ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT Hoorn 2019
Regional Selection Conference of EYP the Netherlands
Word of Welcome Dear delegates, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome each and every one of you to Hoorn 2019! My name is Elisavet, I come for Greece and for the duration of this event, I will be serving as the President of the session. Whether this is a totally new experience for you or something you are already familiar with, it is my pleasure to have you join myself and the rest of our volunteers in what I believe will be an extremely impactful couple of days for you. The European Youth Parliament is an organisation run by people just like you. Young volunteers from all over Europe come together in every event to discuss, interact and bring forward the voice of the youth in regards to European matters. This session is an opportunity for you to learn and grow in a positive working environment where you will be heard, respected and encouraged. This document has been drafted by the Chairs’ Team of the session to approach each individual topic and give you more information that will enhance and support your own research. Make the best out of it and broaden your ideas with what the Chairs have prepared for you. I hope you are as excited as we are and that you will fully take advantage of this experience. Once more, I am happy to welcome you and I look forward to see what each one of you brings to this session for it to come to life. Enjoy the read and the ride! All the best on behalf of the Chairs’ Team, Elisavet Sidiropoulou, President of the Conference
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ON THE EUROPEAN UNION AFCO COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
4 10
CRIM
COMMITTEE ON CRIME, CORRUPTION AND MONEY LAUNDERING
15
CULT
COMMITTEE ON CULTURE AND EDUCATION
21
DEVE
COMMITTEE ON DEVELOPMENT
25
ECON
COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AND MONETARY AFFAIRS
30
ENVI
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY
35
FEMM
COMMITTEE ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY
41
PECH
COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES
46
INTRODUCTION ON THE EUROPEAN UNION Intitutional framework & Stakeholders When searching for the best solutions for the key questions of your topic, you can choose the right actor for a specific action. There is no strict rule that resolutions must be implemented only through European Union organs. The main stakeholders possible are: the United Nations (global level - 193 states out of approx. 195 in the world), the Council of Europe (European states - 47), European Union (28 members, potentially soon to be 27), individual states, civil society1 and individuals. Several other international organisations exist that might be of relevance to specific topics. Keep in mind that coordinated actions are often needed, and while on the ‘smallest’ scale, actions that individuals can take in their own communities can have a great impact. You are invited to reflect on the scope needed for your action to be feasible: Who is best to implement it? Who will be most successful in doing so? The following pages offer brief descriptions of the main stakeholders, topics covered and powers. The United Nations (UN) The UN is an international organisation comprising 193 member states. It aims to: maintain international peace and security; develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation in solving problems of concern to the entire world2. It has 6 main organs3, among which the following two are the most relevant: The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN, where all members are represented. Its resolutions may not be binding on states, but they are useful in understanding the position of states, and carry significant soft power4. The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Its decisions are binding on UN member states. It is formed of 15 members, including 10 rotating members and 5 permanent ones (USA, UK, France, Russia and China). The UN system consists of numerous specialized agencies, programmes, funds, as well as subsidiary organs of the main UN organs5. The topic overviews point out the UN entities that have a mandate in a relevant area.
Council of Europe The Council of Europe is an international organisation comprising 47 member states including non-EU states such as Russia. It promotes and protects human rights, democracy, rule of law and European culture through international cooperation in the areas of human rights, democracy and it is not part of the European Union.
1 2 3 4
Non-governmental organisations and institutions expressing/advocating for specific causes. promoting the will of citizens.
5
For a comprehensive overview, see UN, Funds, Programmes, Specialized Agencies and others; UN, The United Nations System
See further UN Charter (1948), article 1. See further, UN, Main organs.
In contrast to the coercive nature of hard power, soft power describes the use of positive attraction and persuasion to achieve foreign policy objectives. Joseph Nye’s three pillars of soft power are: political values, culture, and foreign policy. chart.
The general aims of the Council of Europe are to: • Protect human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in all its member states; • Promote awareness and encourage cultural identity and diversity of Europe; • Seek solutions to (social) problems facing European society; • Consolidate democratic stability in Europe; • Promote social cohesion and social rights; and • Promote and develop a European cultural identity with emphasis on education. The Council of Europe: • Is an international organisation; • It is not a part of the European Union; • Does not have legislative power - its member states are cooperating on a voluntary basis.
The European Union The European Union currently has 28 Member States. It is a supranational organisation with the ability to create legislation which all members must obey. It is the primary platform for European cooperation. Knowledge of the specific details of how the EU functions is not directly relevant for most of our topics. Instead, this section will cover the actions the main EU institutions can take. European Council - Setting the strategy Role: Defines the EU’s general political direction and priorities; Members: Heads of state or government from each member state, the president of the European Council and the president of the European Commission; Actions you can ask the European Council to take: • Decide on the direction for the EU and EU foreign policy; • Ask the European Commission to initiate proposals for legislation. European Parliament - The voice of the people Role: Directly elected legislative arm of the EU; Members: 751 directly elected members; Actions you can ask the European Parliament to take: • Amends and adopts the proposed legislative acts; • Supervise other institutions; • Ask the European Commission to propose legislation; • Debate on international agreements. European Commission - Promoting the common interest Role: Executive arm of the EU that proposes laws, policies agreements and promotes the Union’s general interests; it is the political leadership of the Union; Members: College of Commissioners, one from each member state - each commissioner is assigned a specific policy area; Actions you can ask the European Commission to take: • Propose legislation to Parliament and the Council; • Represent the EU internationally; • Negotiate international agreements; • Implement EU policies.
Council of the European Union - The voice of the member states Role: Deciding on policies and adopting legislation, coordinating actions in member states; Members: Government representatives on a ministerial level from each member state; Actions you can ask the Council of the European Union to take: • Pass legislation together with the Parliament; • Coordinate actions in member states; • Conclude international agreements. Competences of the European Union In some policy areas, the EU has exclusive competence, which means that decisions are taken at EU level. In other policy areas, there is shared competence between the Union and the member states. This means that if legislation is passed at EU level, then these laws have priority. If no legislation is adopted at EU level, then the individual member states may legislate at national level. Note that there is often a nuance in the overlap between these. For example, although fisheries is a shared competence, the conservation of fisheries is an exclusive competence. In all other policy areas, the decisions remain with the member states.
Exclusive Customs Eurozone monetary policy
Shared Internal Market Social policies pertaining to aspects defined in the TFEU Economic, social and territorial cohesion Agriculture and fisheries Environment
Conservation of marine resources Common commercial policy Conclusion of international agreements under certain condiConsumer protection tions Transport Establishment of competition rules for the functioning of the internal market
Trans-European networks Energy Area of freedom and justice Certain public health policies Research, technological development and space Development cooperation and humanitarian aid
Support, coordinate and supplement Most human health policies Industry Culture Tourism Education and training Civil protection and disaster prevention Administrative cooperation Coordination of economic, employment and social policies
Tips on researching Why research? At an EYP event you have the exciting opportunity to share opinions on interesting topics which are of concern to our generation and the world. It’s not only about discussing, it’s about coming up together with solutions to the key question of your topic. In order to make discussions more interesting, to enable you to fully take part in them, and to make sure your ideas for solving the problem are feasible, you need to have a good understanding of the current state of affairs and what has already been attempted, what has worked and what has not. What to research Start from the Topic Overview. Make sure you understand the concepts and phenomena revolving around your topic. The topic overview should offer concrete leads for you to follow, offering food for thought based on the aim to be achieved and what the situation is, as well as material indicated in the footnotes. How to research - Tips & tricks • Have a system - write down things you want to look into. Do it one at a time. There is so much information, it’s easy to get distracted and lose focus. • ‘There’s nothing new under the sun’ - chances are, whatever you’re wondering about has already been asked, and potentially already answered. If you can’t find what you’re looking for at the first go, it might be worth rephrasing your search terms. • If you can’t find it on Google, try Google Books and Google Scholar. • Make sure to distinguish facts from opinions (even if of experts/academics). • It’s all in the sources - is the information confirmed by other sources? Are they reliable, trusted sources? Have you ever heard of the website before? Do they make wild claims you can’t find elsewhere? What potential bias should be considered (could the source be pushing for a certain side to a story)? Check the (legal) notice at the bottom of the website to find out more about the author/initiator. • Check the date of the source - if it’s from 2002, chances are more things have happened since then. • Keep track - you know that website where you found an idea that you thought was interesting but not essential to the topic? The idea that you realised later on it was actually crucial? We’ve all been there. Write it down - keep track. You can add a bookmark folder for the session where you bookmark websites you come across as interesting. Or you can use a word document where you list the links with a few quick words on what you found there. You’ll thank yourself later. • You’re not alone - your chair is always there for you and happy to assist you throughout your research process. Don’t hesitate to ask what and how and where to research certain things if you feel you are stuck. Share with other delegates what you found and what you’re missing - discussing what you found so far will help you process the information and better identify what else you want to look into.
Understanding legislation Step One - Don’t Panic! Most laws you will find are written in plain, clear, and simple language. You need no prior experience or knowledge to understand them. In fact, most of the Officials learnt to read legislation through EYP, just like you are about to. Step Two - Be Prepared Research the context of the law - and read a summary before you read any actual legislation. You can find good summaries for EU law on the europa.eu website, often either beside the text or in a press release. Try searching on Google “(name of legislation) summary”. You can even find decent summaries on Wikipedia and in legal journals and blogs, but be careful about opinions being presented as facts. For this reason, you should also be careful if using news articles to get your legislation summaries.
Step Three - Get a Rough Idea This may sound obvious, but read the Table of Contents (this might be a list of Articles or similar, depending on what you’re looking at, but you get the idea). This will give you an idea of the structure, and an overview of what is covered. It is useful to know the outline of what is included and what is not, and you can use this knowledge to make decisions in the final step. Step Four - Get Straight to the Point Before reading anything, think about what you want to learn. You don’t have to read the whole thing, and legislation is rarely read for fun. You are probably looking for something in particular, like a specific detail. You should already think about what kind of answer will satisfy you. Once you know what you’re looking for, use Ctrl + F to literally find what you’re looking for. Step Five - So What Does This Mean? In most cases you can interpret legislation literally - it should mean what it says. If it is not clear what the legislation means, you have to work out the intention behind it, and try to interpret it accordingly. You might consider: • Who does this legislation apply to? • Who would be impacted by this legislation being enforced; or not enforced? • What was the intention behind setting this? • Was this replaced by a more recent piece of legislation? • What is the power of the act: is it legally binding (mandatory) or advisory?
Material made available by the Governing Body based on the academic prep kit for Trondheim International Session. You are more than welcome to make use of this section for any future EYP event, for the purpose of facilitating academic preparation of participants. If you do so, please include this footnote. For any questions, reach out to gb@eyp.org.
TOPIC OVERVIEWS
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COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS (AFCO)
“Democracy at risk: Despite more than 50% of eligible voters taking part in the 2019 European elections, the ongoing rise of Eurosceptic and populist parties suggests that a significant number of people do not feel represented by mainstream politics. How can the EU deal with this rising opposition amongst voters and promote active participation?”
Introduction, Relevance, Context
Constantinos Charalambous (CY)
Even though the voter turnout in the last European elections in May was higher than ever before, some concerns were raised after the official results were released. Due to the ongoing rise in nationalist parties, the total ignorance for the environment and the ongoing promises by the parties and politicians, it was clear that people want change. This was proven by the fact that the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats (S&D) lost their majority in the European Parliament. Furthermore, there was an increase in the right-wing, populist, liberal and green parties. Corruption, poverty and the total disregard for critical problems such as tackling climate change and creating a more eco-friendly economy, lead to the people losing their trust towards the EU and the parties that were in charge until now. As a result, people started leaning towards Eurosceptic and populist parties such as the left-wing European Free Alliance (EFA) and Right Wing Nationalists (ENF).
Key Terms • Euroscepticism: Criticism on the European Union and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies and seek reform, to those who oppose EU membership outright and see the EU as unreformable. • Populism: Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasise the idea of “the people” and often contrast this group against “the people in power”. • Nationalism: Nationalism is an ideology and movement that promotes the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people) especially with the aim of gaining and maintaining the nation's sovereignty over its homeland.
• Polarisation: Refers to the divergence of political attitudes to ideological extremes. • Political group: These groups are formed by the MEPs from different Member States on the basis of their common political interests. • Political party: A political party is an organised group of people who have the same ideology, or who otherwise have the same political positions, and who field candidates for elections, in an attempt to get them elected and thereby implement the party's agenda.
Actors The Brexit Party is a Eurosceptic political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded in January 2019. Since then, it has managed to become the leading party in this year’s EU elections. Even though the rapid growth of the party in the United Kingdom would not necessarily indicate a dramatic increase in euroscepticism, the promotion of a party like this could promote de-globalisation and make people lose their trust towards the EU. The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with conservative and liberal-conservative member parties. It is a transnational party, which is composed of other political parties, not individuals. EPP is the largest and oldest group in the European Parliament. Their roots reach back to Europe’s Founding Fathers and the Members come from all of Europe’s Member States. As centre-right group, they claim that their goal is to create a more competitive and democratic Europe. The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) is the political group in the European Parliament of the Party of European Socialists. The S&D in the European Parliament is composed of MEPs who belong to national parties. These parties share identical social-democratic values and are members of the Party of European Socialists (PES). PES is represented in the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of Ministers, and in the Committee of the Regions. Their main aims are mostly focused on social rights, women's equality, creating a digital union and ending energy poverty. The Greens/European Free Alliance is the political group in the European Parliament composed primarily of green and regionalist political parties. The European Free Alliance (EFA) Group in the European Parliament currently includes representatives from Scotland, Catalonia, Corsica, Wales and Latvia. The European Greens have always been committed to basic tenets of Green politics, such as environmental responsibility, individual freedom, inclusive democracy, diversity, social justice, gender equality,
global sustainable development and non-violence. The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU. The European Court of Justice is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union it is tasked with interpreting EU law and ensuring its equal application across all EU member states. The European Council is a collective body that defines the European Union's overall political direction and priorities. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. The European Parliament is the legislative branch of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union, it adopts European legislation, normally on a proposal from the European Commission.
Conflicts The relation between euroscepticism and populism is more relevant than one might think due to a common link; nationalism. Euroscepticism is particularly prominent, since its main theme allows for more international collaboration rather than is the case with radical nation-state nationalism. Thus its associations can more easily span national boundaries and constitute international alliances based on international forum. Also, populism and nationalism are united. Traditionally, leftist populism does not show such a strong link with the ideas of hard nationalism. On the other hand, the extreme right-wing parties in Europe show signs of the grievance of the violated nationalist principle and they do so constantly. In the next European elections there will be representatives of parties and groups that seek the promotion of common policies, and others that wish to return to the autonomy of the nation-state against the political community constituted by the EU. Generation Gap It was proven the youth had different opinions when it comes to who should be the leading party within the EU but older generations preferred to once again elect the same parties. It was clear that this year’s EU
elections, the youth made their point clear that it was time for a change. Even though the central right party, European People’s Party (EPP), won once again the most seats in the parliament, -with Socialists and Democrats coming in second- people aged between 18 and 22 years old voted for the GREENS (EFA) as their major leading party. This indicates that the youth have different priorities and aims for the EU for the next five years. Even though they are not supporting Eurosceptic parties to a big extent and the turnout drastically increased, more than half of the youth still did not vote. This raises the question of how could the EU encourage even more young individuals to vote in the next elections? Brexit Effect Due to the ongoing controversy in the UK regarding the Brexit deal, the Brexit party, which is a eurosceptic political party, was elected the leading one with 31,6%. In result, the exit of the UK from the EU could encourage more nationalist and extremist parties to keep promoting euroscepticism to a greater extent and this could lead to an even bigger increase in euroscepticism and populist parties as well as a decrease in voter turnout in the next EU elections.
Food for thought - How could the EU encourage the youth to increase their voting participation? - Why do people lean towards populist and eurosceptic parties nowadays? - How will the finalisation of the Brexit deal affect the turnout for the next elections? - How can the EU demote the growth of extremist parties? - Taking as an example the case of Greta Thunberg and the impact she had on the world, how can the EU promote voting through the people and especially the youth?
Links for further research • The 2019 European Elections • Election’s turnout • Brexit Party dominates as Tories and Labour suffer • Europe and right-wing nationalism: A country-by-country guide • European Election 2019: Results in maps and charts • How different generations voted in the EU elections • Generation Gap • The shadow of nationalism in the new populist proposals in Europe
• Euroflections 1. A review of the eurosceptic breakthrough hypothesis (Page 48) 2. Green wave or populist surge? (Page 59) 3. Will radical right populists finally all sit together in the new European parliament? (Page 61) 4. Eurosceptic parties at the 2019 elections: A relative success (Page 64) 5. The first defeat of populists: The case of Greece (Page 70) 6. Declining Danish EU skepticism (Page 75)
Introductory Clauses The European Youth Parliament, A.
Acknowledging the fact that there was a turnout of 50.6% in the 2019 European Elections,
B.
Keeping in mind that the main issues within the EU which led to people voting were:
C.
i.
economy and growth by 44%,
ii.
combating climate change and the environment by 37%,
iii.
promoting human rights and democracy by 37%,
Deeply concerned by the fact that the Europe of Nations and Freedom political group as well as
the Europe of Freedom and Democracy political group witnessed an increase in their seats within the EU Parliament, D.
Pointing out that while radical left parties suffered significant losses, going from 52 to 38 seats,
the radical right was one of the main winners of the elections, E.
Fully alarmed by the fact that the eurosceptic Brexit Party was the leading party in the UK electi-
ons, F.
Taking into account the fact that people between 18 and 22 years old voted for the Greens (EFA) as
their major leading party, G.
Stressing out that there was a decreased turnout in 8 of the EU Member States.
