The Buzzz - Spring 2014 by Generation Europe Foundation

THE

BUZZZ Spring 2014

CONTENT EDITO GEF NEWS New Partners: MbH, LYV, AEGEE-Europe, ESN Page 4 My Choices Planner - Update Page 5 GEF prepares for the European elections Page 6 Erasmus Voting Assessment Page 7 PORTRAIT Amelia Andersdotter, Swedish MEP, Pirate Party Page 8 GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

The image of the European Parliament elections in the USA Page 10 a DAY in the LIFE of...

Fatima Gonzalez Gomez, a young job hunter in Brussels Page 11 EU IN FOCUS

EP elections: what about the youth perspective? Page 12 European elections 2014 - youth initiatives Page 13 Una promesa que cumplir Page 14 KEY FIGURE & QUOTE COMPETITIONS CORNER

Copyright ÂŠ 2014 Generation Europe Foundation. All rights reserved. Publisher: THE BUZZZ is published by Generation Europe Foundation. We welcome your questions and suggestions on info@generation-europe.eu Become a fan on facebook.com/generationeurope Follow us on twitter.com/GenerationEurop Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Generation Europe Foundation.

Cover credit: 13876337 (via www.123rf.com)

EDITO The European elections issue Act. React. Impact. Hello everybody! Here we are again... This is the first issue of our magazine this year.... So, although 2014 is already well under way, we nonetheless still want to wish you a very happy and fruitful year, full of new exciting challenges and positive outcomes. Here in Brussels, we are feeling the excitement (and pressure) of the big topic of this year... the European Parliament elections. It is the talk of the town, and new initiatives concerning the EP elections are launched non-stop. At GEF we are also working hard on the European elections, so it only seems natural to focus this Buzzz on the topic. ‘Act. React. Impact’, which is the official slogan of the European Parliament elections this year, perfectly fits our motto at GEF. In the context of the upcoming European elections, we are developing educational material, such as the ‘Focus On the European Elections’ and an online web-experience (see p.7), to inform young people why and how to vote and encourage them to join the debate and cast their vote. We have also recently launched an online survey for the Erasmus Voting Assessment project, which we are part of, together with AEGEE-Europe and ESN (see p.6). The project aims to find out if going on Erasmus or studying abroad (Act) may lead to a more positive European identity feeling (React) and whether this ultimately results in increased participation on the European level such as in the European elections (Impact). A big focus of the current EP elections is on increasing young voter participation, after the extremely low turnout of only 29% amongst youngsters in 2009. An overview of additional interesting initiatives focused on the forthcoming ballots can be found on p.13. Of course, we very much value the opinion of Europe’s youth, and have included the views of our GEF Ambassadors from across Europe on the upcoming elections, including on issues of relevance for youth in the EP elections (p.12), as well as how the European elections are viewed outside of Europe, in particular from the USA (p.10). Finally, we have interviewed Amelia Andersdotter, who became the youngest MEP, for the Swedish Pirate Party (p.8-9). She shared some of her experiences of being an MEP, and talked about the lack of information about the EP and the elections, something we at GEF try to improve, via our various projects and partnerships. So whether you have a pro, anti, or neutral position on the EU, make sure you Act, React and Impact, by talking about the elections, testing all the initiatives that are out there, and most importantly: cast your vote in the elections, and don’t forget to fill in our EVA project survey!

Johanna (Editor-in- Buzzz) and the GEF Team

GEF NEWS New Partners Mann Beisst Hund (MbH) is a German PR agency based in Hamburg. They have more than 12 years of experience in communication in the fields of education, health and science, especially addressing the target audience of students, teachers and parents. MbH supports GEF as a national partner in Germany for the "My Choices" initiative (known as "My Life" in Germany). They contribute to our project by localising the content, communicating with schools and teachers, contacting public authorities and stakeholders, including potential sponsors for the coming years. Finally, they are in charge of the promotion of the "My Choices" initiative in Germany with the objective to make it a sustainable educational project. www.mann-beisst-hund.de

The League of Young Voters (LYV) is an initiative aiming to tackle the ever decreasing youth participation at the European Parliament elections by raising awareness, informing about the elections in an easily accessible way. LYV will gather issues that young Europeans want politicians to focus on and make these the topics that candidates discuss and include in their campaigns for the European elections. GEF has been working together with the LYV in several ways. GEF and LYV are collaborating on the development of the Focus On on the European Parliament elections, and drafting content for a soon to be released online ‘web experience’ platform, which contains information about the EP elections in different EU languages, thereby guiding young people through the process of understanding the European elections. For more details on this, see p.7. Furthermore, GEF has supported the work of the LYV by translating the content of their website, which you can read more about on p. 13. www.youngvoters.eu

Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is a Europe-wide student organisation. Basing its actions on the principle Students Helping Students aims to support and develop student exchange, represents international students, as well as facilitates their social and personal integration. www.esn.org

AEGEE-Europe (European Students’ Forum) is a student organisation that promotes cooperation, communication and integration amongst young people in Europe. It relies entirely on young volunteers who organise its decentralised activities, often in international teams. www.aegee.org

In October 2013, GEF, together with project partners AEGEE and ESN, launched the Erasmus Voting Assessment project, which is funded under the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme. The aim of the project is to evaluate through a European wide survey whether or not participating in the European Union’s Erasmus programme influences the students’ feelings of European citizenship/identity and whether going on Erasmus motivates them to participate in democratic processes like the European Parliament elections. GEF’s main contribution to the project is its expertise in carrying out pan-European research and surveys. For more information about this project see p.6.

My Choices Planner - Update Generation Europe Foundation is currently piloting the "My Choices" initiative: a new educational tool aimed at students aged 12-14 and their teachers. The main objectives of the initiative are to improve the health profiles of young people, teach crucial life skills such as critical thought, goals-setting, self-analysis and to introduce effective education on healthy lifestyles as part of national curricula.

"Physical Activity decreases with age" The baseline survey asks students a lot of questions concerning their physical activity levels. A first analysis of all this data reveals that as students get older, they report statistically significant decreases in physical activity levels. It would be very interesting to investigate more why this is the case.

In addition, we carried out an extensive analysis of the healthy lifestyle behaviours of young students via a baseline questionnaire, which will help us to assess the impact of this pilot initiative at the end of the school year. After a couple of months since the launch of the initiative, more than 1.800 students replied to our baseline questionnaires. We are pleased to share with you today, the outcomes of the first round:

"Five a day?" -

Students were asked: "In which places did you eat vegetables yesterday?" 38% said they didn’t eat any at all, and 8% said they ate vegetables at school. So, we would like to inquiry whether it would be a good idea, a possible idea or a welcome idea, to increase consumption of vegetables at school.

"Breakfast benefits" - "Students were asked to tell

us more about their "breakfast habits". Preliminary feedback taken from the baseline questionnaire show that students in Germany are far more likely to eat nothing until lunch (16%) than students in Greece (5%). Therefore, at GEF we are wondering why there are such differences among countries. "Culture" can be one explanation of course.

More than 800 schools in Germany, Greece and the UK are using the student planners and the accompanying teacher guide, which provides lesson plans divided into several units. The feedback received so far from the teachers has been positive and constructive, and it will be taken into account when preparing the texts for the next edition.

"Healthy lifestyles" - The answers to the questions about "healthy lifestyles" showed that 65% of students think they should lead healthier lifestyles, 75% say they intend to lead a healthier lifestyle, and only 15% say they don’t really know how to do so. Which leads to our overall comment: students generally know that they should live in a healthier way, but they don’t actually do it. How to change this attitude? Again, more food for thoughts... So, what’s next for this pilot initiative? We will continue analysing the data received via the teachers’ blog, and the questionnaires to the teachers on each unit. In addition, we will organise an in-depth evaluation, by visiting three schools in the three implementing countries, and carry out focus groups and interviews. Finally, we will continue promoting this initiative, also with the support of our national partners, among relevant stakeholders from the private and public sector. For more information, visit the project’s website: www.mychoices.eu

GEF prepares © europa.eu/youth

for the European elections As the League of Young Voters (LYV) and Generation Europe Foundation both work on improving education, participation and encouraging debate about the EU, the decision to team up in carrying out the values and principles of both organisations was a very logical and pleasant one. We agreed to establish an operational partnership by which we support each other in producing educational material for various projects focussed on the EP elections. So far, this partnership is being concretely implemented through three different activities. First, the LYV will comment and give input to the next GEF’s Focus On on the European elections. For more information about Focus On, please see the box below right. Secondly, GEF has commented on and contributed to the LYV online platform focussing on discussing topics of importance to youth in the elections, which is accompanied by a web-experience project focussing on the forthcoming EP elections and the "how" and "why" of participating in them. The web-experience is called "Make your choice: The easiest guide on European Elections 2014", and aims to engage young people in a fun and interactive way, guiding them through the process of understanding the European elections. This way, both operational partners intend to reach as many young people as possible, disseminating relevant information on the EP elections, the reasons why to go to vote and instructions how to vote explained to youngsters, teachers and students across Europe. The web-experience will be launched in March! Therefore: keep an eye on the websites and social media of Generation Europe and the League of Young Voters to see the final results. And hopefully you are going to make full use of the tools uploaded on the online platform (www.makeyourchoice.eu). Finally, as an additional operational collaboration between the two associations, GEF committed to translate into various EU languages relevant LYV content. For instance, GEF translated the content of the League of Young Voters’ website, which acts as a discussion platform for young people to share their views on the most important topics for the youth in the upcoming elections. AT GEF we are glad to work with the League and its young and dynamic staff. And we hope to have even more opportunities in the future to jointly develop creative projects and relevant content for Europe’s youth.

Interested in educational material about the EU? GEF has developed a Focus On about the EU Institutions (available in English, with other languages following in March and April) and a Focus On about the European Citizens’ Initiative. ‘Focus On’ is our free teaching kit for secondary school teachers, and ideal for teaching about subjects that are typically not covered by the school curriculum, but which are essential for preparing students for the ever-changing world around us. It is composed of information sheets for students and ready-made lesson plans for teachers. How to download this free material: Teachers can download it from our website www.generation-europe.eu/resources/ teaching-resources/online-library Students can find an English version of the text (without the lesson plans) in our GEF Youth Centre www.generation-europe.eu/resources/youth-centre You can also sign up to our mailing list to be kept up-todate when new ‘Focus On’ material has been released: www.generation-europe.eu/media-centre/newsletter

Erasmus Voting Assessment Erasmus: Will You Vote?

Since October 2013, Generation Europe Foundation has been working on the Erasmus Voting Assessment (EVA) project, together with the European Students Forum (AEGEE-Europe), the project’s leader, and the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), which takes care of the communication and promotional aspects. The project’s goal ties in well with the European Parliament election year, as it compares the voting behaviour and electoral participation of Erasmus students with non-Erasmus students and assesses the hypothesis that exchange programmes such as the Erasmus programme may lead to increased youth participation in European elections, as well as a more positive attitude towards being a European citizen. The project consists of a background report, which includes an overview of theoretical aspects behind young voter participation in EP elections, an overview and data of the Erasmus programme, and data

which provides an initial understanding of historical attitudes of young people towards the EU and participation in EU elections. Final conclusions focussed on discussing gaps in the current official data, and highlight issues to be further analysed in "ad-hoc" surveys.

GEF is the scientific project partner, having

Indeed, the background report led to the drafting of two surveys, both of which will were tested by GEF and its partners in Madrid, Aarhus and Toulouse during pilot study trips in December. The feedback from students was incorporated into the final version.

surveys go to:

The first survey was launched on Tuesday 11 February, at the official EVA’s launch conference held in the European Parliament, hosted by the Parliament’s Intergroup on Youth Issues, and with MEP Doris Pack as guest speaker. This first survey is open until just before the EP elections. The second survey will be online for a short period after the EP elections (26th May − 15th June). Both surveys have been uploaded on the project’s website and are open to young people, including Erasmus and non-Erasmus (former) university students across Europe. Participants to both surveys can win one of the 5 trips to Brussels, so make sure you take part!

written and designed the background report. We are also in charge of analysing all the data and writing the final report, due in September 2014, which will integrate the survey outcomes. For more info and to complete the www.erasmusvoting.eu

The project’s objectives: − To examine whether student participation in the Erasmus programme leads to an increased feeling of European identity/ citizenship amongst youth, including non-Erasmus students, across Europe. − To research whether the percentage of Erasmus university students participating in the 2014 European Parliament (EP) elections exceeds the percentage of nonErasmus university students participating in these same elections. − To map the impact that the Erasmus programme has on ‘European identity’, which will be measured by indicators such as the identification with citizens of other EU countries, understanding of the European Institutions, interest in European affairs, mobility etc.

portrait Amelia Andersdotter 26, Swedish MEP, Pirate Party She entered the European Parliament ‘by accident’ at the age of 24, and is now preparing for the elections. Buzzz met up with Amelia Andersdotter; the youngest MEP during the current mandate period.

