COMMITTEE TOPICS 37th National Selection Conference of European Youth Parliament Greece Athens, 30 March - 2 April 2018 “Thinking over the Future of Europe: Sustainable Development as a political choice for the generations to come.�
Towards a sustainable food industry.
/ Committee on Fisheries (PECH) Farmed in the EU: Bearing in mind the increasing demand for fisheries and increasing pressure on wild fish stocks, what should the EU do to promote sustainable aquaculture in the industry? Consumption of fish as food has doubled in the last twenty years and is expected to continue to rise. Wild fish is no longer able to supply the world population and therefore aquaculture, i.e.the farming of fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants, is essential for food safety. On the other hand, it may have negative environmental impacts. Poorly run fish farms pollute the water with their waste and harm the marine ecosystem. Thus to supply the demand for seafood while not harming the environment sustainable fish farming is necessary. The Committee on Fisheries will discuss how we can turn aquaculture into a fully sustainable industry while increasing the aquaculture production to be able to respond the growing demand as well as preserving the wild fish stocks. Explanatory Video: Aquaculture
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Sustainability -
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/ Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Food in a Green Light: What actions should the EU take to transform its food system to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring sustainable food production systems by 2030 and the European Union's long-term sustainability goal of 'living well, within the limits of the planet’ by 2050? Europe’s food system is a large and complex one. The food supply chain, including agriculture and fisheries production, processing and manufacturing accounted for 26% of the EU’s final energy consumption in 2013. All these activities within the EU have an impact on the environment. The European Environmental Agency Report ‘Food in a green light’ argues that reducing the environmental impacts of the food system requires more efficient and sustainable use of natural resources, changes in production, food choices and diets and reducing environmental risks by phasing out the use of harmful chemicals throughout the food chain. The Committee on Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety will discuss the changes needed to transform the current food system into a more sustainable one. The committee will further discuss
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Towards a sustainable food industry.
the measures that will make this transformation feasible for the European society. Explanatory Video: Good food, fresh thinking - a look at our food system, http://bit.ly/2BXUhSr
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Towards developing a sustainable economy.
/ Committee on Industry, Research and Energy I (ITRE I) #RenewEurope: Europe is developing the foundations for a world-leading green economy, but it is still largely dependent on fossil fuels. How could the Member States be encouraged to implement the Paris Agreement and move towards a more sustainable economy? Europe has positioned itself as a global leader in the transition to lower-carbon energy and the more sustainable use of resources. The region is making significant progress, e.g. Europe’s economies are less-emissions intensive, on average, than those of other developed regions. Despite the efforts, the European economy is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, which is much less environmentally-friendly compared to renewable sources and vulnerable to geopolitical uncertainty, and new investments in renewable energy have declined since 2011. Nonetheless, European leaders’ call for multilateralism and solidarity and new technologies are increasingly creating opportunities to drive the transition to a more sustainable, cleaner energy and more careful resource use. The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy I will discuss the opportunities to drive the transition to a more sustainable economy. The committee will further discuss the measures stakeholders can take to encourage the Member States to utilise these opportunities. Explanatory Video: The Council reaffirms that the Paris Agreement is fit for purpose and cannot be renegotiated, http://bit.ly/2EjKGdZ
/ Committee on Industry, Research and Energy II (ITRE II) Internet of Energy: Experts estimate that by 2020 the global market for smart grid technology will be almost € 400 billion. What actions should the EU take to exploit the potential of smart technologies to keep urban energy grids stable by balancing the power generated from renewable resources with the electricity consumed? The EU is undergoing big changes in its electrical systems. The transition towards a low-carbon economy means a growing role for renewable energy sources, greater energy efficiency and an increase in electricity demand due to an electrification of transport and other systems. At the same time, it means that more flexible generation capacity is needed to satisfy demand since many renewable sources have variable electricity generation capacity such as wind and solar.
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Towards developing a sustainable economy.
