weather.
Tomorrow will be partly sunny and warm with a passing shower. The warmth will reach its height at 1 p.m. with a lovely 21˚ Celsius. The will rise ate exactly 7:07 a.m. Basically, tomorrow will be just another good day.
De Lëtzebuerger Stär. SHINE ON, YOU CRAZY STARS
This is the second paper produced by the Media Team of the 1st National Selection Conference of EYP Luxembourg. We hope the reader will find this paper just as memorable and historic as this session. - The Media Team
SCHENGEN, LUXEMBOURG, THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014
PATRICK AND HIS ARMY J.Meijer Last August, a new General was assigned to lead EYP Luxembourg’s newest mission in the city of Schengen. The only person that was up for this task was a young man named Patrick Azevedo, a 22-year-old Luxembourgish student. Patrick carefully selected an international army of soldiers from his extensive range of exclusive contacts, the suave globetrotter that he is. After this thorough selection it seemed that only people from Italy, Slovenia, The Netherlands, Belgium, The Czech Republic and Luxembourg were up for the job. The task given to them concerned a recovery mission in the city of Schengen. It seemed that a group of youngsters from Europe had been stranded in the city, and they had to be taken care of. Patrick and his army exceeded expectations throughout the entire mission. Not only were the soldiers friendly, respectful and competent, the Grand Duchy’s
army really took it to next level; hosting the youngsters in a castle, holding king responsibility for a huge part of the workload as well. a wine tasting, with a final evaluation in one of the first EU parliaments. I am sure that the lost youngsters are incredibly thankful As we can all conclude, General Azevedo has done more than a good to Patrick for leading this mission in such an exquisite way. job; he orchestrated his soldiers in an extraordinary manner whilst ta-
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SCHENGEN, LUXEMBOURG, THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014
RUTHLESS COMPETITION SUPPRESSES LUXEMBOURGISH CUISINE Z. Kůstková As we informed you previously, Luxembourg faces increasing pressure from Belgium and the Netherlands. But not only those two countries constitute the competition in the field of traditional dishes. As we had a chance to witness yesterday, when it comes to both salty and sweet food, the market is flooded with widely varying products. Apart from all kinds of chocolate, cookies and cheese, some countries stood out with their offers. The Finns brought a whiff of the North with liquorice, and the Belgians provided avid candidates with their legendary beer, as well as equally famous waffles and chocolate bonbons. Even more distant markets efficiently competed with local one. Perfect example can be seen in Greece and their (amongst others) delicious feta cheese. On the other hand we have to admit that the Luxembourgish food providers have no reason to be ashamed, their food samples received at least equally good response. It is not easy to preserve traditions in today’s multicultural world, but Luxembourg is surely succeeding when it comes to the traditional cuisine.
26, STEEL & LOCKS A.S. Vandommele I’ve got three words for you: twenty-six, steel and locks. You should try and visualize what I am talking about. Actually, you don’t need to, we visited it the other day. On the Moselle Esplanade, three steel pillars commemorate the signing of the Schengen Agreements in 1985 and 1990, representing the strength of the bond forged by the 26 countries united by the agreement. The monument was built as a symbol for alliance, brotherhood and trust. I suppose that’s where the locks come in. I see the monument more as a paradox - a good one though. Schengen is all about freedom of movement of persons and goods. So the allied countries are locked together, but yet they are free. Got it? What happened with the keys after the locks were closed is still a little vague. Some threw them in the river, others were talking about swallowing it like the big bad wolf. However, we have to say that the session is not responsible for any consequences.
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SCHENGEN, LUXEMBOURG, THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014 slightly modified in 2013, much as a reTHE SCHENGEN being sult of the Franco-Italian border conflict in 2011. ZONE QUESTIONED K. Andersson EYP is known as a community of devoted travellers, and as such we easily recognise the vast benefits of the Schengen agreement. For those of us who lives in the Schengen zone, it doesn’t matter if we forget our passports at home when going to the airport or driving across a border. The Schengen agreement, incorporated into EU law through the Amsterdam Treaty adopted in 1999, is concerned with free mobility of people. However, the Schengen agreement does not only provide practical benefits, but also brings European nations closer and strengthen the bonds between them. Perhaps this is here the true value of the Schengen agreement lies; even though we live in a world which is closely connected in terms of technology, the opportunity to meet people face to face should not be underestimated. Despite the many advantages of the Schengen agreement, it has come to be questioned more and more frequently over the past few years. The sometimes harsh criticism eventually led to the agreement
As with most EU policy making, the distance between decision makers and the people they are set out to represent appear to be rather vast in the case of the Schengen debate. However, is this actually true? Is the root of this recent anti-Schengen sentiment to be found mainly in Eurosceptic circles, or do people of other political leanings share it as well? Eurostat shows that 76% of trips in Europe are spent in one’s own country of residence. In Spain, Portugal and Romania, 9 out of 10 trips take place within their own borders. The pattern is slightly different in countries such as Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium, where over half the trips have an abroad destination. However, if taken together, these figures reveal that a huge number of Europeans do not travel abroad on a regular basis. We EYPers are well aware of the fact that travelling abroad can be an eye opening experience that fosters understanding and respect. For us, further restriction or even an abolishment of the Schengen zone would imply an important change that would affect us in a predominantly negative way. However, for the many Europeans who do not regularly travel abroad, it would not have any direct effect, strictly speaking. Surely, there exist many arguments in favour of free mobility of people in terms of economic gain,
but such positive effects are more indirect and perhaps harder to perceive. In this sense, free mobility of people is different than free mobility of goods. We all appreciate going to the supermarket and being able to buy our Luxembourgish wine and our Spanish ham for less than it would have cost if import tariffs would still have been applied, and we can easily see how this concretely benefits us on a daily basis. So, if so many people fail to see the benefits of the
Schengen agreement, why do they necessarily want to restrict it? Immigration, crime, and labour market issues are among the problems that are often mentioned in the Schengen debate. It appears rather naive to state that people would cease to be concerned about such issues if they just travelled abroad more often, but it could at least help to balance the debate. However, those of us who support the Schengen agreement in its current state also need to recognise the widespread worries that exist among those who would like to see the it restricted. It is all too easy to say that such ideas only exist in milieus of the extreme right, something which I do not believe is the case. I strongly believe in free mobility of people throughout the EU and would rather see it enhanced than restricted, which is why I think we all need to approach the debate in all its complexity, guided by respect for different opinions without getting caught up in quarrels between nations or extreme ideologies.
