The Box – Issue 0

Latgale Vidzeme

T BO H EX

Regional Session

ISSUE 0 1

Editorial.

When talking about being innovative, people are constantly telling us to think outside the box. But what is this mysterious box we are meant to avoid? Often when told to be creative and think outside this box, many of us experience a moment of panic as our minds go blank. This serves as a good example to show that creativity and innovation are two things that cannot be forced. In this frantic search for new ideas outside the box, we forget to look what is inside the box. Maybe, creativity and innovation are everywhere around us, within us, inside and outside the box. Hereby we present to you the first issue of THE BOX, filled with the innovation of the Media Team of LVRS ‘14.

We have decided to do the committee articles, which make up this issue, quite differently from the traditional method usually used in EYP. So, let us try to explain. The idea for the committee articles you will find in this issue, is that instead of writing about the specific topic of the committee, the journalists have written about the committees themselves. What this means is that, first of all, just in case you didn’t already know, all of the committees in EYP are based on real committees that exist in the EU. The articles explore how these actual committees work in the EU, what are their aims and responsibilities, what are the current main issues they’re facing. Hopefully this will offer you a new perspective on your topic and its significance in the European Union. We hope you enjoy the first issue of THE BOX!

Yours,

Tuusa and Rebecca

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The Team.

Tuusa Eriksson & Rebecca Kiiski - Editors Lewin Schmitt - Video-editor Nikolaos Avramidis Lauma Niedrite Anette Piirsalu Olga Sitinska Silja Tuovinen Gustaf Westin

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Bringing the Union Closer to Citizens

by Anette Piirsalu

AFCO

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ringing the Union closer to citizens, redistributing seats in the European Parliament and drafting a new treaty for European economic governance are extremely vital topics, all of which were discussed in various debates during the latest elections of the European Parliament. Solving these current issues is day-to-day work for the Committee on Constitutional Affairs in the European Parliament. One of these topics is also discussed at the session as AFCO takes on a crucial topic: how to involve young people in the European political process.

As you may be aware, the members of the European Parliament are divided into 20 different committees.

One of them is the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, more commonly known as AFCO. The Committee deals with the regulation of the European Parliament, the development of the European Treaties as well as with relations between the different European institutions.

AFCO’s main responsibilities in the European Parliament are: 1. The institutional aspects of the European integration process 2. The implementation of the EU Treaty and the evaluation of its operation 3. The institutional consequences of negotiations about the enlargement of the Union 4. Interinstitutional relations including examination of interinstitutional agreements in view of their approval by Parliament 5. Uniform electoral procedure 6. Political parties at European level, without prejudice to the competences of the Bureau 7. The determination of the existence of a serious and continuous breach to the principles common to all Member States by a Member State 8. The interpretation and application of the Rules of Procedure in addition to consideration of proposals to amend these rules

As you notice, the Committee deals with many issues that are important for the functioning of democracy in the EU’s institutions. One of the most

significant aspects in the past has been, for example, the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), which gives citizens of the EU an opportunity to propose legislation to the European Commission. Citizens now have the same rights as the European Parliament and the European Council: they enjoy the right to ask the Commission to consider their requests. Some other examples include the Code of Conduct that sets rules outlining the responsibilities of an individual, party or organisation, or the Transparency Register that provides citizens with a direct and single access to information about who is engaged in activities aiming at influencing the decision-making process of the EU.

Regarding the future, one big challenge for the Committee is to find a new, fully transparent and durable method for the distribution of seats in the European Parliament that would allow the structure of the EP to adapt as the EU expands. With Croatia’s entry into the EU, the composition of the Parliament also changed: 12 Member States lost one seat and Germany lost three seats in the EP. However, with the EU growing, a new completely equitable formula must be adopted before the 2019 elections. Another big issue related to the low voter turnout of the latest elections is how to bring the Union closer to the citizens, especially the youth. This has been the main topic of many discussions and debates all over Europe. However, it is in AFCO’s hands to decide on future solutions to this important problem.

All in all, in the European Parliament, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs deals with many problems essential for the functioning of the EU in general. I have absolutely no doubt that during the session we will hear some bright and constructive solutions, from our own lovely AFCO Committee, to many questions currently up in the air.