The EU is undergoing big changes in its electrical systems. The transition towards a low-carbon economy means a growing role for renewable energy sources, greater energy efficiency and an increase in electricity demand due to an electrification of transport and other systems. At the same time, it means that more flexible generation capacity is needed to satisfy demand since many renewable sources have variable electricity generation capacity such as wind and solar. In order to respond effectively to these changes, the EU promotes the development of smart grids. Currently built smart grids contribute to a more efficient use of energy, increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix, reducing the infrastructure required to supply electricity, and curbing overall energy consumption. Yet in practice, significant variations exist among the Member States in their deployment of smart metering, the precise energy cost savings are uncertain and there remain concerns about security and data protection. The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy II will discuss the opportunities Internet of Things can bring to the energy industry. The committee will further discuss the measures to encourage the Member States for their deployment and the interoperability of smart grids, and for supplying secure and more affordable energy to their citizens. Explanatory Video: The Energy Internet Explained, with Jeremy Rifkin, http://bit.ly/20AHP1V
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Towards a sustainable society.
/ Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs I (LIBE I) Sharing Responsibilities: Europe has been struggling to formulate a united and lasting strategy in dealing with immigration. How should the EU act in order to unblock the discussion and move towards a holistic, forward-looking migration policy? In 2017, over a hundred and fifty thousand refugees and immigrants came into the EU. Numbers were much higher in 2015 and 2016. Brussels struggled to come up with a workable common response, and national governments took matters into their own hands. EU Member countries remain divided over how to replace the “Dublin Regulation” - which establishes the Member State responsible for the review of the asylum applications, with frontline states such as Italy and Greece wanting a mandatory system to relocate the refugees across Europe and Central European countries such as Hungary and Poland strongly opposed such an idea. The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs I will try to identify the reasons behind the clashing opinions among the Member States and among European Institutions. The committee will further discuss about the actions the EU should take in order to come up with a common refugee policy. Explanatory Video: The European Refugee Crisis and Syria Explained, http://bit.ly/1NA1MRo
/ Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs II (LIBE II) Towards an Inclusive Growth: How should the European stakeholders act to utilise migration and refugee influx as an engine for economic growth, and create a secure, prosperous, and diverse society that provides an opportunity for everyone? In the short term, the refugee influx will lead to rising costs, arising from the need to provide food, shelter and first aid. In the long term, on the other hand, the refugee influx could be positive for the European economy by, for example, addressing the EU’s alarming demographic trends. Depending on their education, skills, and willingness to work refugees might improve the ratio of active workers to non-active workers (e.g. prisoners) and also contribute to innovation, entrepreneurship and GDP growth. Regarding the labour market, migrants can fill important niches both in fast-growing and declining sectors of the economy, and contribute to labour-market flexibility. Simultaneously, some argue that, as many of the refugees are low-skilled, the economic challenges will outweigh the
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Towards a sustainable society.
opportunities. Taking the current situation and related EU regulations, the Member States cannot kick any of the legitimate refugees or asylum seekers out of the European borders. Therefore, as the European Parliament stated, the EU and its Member States should target the potential gains from the current influx by, inter alia, successful economic and social integration of the refugees. The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs II will discuss how can the Member States economically adapt to and benefit from the massive refugee influx. The committee will further discuss the measures that should be taken and policy recommendations that should be made in order for the successful integration of the refugees. Explanatory Video: The Social Inclusion of Migrants in Europe, http://bit.ly/2BIqW2G
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Towards a sustainable labour market.
/ Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) Towards a reskilling revolution: Due to the constantly evolving labour market and the penetration of Industry 4.0 applications, many low-skilled and middle-skilled jobs are under the risk of being replaced by automated technologies. How can the EU Member States ensure their citizens are equipped with the skills, competencies, and qualifications needed for the digital era to achieve sustainable employment? Modern society and economy are changing due to technological progress and globalisation. By 2025 almost half of all jobs in Europe will need highly skilled workers. In the future people will also need some level of digital skills for 90% of all jobs. Though, recent statistics show that 40% of Europeans have no digital skills and 37% percent of the workforce lack the required high or middle digital skills. This skill mismatch shows that Europe is not making the best of people’s skills. A transformation of education and training is required to bring knowledge and skills needed for growth and employment. Innovating and modernising education are the key priorities in several flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 Strategy, yet with only two years left until the deadline, only half of our future, children, have access to digitally equipped education. The Committee on Culture and Education I will discuss how should these skills and competencies be defined, acquired and recognised. The committee will further discuss reskilling, training and digital education policies, digital competence frameworks and measures to be taken to adapt this transformation and ensure a sustainable labour market. Explanatory Video: New Skills Agenda for Europe, http://bit.ly/2ysG1lZ
/ Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) Time to Close the Gender Gap: Given that economic and societal inequality remains between men and women despite legislative measures and promotional work, what further steps can the EU take to reach equal participation and equal pay in the workplace? Gender equality in the workplace means providing equal opportunities for women and men for labour market participation, economic independence and to access to decision making positions as well as adopting the equal pay for equal work concept. Europe is one of the front-runners when it comes to closing the gender gap in employment and the gap decreased continuously between 2010-13. But since then it has been plateauing at around 12 percentage points and has stopped
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Towards a sustainable labour market.