One thing strikes you while waiting outside Amelia Andersdotter’s office, located in one of the shiny building of the European Parliament (EP) in Brussels: the woman behind the door must be an exceptionally active politician! The walls of the corridor are covered with posters advertising various events hosted by Amelia herself, or together with fellow deputies; ‘The web we want’, ‘Internet and social media as tools of freedom’, ‘Do not track’, ‘Sharing is not piracy’. The titles are hardly surprising, as Amelia represents the Pirate party; a political movement specifically concerned with issues like information privacy, copyright and the freedom of Internet.

The amount of events is also pretty impressive, given that Amelia only entered the EP two years ago. She was the second name on the Swedish Pirate party’s list in the 2009 election, but the relatively new and controversial party only managed to obtain enough votes to secure one seat. Amelia, who was only 22 back then, says that she ended up on the list somewhat ‘by accident’: "My party probably wouldn’t have put me second on the list, would they have considered it feasible to get another seat. I was a wildcard, largely due to my age, and many people don’t think you should invest in wildcards." Amelia therefore did not get a seat in the EP that year. The next ‘accident’ happened, when, in December 2011, Sweden gained another seat in the EP, as a result of the

Recruiting young MEPs − ‘strategically smart’ With an estimated average age of around 55 years, the EP is a rather ‘old’ organi sation and Amelia has been the youngest deputy during the current mandate. But that’s not something she often thinks about. "I am not sure whether my age has affected my work or my position as a politician, as I cannot know what it would have been like to be in another position. But the EP is a very diverse organisation, comprised of people from all kinds of backgrounds, and generally, everyone treats each other with respect." "Then, of course, it’s strategically smart to have the youngest deputies, as that creates a lot of media attention. The Green group has been particularly good at this. I’m actually not the youngest MEP ever, that was a 19-year old from the German Greens. But at the end of the day, I’m not so sure that age matters a lot. The greatest difference between the MEPs is between those who know what they want, and those who don’t. Most of them don’t."

committee, belonging to the conservative EPP group. "It happens that we cooperate in some cases. He’s been working on privacy issues for many years, long before I entered the Parliament, so that cooperation came quite naturally." Despite being relatively new in the Parliament, Andersdotter became the ITRE rapporteur for the controversial ACTA agreement during the first half of 2012, an international treaty setting international standards for intellectual property rights enforcement. "The EP was really under pressure; both the Commission and significant industries wanted us to say yes, whereas there was a huge resistance from the general public. It was a hard decision, especially since we couldn’t really trust that all information we got was correct." The agreement was eventually turned down, in the committee, as well as by the whole Parliament. Amelia says that she still consider this her greatest achievement in the EP. "The final vote went well, but I was really nervous, so I asked some of my Belgian fiends to come there and act as moral support." Seeking re-election in May With the elections only a few months away, Andersdotter has started to think about the future. She says that she wants to be re-elected, but also admits that she doesn’t feel completely comfortable with the whole political-campaigning

process. "Democratic elections are a kind of popularity contest, it’s extremely important to be visible. I’m not amused by media strategies, marketing and slogans, and I don’t like to be photographed. This affects my colleagues as well, like the other day when I met a Commissioner to discuss a legislative proposal. Then my trainee couldn’t really force herself to take a photo for our daily Instagram update during the discussion. Instead, we ended up taking a photo portraying me waiting for the elevator. At the same time, these are the rules of democratic elections, and as Winston Churchill said ‘It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried’." In the past, European elections have been rather disappointing stories in terms of electoral turnout. Amelia thinks this is due to the perception and image of the EU among the general public. "There is a huge disconnect between what the EU does, and what people want, but also a political rhetoric that people don’t understand. Like the relations with Russia, younger people like you and me have no memories of the fall of the wall and the cold war, and simply won’t understand a reasoning built on regarding Russia as a real threat. But then there’s also a general lack of information; people don’t know so much about the European Parliament. I think it’s important to create a buzz about why it’s important to vote, a little bit like mass psychology."

constitutional change under the Lisbon treaty. According to the Swedish election results, this seat was allocated to the Pirate party. Amelia, who had already been living in Belgium for two years at that time, still reckons that going from being a ‘normal’ 24-year-old person, to an MEP with political power was a significant change. "It was something I had to adjust to, for sure. Being an MEP is a very privileged position. For example, if I’m going to meet a Commissioner to discuss an issue, then they’ll call my staff three times before the meeting, just to make sure that everything is ok."

