yet.

In any case, it is of paramount importance to note that in order for any treatment to be approved for commercial use, it first needs to be thoroughly tested and approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA),2 a very resource-demanding and lengthy process, with failure potentially being as costly as it could be fatal.

With a limited number of potential patients, let alone those willing to partake in medical research, many questions can be raised on whether a treatment is even feasible or even ethical for the patients to be put into peril.

It is important to note, however, that since the expiry of the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) in 2013, research into rare diseases has largely been deprioritised, with most actions and measures being a mere continuation of past efforts a distinct lack of recent legislation, let alone discussion in any of the European Union’s Institutions.

2 EMA (2017), Orphan Designation, retrieved from: http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index. jsp?curl=pages/regulation/general/general_content_000029.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac0580b18a41

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ENVI Key Actors and Current Measures in Place The European Commission has heavily invested in medical research into rare diseases, as part of the Horizons20203 programme, deeply encouraging cooperation and knowledge-sharing between public institutions and private enterprises through the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMU).4 In any case, the EU has long been reluctant in trying to push for further funding, deeming that with research costs being so high, such a move can only be achieved with the full cooperation and goodwill of individual Member-States, many of which have not even included rare diseases in their classification systems. In spite of many limitations, the EU has been very active in assuring public health, while also closely cooperating with many international organisations, such as the WHO, on a series of different policies, notably research, development aid, greater access to medicines and many more.

The Council of the European Union issued a recommendation in 2009,5 asking for a more strategic approach towards rare diseases, codification, intensified research and called for the creation of a pan-European reference network gathering expertise and fostering combined research effort. This goal was largely achieved through the ERA-Net co-fund, though with limited funding and priority.

The ERA-Net co-fund,6 a semi-independent research consortium comprising of 25 European, Associated or non-European institutions, that aims to gather and document all breakthroughs into rare diseases, coordinating and further supporting all potential institutes that are willing to invest into research about rare diseases has significantly “...leveraged funding for rare disease research in countries without specific programmes for rare diseases and thus enabled the participation of researchers in these countries to transnational projects.It is funded from both national agencies and European organisations, working in full cooperation to support and sustain the breakthroughs made by IRDiRC. The International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC),7 co-founded by the European Commission and the US National Institutes of Health, teams up researchers and organizations investing in rare diseases research in order 3 European Commission (2016): Horizons2020, Work Programme 2016-2017, Chapter 8 “Health, demographic change and well-being”, pages: 10,19, retrieved from: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/ data/ref/h2020/wp/2016_2017/main/h2020-wp1617-health_en.pdf 4 European Commision / Innovative Medicines Initiative (2017), retrieved from: http://www.imi.europa.eu/ 5 Council of the European Union (2009) Council Recommendation on an action in the field of rare diseases, retrieved from: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:151:0007:0010:EN:PDF 6 ERA-Net (2017), retrieved from: http://www.erare.eu/project 7 IRDiRC (2017), Goals, retrieved from: http://www.irdirc.org/about-us/goals/

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ENVI to achieve two main objectives by the year 2020, namely to deliver 200 new therapies for rare diseases and means to diagnose most rare diseases.

The Orphan Medicinal Products Regulation8 established criteria for orphan designation in the EU and delivered a set of incentives (e.g. 10- year market exclusivity, protocol assistance, access to the Centralised Procedure for Marketing Authorisation) to encourage research, development and marketing of medicines to treat, prevent or diagnose rare diseases.

Further reading: European Commission Website section on Rare diseases: https://ec.europa.eu/health/rare_diseases/policy_en

Keywords and Statistics Rare diseases:9 Life-threatening or chronically debilitating diseases – mostly inherited – that affect so few people. In EU countries, any disease affecting fewer than 5 people in 10 000 is considered rare, [some] suffer from even rarer diseases affecting 1 person in 100 000 or more.10 Orphan Drug:11 A medicine for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a lifethreatening or chronically debilitating condition that is rare or where the medicine is unlikely to generate sufficient profit to justify research and development costs.

Key Questions How can they EU better encourage research and development into rare diseases despite this not being cost-effective?

How could the private sector be encouraged to agree to research, produce and distribute these new pharmaceuticals at affordable prices?

How can we assure the full cooperation between the public and private sector in 8 European Parliament & Council of the European Union (1999), Regulation (EC) No 141/2000 on orphan medicinal products, retrieved from: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2000:018:0001:0005:en:PDF 9 Retrieved from: European Commision, DG of Health and Food safety, https://ec.europa.eu/health/ rare_diseases/policy_en 10 A/N: In general, rarity is not the criterion for categorising these diseases, but more or less their influence. Thus, some “rare” diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Ebola, some forms of cancer and others are not in this category, since they are considered a global health issue under the authority of WHO, even if they may or may not be prevalent within the EU. 11 European Medicines Agency (EMA, 2017), retrieved from: http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index. jsp?curl=pages/regulation/general/general_content_000029.jsp

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ENVI the transition from research to development?

Can the safety of patients in research trials be assured, given how difficult they can be to test for and that they are possibly life-threatening?

How can the EU ensure that if research into rare diseases takes place it is done with maximal efficiency given the limited resources available?

Is the emphasis on the importance of research into rare diseases harmful to medical research for other, more common and possibly deadlier, conditions?

Where do we draw the line in balancing the amount of resources invested into rare diseases vs. regular research? What should the priority be?

Further Watching and Reading Rare Disease Day 2017 Official Video: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=dJwBAM6hlyQ Europe’s Plan To Fight Rare Diseases, interview with EU Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuaF95wpq5A Interview with Prof Hanns Lochmuller or rare diseases and knowledgesharing: https://horizon-magazine.eu/article/sharing-data-between-researchers-toooften-afterthought-rare-disease-work-prof-hanns-lochm Huffington Post, “Five Ways To Help Someone Living With A Rare Disease” http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/chloe-printlambert/rare-diseaseday_b_15044656.html

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Committee on Industry, Research & Energy

ITRE

Following on from the continued work of Horizon 2020, and the European Cloud Initiative, as well as the European Medicine agency’s steps towards publishing clinical trials; how can the EU work towards further supporting and encouraging open research and thus become a leader in scientific research?

By Conor Lehane (IE) and Marthe Macody Tufte Lund (NO)

Explaination and Relevance of the Topic Scientific research is the backbone of modern society, it has historically been important for society providing us with ways to get task done more efficiently and more precisely. Europe is facing new challenges, including how to provide enough energy for the population and how to treat and manage diseases.

Solutions to both of these problems and others can be found through scientific research. Horizon 2020 is a funding programme to support and foster research in the European Research Area. It focuses on outstanding research, competitive trade and industry and research to solve social challenges and create jobs.1 Together with European Medicine Agency, scientific evaluation, supervision and safety monitoring of medicines,2 and European Cloud Initiative they work toward encouraging and supporting open, independent research in Europe.

The European Cloud Initiative’s work on providing European public authorities, science and industry with data infrastructure in world-class to store and manage data, high-speed connectivity and better computers to process data.3 Creating a platform to find documents on clinical trials will help to provide both the public and researches on information and results they have gained in their trials. This can be information that is crucial for researchers doing reviews and meta-analysis of existing research, and also investors looking for projects to invest in.

Cheprasov, Artem. “What is scientific research?” Study.com [Video] http://study. com/academy/lesson/what-is-scientific-research.html Kane, June. “Importance of Scientific Research”. http://www.ehow.com/ about_6137969_importance-scientific-research.html 1 “What is Horizon 2020?”. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/ what-horizon-2020 2 “About us”. European Medicine Agency. Last updated: 11.08.2017 http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/about_us/document_listing/document_listing_000426.jsp&mid 3 “The European Cloud Initiative”. European Commission. Last updated: 28.10.2017. https://ec.europa. eu/digital-single-market/en/%20european-cloud-initiative

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ITRE Key Conflicts The primary challenge that is involved with this topic is that a higher level of sharing information brings up the discussion on whether there is a need to balance the conflict between personal gain and the greater good which is the benefits that will come from sharing important discoveries. Researchers wanting to keep their findings private to provide them with a competitive edge when looking for funding and specifically in the private industry to protect future profits. Some bodies may wish to keep their research internally to provide a competitive edge or possibly to charge for access providing them with a revenue stream to fund further research.

It is also important to consider logistical aspect, how do we best coordinate the resources on hand. There are a many thousands of research institutes in the European Union and each has their own set of protocols for handling research and sharing said research among their peers. Another aspect of the logistical challenge is language. Working with Universities and research institutes across the various jurisdictions in the union results in a language barrier with many institute’s working language being the local national language.

An article explaining what the european cloud initiative is and what the aims of the initiative is: https://data-economy.com/european-cloud-initiative-to-give-europe-aglobal-lead-in-the-data-driven-economy/ An Article that covers the issues surrounding access to research: http://er.educause.edu/articles/2014/6/issues-in-open-access-to-research A slide show which gives a great explanation of the issue at hand: http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/ media/9D7A8F65F6EE41F487A624C5D4AE8354.ashx

Key Actors and Current Measures in Place Horizon 2020 - is the European Union’s research programme, Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, Its main goal is to fast track research and facilitate a more competitive Europe. It will do this by focusing on a few areas in particular, The first is promotion of scientific research, the second is industrial leadership facilitating innovation in the private sector, the third is better society a focus which aims to make the very society we live in a more conductive place for research and innovation.

Here’s a great video that summarises what the program is and its goals.

Horizon 2020 watch?v=CimJI88c4fE

General

overview

-

https://www.youtube.com/

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ITRE European Cloud Initiative - throughout the history of the EU there have been many initiatives and cooperative efforts to help the Union advance, the european cloud initiative is no different, The purpose of this initiative is to give Europe a global lead in the data-driven economy through the creation of a Digital Single Market in Europe. Europe is the largest producer of scientific data in the world with 1.7 million researchers and 70 million science and technology professionals.

However, the current fragmented infrastructure means that this big data cannot be exploited to its full potential. This cloud initiative aims to bring together our shared resources and ensure that every one of the EU’s researchers has the information they need to progress as best they can.

Here is a link to a debate within the EU about the ECI. This video has French audio but captions in English are available. It is highly recommended that you watch the first 10 minutes of it to familiarise yourself with our topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRKL8q9WMdQ The mission of the European Research Council (ERC) is to encourage the highest quality research in Europe through funding and to support investigator-driven frontier research across all fields, on the basis of scientific excellence. The grants is divided into three; starter grant, consolidator grants, and advanced grants. An increased focus on research would mean more applicants for the ERC, resulting in them being able to pick and financially support the best studies and researches.

The ERC can play an important role in encouraging further support of scientific research, whereas the ERC, together with Horizon 2020, gives grants to researchers, organisations and entrepreneurs.

Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission - is the department responsible for research and innovation in executive arm of the EU. It is responsible for EU policy on research, science and innovation, and Research Executive Agency which responsible for EU policy on research, science and innovation. on 19 April 2016 the European Commission launched its ‘European cloud initiative – building a competitive data and knowledge economy in Europe’, which is part of the digital single market strategy put forward on 6 May 2015.

A communication from the Commission further detailing how cloud computing fits into their plans for the future of the union: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ TXT/?qid=1472045853498&uri=CELEX:52016DC0178 ITER is the latin word for the way or path and is one of the most ambitious energy projects, aiming to build the world’s largest tokamak, “a magnetic fusion device

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ITRE that has been designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy based on the same principle that powers our Sun and stars.”4 The EU is member of the organisation together with multiple different states around the world.ITER is relevant to our topic because it ties into sharing research and it’s thanks to things like the European cloud initiative that projects such as this have a better chance of success.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is an intergovernmental organisation, with members inside and outside of the EU, dedicated to exploration of space. The agency was established to provide and promote cooperation among the European states in space research and technology. While as the EU and ESA are separate organisations they both works towards strengthen Europe and benefit its citizens.

EU regulations on research can be very interesting for ESA and it can benefit their studies and work. This topic is all about research and the best practice for sharing results, it’s particularly relevant to ESA as its primary goal is to facilitate cooperation and sharing of knowledge regarding space amongst european nations Here is a link to ESA’s website and a clarification on the relation between the ESA and the EU: http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Welcome_to_ESA/ESA_and_the_ EU2 The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) The European open science cloud is but one of the many actions that constitute the broader European cloud initiative, it offers Europe’s 1.7 million researchers and 70 million science and technology professionals a virtual environment to store, share and re-use the large volumes of information generated by the big data revolution.

This is underpinned by the European Data Infrastructure (EDI), deploying the highbandwidth networks and the supercomputing capacity necessary to effectively access and process large datasets stored in the Cloud. Focusing initially on the scientific community, the user base will over time be enlarged to the public sector and to industry. This EDI will also enable to reduce the costs of data storage and high-performance analysis.

In 2009 Parade published a white paper on data access in Europe it was the framework upon which further developments arose from. Innovations and scientific breakthroughs are often born when fragments of data are unified unconventionally, this road map gives a brief idea of how they plan to make these fragments coalesce in the aim of further breakthroughs. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cros/content/white-paper-partnershipaccessing-data-europe-parade_en 4

“What is ITER?”. ITER. https://www.iter.org/proj/inafewlines#2

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ITRE Keywords and Statistics Open science - refers to an approach to research based on greater access to public research data, enabled by ICT tools and platforms, and broader collaboration in science, including the participation of non-scientists, and finally, the use of alternative copyright tools for diffusing research results.5 Big Data - extremely large data sets that may be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behaviour and interactions. It is a valuable tool for research and for finding results that otherwise may not be obvious. Big data analysis is a key tool in the European Union’s strategy to remain competitive, relevant and become a leading force for business and research.