closing especially for prime-age employees. But what happens if they have equal levels of participation? Although women are generally more successful in gaining qualifications, their careers are often more interrupted, they have lower pay and their careers are flatter. Data from October 2016 show that women still account for less that one in four board members in the largest publicly listed companies registered in the EU Member States. As a consequence, they earn less than men over their life cycle, and their pensions are lower. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs will discuss measures stakeholders should take in order to promote gender equality in the workplace. The committee will further discuss current good practices around Europe in establishing gender equal labour markets, and what benefits gender equal economies may bring to Europe. Explanatory Video: Closing Europe’s gender gap, http://bit.ly/2Epx3K7
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Towards sustainable governance.
/ Committee on Constitutional Affairs I (AFCO I) Make the EU great again: Emmanuel Macron said” This year will be the year where we have to redesign a ten-year strategy for Europe” in the World Economic Forum 2018 in Davos. With Europe 2020 Strategy coming to an end in two years, what priorities should the European Commission set for a post-2020 European Strategy package to make Europe an economic, social, scientific, political and a sustainable power? The Europe 2020 strategy is the European strategy for creating smart, sustainable and inclusive growth since 2010. Today, with only two years left until the deadline, the targets the EU set with this programme in nearly all areas have still not been met. Progress in the areas of climate change and energy and education are promising. However, there is still some way to go to meet the targets of research and development, investment, employment and poverty alleviation. The world is undergoing a rapid change towards digitalisation. Simultaneously, Europe has devoted itself to meet with the Sustainable Development Goals mentioned in the “2030 agenda for sustainable development” of the United Nations. Which is why the EU should redesign a post-2020 ten-year strategy to adapt to changing world, to become more sustainable while at the same time to become capable of fulfilling the unmet objectives from Europe 2020. The Committee on Constitutional Affairs I will discuss what priorities should the EU set for a post-2020 strategy package. The committee will further discuss the key areas and targets of this new strategy to make Europe an economic, social, scientific, political and a sustainable power?
/ Committee on Constitutional Affairs II (AFCO II) Multilateralism vs. Protectionism: Despite European leaders saying that the way to sustainable growth and becoming a stronger global actor is multilateralism, the advocacy for less integration and more sovereign Member States is on the rise and Eurosceptic forces are gaining popularity across the Member States. Bearing in mind the reflections and scenarios presented in the “White Paper on the Future of Europe”, what type of organisation shall the EU aim to be in the long run? More, or less Europe? The current structure of the EU receives critics from both ends. Some advocate for more sovereign Member States and support less integration, while others advocate for a move towards a federal union as the path to follow. With Eurosceptic forces gaining popularity across Europe, the question remains as “What should be the way to go from now?”
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Towards sustainable governance.
The White Paper presented by the European Commission sets out the possible future scenarios for Europe. It offers five scenarios for the Union's evolution depending on the choices the Commission will make. The committee on Constitutional Affairs II will discuss various options for Europe and which way is the best for our future. The committee will further discuss the measures that will strengthen Europe. Explanatory Video: White Paper on the Future of Europe, http://bit.ly/2E5IlDZ
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Committee Topics | 37th National Selection Conference of European Youth Parliament Greece Athens, 30 March - 2 April 2018 | m: athens.nsc@eypgreece.org