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COMMITTEE ON CRIME, CORRUPTION AND MONEY LAUNDERING (CRIM)
“Euphoria: The diffusion of recreational drug use has raised international concerns about appropriate policy responses. What steps should be taken by the EU in order to fight the possibility of longterm impairment caused by regular use of drugs?” Jelle van der Weijden (NL)
Introduction, Relevance, Context According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), overdose deaths related to methamphetamine (ab)use have risen from 2,139 in 2006 to 3,256 in 2017, in the United Kingdom alone. Scientists have crowned Germany the “drug capital” of Europe. Other drugs are not far behind; ecstasy, cocaine and cannabis are just a few to be mentioned. All these psychoactive substances may go under the radar for most people, but in reality, it is one of Europe’s biggest concerns. The line between recreational drug use and all-out drug abuse and addiction has become ever so thin. According to the EMCDDA, most people who consume psychoactive substances do it to “have fun”. Especially these people are prone to addiction because of the regular “recreative use” of said drugs. The world of drugs is huge, being connected to other criminal activities, such as drug trafficking and money laundering. The highly addictive nature of many drugs is the main cause of recreational drug use turning into drug abuse. Despite the negative impacts of drug usage, it is also proven that substances, such as marijuana, have positive effects on people with certain chronic diseases - for example people with Polio who get back full control of their body after smoking marijuana. Recreational drug use is becoming more and more excessive, with European Union (EU) policies staying the same. Where should the EU draw the line between condoned drug use and illegal drug abuse?
Key Terms • Drug production, import and export: Import concerns all drugs coming into Europe and export concerns all drugs going out of Europe. In the European drug report on trends and developments is concluded that most of the drugs in Europe come from outside places, specifically Asia and Latin America. • Drug interception: Drug interception is when law enforcers actively try to find drugs and confiscate them. In Europe, due to the Schengen agreement, it is very difficult to track and trace drugs and their traffickers inside of Europe. • Overdose: It occurs after taking an extremely large dosage of a substance and is often associated with drugs. It does not always result in death but it often does result in the person who overdosed to decease. • Drug addiction: When the brain triggers a form of euphoria and a longing to keep taking or doing the substance or activity in question. • Recreational drug use: Recreational drug use is the use of a psychoactive drug to induce an altered state of consciousness for pleasure, by modifying the perceptions, feelings, and emotions of the user. • Psychoactive substances: Substances that, when taken in or administered into one's system, affect mental processes, e.g. cognition or affect.
Actors (Selected from the European drug report on trends and developments)
On repetitive urging by the EMCDDA, many Member States have incorporated prevention and early intervention programmes in their policies. This includes prevention programs meant to be hosted at public places, such as schools and libraries. These are to prevent drug use and related problems. Alongside with psychosocial and pharmacological treatments for people that need it, there are also special programmes on the use of needles and syringes (see figure above). The aim of these programs is to prevent the spread of infectious diseases by providing people with clean needles. Even though programmes like these do not stop drug use, it does guarantee the safe use of drugs and stops the spreading of infectious diseases like HIV. This way the people who are regularly consuming drugs involving needles, such as heroin, do not pose threats to public health. European Cities Against Drugs (ECAD) is a non-profitable organisation (NPO) whose aim is to develop drug-free cities through democratic means. ECAD provides knowledge and experience on not only local and national but also international scale, in the hope to fight the use of illicit drugs. To become a member of ECAD, a European city has to sign the Stockholm resolution and pay the annual membership fee. The European Prevention Curriculum written by the EMCDDA contains many preventive options to implement for decision-makers, opinion-makers and policy-makers. According to their research, there are six different prevention approaches in three different settings: Family-based
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use of programmes and interactive workshops to prevent drug use among youngsters. Media-based prevention: prevention methods based on media-use such as ads on platforms like Youtube or Facebook. All these different prevention methods have been proven to help and many Member States make use of this prevention curriculum. The EU early warning system (EWS), which is under control by the EMCDDA and with close cooperation with Europol, was set up to be the first step in a three-step program to allow the EU to quickly detect, assess and respond to new social and health threats caused by newly developed drugs and other psychoactive substances. The aim is to build, maintain and strengthen situational awareness, preparedness and response activities at national and EU-levels. When the process (see image below) of the three-step method is complete, there will be a report. This report will have discussed every possible aspect of the newly developed drug or psychoactive substance, for example the report on methoxyacetylfentanyl or the report on cyclopropylfentanyl. The EWS has had a huge impact on the drug interception problem
faced by the EU. The Drugs in focus report, written by the EMCDDA, tells us that in 2002 the EU wrote a resolution on the growing drugs crisis concerning recreational drug use in Europe. The resolution concluded the following and advised Member States to: • consider the importance of interactive and well-targeted information and awareness strategies aimed at the public in general and young people in particular; • provide easy access to information, for example via the Internet; • promote alternative leisure activities; • reduce the risks of recreational drug use; • involve families and society in general in preventing such drug use, especially through youth organisations; • promote prevention programmes and communications strategies based on the particular needs of different target groups; and • continue efforts to curtail the supply and promotion of addictive substances to young people, and thus lower the demand. The EU early warning system (EWS). Source: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/topic-overviews/eu-early-warning-system_en
Conflicts As mentioned earlier, many people use psychoactive substances “for fun”. People go out and consume drugs to “have a good time’’. Alcohol is a huge culprit in this situation. People are influenced by alcohol and lose grip on what they might be doing. There is a clear link between alcohol and drug use among youngsters and it is a growing problem. As alcohol is condoned in many Member States, this problem continues to exist. Highering the drinking age is a widely debated topic but at the same time very controversial as the public opinion regarding this question is very clear and people accept alcohol in society quite well in most countries. The place where alcohol and drug use is most noticeable is at dance and other musical events. According to the EMCDDA (Alcohol and drug use at musical events) this is a big problem. How can the EU combat this problem and protect the youth? Medicinal marijuana has been around for quite some time now. Many Member States still have their doubts over this method as drugs are still a topic of debate, including marijuana. Their concerns are not completely unjustified as marijuana use can very quickly turn into marijuana abuse. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) only allows medicinal marijuana to be used for two specific forms of epilepsy, as they classified marijuana as a class I drug, meaning it can not be allowed for public use. Drugs are addictive, and addicted people will go the extra mile to get their batch. Most drugs affect the brain’s “reward circuit”, causing euphoria as well as flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. A properly functioning reward system motivates a person to repeat behaviors needed to thrive, such as eating and spending time with loved ones. Surges of dopamine in the reward circuit cause the reinforcement of pleasurable but unhealthy behaviors like taking drugs, leading people to repeat the behavior again and again. This creates dangerous situations that involve criminal activities such as stealing or illegally producing drugs. As apothecaries around Europe have the means to help people with chronic diseases by providing medicinal marijuana, should the EU condone these kind of treatments or should doctors find other means to help chronically ill patients? There is still much research to be done about medicinal drugs. Sometimes the somewhat more progressive western part of Europe has some hiccups with the somewhat more conservative eastern part of Europe (Western vs Eastern Europe). The EU has the task to guide the whole of Europe. It is not easy giving guidance to 28 different states, because guidance is what the EU can do at most in the end. National governments are still in control of their own territory and their own policies.
Food for thought In conclusion, the problem of recreational drug use still exists. Many questions arise when discussing this subject. For example, how can the youth, being a big group of recreational drug consumers, be more protected from the dangers drugs bring? Also, can the EU expand on medicinal drug use or will it be too complicated? Another question could be how can the EU be more efficient in general drug reduction in all Member States? In the end there are still many more questions and moral debates to discuss, for example the debate on illicit versus licit drugs and where the line must be drawn, or drugs being used as a medicine -is that positive or negative? The European drug report on trends and developments and the European prevention curriculum are two very useful reports regarding this subject.
Links for further research •
Frequently asked questions about drug use and general information: https://pjp-eu.coe.int/en/
web/youth-partnership/drug-abuse?inheritRedirect=true •
The EU drugs strategy:
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http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/html.cfm/index6790EN.html
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The EU drugs action plan:
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http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/html.cfm/index66221EN.html
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The drugs situation in Croatia:
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https://europa.eu/youth/node/32465_cs
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The Pompidou group:
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https://www.coe.int/en/web/pompidou/home
Introductory Clauses The European Youth Parliament, A. Noting that regular drug use, whether recreational or not, can cause long-term impairment and have serious consequences on people’s health; B. Concerned by research that has shown that drug use is clearly linked with alcohol, which targets and cripples vulnerable youth at dance events and other outgoing activities; C. Acknowledging that psychoactive substances like marijuana, considered as illicit drugs, can be used for medical purposes to help people who suffer from certain chronic diseases; D. Believing that because of current EU policies, like the Schengen agreement, drug traffickers are not challenged by EU borders and can freely transport their product; E. Realising that national drug policies, such as those of the Netherlands, are not very strict and can promote licit drug use, which can potentially lead to illicit drug use.
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COMMITTEE ON CULTURE AND EDUCATION (CULT)
“Education for all: With a variance of public and private funds spending for tertiary education across the Member States, universal access to educational institutes is neither affordable nor safeguarded. How can the EU ensure fair and equal access to tertiary education for different social classes?” Misha Doomen (NL)
Introduction, Relevance, Context There is nothing quite as important in determining your social outcome as education. People with only basic education are almost three times more likely to live in poverty or social exclusion than those with tertiary education. Nevertheless, good education not only helps individuals; it is also beneficial for society as a whole, as it creates healthier democracies. That is why fair and equal access to educational institutes is key in creating a more inclusive, cohesive and competitive Europe. However, there are problems that prevent this from being so. One of these issues is the big differences in funding of tertiary education across the Member States. Tuition fees can range from 3,000-6,000 EUR in Latvia to 10,000 EUR in the UK, to no tuition fees at all in countries such as Germany and Denmark. This results in ‘tuition-fleeing’. Moreover, high tuition fees can discourage people with a low socio-economic background to pursue tertiary education. Furthermore, people with a migrant background are especially vulnerable to educational problems. They are more likely to have poor or low skilled parents, and can be further disadvantaged by not speaking the local language at home, having access to fewer cultural resources and suffering from isolation and poor social networks in the country of immigration.