De Lëtzebuerger Stär. SHINE ON, YOU CRAZY STARS
SCHENGEN, LUXEMBOURG, THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014
ONCE UPON A TIME
A.S. Vandommele There lived a dark haired princess with chestnut brown eyes with a name that sounds like loons on a lake, echoing in dawn’s mist. Sophia had lived her whole life in the mighty Kingdom of Belgiumland. The princess grew up as any other daughter of a magnificent royal couple. One day the princess was playing in the gardens of the palace when her father approached her. The king told Sophia that when she turned eighteen she must find a handsome and muscular prince to become her spouse. Sophia was a genuine daredevil and started her quest for a rightful husband the day after her eighteenth birthday. The princess travelled all over the world to find her true love; nevertheless she could nowhere find what she was looking for. There were princes enough; but there was always something about them that was not as it should be. One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and light-
ning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Sophie took shelter under the nearest roof she could find and closed her eyes until morning. When the princess woke up she could not believe what she saw: a gorgeous baroque garden, a view on a river so breathtaking and a gargantuan castle that looked like it was the scenery of a fairytale. As Sophia was still being stunned by the sight of all that fairness, a dazzling young gentleman tapped her on the shoulder. The stud introduced himself as Henry the Fifth of Schengenland. Henry explained that Sophie had entered le Château de Schengen, the castle where he lived by himself due to his parents’
early death. As in every fairytale it was love at first sight and the lovebirds declared their eternal love for each other. Princess Sophia had finally found everything she was looking for. The serenity of the gardens and parks was the perfect sophiesticated background for a royal wedding. The lovely couple spoke out their vows in the garden’s tower of the XIIIth century. Princess Sophia and Prince Henry became the King and Queen of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and lived happily ever after.
De Lëtzebuerger Stär. SHINE ON, YOU CRAZY STARS
SCHENGEN, LUXEMBOURG, THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014
OPEN A. Hagarová ‘We are sending some of you away. I hope you will all come back.’ - Mathieu Lohr, the President of EYP Luxembourg The official opening of the 1st National Selection Conference of European Parliament Luxembourg was observed the day before yesterday. The ceremony took place in the Municipality of Schengen and was followed by a reception where wine and other delicacies were served to all the present folk. Among others, Vice-President of EYP Lithuania and President of EYP Slovenia could have been spotted to sip from their glasses, exchanging smiles over bread bites or engaging themselves in captivating conversations. The opening act itself embraced a round of inspirational speeches, given by both guest and home speakers, namely Mr Mars di Bartolomeo, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg, who sharply stated that if Europe is not dealt with, it will deal itself, by which he appreciated the goals and activities of the vast majority of attendees, Mr Roger
Weber, the President ASBL, comparing European Union to a village, Schengen village in a speech held in German. The one to follow was the President of EYP Luxembourg, Mathieu Lohr himself. To address his previous speaker, he added that in EYP universe, borders mean no longer anything and expressed the hopes he is carrying for the first generation of EYPers in twenty years. The keynote speech was delivered by Mr President of the session, Hans Maes. His Presidency made a small comment on the perks of being the last to speak and enriched the audience by a Dutch proverb that went deeply into everybody’s heart. In short, all of the gentlemen cordially welcomed the youth who had come from various parts of Europe to lend an additional brilliance to the event and were heartily cheered in return.
FREE PASSPORTS FOR EVERYONE Z. Kůstková The inconceivable became reality at the European Museum in Schengen. Passports, usually very precious documents, were issued for everyone, and for free. The reason behind this radical
measure is the promotion of free movement within the Schengen Area, to which the museum is dedicated. The location of the museum suits its purpose adequately too, since it is located in the tripoint of Luxembourg-Germany-France on the river Moselle, from where you can visit those three countries within just a few minutes. The mayor of Schengen, Roger Weber, stressed out the importance of and opportunities within the Schengen Area. To affirm it, participants drank in Luxembourg omnipresent wine and later proceeded to the tasting of the delicious flavours from all over the Schengen area.
De Lëtzebuerger Stär. SHINE ON, YOU CRAZY STARS
SCHENGEN, LUXEMBOURG, THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014
EYP Luxembourg is under the patronage of Ms Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship.