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Dear Delegates,
We hope these Briefings provide you with the best insight into the rationales behind each resolution. Thus, we encourage you to read through the work of our dedicated Journalists and, through that, be able to profit the most from the General Assembly. Be active, make that points and simply shine. It is your time, so make use of it. We truly believe in all of your potential. All in all, we wish you good luck! Jasmin & Marsel
Contents 04 // AFCO 06 // EMPL 08 // ENVI I 10 // ENVI II 12 // LIBE I 14 // LIBE II 16 // SEDE 18 // TRAN
Committee on Constitutional Affairs BY FRANCISCA SOMANN (NL)
Negotiating Brexit: Following the British vote to leave the EU, what stance should the EU take in their negotiations with the UK?
In the referendum that took place on 23.06.2016, it was decided that the UK will step out of the EU with 52% of UK citizens voting leave and 48% voting remain. Whilst the UK has been figuring out how exactly this result will be implemented, AFCO had to write a resolution on how the EU should position itself and which actions they should undertake. The main dilemma the committee faced was that a mild approach could encourage other Member States to follow
the UK, whilst a hard approach would have more severe economic repercussions and would affect a lot of those whom voted remain. Therefore, AFCO decided to take a hard stance, without completely abandoning all UK citizens who would have wanted to stay within the EU. The UK leaving the EU will surely affect the EU financially, and the harder the break, the bigger the impact will be. However, the committee decided that
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risking a ripple effect could be even more problematic. As such, AFCO decided to draw up a new framework for trade with the UK which treats the UK as the separated ally it will be. Furthermore, border control enforcement from Frontex will ensure this customs separation. As a considerable amount (48%) voted remain, and especially Northern Ireland (55.8%) and Scotland (62%) were in favour of staying in the EU, AFCO decided that citizens should not be denied access to the EU. To ensure this possibility, the committee proposes that the UK works with various VISAs to enable free travel, golden VISAs for retirees and work permits.
By restricting trade by regulations but keeping the possibility for citizens to move across borders under certain conditions, the committee on constitutional affairs believes to have found a balance that will benefit the EU the most.
Committe on Employment and Social Affairs
BY HARI HIBIC (BA)
Debating Opportunity Over Exploitation: With internships becoming crucial for graduates at the start of the career ladder, how should the Member States effectively support its youth in making a smooth transition from education to employment?
Due to a shortage of spots for new interns, high competition between the graduates or limited amount of professional networks, acquiring a convenient internship has always been a problem that graduates face. Naturally, this results in a phenomenon known as long-term unemployment, which brings a set of reverse effects that hits graduates and results in a bad impact on their lives. To be fit for YEI funding, an unemploy-
ment rate has to be at least 25%, so the committee requires the European Commission to lower the percentage to 20% which can contribute to a decrease in the unemployment percentage. That being said, a crisis is very likely to happen at s young age which can lead to overall downfall of a young person’s life and mindset, with a lack of better career opportunities in the future. Besides that, the overall unem-
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ployment rate in the EU is twice as small as the youth unemployment rate. That is why this committee recommends increasing the YEI’s budget from 30% to 35% for pre-financing. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs is convinced that organisations and companies providing internships that are good benefit both the provider of the internship and the interns. However, a high number of companies do not follow guidelines that help them in creating and providing good internships. The European Label for Quality Internships is showcasing the best internships around the Europe, and EMPL suggests applying to gain the status which
can improve both internship quality and intern experience. As a part of the solution, the European Social Fund is called upon to fund training databases, which would encourage and result in creation of more internships all around the EU.
Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety I
BY BASIA VAN VLIET (NL)
Gardening the Earth: Acknowledging the positive impact of green urban areas on the well-being and health of citizens, by what means can member states improve the living conditions of Europe’s urban residents?
The population of Europe is increasing rapidly and while 75% of European citizens live in urban areas, it is of utmost importance to ensure good living conditions for those, living in urban areas. As urban areas will only grow in the future, issues such as a lack of green space availability and pollution need to be addressed now, in order to prevent this issue to grow out of our control. This calls for improvements in the areas of green area provi-
sion, sustainable housing and transport. The Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety I, acknowledges the various programs and structures that are already in place, to improve sustainable living conditions. Good examples of such projects are Life+, Green Building Programme and the Energy Efficiency Directive. However, ENVI I feels that discrepancies in
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these already existing programs and actions plans, together with the lack of innovation, poses as obstacles that prohibit citizens to benefit from these programs to the fullest. By adding and combining already existing programs, ENVI I hopes to improve the efficiency and applicability of these programs. Aware of the large differences between Member States in wealth and development, especially between east and west, ENVI I believes Member States who are less wealthy than average should be focused on. For example, the development of green urban areas in Bulgaria is less of a priority, as opposed to western countries such as the Netherlands or Sweden. Helping member states that lag behind will contribute to equalising
differences between Member States while raising the overall standard of living conditions in the EU. Additionally, through the reallocations of funds such as the European Regional Development Fund, hopes to ENVI I hopes to step by step work towards a more sustainable urban environment, which improves the health and wellbeing of Europe’s citizens.
Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety II
BY ROSE CANTILLON (IE)
Implementing eHealth: With growing public health expenditure and the rising need for efficient access to care, in what way should the Member States better implement eHealth to improve current healthcare systems?
The committee on Environment Public Health and Food Safety II, throughout their discussions have identified 4 main issues at stake in their resolution. Firstly, they identified the issue of accessibility as the population groups that could most benefit from e-health resources are also those least likely to possess the technology or the digital literacy to do so. The Elderly are at the highest risk of becoming sick, but have the lowest rates of e-lit-
eracy so therefore the benefits of e-health become inaccessible to them. The committee have decided to to call upon the EFMI to develop a logo that will be displayed on eHealth platforms to deem it user friendly, reliable and safe. They have also suggested income based tax breaks for socially deprived people on eHealth products. Secondly they have elicited the issue of reliability. They have
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noted with regret the lack of standardization across mHealth Apps and the low levels of public trust placed in these apps. The logo, as previously mentioned, will also help to ensure the reliability of eHealth services. They have also called upon the Article 29 Working Party to approve the Code of Conduct for mobile apps, developed by COCIR, so as to have a reliable and trustworthy service across all mobile applications.
nia, to ensure that the Member States have a secure medical record system.
Whilst the committee wishes to implement the sharing of medical records across European borders, they remain concerned about the privacy of citizens in doing so. Thus they have decided to promote the Guardtime KSI, as implemented in Esto-
Overall, the committee believes that the continued implementation of eHealth is fundamental to tackling the current burden on health services from Chronic Diseases and the Ageing Population across the Union.
The committee have identified a vast potential for eHealth technologies which remains largely unrecognized by the general public. Therefore, they have decided to have a mass media campaign, including but not limited to the promotion of eHealth on TV Talk Shows and Social Media.
Committe on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs I
BY RENS JANSEN (NL)
European Agenda for Migration: Given that social policies carry key importance when tackling the influx of refugees, how should the Member States ensure an effective social integration of migrants coming from third countries?
Our current refugee crisis is the biggest one to be seen since the 1940s. Key to solving this sudden increase of immigration in the EU is to ensure a streamlined integration across the board, in order to minimize economic and social issues which fuel the fires of xenophobia and racism. LIBE I recognizes the problems in our current system of integration for refugees, such as the length of the evaluation progress that
grants asylum seekers legal status. This deprives asylum seekers from basic necessities such as healthcare, a job and education. Refugee employment is also prevented due to the fact that degrees and other proof of education are often not recognized by member states, and refugees often are unable to finish their degrees in member states, limiting future employment.
13 There are also critical differences in economic and social aspects of business life, thus limiting employment of even the most credited workers from third countries. Besides the educational and employment gaps currently present, refugees furthermore have a tough time integrating due to basic social differences, resulting in friction between refugees and EU citizens. LIBE I wants to fix the problem of the long evaluation progress by stressing the ethical obligation of member states to provide basic needs as the asylum seekers wait. They seek to create a conversion tool in order to validate the degrees of refugees, in combination with retraining and the promotion of refugee entrepreneurship, allowing the skills of workers to be used to the fullest degree. With the use of foundations they wish to help refugee
students finish their studies, so that they too can be employed in the future. Furthermore, the friction between EU citizens and refugees is sought to be relieved with the use of educational programs for refugees, aimed at creating cultural understanding, which will be held at refugee centers, due to their central position in this problem. And, thus, LIBE I hopes to streamline and enhance the refugee system of integration, by relieving cultural differences and giving refugees a proper and firm basis for a good life.
Committe on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs II
BY MORGAN BARNDEN (UK)
Rise of Nationalism: With the growing distrust towards mainstream politics and an increase in populist rhetoric and anti-EU positions, how must the EU act to ensure that political debates are carried out with dignity and respect?