Contributed to the end of ACTA In the EP, Amelia is a member of the ITRE committee, dealing with issues related to Industry, Research and Energy. One thing she finds fascinating with the EP is the lack of stable majorities, making it necessary to cooperate also with colleagues from other political groups. She exemplifies with an older Swedish colleague in the ITRE

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

The image of the European Parliament elections in the USA In Europe, and especially here in Brussels, the European Parliament elections are becoming a favourite topic for discussion: initiatives have been set up to encourage people to vote and raise awareness, campaigning is kicking off and the media has started covering stories. Yet how is this perceived outside of the EU? The Buzzz editorial team was very interested in hearing more about how the upcoming European Parliament elections are viewed elsewhere in the world. And who better to ask than Elie, our GEF Ambassador for France, who is currently studying abroad in the USA?! Below, he shares his experiences on talking about the EP elections in the USA. "My investigation around the USA started in Wisconsin with my sister’s boyfriend telling me Americans don’t feel so involved in politics. According to him, "most of the people will probably know the name of their Governor, but as for the Parliament they won’t know much." The reason? Americans don’t think politics can fix anything, so they have lost interest; except for hot topics like gay marriage. He added that their opinion is mostly based on what their friends tell them, based on what they heard on CNN or Fox News.

In Milwaukee, I spent an evening with three young adults, Kim, Matt and John, who did not know about the European Parliament elections. Kim said that she heard the currency (Euro) was responsible for a great deal of trouble for some Member States. Matt asked me if the European Parliament actually enacted laws applicable in the whole European Union. In the meantime, I asked about a dozen my friends at my University in Baltimore, of whom half are studying Political Sciences, about the EP elections. Pretty much none of them could really give me relevant answers about the actual role of the European Parliament or the upcoming elections; not even my friend Johaness, who was born in Sweden but emigrated to the US 15 years ago. And the same happened with random people I asked, especially in California. In Chicago I met Paul, a man in his forties, travelling to Europe regularly for work. He knew that a European Parliament existed and operated as a ‘proper Parliament’, but did not know anything about the coming elections.

Kerry waited until 1 February 2014 to officially declare that the USA supported the Ukrainian demonstrators of Maidan. So, if the American Government now looks across the Pacific rather than across the Atlantic to continue its pivot to Asia, why would average Americans face another direction and get interested in the evolution of the European Union? In the end, the most interesting answer I obtained came from a Franco-Canadian couple in Seattle. According to them, Americans hear more about European countries individually. People don’t really know about and understand the concept of the European Parliament. When American mass media refer to it, it is more to comment on the Euro crisis. For most Americans, the European Union is just a big ‘blur’ that put its Member States into trouble. Moreover, they don’t get the idea that the European Parliament actually has the power to enact legislation that affects every Member State; they just see it as a kind of assembly, like the UN. Maybe the free trade agreement will make the media

By looking at articles on the web, one could understand that since Obama’s re-election in 2012, the American foreign policy is oriented toward Asia; with Europeans being expected to take care of what happens in their own neighbourhood. This could be seen recently when John

talk more about the European Parliament because it will impact the exchanges between the USA and the Member States."

By Elie Brandmeyer (GEF Ambassador France)

a DAY in the LIFE of... ‘a young job hunter in Brussels’

Fatima Gonzalez Gomez, GEF Ambassador, Spain. With youth unemployment rates soaring in Europe, education, experience and motivation are no longer guarantees for finding a job. GEF met up with Fatima Gonzalez Gomez, 31, from Spain, who holds an MA in Environmental sciences and speaks several languages − but still spent 11 months searching for a job in Brussels. You went through an 11-month job hunt in Brussels. What happened? It was ups and downs. In short, I had several ‘no’s’ and then two precarious traineeship offers in my field of work. I didn’t accept them because I didn’t find it acceptable to work full-time for € 400 per month. At some point, I simply started to doubt myself, and believe that the real problem lay with me. How did this affect you mentally? Very much! It reached a point when I got sleeping problems and had to take pills. I became less open to social events and to meet my friends. I didn’t see the point of going to the gym − as I thought that the time was better spent with making another application − and didn’t pay much attention to a healthy diet. On a general level, I was angry at the world and felt bad with myself − I was in some kind of

survival mood, I didn’t really live my life but postponed it for later, for when I would have that precious job. All this of course affects your mental health, not to mention the economic situation. Still, you didn’t give up and returned to Spain, why? My objective was to live and work in a European capital. Giving up would have meant that I’d lost the match, and for me that wasn’t an option. Moreover, after three years in Brussels, I had become used to the city, developed a good under standing of the job market and met friends. To start from zero in another place would be tougher. You eventually found a job, congratulations! How did you do? I found my current position at Facebook, some day in the beginning of July. As I "like" the employment office of Brussels on Facebook, I read a post from them saying that a Belgian association could help people like me with an entrepreneurial idea to obtain a traineeship, which could turn into a job after. So I wrote an email, the association wrote me back quickly, we had a long interview to check whereas I was a suitable candidate, and the association then sent my CV to its partners. In less than a week someone showed interest. I eventually got a position at a

Brussels association, working with an ethical tourism project that combines project management and policy tasks. How did that change your life? I instantly got a shot of energy and motivation to be more myself. I feel more confident, more energetic and have taken on new challenges, like preparing an exam to certify my English, learning Dutch and competing in ballroom dancing. What should EU politicians do to curb youth unemployment? One of my recommendations would be to decrease the taxes related to establishing oneself as a freelancer. In Belgium this tax is about € 300 per month − a high amount for someone who’s still in the starting blocks! Secondly, I encourage politicians to believe that people are useful and the ones who make things change, not the market. Stop waiting for the circumstances to change and react. This is a message not only to politicians but people in general.

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eu in focus European Parliament elections: what about the youth perspective? With the elections for the European Parliament coming up, one of the questions that most frequently pops up among today’s youth is: What about us? As young students we welcome the upcoming change of people who are going to run the European Parliament, but at the same time we should ask ourselves if this will bring a real change in society. There have been some pressing issues and challenges that are rising from Europe’s young generation: from unemployment to immigration policies. And all of these current affairs need to be answered by the future politicians that want to have a say in driving our European project. Our generation is definitely a very educated and very self-conscious one: we volunteer more, information is more available to us and we are generally putting our opinion out there more with the help of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or personal blogs. So it’s only natural that we are extremely concerned with what is happening around the world. That’s

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why we demand more, also from our politicians. For example, we want more equality and fairness when it comes to education and work opportunities. With rising youth unemployment, our eyes are highly geared towards what the next elected MEPs are going to bring to the table to tackle these problems. So far, the European politicians are stuck in between grasping the severe reality of this issue and over-discussing it. While it is being discussed, there are rarely any concrete inputs or action plans being carried out, what seems more present is the “we know it, but we can’t help it right now" attitude. We are also concerned about the ecological future of this continent and what kind of measures the European Union will take. What about empowering gender equality and women’s rights? And how about actually promoting young people in politics and getting youth more involved and raising awareness about

younger politicians during the current mandate, as in some cases they seem more like poster boys/girls than actual decision-makers. Sadly a lot of potential for political interest and activity is still wasted on this young generation, but the time will come very soon when we will have to take over ourselves. At the next elections we are expecting doers to show up and take control of the steering wheel of Europe, not only really good speakers. Of those we seem to have quite enough already. Indeed, even if we enjoy a good political debate, we are expecting that a new (and hopefully more proactive) political generation will rise up to the challenges put in front of them and handle them with an approach that does not only think of a short-termfix but a long-term solution and also actually implements these solutions. Because, as one friend put it, “speaking will not cook my lunch". And we think we can all agree to that!

the importance of voting? While this has happened in some instances in recent years, it can’t be said that we have felt truly represented by all of these

By André Philippe Lauer (GEF Ambassador, Austria) and Daniela Dandes

European elections 2014 – youth initiatives With the European Parliament elections taking place in 3 months, the political campaigning is intensifying throughout Europe. Have you made up your mind yet about whom to vote for? If not, there’ll be several events and initiatives taking place to guide you through the decision-making process. Young people are an underrepresented group in European democracy. Whilst turnout rates in European Parliament elections generally tend to be far from impressive, (even lower than the national levels) the picture is even worse when it comes to the youngest age group (18-24 years). In the 2009 elections, 43 % of the total eligible voters used their democratic voice; among young people the corresponding number was a meagre 29 %. One might ask why. One theory is that, rather than the traditional political party model with an entire manifesto and party programme, young people are still extremely involved in politics and societal issues, but have found new channels through which to express themselves and communicate, such as social media, demonstrations or organisations devoted to specific topics. For many young people, these are the first European elections ever, so they face extra difficulties on their own, not knowing how the elections work and where to find information. Don’t despair, there’s help on the way! There are several initiatives and events coming up this spring, aiming at increasing youth participation in the European elections. The League of Young Voters is a politically neutral initiative, which has identified a lack of information about the elections as a key problem. The LYV aims to become an online electoral discussion platform for young people in Europe. Apart from information, the LYV aims to gather issues that young people from across the EU want politicians to focus on and for EP election candidates to discuss and include these topics in their campaigns. In cooperation with GEF, the LYV is creating a web-experience that will guide young people through the process of understanding the European elections, see p.7 for more info. www.youngvoters.eu

Are you aware of the fact that... − MEPs are advocates of the European citizens’ interests. (Many are elected by local electorates). − For the first time ever, the results of the 2014 elections will be taken into consideration for the election of the Commission President (one of the most important positions in the EU). − Different politicians champion different outcomes of laws, which affect citizens in their daily lives. − The European Parliament is the only directly elected EU institution. The "Y vote 2014" project, managed by y the youth organisation AEGEE, aims at encouraging young people to get involved and take an active role in European democracy. The project includes a plethora of activities; such as bus tours, trainings, and conventions, all creating an arena where young people can discuss issues that concern them. www.aegee.org/yvote2014 The European Youth Forum, a platform representing 99 youth organisations in Europe, launched its election campaign "Love Youth Future", in October 2013. The idea of this campaign is that MEPs sign one or several of 11 pledges listed by the campaign, all related to the rights and opportunities of young people. Examples include protection for young workers, volunteers and interns, better quality of education and free movement for youth. www.loveyouthfuture.eu Ever wondered what it would be like to be an MEP? Through the use of several online tools, games and quizzes the MyVote2014 initiative presents how some of the main decisions taken by the European Parliament, showing you that EU politics can be both interesting and fun. The section "Cast your vote" gives you the opportunity to cast your vote on 15 topics relevant to youth, as if you were taking part in a Parliamentary plenary vote. The outcome of your votes is then compared with those of MEPs and political parties, giving you information on whose views you match closest with. You can also see how other visitors voted. www.myvote2014.eu The European Youth Event (EYE), hosted by the European Parliament itself, will take place in Strasbourg, from 9-11 May. This event will gather over 5000 young people aged 16-30, from all 28 EU countries. They will have the possibility to meet and discuss with politicians, stakeholders and other influential speakers. The event programme comprises of a large variety of activities, such as political debates and workshops, role-play games, a concert and a street festival. / 13

www.europarl.europa.eu/eye2014

Elecciones Europeas 2014 y Derechos Humanos: Una promesa que cumplir La primavera del 2014 se anuncia políticamente agitada. Del 22 al 25 de mayo tendrán lugar las elecciones europeas en un escenario que se anuncia complejo: las coaliciones políticas europeas deberán convencer a un electorado sumido en la crisis económica de la conveniencia de acudir masivamente a las urnas. La crisis en la Zona Euro no es el único factor que pone en riesgo el éxito de las elecciones al Parlamento Europeo; la progresión de los “euroescépticos” aporta otro elemento al debate político. Episodios como la formación de la “alianza anti-Europa” entre el Partido por la Libertad de Geert Wilders (Países Bajos) y el Frente Nacional de

Marine Le Pen (Francia) dejan entrever el avance de la extrema derecha en paralelo a otras fuerzas políticas. La progresión de la extrema derecha no es casual; los casos de ataques racistas y xenofóbicos han ido en aumento, en particular contra los inmigrantes, los gitanos y los musulmanes (fuente: Informe Anual Comisión contra el racismo del Consejo de Europa, 2012). En este contexto, cabe preguntarse cuál es el papel que juegan la democracia y los Derechos humanos en las grandes agendas de nuestros futuros eurodiputados. Si bien podemos encontrar llamamientos genéricos a favor de los derechos humanos en la mayoría de los programas políticos y campañas electorales, las acciones concretas a favor de éstos brillan por su ausencia. A pesar de que algunas coaliciones, como el Partido Socialista Europeo y los Verdes Europeos, han subrayado la necesidad de luchar contra el extremismo, la xenofobia y la discriminación; los liberal-demócratas circunscriben los derechos humanos a las políticas de seguridad interior y exterior de la UE, mientras que el Partido Popular Europeo, el Partido Demócrata Europeo (PDE-EDP) y la Alianza Libre Europea (EFA) están definiendo aún sus respectivos programas. Por el contrario, la sociedad civil ha comenzado a movilizarse para lograr un compromiso más activo por parte de los candidatos al Parlamento Europeo. El pasado 10 de diciembre, día internacional de los Derechos humanos, la Red de Derechos Humanos y Democracia (HRDN, por sus siglas en inglés) lanzó la campaña "Stand 4 Human Rights", en la cual se apela a todos los candidatos a promover los Derechos humanos y la democracia de una forma más visible. A fecha de hoy, sólo 19 candidatos han apoyado con su firma la campaña Stand 4 Human Rights. Si desea escribir a su candidato, puede hacerlo a través del formulario disponible en el siguiente sitio web: www.stand4humanrights.eu/#yoursay Esperemos que esta vez la promesa adquirida por los candidatos no se quede en papel mojado. Barbara Santibañez GEF Ambassador, France To read the article in English go to www.generation-europe.eu/media-centre/ magazines/