High performance Computing - High-performance computing (HPC) is the use of parallel processing for running advanced application programs efficiently, reliably and quickly. The term applies especially to systems that function above a teraflop per second. In layman’s terms it is a system that uses multiple processors rather than one to achieve more accurate and faster computational results.

Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) - RCTs are a type of scientific experiment which aims to reduce bias when testing a new treatment. The people participating in the trial are randomly allocated to either the group receiving the treatment under investigation or to a group receiving standard treatment (or placebo treatment) as the control. Randomization minimises selection bias and the different comparison groups allow the researchers to determine any effects of the treatment when compared with the no treatment group, while other variables are kept constant. To summarise it’s a test which prioritises getting pure results which are not influenced by bias be that from the testers or the subjects.

Key Questions This topic revolves around the idea of increasing the infrastructure within the European Union for data and promotion of open research. The programs mentioned in the overview increase the ability to share information between the millions of researchers and their respective institutes. The sharing of information and the potential economic growth that comes from big data.

Why is the sharing of data important in general?

What benefits could arise from a data sharing program like the european cloud initiative?

5 htm

https://www.oecd.org/sti/outlook/e-outlook/stipolicyprofiles/interactionsforinnovation/openscience.

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ITRE What might be the economic impact of programs like this?

The commission estimated that billions could be brought into the economy from data sharing and big data but asides from more revenue what other impacts on our day to day lives might it have?

Big data is important to the future of europe, but why is that? Â

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Committee on Civil Liberties, LIBE Justice & Home Affairs Entering the post truth era of “fake news” and “alternative facts”: A free press is vital in any democracy yet the media is currently facing many challenges. Competition with online news sources, which are not regulated by as thorough journalistic standards, as well as being faced with strict requirements for “balance” has led to decreasing press standards and less rigorous fact checking. How can the EU balance freedom of expression with ensuring robust and effective media checks and balances?

By Shirley Carr (IE)

Explaination and Relevance of the Topic Freedom of the press is fundamental in any democratic society. Freedom of expression is one of the essential foundations of the European Union. Such freedoms are regarded as fundamental human rights, as outlined in Article 12 the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.1 It is the duty of Member States to respect, protect and promote the rights to autonomy of opinion and expression.

It is necessary to have a free and pluralistic media environment, including independent media governance in order to uphold this value. Citizens have the right to receive and impart information.

People need to be fully informed to be able to form an opinion and participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives. Freedom of information also contributes to better governance as it enhances transparency in public affairs and can be used as a tool to make governments accountable for their actions, in particular when access to information results in the exposure of human rights violations or corruption practices.

The values of freedom of expression and a free and pluralistic media are threatened by an increase in so called ‘fake news’ and the widespread propagation of ‘alternative facts’, leading to a misinformed public and threatening to undermine a fair and transparent society.

Such a threat has been measured by the Freedom House organisation, an independent watchdog dedicated to the expansion of freedom and democracy 1

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf

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LIBE around the world.The Freedom House Index2 is a measure of political rights and civil liberties in countries worldwide. The report has found that, with populist and nationalist forces making significant gains in democratic states, 2016 marked the 11th consecutive year of decline in global freedom.

Key Conflicts Free, diverse and independent media is regarding as essential in promoting and protecting freedom of expression and opinion. This diversity presents both an opportunity and challenge, in terms of ensuring high quality and reliable journalism.

In the modern age, with many people sourcing their news online, it is more challenging to ensure the accuracy of news sources, and prevent the circulation of ‘fake news’. A 2016 Reuters report3 finds that, on average, 46% of people in the EU use social media as a source of news. Social media is not subject to the same checks as traditional news sources, with further disparities in regulation between audiovisual and newspapers content. The key conflict is to what extent should the EU regulate different sources of media, many of which are currently subject to self-regulation. Furthermore, taking into consideration the diverse and everchanging nature of internet news sources, how can the EU adapt to regulating media outlets in the age of technology?

A further conflict arises when high profile public figures and news sources quote and propagate false or misleading information, which damages the integrity of journalism and misinforms the general public. The challenge facing the media in today is how to ensure freedom of expression, while maintaining high standards of journalism and preventing misinformation.

The proliferation of misinformation has serious consequences, as witnessed with recent political events, both in the EU and globally. The spread of false information to further a political agenda undermines the public’s ability to make a well informed decision. How can the EU prevent the sharing of such misinformation, while upholding the right to freedom of thought and expression?

Huffington post article on dangers of blaming unwanted stories on fake news: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/british-politicians-fake-news_ uk_58b60832e4b0a8a9b7870126

Key Acotrs and Current Measures in Place Who? The European Union is committed to recognising the importance of freedom of opinion and expression.

2 3

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2017 https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Digital-News-Report-2016.pdf

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LIBE What? In addition to respecting the freedom and pluralism of the media, the right to freedom of expression is enshrined in Article 12 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.4 Who? The European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services5 was established in 2014, with the aim of implementing the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, facilitating cooperation between Member State regulatory bodies and allowing for the exchange and development of best practice in media regulation.

What? The Audiovisual Media Services Directive6 requires Member States to coordinate national legislation regarding safeguarding media pluralism and and ensuring national media regulators remain independent.

Who? The European Union External Action Service is the diplomatic service of the European Union.

What? The European Union External Action Service publishes the Disinformation Review on a weekly basis. The Disinformation Review is compiled by the East Stratcom Task Force, who collect examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation throughout Europe and beyond and exposes the breadth of this campaign, showing the countries and languages targeted. Such disinformation has political motives, aiming to promote the political status quo in Russia and undermine the integrity of those who question it. It is important to note that the opinions expressed by the Disinformation Review do not necessarily represent those of the EU, but are based on analysis by the Task Force.

Who? The Directorate-General for External Policies7 has identified the threats posed to the EU by disinformation, specifically that published by pro-Kremlin or ISIL-affiliated sources, and proposes a coordinated response to such threats.

What? The report on ‘EU strategic communications with a view to counteracting propaganda’8 recognises the threat posed to the EU as a whole by propaganda and false information. The proliferation of misinformation by pro-Kremlin sources and the spread of ISIL-affiliated propaganda throughout the EU has prompted the Directorate-General to reconsider the current approach to such disinformation. The report suggests addressing this issue on the EU level, in line with the 4 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf 5 https://europa.eu/european-union/topics/audiovisual-media_en 6 https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage_en/9443/Disinformation%20Review 7 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/the-secretary-general/en/organisation/directorate-general-for-external-policies-of-the-union 8 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2016/578008/EXPO_IDA(2016)578008_ EN.pdf

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LIBE EU’s institutions declared priorities and in cooperation with the European Union External Action Service.

Who? Social media networks themselves has implemented measures to address the worrying phenomenon of ‘fake news.’

What? Facebook has recently enforced a third party fact-checking tool, which alerts users to false or misleading news shared on the platform and aims to prevent the propagation of misinformation.

Who? European media outlets and journalists have committed to upholding freedom of the press.

What? In 2009, 48 editors in chief and leading journalists signed the European Charter on Freedom of the Press,9 with the aim of protecting the press from government interference and upholding freedom of access to information from domestic and foreign sources.

Further reading: Facebook introduce warnings on false or misleading news https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/22/facebook-fact-checking-tool-fake-news

Keywords and Statistics Pluralism: A state of society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain and develop their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilisation.

Self regulation: Self regulation means that the regulation of a particular industry is partaken by a body appointed by that industry and not by a government appointed agency.

Key Questions How can the EU uphold individual’s and the media’s rights to freedom of opinion and expression?

How can the EU tackle ‘fake news’ across a diverse range of media outlets, including traditional print media and modern social media platforms?

Who should be held accountable for the propagation of ‘fake news’?

9

http://www.pressfreedom.eu/en/index.php

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What is the role of education in preventing the spread of ‘fake news’?

Should the EU enhance the visibility of reliable news sources to ensure a well informed public?

Further reading: the role of education in tackling fake news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39272841

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PECH

Committee on Fisheries

Plastics pollution of the oceans can harm the marine environment. A few EU Member States are beginning to ban plastic microbeads from cosmetic products. How should the EU address, and create awareness around the problem of plastic ocean pollution?

By Thanos Theofanakis (NL)

Explaination and Relevance of the Topic By 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

Plastics are used in almost every aspect of our lives. Plastics enable technological, medical and social innovation. Plastics even play a key role in protecting the environment by fostering green energy and enabling research. But there is a downside to the so-called “material of the 21st century” as well. Because plastic does not degrade biologically. This means that plastic litter in nature will seriously damage plants and wildlife. An elaborate list of consequences for the environment can be found here: http://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/consequencesfor-the-environment/ One of the main culprits in damaging the environment are microplastics.

Microplastics, also known as microbeads, are tiny plastic particles of less than half a centimeter diameter. They can be found in cosmetics, hygienic products, skincare products and even toothpaste. A full list of products containing microplastics can be found here: http://www.beatthemicrobead.org/product-lists/ They are used primarily for their size, which makes the excellent for scrubbing your skin or cleaning your teeth. However, their greatest advantage is also the cause for the damage they do to the environment. After we use products containing microplastics, we tend to flush the remainder away. However, most wastewater treatment plans (WWTP) are not capable of removing microbeads from the water.

This is how microbeads enter the oceans. As a result, an estimated amount of more than 100, 000 tonnes, mostly microplastics, is floating in the world’s oceans.1 Since plastic doesn’t degrade biologically, all it can do is keep declining in size. As a result of the breakdown and fragmentation of plastic into smaller particles, ocean water has been transformed into a sort of global microplastic soup or Plastic Soup. In addition, microbeads can work as a sort sponge, absorbing toxins. These 1

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/plastic_waste.htm

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PECH

toxins are then released from the plastic in the water. All sorts of organisms living in or off the sea – even the smallest of zooplankton – mistakenly take in plastic debris and microplastic for food.2

This results in the often toxic waste entering our food chain.3 As zooplankton eat these microplastics, the plastics are digested and taken in by the body. As larger fish eat these zooplankton, the microplastics damage more and more marine biology.

Eventually, these microplastics do not only end up hurting the environment, but also us ourselves directly through their impact on the food chain.

Key Conflicts “Modern life is unthinkable without plastic, but there’s a catch.”4 The main issue at hand is of course the environment. While plastics are essential to the European economy (see infographic), plastics are also proven to have a drastic effect on environment and wildlife. However, plastics aren’t exclusively damaging to the environment. The weight of plastics makes them an eco-friendly alternative to heavier metals in transport.5 Another allowance of plastics that directly affects marine biology is traveling further with less fuel, as can be seen here: http://www. plasticseurope.org/plastics-sustainability-14017/climate-protection/switch-offthe-engine-with-plastics-8536/switch-off-the-engine-with-plastics.aspx

2 3 4 5

http://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/what-is-plastic-soup/ http://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/what-is-plastic-soup/ http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/plastic_waste.htm http://www.plasticseurope.org/use-of-plastics/transportation.aspx

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PECH In order to solve the problem, multiple solutions have been suggested. The most logical solution may seem to be cutting out microbeads from all cosmetics.

There have also been numerous suggestions for alternatives to microbeads to be used in cosmetics and other products. These suggestions are usually made by organisations that try to combat environmental pollution, such as the Plastic Soup Foundation and Dutch foundation Stichting de Noordzee. Natural alternatives include sugar and salt, but special biologically degradable plastics have also been suggested by environmentalists. The downside to these alternatives is, however, that they are much more expensive and often difficult to obtain. On top of that, some water temperatures would not be suitable for degradable plastics, ultimately nullifying the efforts.6 Some corporations, such as Unilever, have completely stopped using microplastics in their products. However, most corporations that have pledged to stop using microbeads, such as L’Oreal and Colgate, are in no way legally required to do so and have no timeframe set out in which to operate. So while these companies may be expected to change something soon, the reality is that there is no way of saying whether they will.

6

http://blog.greenjump.nl/post/2016/05/18/Microbeads-wat-zijn-het-en-hoe-vermijd-je-ze.aspx

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PECH Another problem is the ineffectiveness of WWTPs, which currently prevents them from successfully filtering out microbeads from water. Currently, the vast majority of microbeads enters the aquatic habitat through sludge, as can be seen on the image.7 Additionally, research8 shows that currently about a third of New York WWTPs can successfully filter out microbeads.

One last problem is the vagueness in definitions regarding microbeads. For instance, microplastics that are currently not degradable in water - only on land - are treated as if they were regardless. Because of the vagueness in terminology, it is difficult to pass effective legislation as currently there is too much freedom of interpretation for private companies.

Current Measures in Place EU Waste Framework Directive: No specific EU legislation addresses plastic waste in a strategic way, a newly dedicated plastics strategy is currently being created.9 EU Regulation on Cosmetic Products: This piece of legislation, responsible for regulations regarding cosmetics, dates from 2009 and currently does not prohibit microbeads.10 Sustainable Development Goals: A set of goals set by the UN in 2015 which countries from all over the world will aim to achieve within 15 years. These goals include preventing new and reducing current marine pollution, including plastic waste.11 EU Ecolabel: Set through a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council, the EU Ecolabel is a voluntary scheme, which means that producers, importers and retailers can choose to apply for the label to show the environmental impact of their product.12

Key Actors 7 8 9 10 11 12

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.est.5b03909 https://ag.ny.gov/pdfs/Microbeads_Report_5_14_14.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/plastic_waste.htm http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32009R1223 http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/the-ecolabel-scheme.html

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PECH The European Commission (EC) - The European Commission plays an important role in solving the problem due to their ability to propose legislation. One advantage the European Commission has in this is that the conservation of marine biological resources under the common fisheries policy is an exclusive competence of the EU. Member States (MS) - The currently 28 Member States of the EU all have different legislative frameworks concerning the issue. The first country, and also first MS, to indicate its intent to be microbead-free by the end of 2016 is the Netherlands.