Find out more about AFCO at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/afco/home.html Follow AFCO on twitter @EPInstitutional 5

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ne of the committees into which the Members of the European Parliament are divided is the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Committee is commonly referred to as AFET, after the French name “Affaires étrangères”. The Committee is composed of 75 members and 74 substitutes, and its current Chair is the German politician Elmar Brok.

Despite the limited power of the European Parliament in this sector, the AFET Committee is considered very important and a great number of the most well known Members of the European Parliament are attracted to it.

The Committee on Foreign Affairs is responsible for shaping the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). In addition to this, it plays a key role in the strengthening of political relations with third countries (countries not belonging to the EU or EEA-EFTA), particularly those in the immediate vicinity of the Union. This is done by promoting major cooperation and assistance programmes or international agreements such as association and partnership agreements. Moreover, the Committee plays a vital role in the enlargement of the EU by opening, monitoring and concluding negotiations concerning the accession of European states to the Union. Especially in the field of security, AFET is assisted by its subcommittee: the Committee on Security and Defence, simply known as SEDE.

However, the responsibilities of the AFET Committee are not restricted to the context of political relations with states outside of the EU. The Committee is also responsible for issues concerning human rights, the protection of minorities and the promotion of democratic values in third countries and is responsible for observing the election procedure in these third countries. To ensure effective work on such issues, the committee is assisted by its second subcommittee: the Committee on Human Rights, DROI.

As a result of the diverse nature of the Committee’s responsibilities, it has to examine a great variety of issues. One of the main issues that falls into the responsibilities of the Committee, is the situation in Ukraine. From the beginning of the crisis

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last year until today, the Committee has expressed its solidarity towards Ukrainians and sent numerous delegations to Ukraine in order to hold discussions with Ukrainian authorities.

After the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the Committee has asked for 32 Russian officials to be banned from travelling in the EU and for their financial assets to be seized. Recently, the EU has signed the Association Agreement with Ukraine on June 27th. However, the Committee is highly concerned about the EU’s dependency on imported Russian natural gas as 1/3 of its gas supply is imported from Russia. With Russia threatening to cut off the gas supply, research done by the Committee suggests that Algerian, Iranian, Norwegian and Qatari gas could be a short-term solution to the issue, while in the long-term Azeri, US and Turkmenistan gas may be used as a substitute.

Other issues that deeply concern AFET are the situations in Egypt and Turkey.

The on-going classes between government forces and the Muslim Brotherhood members and the imprisonment of five journalists, undermines the political stability and the freedom of expression in Egypt, while the attempt of the Turkish government to ban YouTube and other social media violates fundamental civil rights and darkens the European view of the country. The EU is also trying to improve its diplomatic and economic relations with third countries, especially Asian and African states, by establishing cooperation protocols and association agreements with them.

With its presence, the Committee on Foreign Affairs grants full democratic legitimacy to the European Union’s external action. The Committee helps formulate and monitor a foreign policy that addresses the interests of the Union, the security expectations of its citizens and the stability of its neighbours, while working as a key actor in generating the political will to transcend internal divisions and overcome nationalism.

Find out more about AFET at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/ afet/home.html Follow AFET on twitter @EP_ForeignAff

AFET

Creating Alliances - Creating Democracy

by Nikolaos Avramidis 7

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CULT “I am proud to be Chair of this Committee.” - Doris Pack

by Lauma Niedrite

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he European Parliament consists of 20 different committees. Each of these committees consists of 24 to 76 members, a Chair, a Bureau and a Secretariat. They all meet once or twice a month in Brussels. The final product of the Committee’s work is presented at Plenary Assembly.

Every committee is responsible for different issues within the EU, for example, ECON is the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, SEDE is the committee on Security and Defence and so on. The Committee on Culture and Education, also known as CULT, is responsible for improving the knowledge and dissemination of culture, safeguarding cultural heritage and protecting and promoting cultural and linguistic diversity. It also deals with the EU’s education policy, such as the Erasmus or Lifelong Learning programme. Lastly, the

Committee also tackles issues related to youth policy, the development of sports and leisure policy, audio-visual policy, as well as the cultural and educational aspects of the EU’s media policy. The Committee holds an equal position with the governments of Member States in adopting and supervising new laws and EU’s programmes. CULT, along with the 19 other committees, has to organise events, such as public hearings, discussions and presentations.