Key Terms • Tertiary education: this term comprises both higher education, which gets offered by universities, and further education, which is mainly undertaken in vocational schools. • Tuition fee: the fee charged by educational institutes that students have to pay annually. In most countries, the government subsidies tuition fees so students have to pay either only part of the
actual cost (like in the Netherlands) or no tuition at all (like in Germany). • Socio-economic background: this considers, among others, parents’ educational qualifications, parents’ occupations and household income. • Migrant background: when either you, your parents, or older family members have migrated from another country that you still have strong cultural ties with. • Social exclusion: when a person is blocked from various rights, opportunities and resources that are fundamental to social integration, such as housing, employment, healthcare, civic engagement etc. • Poverty: a person can be described as poor when their income is less than 60% of the median household income in their country, the so-called poverty line.
Actors Within the EU, various policies that attempt to improve the educational circumstances of citizens have been established. The most prominent one is the ET 2020 framework (Education and Training). This is essentially a forum where the EU Member States can discuss education and collectively try to advance policies at the regional and national level. One of the benchmarks set up when establishing the framework back in 2012 was that 40% of all citizens aged 30-34 should have completed some form of tertiary education. In 2018, this benchmark was successfully surpassed. Another important benchmark was getting the rate of early leavers from education and training aged 18-24 below 10%. Early leavers are people that have not completed upper secondary education, thus lacking the qualification necessary to access tertiary education. In 2018, this rate was 10.6%, with rates of under 5% in countries such as Croatia and Poland, and rates over 17% in Spain and Malta.
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Early_leavers_from_education_and_ training
The Erasmus+ program is another important program that focuses on improving tertiary education in Europe. It funds over 12,000 projects that try to improve the quality and inclusivity of education at all levels. In particular, it funds projects aimed at improving the recognition of qualifications held by refugees and other migrants, such as the ENIC-NARIC network (European Network of Information Centres - National Academic Recognition Information Centres). Apart from this, the European Commission also funds Online Language Support (OLS) for newly arrived migrants, and they have helped over 100,000 migrants with this tool already. Member States are seeking to find the right balance between how much the student pays and how much the taxpayer does. As has already been mentioned, they differ greatly in terms of policy. In Denmark, students get a grant of 600 EUR per month. Same goes for Cyprus, where it amounts to 2500 EUR per year. Finland and Sweden also provide all students with monthly grants but the amount depends on the financial circumstances of the student. All other Member States only provide financial aid to students with a low socio-economic background.
Conflicts There are a couple of conflicts that arise with this issue. Firstly, how high should tuition fees be? Higher tuition fees could scare off people with a low socio-economic background due to fear of debt. This results in them likely remaining in poverty all their lives, as their career prospects are slim. Consequently, their children will then be in poverty too and thus face the same problems. On the other hand, lowering tuition fees could result in a decline in the quality of tertiary education, as universities would probably increase class sizes and remove extra amenities (music facilities, for example). It could also result in cuts in widening participation resources and initiatives, which are needed to attract people from lower classes. To prevent this, governments could increase their subsidies on tertiary education, but that might come with an expensive price tag. Furthermore, abolishing tuition fees could result in students taking more time for their courses, as there would be no incentive for them to finish them on time. This increases the overall cost of their education for the state. The second conflict has to do with financial aid. Some Member States use a system in which students are aided by getting a monthly student grant. Others prefer a system of student loans. In 2015, the Netherlands changed their student finance system, by repealing the student grant (the so-called ‘basisbeurs’) and replacing it with a loan system. Since then, there have been many objections. It is said to cause students too much stress and it discourages them to do further studies, such as Master’s degrees. This likely has to do with how the loan system works. In the UK, students need not repay any student loans until they start earning more than circa 30,000 EUR per year. Above that, they repay 9 cents per extra euro they
earn. This is automatically withheld from their paychecks by their employer, like a tax. In the Netherlands, repaying student debt is more like a mortgage; they repay the same amount every month, irrespective of if their salary rises or decreases. Lastly, tuition-fleers usually return home afterwards to start working and paying taxes. How will this affect the affordability of the large tax-paid subsidies on students’ education?
Food for thought This problem has multiple economic and social factors that must be considered. In finding the right EUwide solution, it is fruitful to look at how individual Member States have approached the topic. In the end, the solution comes down to finding an answer to these questions: • What is the right balance between private and public funds spending, and how much should be spent on tertiary education altogether? • In which system are students with a low socio-economic background least deterred to pursue tertiary education? • How can we help people with a migrant background overcome the educational problems they face?
Links for further research • EU policies • Countries with no tuition fees • BBC article on the effects of the UK’s high tuition fees • Video explaining the UK loan system and its implications • Article arguing against free tuition
Introductory Clauses The European Youth Parliament, A. Noting the importance of tertiary education in determining one’s social outcome, B. Aware of the fact that only 40% of EU citizens have completed some form of tertiary education1, C. Underlining the vulnerability to educational problems of people with a migrant background, D. Emphasising how student loans increase the rate of mental health problems such as but not limited to long-term stress during and after following tertiary education, E. Pointing out that large variances in tuition fees cause “tuition-fleeing”, which makes primarily funding tertiary education through taxes harder to maintain, F. Strongly believing that possible debt should in no way deter people to pursue the right education. 1
Eurostat. (2018). Population aged 30-34 with tertiary educational attainment (t2020_41). Brussels: European Commission
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COMMITTEE ON DEVELOPMENT (DEVE) “The fight against poverty: With the Europe 2020 Strategy showing unsatisfactory results in regards to poverty goals, the European Commission expects that the number of people at risk of poverty might remain at 100 million by 2020. How should the EU support its development goals and structure its approach towards effectively combating poverty?�
Introduction, Relevance, Context
by Julia Collado Serrano (ES)
The Europe 2020 Strategy set in 2008 aimed to reduce the number of Europeans living below the national poverty lines by 25%, which would lift over 20 million people out of poverty. However, the EU is far from reaching this target. Since 2017, 112.8 million people are at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Europe, making up 22.4% of the total population. Monetary poverty, which concerns people at risk of poverty after social transfers, is the most widespread form of poverty, affecting 16.9% of the EU population in 2017. People living in poverty usually show lower educational outcomes, since they are unable to live up to their full potential considering how this issue affects their health and well-being. As a result, this reduces their ability to live a successful life and further increases the risk of poverty, resulting in a downward spiral. People at risk of poverty are in three main conditions: at risk of poverty after social transfers (monetary or income poverty); severely materially deprived (inability to afford basic items); or living in households with very low work intensity (members in the household that are of working age but worked less than 20% of their total potential for a year). Identifying groups at a higher risk of poverty and the reasons behind this is essential in order to develop effective policies to target this issue. Groups at a higher risk of poverty include women, children, young people, people with disabilities, the unemployed, single-parent households, people with lower educational attainment, people born in a different country than the one they reside in, and, in a majority of Member States, those living in rural areas.
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Europe_2020_indicators_-_poverty_and_social_exclusion
Key Terms • Poverty: when households or individuals do not have sufficient resources or abilities to meet their daily needs. • At risk of poverty: people with a disposable income below 60% of the national median equivalised disposable income. • Social exclusion: involves the lack or denial of resources, rights, goods and services, and the inability to participate in the normal relationships and activities available to the majority of people in a society. • Poverty rate: the ratio of the number of people (in a given age group) whose income falls below the poverty line; taken as half the median household income of the total population. • Informal economy: a set of economic activities, enterprises, jobs, and workers that are not regulated or protected by the state. • Universal basic income: a model for providing all citizens of a country or other geographic area with a given sum of money, regardless of their income, resources or employment status. • Social transfers: they cover the social help given by central, state or local institutional units. These include things like pensions, unemployment benefits, sickness and invalidity benefits, education-related benefits, housing allowances and social assistance.
Actors The issue of employment and social policy falls under the shared competences. This means that both the EU and its Member States have the power to legislate. However, the Member States can act only if the EU has chosen not to or has explicitly ceased to do so.
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coordinate healthcare,
funding
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employment,
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Over half of EU funding is channelled through the 5 European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), which are jointly managed by the European Commission and the EU countries. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund are part of the ESIF, and they have contributed in the Cohesion policy of the EU. This policy focuses on increasing economic and social cohesion (reducing disparities between the regions) in the EU. In the period from 2014 to 2020, approximately 350 billion euro has been invested in different projects in Member States in order to promote growth, creation of jobs, and quality of life. Furthermore, the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) supports EU countries to provide food and basic assistance to the most deprived. This also includes trainings, workshops, guidance and support to help people out of poverty. Member States are to contribute at least 15% in national co-financing to their national programme. Social transfers provided by Member States (such as state unemployment and housing benefits) have been regarded as a very effective method of reducing poverty. It is estimated that in 2017 social transfers resulted in a reduction of almost one third (32.4 %) in the number of people classified as ‘at risk of poverty’ within the European Union.
