After four days of hard mental and manual labour for the press team, we are deďŹ nitely too tired to be bothered with writing a proper editorial for the Farewell Issue. But we suppose that in our ďŹ nal editorial we really should actually make some insightful and pensive remarks about the session. So we decided to make it easy for ourselves and simply print off the notes for our speech at the Closing Ceremony as a substitute:
BY RANDOLF AND ROBIN
FROM THE DIARY OF A YOUNG DELEGATE BY ANNA KAMPFMANN
23.11.11 Dear diary, Tomorrow is the day. At 9:23 a.m. my train departs for Pardubice, to my very first session of the European Youth Parliament. While I was packing my suitcase and didn’t really know what to take along, nervousness overcame me. The EYP: What is it all about? Who are the people behind the scenes that spend so much time and efforts in the project? My curiosity made me research on the Internet – all I could find was some general information: “The European Youth Parliament (EYP; in French, Parlement Européen des Jeunes, PEJ) is a politically and religiously unbound non-profit organisation, which encourages European youth to actively engage in citizenship and cultural understanding. It involves 40,000 youngsters from all around Europe in its events and has around 5,000 active members in the different countries. It was established in 1987 in Fontainebleau, France.“ Obviously I am more or less interPAREXCELLENCE
ested in national as well as European politics – but am I really the right person to participate in a session of the EYP? Am I prepared for debates on the Arab spring, youth unemployment or the war against drugs? Instead of agonizing I should go to bed now – in order to be prepared for tomorrow, to do my best. Goodbye! 27.11.11 Dear diary, Right now I am sitting in the train – exhausted, nostalgic and content at the same time – on my way back home from Pardubice. The past few days were an experience I can hardly find words to describe for. Awesome, unique, fun, adventurous – whatever word comes to my mind just does not seem to live up to the feeling. It all started on Thursday. We were standing on the schoolyard waiting for something to happen, waiting for the session to begin. First shy interactions, unnotice2
able eye contact between one or two strangers. That was the moment when I noticed that I am not the only one facing fears, who did not know what to expect and was quite sceptical about what was going to happen next. We were all sitting in the same boat. Teambuilding – what seemed weird and awkward at first glance turned out to be a whole lot of fun! Having played games like “Pass the Orange” or “Drunken Bottle” we were ready for the more serious part of the session: Committee Work started. Initial reservation and incertitude were replaced by heated discussions resulting in an innovative resolution everybody in the committee could agree on. After another almost sleepless night we were prepared for the highlight of the forum, General Assembly. The excitement when I stood up in order to speak in front of those 100 people… my heart was in my boots. However, I tried and succeeded – that single feeling makes all that effort and work worth it. As I am reflecting on the session, the people, and the atmosphere, I already feel that so-called PostEYP-Depression coming up. My symptoms: Spending loads of time on Facebook, desperately looking for an upcoming session to participate in, daydreaming and replay3
ing moments from the session in my mind. However, it feels like this isn’t the end for me – it was just the beginning of a new and exciting journey. EYP challenges people on very different levels; it forces us to go beyond our limits and the well known. Now after having experienced the “EYP spirit” I see why people dedicate time, money and energy on the organisation – what you can gain is priceless. I want to take the chance and get in touch with my National Committee in order to be part of all this. I realised it isn’t difficult to continue in EYP, to go on a journey and explore new paths. See you soon!