This Committee’s Chair is Doris Pack (DE) and there are also four Vice-Chairs – Helga Trüpel (DE), Lorenzo Fontana (IT), Martina Michels (DE) and Morten Løkkegaard (DK). The Chairs of committees coordinate the work of the committees and meet in the Conference of Committee Chairs, which ensures cooperation between the different committees.

CULT has made a huge contribution to education and culture in the EU. Examples of this are the Lifelong Learning programme, which pays for the Erasmus student exchange, the Culture 2007 programme that supports the European Capitals of Culture and the Media 2007 programme, which has helped finance the production of a number of successful European films, such as Slumdog Millionaire.

Currently the Committee on Culture and Education is working on improving workers’ access to mobility services, strengthening integration of labour markets and developing an aid scheme for the supply of fruit, vegetables and milk for educational establishments.

All the committees are created to make European citizens’ lives better and more comfortable. The aim of being a member of any committee is to disclose views on the key problem making it easier to solve.

Find out more about CULT at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/ cult/home.html Follow CULT on twitter @EPCulture

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he Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, abbreviated ENVI, has become one of the most important committees in the European Parliament during the last decade.

This is due to the current nature of the issues it is tackling. As a result of the vast majority of issues discussed in ENVI, the European Parliament has gained more co-legislative power, also making ENVI one of the most influential committees in the EP. ENVI consists of 71 members and a secretariat of 10 administrators and is chaired by a German member of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Matthias Groote.

As can be seen from its name, the Committee is responsible for a wide range of issues concerning environmental policy, public health and food safety. ENVI deals with sustainable development and environment protection measures such as air, soil and water pollution, waste management and recycling, climate change, noise levels and protection of biodiversity. ENVI is deeply concerned about the arguably most significant conservation challenge Europe faces today: climate change, which the parliamentarians have been addressing actively. Its aim is to create international and regional measures and agreements in the field of environment protection.

The Committee also provides a forum for proposing Euro-

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ENVI

pean solutions to health-related problems. ENVI tackles public health with programmes and specific actions particularly in the field of common public health and both pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. The recent work of the committee has consisted of the fight against counterfeit medicinal products as well as the overall safety of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products on the market.

The Committee’s work around food safety comprises the labelling and safety of foodstuffs,

ements.

by Silja Tuovinen

which for instance contain material from genetically modified crops or animal clones, in order to provide customers with sufficient information. Recent food scandals in the EU Member States have made clear the need for both better food safety and legislation.

ENVI is responsible for the actions of multiple European agencies such as the European Environment Agency, the European Medicines Agency, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the

European Food Safety Authority and the European Food and Veterinary Office. Through the work of these agencies, decisions are implemented and turned into actions.

The different committees in the European Parliament each hold responsibility for certain topics under the ordinary legislative procedure. They also have a consultative duty regarding some other topics on which their opinion is of importance. At the moment, ENVI is for example working on scientific examination of questions relating to food and reduction of pollutant emissions from road vehicles, which are both topics the Committee is responsible for and now having their first reading on. The Committee’s opinion is enquired regarding for instance whether food obtained from animal clones should be placed on the market or not.

Since the Committee is responsible for public health, it also deals with questions related to sex education, often in the light of combating HIV/AIDS within the European Member States and their neighbouring countries. The lack of sex education is most acute in the Eastern European countries, where the amount of positive HIV/AIDS results is larger than elsewhere in Europe.

Find out more about ENVI at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ committees/en/envi/home.html Follow ENVI on twitter @EP_Environment 11

by Gustaf Westin

In Short - We are a Major Player.

INTA

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he global trade in goods has never been as comprehensive and far-reaching as it is today.

Because of the ease of modern transport and communications, it is now easier to produce, buy and sell goods around the world, a global exchange in which the European Union enjoys a prime position. Every year the EU imports and exports goods worth over four trillion dollars, making it the biggest trader in the world today. The EU’s 28 Member States account for around 16 % of the world’s annual trade, and are the world’s largest exporters of manufactured goods. The EU, with the world’s largest single market with transparent rules and regulations, along with 500 million consumers, is also the biggest export market for about 80 countries in the world.