With Brexit and the rise of populist parties, the very existence of the EU is in question and if more is not done then the current tide of Euroscepticism will wash away the foundations of peace and unity on the continent that arose in the post-war years. The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs II have worked tirelessly to try and counter two central paradoxes that define any debate around the European Union in
the 21st Century. Firstly, how to democratically respond to the rejection of the status quo by the people of Europe. Secondly, to what degree do we tolerate intolerance in a free speech environment, whilst guaranteeing respect and dignity. The committee has made a specific effort to get to the root of the problem and not simply suppress the feelings of Euroscepticism which have domi-
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nated the continent’s political landscape in recent years. LIBE II soon came to the conclusion that, as a democratic institution, it is only right one acknowledges the legitimacy of opposition voices and the importance of open debate. Indeed, one way of combating Euroscepticism is to encourage open debate in order to introduce citizens to alternative perspectives, an objective also achieved by the Committee’s work on the ‘echo chamber’ culture. Another issue encountered during committee work was that of misinformation or, more worryingly, a total lack of information surrounding what the EU actually does, as well as the need for strengthening a pan-European identity. In the
eyes of the committee the best way to counteract the challenge of fake news and general apathy was to improve accessibility to reliable news sources regarding the EU and how it works. Education is the first step in improving the quality of debate that will take place in future years. Perhaps the most academically demanding part of the Committee’s efforts has been centred on where to draw the line in terms of hate speech and freedom of speech. However, it soon became apparent that this line is an intangible abstract concept and that the ECHR has already endeavoured to make a distinction apparent.
Committe on Security and Defence BY LUCIUS MILLER (CH)
Selection Conference of EYP The Netherlands Schengen for Defence: In light of rising security concerns, the need for more advanced EU defence policies, and a common European Defence Union, what strategies must the EU develop to secure citizens’ safety?
The military security of Europe has been increasingly a topic of hot debate, especially since Friday's remarks by US President Donald J. Trump that his nation's most important policy would be to always put "America first." However, this issue had already been pressing for much longer with a growingly aggressive Russia and a civil war raging in Ukraine.
The Committee on Security and Defence has been carefully balancing the demand to preserve national sovereignty with the need for pan-European cooperation to remain competitive in a growingly hostile global stage and raise efficiency in the highly redundant jungle of military systems in Europe. Instead of aiming at an overhaul of the defence-related sections of the
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Founding Treaties, the committee has recognized that multiple provisions in the Treaties already allow deep cooperation, but have not been sufficiently implemented due to the reluctance of the Member States of the EU. Furthermore, Member States are currently not upholding their responsibilities to organisations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and are encouraged to stay true to their commitments. However, the resolution is not only concerned with amending already existing legislation, but also takes bold steps towards creating new solutions. Incentives such as a European Defence Fund and cheaper procurement when done simultaneously with
other Member States foster cooperation while remaining completely voluntary and open to all Member States willing to work together. Ultimately, SEDE believes that closer cooperation between Member States and a more efficient defence market inside the EU will contribute to increased independence from a growingly insecure NATO, and ensure interoperability of forces between Member States.
Committe on Transport and Tourism BY JAGO LYNCH (UK)
Single European Transport Area: To achieve an optimised aviation network and better European flight connections between the Member States, how can the EU ensure a competitive and resource efficient air traffic system?
Airport congestion is intensifying at a worryingly rapid pace. It is expected to get even worse due to a 50% expansion in air traffic until 2035, while airport capacity will only expand by up to 17%. This is clearly a pressing issue for European Citizens, with travel becoming more and more popular every year, thus, The Committee on Transport and Tourism has decided that combative measures must be taken.
Discussions by the committee revolved mainly around congestion and connectivity and the environmental impact of aviation turbine fuel usage on the environment as well as airline competition. This will be achieved by a number of clauses the committee have included in their resolution, with the further use of the point-to-point flight system speeding up travel, and the Single European Sky (SES)
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increasing the efficiency and integration of European air traffic policies. The issue of congestion is one that the committee struggled with in light of increasing security threats and more rigorous pre-flight checks, however, they decided that further automation of check-in and baggage systems would decrease the time passengers spend in European airports, while flying point to point would decrease the total flight time, with the goal being four hours for European flights. The overall reduction of the flight time, in the minds of the committee, will also eventually decrease the overall fuel usage and carbon footprint of each airline, thereby dealing to a certain extent with the environmental problems faced in this issue.
A final issue that the committee discussed was that of airlines funded by governments negatively affecting the European Aviation Market. Those airlines funded by foreign governments are beginning to push a number of legacy airlines out of the market, this issue is also encountered in the case of budget airlines being more competitive than legacy airlines. The committee have thus called on the European Union to negotiate with these foreign governments to provide a fairer aviation market for all of Europe.
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