Finally, The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) works with national, regional and local governments, NGOs and European Organisations to fight against poverty and social exclusion. It does so through activities of empowerment and training for those experiencing this issue.
Conflicts The universal basic income has often been brought up in light of decreasing poverty. Those in favour argue that it would positively reduce poverty, since it would help those in need and replace the welfare system that is too complex in some Member States. On the other hand, those against argue that the costs of implementing it are too high and there would be a need to impose higher taxes. Several studies have been run in order to test the universal basic income, particularly one in the Netherlands, which is claimed to have been unsuccessful. Many argue that countries with well-developed welfare systems, such as Belgium and the Netherlands, would be disadvantaged by introducing a basic income. However, could the universal basic income still be a solution for other European countries? Another relevant aspect that should be addressed is the informal economy. Studies show that the greater the percentage of the population at risk of poverty in a country, the larger the informal economy. The size of the informal economy in the EU (27) is 18.4%, ranging from 7.6% in Austria to a maximum of 31.9% in Bulgaria. Societies with larger informal economies are characterised by lower levels of social protection, less government investment on the labour market, poorer social transfer mechanisms and greater inequality and poverty. Consequently, the EU must target this problem in order to strengthen Member States’ social protection systems, promote businesses start-up in the formal economy and prevent unnecessary spending. What is more, the provision of social transfers varies greatly between Member States. Therefore, reaching an integrated vision is an important challenge for the EU in order to ensure that all citizens receive sufficient aid to escape from poverty, regardless of their income, status or background. One of the main factors that increase the risk of poverty is the low levels of education and skills, since this limits citizens’ access to the job market. This is also linked to the ‘poverty origin gap’, which indicates that the rate of risk of poverty and social exclusion is highest for people born outside the EU. The ‘poverty origin gap’ can arise because of low levels of education, poor labour market access and employment status of foreign citizens in a given Member State.
Finally, unemployment is a latent problem that is intrinsically connected with poverty. Two-thirds of unemployed people in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2016. In comparison, the share of employed people at risk was just 12.4%. This shows that poverty or social exclusion are more likely to affect unemployed people. Yet while a job is a key route out of poverty, not all jobs pay enough to actually lift someone out of poverty.
Food for thought The roots of the problem can be found in the challenges faced by Member States during the economic crisis, but it goes further to expand to the limitations of the welfare state and outdated policies. Current measures have not been able to attain poverty goals and a common approach regarding policy-making has also not been adopted by the EU. Should the evaluation and amendment of current systems be implemented, should the EU introduce a new approach that goes beyond the existing strategies, or should we perhaps aim at a combination of both? How to tackle unemployment: European Professional Card - European Union Universal basic income explained - In a Nutshell What causes poverty? - EAPN
Introductory Clauses The European Youth Parliament, A.
Acknowledging the paramount importance of the Europe 2020 Strategy’s goals of reducing the
number of people living at risk of poverty, B.
Deeply disturbed by the fact that the availability of poverty-related social transfers varies across
Member States, C.
Aware of the fact that social transfers provide only a temporary solution,
D.
Deeply concerned by how the informal economy results in underfunding in Member States’ social
welfare policies, E.
Noting with deep concern that unemployed people are at a higher risk of poverty and/or social
exclusion, F.
Expressing its concern for the ethnic, racial and gender barriers preventing those affected from
improving their socioeconomic conditions, G.
Alarmed by how lower educational outcomes prevent those at risk of poverty from living up to
their full potential.
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COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AND MONETARY AFFAIRS (ECON)
“Money, money, money: The past few decades have seen unprecedented levels of global economic growth, which has not been evenly distributed since 1% of the world’s population now owns over 45% of the world’s wealth and many countries’ middle class has shrunk. How should we strive to address economic inequalities while assuring the continuation of economic prosperity in the EU?” Hein Posthumus (NL)
Introduction, Relevance, Context Extreme economic inequality poses a threat to democracy as we know it. When a small group controls a disproportionate amount of economic assets, the idea of equality ceases to exist. On paper, everyone might be equal, but in reality, with assets so poorly distributed, only the richest would be in power. This itself is contradictory to the principles of democracy. Furthermore, inequality can make a society volatile. Politicians have exploited this in the past, given the example of how the Nazis seized power by promising an escape from the Great Depression. Inequality has also been proven to reduce economic growth, which, in turn, can lead to new crises. Moreover, it poses a threat to political and social stability, for inequality undermines social cohesion due to the decreasing trust in governmental institutions. In addition, it causes (mental) health issues, leading to intolerance and discrimination between layers of society, and it forms motives for criminal behaviour. To safeguard the relatively high standard of living in Europe and protect ourselves and our children from future wars and crises, the problem of economic inequality has to be resolved sooner rather than later.
Key Terms • Economic inequality: The unequal distribution of income, assets and opportunities between different groups in society. • Progressive tax: A tax system in which the average tax increases as taxables (assets subject to tax) increase. As a result, it equalises the distribution of wealth; the richer you are, the higher your tax rates.
• Flat tax: Sometimes referred to as proportional tax, is a tax system in which every income is subject to the same tax rates; the richer you are, the higher your taxes, but the procentual increase as one moves up the ladder of financial well-being is constant. • Welfare state: A social system in which the state has the primary responsibility for citizen wellbeing by providing health care, education, job opportunities and social security. • Social mobility: The ability for individuals to move within social or economic hierarchy.
Actors EU Legislation The European Central Bank (ECB) is involved in policy making in the European economic sector. For example, it regulates the quantity of money in circulation of Eurozone countries. It can support and guide the Member States when it comes to tax policies. The ECB policies can also address income inequality more directly. The Economic and Financial Affairs Council configuration (Ecofin) is responsible for EU policy in three main areas: economic policy, taxation issues and the regulation of financial services. The Ecofin Council coordinates Member States’ economic policies, promotes the unity of their economic performance and monitors their budgetary policies. Passing EU legislation is a very challenging and tedious process, and is especially hard for controversial topics like income inequality. The opinions on whether or not governments should have an influence on the markets are very divided. On the one hand, in extremes, there are people that think markets should be monitored and controlled by institutions to ensure equality, whereas on the other hand, people think the market should be completely left alone. These are extremes, but opinions can be very far apart in such topics. Since legislation needs unanimous approval from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union to pass in the EU, proposals for legislation on this topic has proven to be hard. National Legislation The political developments on minimum wage within the EU in 2019 were characterised by an increase in political influence and discussions on the transparency and predictability of minimum wages, as laid out in the European Pillar of Social Rights. Positive economic developments in some Member States fuelled the demand for higher increases than usual.
Organisations There are also numerous institutions aimed at decreasing economic inequality. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) is an intergovernmental organisation that promotes policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. For this topic, specifically the COPE (OECD Centre for Opportunity and Equality) is relevant. It is a platform for promoting and conducting policy-oriented research on the trends, causes and consequences of inequalities in society and the economy, and a forum to discuss how policies can best address such inequalities. It offers high-quality reports on inequalities, impact events that help to shape the international policy debate, exchanges of information and expertise on inequality.
Conflicts Progressive income taxes are common. However, some tax systems that are still in use today do not keep economic inequality in mind at all, while there are no progressive VAT tax systems inside or outside of the EU. Furthermore, globalisation has led to countries losing their ability to independently make decisions that best suit their demographic or financial situation in the nation. The glass ceiling still poses an issue to employment. Despite women’s rights increasing over the past century, the gender pay gap is still present. Discriminatory biases are still present in job interviews and people born in low-income households are more likely to remain of low income. Social class, gender and ethnicity have a lot of influence on one’s future career and hence, on their income. Furthermore, the ever-changing job market impacts financial stability for many. Automation is replacing manual labour and office jobs with robots and artificial intelligence. New, more theory-focused jobs such as programmers, technicians and designers are needed to sustain this development, but up-to-date education is a must to fulfill such jobs. This has a huge, detrimental impact on social mobility as it makes it harder, especially for those of lower income, to become successful. Private sector employers can set wages themselves (as long as they are above minimum wage), so these wages are often unfair and lower than in the public sector. Minimum wage is an absolute minimum and the public sector seems to stay away from this limit. Inefficient and unstable allocation of goods and services can lead to unemployment, persistent labour shortages in some areas and labour surpluses in others, deepening regional economic divide and such. The aforementioned are prominent causes of economic inequality. However, almost every property of our society is somehow linked to economic inequality. It is one of the biggest, if not the biggest dilemma in
research economics and politics, and it goes with significant relevance -wars and revolutions have raged because of it.
Food for thought As is evident by now, there are a lot of aspects that need to be tackled with care. Should we push for public sector-like wages upon the private sector for certain functions to ensure fair pay (e.g. let the government set the wages), teach to be financially independent in school, how to save for something, how to avoid getting in debt etc., or remove tax reliefs such as reduced taxation of capital gains from the sale, stock options and carried interest? One might even come to overall debate and question the different types of political systems and economic models introduced by them. Here are some things to consider: 1. How can the EU face the consequences of economic inequality for the population? 2. What measures should Member States implement in order to reduce the economic inequality? 3. How can the EU ensure that Member States have functional tax systems and distribution of wealth? 4. How can Member States decrease the gap between the richest and the poorest people? 5. Why has income inequality worsened over the last couple of years? 6. How and why has it become harder for someone born poor to become rich?
Links for further research • “How economic inequality harms societies” - TED • “Rising inequality threatens social cohesion and growth” - OECD • “The causes of economic inequality” - Seven Pillars Institute • “The
cost
of
inequality”
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OECD
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=hnTD6VxH7OQ&list=WL&index=135&t=0s • “Understanding the socio-economic divide in Europe” - COPE • And if you are really dedicated and still want to learn more, here is the introduction of a Thomas Piketty book, “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” - Thomas Piketty
Introductory Clauses The European Youth Parliament, A. Having examined that the top 20% of the population receives 5.2 times as much income as the bottom 20%1, B. Pointing out that globalisation leads to increased interconnectedness of Member States’ economies, therefore resulting in their political dependence; C. Profoundly concerned that discrimination based on gender, ethnicity and social class leads to limited social mobility between members of these demographic groups and members of these classes internally, D. Alarmed by the fact that economic inequality causes significantly worse outcomes in health and social problems like exclusion or discrimination2, E. Deeply concerned by the inhumanely low social security payments in some Member States that can go as low as 190 EUR per month in the example of Poland3, F. Noting with regret that wages in the private sector are often lower than their public sector counterparts, as private sector employers are able to set wages for themselves as long as they are higher than minimum wages4,5, G. Noting that Member States like the Baltic states currently have tax systems with a minimal equilibrating effect on wealth and income, H. Fully aware that high tax rates pose a serious threat for people with insufficient income, I. Observing that Member States like the Netherlands and Ireland provide tax benefits to multinational corporations.
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Eurostat. (2018). EU-SILC S80/S20 income quintile share ratio by sex and selected age group. Brussels: European Commission. Wilkinson, R. G., & Pickett, K. (2009). The Spirit Level. London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Press. Eurostat. (2019). Social protection statistics - unemployment benefits. Brussels: European Commission. Muller, T; Schulten, T. (2015). The public-private sector pay debate. Brussels: European Federation of Public Service Unions. Eurostat. (2019). Minimum wage statistics. Brussels: European Commission.
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COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY (ENVI)
“You will not break me: With Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) considered to be responsible for over 25000 deaths across Europe yearly, what further steps should the EU and its health care systems take in order to minimise the threats associated with AMR” Girgos Spanias (GR)
Introduction, Relevance, Context “AMR is with us now, killing people. This is a serious issue that is with us now, causing deaths. If it was anything else people would be up in arms about it. But because it is hidden they just let it pass.” - Chief Medical Officer UK, Dame Sally Davies Antimicrobial resistance is a natural phenomenon that happens due to the selection demands of cohabitating microbial species. Nevertheless, it is greatly generated by human activities. Approximately 700.000 people around the globe die annually due to drug-resistant infections. If the world continues consuming antibiotics at the same pace and no action is taken, it has been estimated that drug-resistant infections will start killing 10 million people per year by 2050. This is a crisis Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, foresaw in his Nobel acceptance speech. The problem at hand also hurts the world economy; 1.5 billion euros are expected to be spent on extra healthcare costs and productivity losses due to multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR) in the EU alone. What is the European Union’s (EU) action plan to counter this evolutionary intersection? One cannot predict the future scenario with surety at this stage, but with the scarcity of novel antibiotics, the control of AMR seems very difficult.
. 1
Key Terms • Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is the ability of microorganisms to resist antimicrobial treatments, especially antibiotics. • Bacteria are microscopic living organisms, usually one-celled, that can be found everywhere. They can be dangerous to humankind, due to their capacity of causing infections, or beneficial, as in the process of fermentation decomposition. • Antibiotics are antibacterial substances, such as penicillin, used to treat or prevent infections by killing or inhibiting the growth of bacteria. • Mutations are the only way in which new variations enter a species. A mutation is a change that occurs in a DNA sequence, either due to mistakes when the DNA is copied or as the result of environmental factors. • Novel drugs are often innovative products that serve previously unmet medical needs or significantly help to advance patient care and public health. • Novel treatments are an unusual approach to treating a patient or condition. The implication being that the cure worked while treating for an unrelated condition.
Actors In the international setting, the World Health Organisation (WHO), dedicated to promoting health, keeping the world a safe place for everyone and protecting those in need, has joined forces with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to realise a tripartite collaboration on AMR. The collaboration focuses on ensuring that antibiotics continue being effective and utile in combating diseases in humans and animals, promoting reasonable use of antibiotics 1 https://ec.europa.eu/health/amr/sites/amr/files/amr_factsheet_en.pdf
and providing global access to proper medication. At the European level, public health falls under the category of shared legislative competence. That means that both the EU and its Member States can adopt legally binding acts. However, the Member States can do so only in areas where the EU has not exercised its competence or has explicitly ceased to do so. This way, the European Commission (EC) commits to complement national health policies and supporting local EU governments while formulating EU-wide laws and standards for health products and services. In addition to that, the EU funds two networks, the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net) and European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption Network (ESAC-Net), that have as their main scope the provision of data on AMR and antibiotics consumption in order to optimise their decisions in the future. The Commission took on a 5-year plan in 2011 that focused on key aspects of the AMR problem. After its completion and further analysis, it turned out that it did not produce the results they hoped for because most of the proposed actions were not considered for imminent implementation by the Member States. Having taken that into consideration, the Commission reviewed and mended the 2017 action plan that builds on the previous plan, evaluation, and public consultation. Its principal aim is to establish the EU’s position as the main world actor concerning AMR and settle all existing problems in the field. The European Centre for Disease and Control (ECDC) takes matters in its own hands by launching events for the antibiotic awareness day, informing the general public about the proper use of these agents and further improving the database with their latest reports of the ECDC Atlas Surveillance, a tool that interacts with available data about infectious diseases aiming to inform the masses. The private sector -the companies- are also important actors to be considered. Agricultural and pharmaceutical companies all over Europe are key agents due to their considerable weight in the EU economy. That said, they need to be taken into account when formulating legislation that interferes with their typical activities. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as AMR industry alliance, Health Action International and MÊdecins sans frontiÊres play a crucial role in informing the citizens about every available resource and conducting research on this matter.
Conflicts
https://ec.europa.eu/health/amr/sites/amr/files/amr_factsheet_en.pdf
Antimicrobial Resistance starts at the individual level, where misuse of antibiotics is more than common and that comes in a number of ways. Since the invention of penicillin, Sir Alexander Flemming warned the citizens about training the bacteria that have infected their bodies. Someone not medically trained can easily underdose himself and expose the microbes to non-lethal quantities of the drug, thus making them resistant. 1 Furthermore, newfound evidence has arisen contradictions in the course of antibiotics debate. During Awareness Week 2016 WHO advised patients to “always complete the full prescription, even if you feel better because stopping treatment early promotes the growth of drug-resistant bacteria.” Yet, the evidence does not attest to it. Without negating the previous statement the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Public Health England have replaced it with “use exactly as prescribed” hence implying that we should stop advocating the “complete the course” meta. Furthermore, with the anti-vax movement more active than ever, the WHO addresses this phenomenon as 1
https://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2015/world-antibiotic-awareness-week/infographic-causes.jpg?ua=1
one of the biggest threats to global health since it has the potential to reverse progress made in preventable diseas-
es. Working our way upwards, it only makes sense to address the fact that even after the EU banned the use of antibiotics in livestock farming, the producers found their way around it by relying on vet prescriptions to add to the prevention of the spread of diseases. For instance, German veterinarians inject or feed animals with double the dosage prescribed to Germans per year because of the farmers’ need for security and the veterinarians’ lust for profit, even though using antibiotics on such a large scale is extremely dangerous. While on the subject of profit, it is evident that there has been a significant decline in the number of antibiotics discovered from the 2000s and on. That is mainly because there is a bigger demand in other areas of medicine that pays better and in a shorter time-frame than the already wide variety of antibiotics despite the fact that many of them have become redundant. In conclusion, it is obvious that an effort has been made in the past in order to deal with the problem, yet people still find their way around existing regulations and proceed with lack of awareness and bliss. What is the new approach that the EU and the Member States need to follow in order to prevent a super-bacteria era before it’s too late?
Food for thought Microbes are everywhere and cannot be avoided; they can be either our friends or our enemies. Despite the medical advances the human species has achieved, does it stand a chance against the longest living organisms on earth? The actors mentioned have established their course, nevertheless, the microbes still seem to have the higher ground. What is the correct policy-making direction to a healthier future?