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key figure

This number represents the turnout percentage of the eligible youth (aged 18-24) at the European Parliament elections in 2009. During these elections, only 29% of young people voted, compared with 43% of the total eligible voting population. Additionally, turnout has been falling steadily since the first European Parliament elections in 1979. Despite the fact that the European Parliament is becoming more and more powerful and plays an important role in shaping EU policies, the trust in this institution, as well as other EU institutions, is slowly declining. The European Parliament is the only directly elected institution of the EU. The European citizens are represented by the Members of the European Parliament, who are directly elected at the national level. Every EU citizen who has reached the legal voting age established by national law at the time of the EP elections is eligible to vote as well as to stand as a candidate. There are four EU countries where voting is compulsory. These countries are Belgium, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Greece, where nationals and registered non-national EU citizens are obliged to vote. The highly negative youth voter turnout as well as the reluctance of young people to participate in political life are worrying European politicians. The eighth Europe-wide elections to the European Parliament will be held in all Member States this year between 22 and 25 May: are you going to vote?

Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth

quote

“Erasmus - has come to symbolise some of our most precious values and aspirations.”

The Erasmus programme was first launched in June 1987 and is considered as one of the main success stories of European initiatives in the area of education. "Education is one of our most powerful tools for shaping our society's future, including the way we think about and organise the world of work. If we want a society that is open, fair, democratic and dynamic, then surely that job begins in the classroom." Since its creation, more and more students (from EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey) have spent parts of their studies abroad every year with an Erasmus grant, with the total number of Erasmus participants since 1987 reaching 3 million in 2013. In 2014 the European Parliament adopted a new programme, Erasmus+, which aims to provide opportunities to study, train, gain work experience and volunteer abroad for over 4 million Europeans. The total budget allocated for this seven year programme is € 14.7 billion which naturally offers great opportunities for the civil society of the EU. "It is our human capital - the knowledge, skills and creativity of our people - that will deliver the intelligent, sustainable and inclusive growth that we all want to see. Erasmus+ turns that vision into reality." (From Europa.eu)

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competitions corner Student contest Europe and youth 2014 What?

University - Essay competition (7 topics to choose from) and brief video presentation. Secondary/High Schools - Short essay competition (4 topics to choose from). For whom? The competition is open to students (up to 26 years old in universities and schools of all levels throughout the European Union. Until when? 22 March 2014. Prizes: University - € 500 for the best essay in each category, other prizes of € 300 and € 200; Secondary/High Schools - prizes of € 300 and € 200, enrolment in formative week-long seminars studying European themes in the summer of 2014, books, DVDs, materials for language learning.

The award ceremony will take place in Pordenone (Italy) on Sunday 25 May 2014. Organised by: The Regional Institute for European Studies of Friuli Venezia Giulia (IRSE), Italy.

More info: www.centroculturapordenone.it/irse/ concorsi/europa-e-giovani-2014/ europa-e-giovani-2014/documenti/ english-version-1

We are Europe. Every day: video competition What? Video competition on ‘What makes you proud to be a European? How do you live your life being a European citizen?’ Think of a specific date on which an important event in the history of the European Union occurred, compare it to what it meant for you and how it affected your personal life and create a

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video mixing your personal events with EU significant events. For whom? Individuals over the age of 18 and production companies. Until when? 10 March 2014. Prizes: 3 winners will share the € 10,000 prize.

Organised by: The European Commission. More info: www.europa.eu/youth/eu/news/ we-are-europe-every-day-videocompetition_en