Over the next 10 to 15 years, 90% of world demand will be generated outside Europe. That makes it a key priority for the EU to tap into this growth potential by opening up market opportunities for European businesses abroad. One way of ensuring this is through negotiating agreements with our key partners. This is where the European Commission, with the help of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, or INTA, comes in.

INTA’s responsibilities include matters related to: 1. Financial, economic and trade relations with third countries (countries not belonging to the EU or EEA-EFTA) 2. Measures of technical harmonisation or standardisation in fields related to international trade 3. Relations with the relevant international organisations and with organisations promoting regional economic and commercial integration outside the Union 4. Relations with the World Trade Organisation, an international organization aiming to increase trade around the world.

Aiding the Commission, the body responsible for negotiations with potential trade partners, the Committee on International Trade helps stake out the trade relations of the future.

Currently, the major question on INTA’s table is that of the proposed free trade agreement with the United States, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP for short. If successful, such an agreement would result in the world’s largest free trade zone, and would boost economic growth on both sides of the Atlantic. Proponents of the TTIP argue that the agreement has the potential to increase the EU’s combined GDP with about 2%. That may sound small, but it corresponds roughly to the entire economy of Denmark or Austria, two of the EU’s richest countries.

The development of trade - if properly managed - is an opportunity for economic growth and jobs, both here in Europe and around the globe, as well as an opportunity to increase connections with the rest of the world. By working together, Europe has the weight to shape an open global trading system based on fair rules, sustainability and equal opportunities for businessmen, farmers and producers everywhere in the world.

For this, the work of the Committee on International Trade is vital.

Find out more about INTA at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ committees/en/inta/home.html Follow INTA on twitter @EP_Trade

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LIBE

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he Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, also known as LIBE, is mainly concerned with issues regarding freedom, security and justice within the EU, and is responsible for most of the legislation and democratic supervision related to these fields. These types of policies are connected to the implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights on EU territory and with the strengthening of European Citizenship. The European Union cooperates with Member States and their national Parliaments in work in this domain.

“Equal Rights and Opportunities for Everyone, Don’t you Agree?”

by Olga Sitinska

The Committee is responsible for: 1. The protection of the human and fundamental rights of the citizens of the Union, including the protection of minorities, as stated in the Treaties and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union 2. The measures needed to fight and stop all forms of discrimination other than ones based on gender or ones occurring at the workplace or in the labour market 14

3. Legislation in the fields of transparency and processing of personal data 4. The establishment and development of an area of freedom, security and justice. Examples of this are the movement of persons, including asylum seeking and migration, as well as measures related to cooperation between the police and the judicial system in criminal matters 5. The determination of a clear risk of a serious disturbance to principles common for all Member States by a Member State

The Committee is also responsible for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Europol, Eurojust, Cepol and other organisations and agencies operating in the same area.

Some current problems in the EU that the Committee is concerned by include youth radicalisation, VISA liberalisation and LGBT rights.

However, the problems do not end here. One of the biggest challenges the Committee is facing at the moment is due to the rapid growth and modernisation of the world. We have to deal with the fact that technology has become a crucial part of

For example, it is not as simple for elders to come to terms with, for example, paying bills online as it is for the younger generation. Another example of the challenges brought by new technology can be seen in the classroom. Older teachers mostly do not use the potential presented by technological tools, such as the whiteboard, during their lessons.

The inability to master technology causes problems with employment as well. Nowadays nobody wants to hire an employee without technological skills, such as computer skills, which causes people without these skills to suffer from a type of discrimination that totally contradicts EU policy.

our everyday lives. There is a touch of technology in everything that we do, and it continues to make our lives more and more convenient.

We can be more productive in one day, and accomplish more in one lifetime, than our great grandparents could even dream of. With the invention of debit/credit cards, cell phones, ATMs and computer technology in our cars, laptops and portable devices, we are in an age of technology.

And this growth doesn’t show signs of stopping.

But despite this technological progress all over the world, a large part of our society still struggles to use essential technological tools. For them, life, surrounded by modern technology is not an easy task.

What should we do? Should we help them? Of course! It is important to familiarise people with new technology. That is why the EU should concentrate their attention on this particular problem.

Equal rights and opportunities for everyone, don’t you agree?

Find out more about LIBE at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/ libe/home.html Follow LIBE on twitter @EP_Justice 15

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