Links for further research • AMR a major European and Global challenge - European Commission • The Antibiotic Apocalypse Explained - Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell • What Cause Antibiotic Resistance? - Kevin Wu - TED-Ed • How AMR spreads - World Health Organisation • What you can do - World Health Organisation • What policymakers can do - World Health Organisation • What health workers can do - World Health Organisation • What the agriculture sector can do - World Health Organisation • Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance - World Healt Organisation
Introductory Clauses The European Youth Parliament, A. Deeply disturbed by the lack of effective collaboration between the EU and its Member States to help combat the threat that AMR poses, B. Pointing out the increasing rate of AMR cases in the public health sector, C. Appreciating the evolution of vaccines and their role in the prevention of an uproar of infectious diseases, D. Referring to the usually reckless use of antibiotics in the agricultural sector, E. Noting with deep concern the lack of international standards in the use of antibiotics and the disregard of good practices in the agricultural sector, F. Paying attention to the lack of new antibiotics in the last 20 years, G. Recognising the lack of awareness regarding the use of antibiotics at an individual level, H. Realising that third-country pharmaceutical companies distribute unprescribed antibiotics to EUcitizens.
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COMMITTEE ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY (FEMM)
“Breaking Free: With domestic violence affecting millions of citizens every day all around Europe what measures should the European Union and its Member States take in order to protect the victims of such incidents?”
Introduction, Relevance, Context
Alexandra Salo (FI)
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In the European Union (EU), 1 in 3 women have experienced sexual and/or physical violence at least once since the age of 15. Among this number, 22% have experienced this violence on behalf of an intimate partner. The issue of domestic violence is not only affecting women, but men and children too. In 2018 in England and Wales alone, almost 700.000 men experienced domestic violence.
Because domestic violence is such a “private” matter, it is often unreported, and the true magnitude of the issue is unknown. Statistics further confirm that domestic violence and sexual violence largely go unreported. According to the FRA survey across the 28 Member States, 67% of women did not report the most serious incident of partner violence to anybody. Similar rates of silence are common for male victims as well. Both men and women face different types of social stigmas when reporting their abuse. For both gender groups, the emotional responses to domestic violence can vary and for men especially, the feeling of shame and threatened masculinity pose serious reasons why men do not report the crime. Each Member State has different approaches to legal proceedings and many countries do not have clear definitions or legal approaches when facing domestic violence, while opportunities of prosecution 1
Victims support service - Protasis Police Training Skills (picture)
and victims support are different across Europe. Additionally, the lack of standardisation in reporting complicates addressing the problem. In countries like the Nordic ones, where trust in institutions is higher, we see higher rates of reporting than in countries where there is a lack of trust in institutions and for example, in the police. This complicates large efforts to address the problem.
Key Terms • Domestic violence (also called domestic abuse or family abuse) is a complex form of violence that includes all acts of physical, sexual, psychological and economic violence that occur within the family, domestic unit (irrespective of biological or legal family ties), or between intimate partners, such as former or current spouses. This could include threats, emotional abuse, sexual coercion or, perhaps, using other family members as emotional leverage. • Power Dynamics refers to the way that people perceive each other compared to themselves and the way that power is distributed between people. Power dynamics can influence social interaction heavily. They are not necessarily a bad thing and can explain why we obey our parents or grandparents, for example. • Sexual Assault is defined in different ways across Member States. However, as a main concept, sexual assault is the illegal sexual contact that usually involves force upon someone who has not given consent, or is unable to give consent. • Ratification of the Istanbul convention means that a Member State has expressed its clear consent to be bound by the treaty. If a Member State has signed but not ratified the treaty, then it has expressed a clear interest in the treaty but has not been bound by the treaty.
Actors The European Parliament is part of the co-legislative process of approving the proposed legislative acts of the European Commission with the European Council. The Parliament plays a crucial role in approving and amending the final forms of legislative acts. The European Parliament has combated domestic violence with the introduction of the 2012 EU directive establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of the victims of crime. This directive requires Members States to provide shelters for victims. The European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is a body of the European Union tasked with collecting and analysing data. The FRA published the results of the world’s biggest-ever survey on violence against women in the EU’s Member States, revealing important information about domestic violence in Europe.
The Council of Europe is an international organisation comprising 47 Member States including non-EU states, such as Russia. It promotes and protects human rights, democracy, the rule of law and European culture through international cooperation in the areas of human rights, democracy. However, it is not part of the European Union. The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (otherwise known as the Istanbul Convention) requires Member States to prevent violence against women and domestic violence, protect victims and prosecute perpretrators. The Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) is an independent expert body in charge of monitoring Member States’ implementation of the Istanbul Convention. The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) is an agency of the EU dedicated to gender equality, collecting and analysing data. EIGE has created online mapping tools for data from national authorities and has released several studies on violence against women. The European Union only has the competence to support, coordinate or supplement the actions of the Member States in regards to social policies and legislation. Member States are thus responsible for the legislation they hold regarding, for example, domestic violence, protection of victims and prosecution of perpetrators. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), networks and movements such as The European Women’s Lobby and Rape Crisis Network Europe play an important role in this issue by carrying out campaigns to raise awareness and also by providing shelter, support and services to victims of domestic violence.
Conflicts Domestic violence is highly unreported, as mentioned earlier. Victims had only reported the most serious incident of partner violence 14% of the time. It is common for victims to fear to contact the national police force. The lack of reception and insufficient victim support system, make victims think that seeking help from the authorities is obsolete, and may even make their situation worse. Moreover, the emotional response of victims to the violence also plays a significant role in why it is hard for victims to come forward. As mentioned earlier, victims feel shame, guilt, fear, shock and many more overwhelming emotions that make it hard for them to process their situation, let alone fight it. Furthermore, the controlling environment domestic violence victims are inserted in makes it incredibly difficult for them to think that escaping from the situation is even a viable option. In an especially
desperate case of domestic violence, the victim will have no control over their surroundings, finance, or freedom. These situations are even more difficult when children are involved, as victims have to worry about themselves and their children. Mild forms of domestic violence can be easily dismissed, such as threats, blackmail or verbal abuse. For people in tough situations, these red-flags from their partners can be ignored on account of love, or even just security of a relationship. Often times this escalates into more serious forms of domestic violence. Cultures around the world normalise anger from men, and many cultures define domestic violence differently, thus reacting to its severity differently. For example, threats of violence are considered very serious by only 33% in Latvia, while 78% in Italy consider them very serious. On an institutional level, legal approaches Member States have towards domestic abuse varies. There is no common definition among all Member States for domestic violence, and universal rights and protections do not exist for domestic violence victims in all Member States. For example, in France, half of all requests for protective orders are rejected by the police. Furthermore, not all Member States of the Council of Europe have ratified the Istanbul Convention, which requires Member States to prevent violence against women, protect victims and prosecute perpetrators. To date, there are still 11 countries who have signed but not ratified the Convention. The European Parliament has further urged the 11 Member States to ratify the convention, confirming that this is the best way to combat the issue. The reluctance comes from the term “gender� in the convention, which creates an ideological barrier in the ratification.
Food for thought Domestic violence continues to torment, hurt, and kill, men, women and children all around Europe. With people all around Europe suffering in silence, why is domestic violence so hard to combat? What is at stake for the individuals involved in cases of domestic violence? Why don’t victims report their abusers? What challenges do legislators face when facing this issue?
Links for further research • Violence Against Women: An EU Wide Survey- FRA • About Domestic Violence- Arizona Coalition • ‘Hear Europe Too’: The EU’s Struggle to Protect Victims of Domestic Violence - Alexandra Gaglioni • Domestic Abuse: the psychology of coercive control remains a legal battlefield- Charlotte Bishop • Domestic Abuse: Crime Survey for England and Wales- Meghan Elkin • Say No! Stop Violence Against Women- European Commission
Introductory Clauses The European Youth Parliament, A. Deeply alarmed by the fact that 67% of women did not report their most serious incident of partner violence to anybody, B. Concerned by the lack of general awareness and dialogue about domestic violence, C. Applauding the establishment of the Istanbul Convention, D. Regretting the fact that not all Member States have ratified the Istanbul Convention, E. Aware of the difference in legal and criminal approaches to combat domestic violence among Member States, F. Concerned by the lack of trust in local authorities and police force to combat domestic violence, G. Disturbed by the fact that there are approximately 3.500 domestic violence-related deaths in the EU every year.
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COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES (PECH)
“Life in plastic: Given that more than 150 million tonnes of plastics have accumulated in the world's oceans and additional 4.6 to 12.7 million tonnes are added every year, what actions should the EU take in order to restore marine ecosystems and prevent plastics from entering the food chain?� Ottilie Fetter (NL)
Introduction, Relevance, Context1 More than 12 million tonnes of plastic waste pollute oceans every year - with an estimated 80% originating from land sources and the remaining 20% originating from marine sources. Plastic litter found on the streets is washed away by water after heavy rain, eventually ending up in rivers and, consequently, in the sea. Once there, it fouls marine ecosystems and ultimately makes its way into the food chain since the plastic breaks down into even tinier pieces called microplastics. It is scientifically estimated that more than 5.25 trillion plastic pieces, weighing 269,000 tonnes, are in the world’s oceans, making this one of the most pressing issues of society nowadays. Marine wildlife above and underneath the waterline is choked by this plastic pollution. The wildlife can get tangled up in discarded fishing lines and plastic bags or consume it, leading to the death of approximately one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles annually, due to the blockage of their digestive tracts with debris. Moreover, this plastic debris can get stuck in coral, therefore affecting the health of reefs and marine ecosystems. Moreover, the consumption of both plastics and microplastics eventually leads to the overall presence of plastic in the food chain, with growing concerns about the impacts of such a phenomenon on human health. Current ongoing projects such as the Ocean CleanUp are trying to tackle this urgent, ecological issue. The 1 Victims support service - Protasis Police Training Skills (picture)
models of the Ocean Clean Up suggest that their project could clean up 50% of the Garbage Patch in the Great Pacific, contributing to a very significant improvement. Still, this is not enough, considering the lack of public awareness, the ongoing production and the utilisation of plastic by citizens worldwide.