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COUCHSURFING HUMANITY WORKING AT ITS FINEST BY LIA PACHLER
It is us, the European Youth Parliamentarians (EYPers), who simply adore discovering the world, thus always looking for the cheapest possibility either to come to a session or to make holiday. Apart from the journey, most of us will think of hostels now, but there is a new trend towards staying at a stranger and ’surfing on his/her couch’. Not only exists a closed Facebook group for EYPers, which offers its group members hospitality exchange, there is an official oraganisation called ‘CouchSurfing’ that aims to change the world, as they mention on their homepage. With three million members in over 230 countries and territories PAREXCELLENCE
around the world, CouchSurfing is blazing the trail towards a better and friendlier world where people who are different from one another can find their similarities. The concept is quite easy: people should be able to have an accommodation for free around the whole world, while becoming friends with others, who share their interests. If you now ask yourself how that genius system works and how YOU can be part of that organization, just read on. First of all, register yourself at the homepage www.couchsurfing.org. Simple as it is, this is everything you have to do for being an official member of the CouchSurfing community. Now it is up to you 4
how much information you want to share about yourself, but the more detailed you present yourself, the better chances you have to find a host or to get a host request. After that you enter the place where you want to go and choose between different ‘CouchStatus’. Do you want to stay at someone’s place or do you just want to go for a drink or coffee with him or her? Or do you prefer both? Usually, you are spoiled for choice, especially in big capitals as for instance London (919 results for possible couches is a lot to go through, actually). When staying somewhere, you do not have to pay for it, but it is some kind of ‘unwritten law’ that you bring some small present, which are typical for your home country. Additionally, you can return the favour by helping with housekeeping. However, what you give cannot be compared to what you get, when thinking of the firsthand information locals can provide you with about your destination. Travel guides contain loads of information about a foreign city, but I am quite sure that there will always be that special hint you can only get from local people. Furthermore, as a ‘typical’ tourist you would never get the chance to enjoy real typical homemade food, meet other local people with the 5
same interests, get to know beautiful hidden spots and the cheapest and cosiest restaurants. Nonetheless, I assume that you are wondering about safety and that you might be afraid of being hosted by a criminal or an otherwise disagreeable person. But first of all, always bear in mind that you choose for yourself where you want to stay and who you are going to host. Secondly, there is the system of reviews. After someone ‘surfed a couch’, the host and the surfer write a review on each other’s profile, which is impossible to remove afterwards. That way you can determine which couch hosts have a good reputation among their guests and place your requests accordingly. So, can you imagine a world filled with people who have a feeling of connectedness, committed to helping each other out? Can you envision yourself as part of a critical mass of people extending hospitality, sharing knowledge, spreading tolerance and supporting each other as we strive to meet our collective needs? If you have answered these questions with a convinced ‘Yes!’ then you should seriously start thinking of becoming a part of this remarkable network that I strongly recommend you to.
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Editors’ Note: Actually these pages were meant to contain a review of the Farewell Party. But strangely enough all of the journalists’ memories of the event are too blurry to compose a sensible article. So instead. we’re leaving these pages blank for you to use the space to write down your very own best moments from yesterday’s party, or from the last four days as a whole - or even better, let your fellow delegates write down their favourite memories here for you to take home with you.
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TERRYFIED, HARMLESS LLAMAS BY LIA PACHLER
I proudly present you, regrettably for the very last time, AFET I, which proclaims itself as a sustainable team. Ecologically-friendly speaking, they recycle everything that can be reused (excluding chewing gum) and always think twice before getting a new post-it. As you may have read in the second issue, this committee is made up of athletes. From my point of view, they should build up a sports team together because they do great in working as a team, respecting each other and sticking to their Golden Rules. How-
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ever, in the meantime AFET I turned from a sporty committee into a musically skilled one. Although they all enjoyed teambuilding a lot, they are very fond of EYP songs, both classic ones and ‘recently appeared’ ones. It goes without saying that the llama song makes their hearts beat faster. What may be even more remarkable is the gorgeousness of AFET I, because the boys had a hard job choosing the ‘hottie’ of the committee, but in the end they decided on an obviously pretty
AFET I
girl called Lenka. Unfortunately, officials were not given as an option, because otherwise Harm would have won the competition according most of the girls. What is more, AFET I showed to have great expectations about the pyjama party, and most of them expected Malek and Petr to rock it the most, but I’m quite sure that everyone had loads of fun, because Jan was said to be the one with the best sense of humour. Nevertheless, this lovely committee would have never turned out into such a productive team without their charming chairs guiding them through the whole session. Even though Terry usually tends to mix up names, she managed to remember nearly all names shortly after the first name game. Her co-chair Harm was surprised by having spent the last 4 days in Central Europe, because he assumed that the Czech Repub-
AFET I
lic is a part of Eastern Europe (but maybe he didn’t change his mind yet, and maybe he’s right). Taking everything into account, I honestly enjoyed spending time with my beloved committee on Foreign Affairs I and hope that all the expectations they arrived with were fulfilled, or even outclassed. Furthermore, on behalf of the officials, who were partying in the journos’ room last night, I want to express our thanks for the big pizza you gave me after Committee Dinner - it contributed to an even more pleasant atmosphere (and now they all know that AFET I is way too awesome!), especially because it was the president’s favourite kind. My dearest delegates and chairs, Thank you for being llamas so enthusiastically and spitting ideas for the general view on your work during the session!