Plastic Soup Foundation (PSF) - A non-governmental organisation (NGO), the PSF aims to reduce the amount of plastics in the oceans by raising awareness, educating and informing, and working together with other organisations to create solutions.13

Beat the Microbead - The Beat the Microbead campaign, launched by the PSF, has undertaken successful action against the plastic soup, mainly through the Beat the Microbead App.14

5 Gyres Institute - The 5 Gyres Institute is an NGO whose mission it is “to empower action against the global health crisis of plastic pollution through science, art, education, and adventure.�15 Private corporations - As many sectors, mainly cosmetics, packaging and transport, make extensive use of microbeads, corporations play a key role in solving the problem.

Private citizens - Households, privately owned ships and fisheries: Currently the main polluters of the ocean, these parties play a key role in solving the problem as well.

Key Questions What can the EU do to decrease the amount of plastics currently in the ocean?

What can the EU do to decrease the amount of plastics leaking into the ocean?

Should the EU aim to decrease the amount of plastics used in certain, if not all, sectors?

13 14 15

http://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/ http://www.beatthemicrobead.org/ https://www.5gyres.org/faq/

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PECH To what extent could the EU cooperate with NGOs to decrease the amount of plastics in the Ocean?

How can the EU raise awareness among citizens to prevent the spread of microplastics into the oceans?

Additional Research: The Guardian - Ditching microbeads: the search for sustainable skincare: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/microbeads-cosmeticsgyres-plastics-pollution-makeup Environmental Science & Technology - Scientific Evidence Supports a Ban on Microbeads: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.est.5b03909 New York State Attorney General - Unseen Threat: How Microbeads Harm New York Waters, Wildlife, Health And Environment: https://ag.ny.gov/pdfs/Microbeads_Report_5_14_14.pdf

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Committee on Transport & Tourism

TRAN

Beyond Erasmus: The EU are currently considering proposals for a month long EU-wide travel card for all 18year old EU citizens. With this in mind, how can the EU best facilitate opportunities for travel and cultural exchange for all Europeans, irrespective of their educational or socioeconomic background?

By Emma Young (IE)

Explanation and Relevance of the Topic On Monday 20th March 2017, the European Parliament held a vote on a list of priorities for its 2018 budget. One of these priorities was a free Interrail pass for all Europeans on their 18th birthday, supported by Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc2. The aim of this scheme is to promote eco-friendly modes of travel, as well as allow young Europeans to discover the continent, meet new people and promote a sense of European unity.3 The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) explicitly recognises the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity within Europe. The Treaty mandates the Union to “contribute to the flowering of European cultures” by implementing non-commercial cultural exchanges,4 as well as encouraging cooperation between educational institutions5 and sharing knowledge on the common culture and history of Europe.

Travel and cultural exchange provide Europeans with the opportunity to interact with different languages, foods and traditions across the continent. Educational programmes, including Erasmus+ and the European Youth Parliament, provide young people with a deeper knowledge of Europe through educational, political and travel opportunities.

However, the value of intercultural dialogue can also be seen in areas marked by conflict in the past. In Northern Ireland and the former Yugoslavia, large-scale 2 http://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/eu-considers-free-interrail-tickets-forall-18-year-olds-1.2819116 3 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/20160930STO44534/meps-want-to-give-freerail-passes-to-young-europeans 4 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A12008E167 5 http://www.lisbon-treaty.org/wcm/the-lisbon-treaty/treaty-on-the-functioning-of-the-europeanunion-and-comments/part-3-union-policies-and-internal-actions/title-xii-education-vocational-training-youth-and-sport/453-article-165.html

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TRAN sectarian violence has mostly ceased, but the issue of integration is still prominent.

Societal groups remain segregated6 and hostile,7 with natural integration a possibility only in the distant future. Here, cultural exchange projects are crucial for maintaining peace, as well as improving communication between different ethnic and religious groups.8 Journal Article about 18th Birthday Interrail Pass: http://www.thejournal.ie/eubudget-interrailing-ticket-birthday-18-3296574-Mar2017/

Key Conflict In Europe, the main barrier to travel and cultural exchange is expense. According to a European Parliament study, 57% of non-Erasmus students say that studying abroad is too expensive to consider. Along with this, 29% of students reject Erasmus because the grant provided is insufficient to cover their costs.9 Another issue relates to the educational and geographical backgrounds of students. Less-developed regions have lower participation rates in the Erasmus programme than their metropolitan counterparts. Smaller, less wealthy universities also are less likely to participate in the programme, leaving their students unable to travel abroad.10 If these barriers remain in place, the demographic of those availing of travel and cultural programmes in Europe will not diversify. According to the European Commission report “Erasmus+ Inclusion and Diversity Strategy,”11 responsibility for ensuring that Erasmus+ supported projects are as diverse and inclusive as possible rests jointly with the Commission, the National Agencies12 and the SALTO resource centres.13 Without inclusivity and diversity, Europeans will not avail of the full benefits of cultural exchange.