Key Terms • Microplastics: small plastic pieces that are less than 5 millimetres long. They can be harmful to our ecosystems and aquatic life and enter the food chain. They are considered harmful due to the additives added to them during manufacture, which can potentially cause serious harm to the organism when ingested and possibly affect the reproductive health of wildlife and humans. • Marine debris or Marine Litter: any persistent solid material that is processed and either directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, ends up in the marine environment. It comes in many shapes and sizes, with the most common items being plastic films, discarded fishing equipment and food and beverage packaging. • Land-based pollution: pollution that originates from land-based sources, such as sewage and wastewater, persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals, oils and nutrients, either brought by rivers or discharged directly into coastal waters. • Sea-based pollution: pollution caused by fishing and aquaculture, illegal or accidental dumping at sea from shipping or offshore mining and extraction. • Shared competence: when the jurisdictions of government entities overlap one another. This means that the European Union (EU) and Member States both have jurisdiction in a certain field and that Member States are allowed to legislate when the EU chooses not to. Otherwise, one government entity would have exclusive competence.
Actors The European Commission (EC) is the politically independent, executive arm of the EU. It is solely the Commission’s task to draw up proposals for new European legislation. Furthermore, it implements the decisions of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. With regards to the issue of plastic, the EU is legally qualified to deal with plastic waste and its presence in the ocean. According to Article 4 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, the EU and its Member States share jurisdiction when dealing with the environment. Thus, both the EU and the Member States may legislate and adopt legally binding acts in that area. Member States may legislate when the EU chooses not to utilise its jurisdiction. It is also worth noting that the EU has exclusive competence in the field of conserving marine biological resources through the Common Fisheries Policy. Moreover, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) adopted in 2008, strives to protect the marine environment across Europe and achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) of the EU’s marine waters by
2020. The MSFD applies to all maritime areas under the jurisdiction of EU Member States. Under the Strategy for Plastics, the European Parliament has voted to ban single-use plastics by 2021 in all Member States according to the The Directive on Single Use Plastics and fishing gear. Those include plastic cutlery, cotton buds, straws and stirrers. Furthermore, Member States are obliged to introduce measures to reduce the use of plastic food containers and plastic lids for hot drinks. This Directive follows a comparable approach to that of the 2015 Plastic Bags Directive, in which Member States had to take measures to bring about a sustained reduction in the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags on their territory. What is more, the European Environment Agency has developed Marine LitterWatch, which is a citizen science-based tool that provides support and data to European policymaking, while also raising awareness about the problem and elaborating on the policy response to it. The International Council for the Exploitation of the Seas (ICES) is a global intergovernmental science organisation that provides independent advice and information on fisheries resources, marine ecosystem and offers unbiased evidence on the state and sustainable use of our seas and oceans. They create and share knowledge, data and advice. The implications for citizens of microplastics moving through the food chain, are not yet understood but are being researched. What can be said is that there is a lack of public awareness about the effects of unsustainable mass consumption practises and on how individual choices affect the environment. For example, 91% of the plastic is not recycled. For that cause, the EC launched an awareness-raising campaign to stress the role of citizens in fighting plastic pollution and marine litter. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as the Plastic Soup Foundation and Ocean Conservancy work to promote social and political change on a local and/or broad level. NGOs play a critical part in developing society and promoting citizen participation. The United Nations (UN) has one central mission: maintaining international peace and security. The implications of plastic pollution are why the reduction of marine pollution is also enclosed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - namely Goal No. 14 (Life Below Sea) especially focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans. Furthermore, the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) deals with marine pollution and ocean dumping.
Conflicts Plastics have helped to improve living standards, hygiene and nutrition worldwide, especially in developing countries, and are found in common goods such as plastic bottles, packaging, cigarette filters and straws. Nonetheless, they have become a global threat and the harm caused by plastic pollution is wide-ranging. Plastic litter negatively affects marine ecosystems. For instance, marine litter smothers the ocean floor when it sinks, organisms cling to drifting debris and thus, they hitch-hike into ecosystems where they do not belong. This plastic litter accumulates in the marine environment since the plastic decomposes extremely slowly. Furthermore, concerns have been raised about plastic litter transporting toxic chemicals into marine food chains. Microplastics, that are consumed by animals, like plankton, and therefore ending up in the food chain, contain high concentrations of pollutants that are added to plastics. These, once ingested by organisms in the food chain, magnify at each higher level in the food chain because of their accumulation in fatty tissues. Scientists have found microplastics in 114 aquatic species, of which more than a half end up on the food consumed by citizens. They are now trying to discover the implications for human health. Up until now, they have found that the microplastics studied seem not to move into muscle tissue, which is what humans consume. Having said that, scientists do remain concerned about the impacts it might have on human health because marine plastics will eventually fragment into nano plastics which can move into tissues and organs. Although as far as we know our food supply does not seem under threat, microplastics damage aquatic wildlife. They block digestive tracts, lessen the urge to eat and alter feeding behaviour, leading to reduced growth and reproductive output. Some species die as a result of plastic in their stomachs.
How plastic travels through the food chain.
According to the United Nations Environment Program 2009 report, marine litter poses a huge threat to marine wildlife. Over 260 species have been reported to ingest or become entangled in plastic litter, resulting in impeded movement and feeding, reduced reproduction and even death. However, the marine wildlife themselves stand powerless, since they can mistake plastic for food or get caught up in it unwillingly. Thus, they cannot do anything to protect themselves. Lastly, although several intergovernmental responses have been initiated, not all of these are binding. Main agreements such as the UNCLOS and Global Programme of Action do impose duties and obligations on parties but also leave considerable freedom for states to step down from these obligations. This means that Member States do not have to take certain measures if they do not want to. States themselves decide what measures they take in order to prevent pollution of the marine environment. Since Member States differ in their norms and values, they might take different measures, therefore, undermining the potential effectiveness that the EU could have on tackling the problem.
Food for thought Plastic is everywhere in the world’s waters, it has even been found embedded in faraway Arctic ice and snow. Although the human species rely on the material, it ends up in seas and oceans, going hand in hand with severe consequences for marine ecosystems and the food chain. To make matters worse, it is unknown how long it will take for that plastic to entirely biodegrade into its basic molecules. Various estimates range from 450 years to never. The human species created plastic, depend on plastic, and are now drowning in it. Questions worth considering • Some argue that international law alone cannot provide a solution to this convoluted problem, but that it should be supported by strong regional efforts. How can this be accomplished? • Some believe there is a need for a multilayered engagement. This means that not only the EU and the Member States should attempt to make a change, but that the citizens are included too. How can this be achieved? How can public behaviour be changed? • How can the EU encourage Member States to implement effective measures to protect marine ecosystems and prevent plastics to further enter the food chains? • How can plastics be prevented from entering the food chain, or how can they be removed from the food chain? Is it still possible to protect the food chain? • How can marine ecosystems be restored or protected? What initiatives have already been started to restore or protect marine ecosystems? Why are they not working to fight this issue? What could be done to improve them? • As valuable materials are polluting are damaging our environment instead of being used again into
• our economy, questions have been raised about introducing a circular economy approach in which the emphasis is put on preventing waste and on recycling and reuse of materials and products in the first place. What do you think the EU’s stance on this should be?
Links for further research • Some general information of the WWF: Plastics: why we must act now - WWF • Global overview of some of the core problems: A Sea of Debris: Oceans Governance and the Challenge of Plastic Pollution - The Hague institute for Global Justice • Sustainable Development Goal 14 (life below sea) - Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Platform • Effects on the food chain: We Know Plastic Is Harming Marine Life. What About Us? - National Geographic • What is the EU doing?: Our oceans, seas and coasts - European Commission • Some facts and figures: The Issue - The Alliance to End Plastic Waste • EU competences: Areas of EU action - European Commission
Introductory Clauses The European Youth Parliament, A.
Deeply alarmed by the fact that approximately 12 million tonnes of plastic end up in the
world’s waters each year, leading to the death of one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles, B.
C.
Concerned by the effects of plastic on ecosystems, such as but not limited to: i.
smothering of the ocean floor,
ii.
transporting marine wildlife into ecosystems where they do not belong, Deeply disturbed by the raising concerns of (micro)plastics carrying toxic chemicals
through the food chain, blocking digestive tracts of species, and possibly leading to death, D.
Aware of the fact that the exact implications of plastics entering the food chain on human
health are not yet known but being researched, E.
Viewing with appreciation the successful 2015 Plastic Bags Directive and following mea-
sures that are taking on a similar approach, F.
Realising that Member States lack a common approach when considering Directives,
G.
Regretting the human dependency on plastic.