6 http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21641247-religious-schools-will-endure-ulster-academic-selection-may-not-rearguard-action 7 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/C7FD5AEDF2E0C6D513666F3D9A1E28EA/S1474746410000357a.pdf/div-class-title-peace-building-in-northern-ireland-a-role-for-civil-society-div.pdf 8 http://www.cooperationireland.org/about/ 9 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/cult/dv/esstudyerasmus/esstudyerasmusen.pdf 10 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/cult/dv/esstudyerasmus/esstudyerasmusen.pdf 11 https://www.salto-youth.net/downloads/4-17-3103/InclusionAndDiversityStrategy.pdf 12 https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/contact_en 13 https://www.salto-youth.net/about/

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TRAN However, there are currently no EU grants or scholarships exclusively for travel unrelated to university studies. This is something the new proposed Interrail scheme hopes to address.

Key Actors and Measures Already in Place The European Commission is the main body responsible for the implementation of EU projects in the field of cultural exchange. It manages the European Social Fund (ESF), a fund dedicated to promoting employment and social inclusion by investing in projects run by European citizens.14 The Commission also manages Erasmus+, the EU’s well-known programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe.15 In addition, the Commission publishes communications and policy recommendations to the Council and the Parliament in the field of cultural relations.16 However, in the area of education the EU has a supporting competency. This means that the EU can only intervene to support, coordinate or complement the actions of Member States, and cannot directly influence their national policies.

Non-governmental organisations also play a large role in facilitating travel and cultural exchange within the EU. The European Cultural Foundation (ECF)17 is a body established in 1954 to support cultural exchange, share knowledge across the cultural sector and promote the arts. Programmes run by ECF include ‘Supporting Travel for Engaged Partnership’ (STEP) grants, which support cultural workers travelling across Europe to foster greater cross-border solidarity. ECF works with the Commission as part of the EU Culture Programme, which provides them with funding and support for their projects. AIESEC,18 the world’s largest non-profit student-run organisation, also maintains a large presence in the EU19 andé partners with the European Commission through its Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture.

Member State governments help to coordinate EU funding within their respective countries. They are each responsible for a National Agency, known in Ireland as Léargas. Each Agency is tasked with promoting Erasmus+20 to the wider public, 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/esf/docs/br_culture%20and%20tourism_en.pdf https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/node_en http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=JOIN%3A2016%3A29%3AFIN http://www.culturalfoundation.eu/story/ http://aiesec.org/students/ https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/contact_en http://www.vsi.ie/volunteer/longterm/evs.html

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TRAN selecting projects to be funded and working closely with other Agencies and the EU. Through organisations such as AIESEC, corporations including Nike and Nokia also provide internships and funded travel opportunities for young people.

Measures currently in place include the European Voluntary Service (EVS), an EUfunded volunteering programme for 18-30 year olds. Volunteering placements generally last from two to twelve months, with travel, accommodation, food and other expenses funded by Erasmus+. The Schwarzkopf Foundation,21 a nongovernmental organisation, also provides travel grants in the form of Interrail passes for young people. Youth availing of these passes must be willing to complete a project on current political issues or the environment on their journey.

Keywords and Statistics In 1987, 3,244 students from 11 countries travelled abroad as part of  the Erasmus programme.  In 2012/13 almost 270 000 students and 52 000+ staff from 33 European countries spent time abroad on an Erasmus grant.22 An estimated between 800,000 and 1.5 million mobile students do not participate in the Erasmus programme each year due to financial restraints.23

Key Questions What are the different forms of cultural exchange (academic, peacebuilding etc.) and how are they funded?

What are the long-term benefits for those who participate in cultural exchange programmes?

What kinds of barriers are faced by those seeking to travel or participate in these programmes?

How can these barriers be mitigated or removed? Should solutions be at a local, national or European level?

21 http://schwarzkopf-stiftung.de/en/awards/reisestipendien/ 22 http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/repository/education/library/statistics/ay-12-13/facts-figures_en.pdf 23 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/cult/dv/esstudyerasmus/esstudyerasmusen.pdf

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How can the EU encourage young people to travel and participate in these programmes?

How, in your view, should the new Interrail pass scheme be implemented? What potential details should be included?

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