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YES WE CAN! BY ANA MARIA CROITORU
AFET II’s motto: “I disagree with what you say but I will defend to death your right to say it.” - Voltaire If you want to discover the enchanted world of Walt Disney you should enter the room of the AFET II committee. It is definitely the best place for you to have an idea with the Disney Method that kept the discussion process dynamic, their committee work
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well structured, their time managed and their interest on topic awake. With blood pressure levels raised up and their brain gearwheels turning faster thanks to their favorite teambuilding games, Street Fighter and Abigail’s Story, the committee’s transition to the committee work came natural. The creative process of forming their resolution took place in
AFET II
4 different corners: One corner for brainstorming where all the ideas are presented but not discussed, one where the best ideas are selected, a third one where they develop and discuss them in a constructive rather than a destructive way and last but not least the corner where the phrasing takes place. Their personal opinion about themselves is that they are an interesting committee that can combine seriousness and funniness while dealing with their very different ideas on their outrageous topic. It is not easy to make people understand how the EU’s intervention in the Arab World should look like or what exactly is there to be done in order to further the development of democracy and its values for a good support of sustainability. The EYP spirit seemed to be the one to help
AFET II
them bring together the best ideas that 7 youngsters could think of in the last two days in order to build up a comprehensive, smart and well-researched resolution. Their chairs, Jan and Dominic, seem to have, according to AFET II’s collective opinion, the characteristics of the perfect chair: “A funny but also serious buddy who stays involved in EYP sessions and helps his delegates without influencing their opinions”. Quick side note: With 3 of 5 male delegates named Ondřej and with 2 girls on board, the committee on AFET II decided unanimously that the fluffy blond haired Ondřej is the hottest guy of their team, while the decision on the girls remained still pending… Grazie AFET II! Fu un piacere giocare con voi! Ci vediamo a EYP session!
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CULT OF HANDFUL / SOME PLAY OF WORDS… BY DANIEL STEINDLER
Rainy morning. Thin beams of light penetrating through the clouds outline a walking figure. With a gloomy look in his face the guy enters into a psychiatric asylum. He waits in the hall, looking down in contemplation. After a while he gets admitted into the doctor’s office. The doctor asks him to tell his story. He adjusts his thoughts and begins to speak: “I was once in a youth organization session. I was a journal covering cult. Due to the fact that I had been kept out of the committee room for their first day of PAREXCELLENCE
its work, I had no clue what was going on in there. The moment I walked in I was overwhelmed by the amount of colorful posters full of facts all around, therefore I had to leave and get a coffee, so I would be able to grasp all the information. It was clear that the definition of delegate (quote: ‘the one who is trying to do stuff ’) was clearly understood here. When I came back the whole group was showing off their collective appreciation by chorally singing in the ‘train of love’. I sat down and looked around for clues about the work being done. There had been CULT
established some kind of basic law system which, above all, enforced the ‘right to go to the bathroom’. To support friendly mood in their committee, both chairs sat down to make the delegates feel more welcomed, their effort has already showed in ‘Golden rules of the cult’ which advises to ‘respect and love your chairwomen and each other’. I remembered the night before, when, while treasure hunting, I asked the delegates a few questions. They answered some of them wittily. The adjectives chosen for their group were crazy, awesome, and (interestingly) selfish. Also, while voting for the hottest guy, the girls collectively decided that each of the guys is extraordinary in a way and picked Paul’s hot body, Ondřej’s awesome hair and Daniel’s great smile.
CULT
Suddenly a noise woke me up from my pensive mood. Shouting “Fruit salad!” all of them stood up and started to run around, picking a new chair to sit on, which reminded me of the ‘Mad Hatter’ in the book ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Although weariness showed up few times when delegates leaned back their heads, the group’s productivity did not ease up and they almost always finished on time...” When he finished he looked up toward the doctor, who studied him with a fixed look, and waited for his diagnosis. After a while the doctor said: “And what is the trouble you came here with? What can I help you with?” The guy looked up with weepy look in his face: “They forgot to sign up for the National Selection Conference!”
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LA PICK, LA CHOCK, LA EMPL! BY LYUBOV DVORETSKAYA AND DMITRIJ GLADKYY
EMPL started the session with a creative touch of art and laughing a lot. Over these days they progressed into really productive team of bright individuals, equally enjoying both working and playing parts of EYP. This, of course, was no surprise for an observant eye, as also their chairs make a perfect balance of active, funny, creative and charming Richard, and calm, confident, patient and charming Enno. The delegates of EMPL proved themselves to be 10 people with really diverse answers to questions we had for them. However, they all in unison agree on the fact that they are awesome, PAREXCELLENCE
funny, great, extraordinary, competitive, friendly, hard-working, cool and totally legen - wait for it - dary. And they proved it! Coin Game competition? Piece of cake! Street Fighter? Too simple (they just had to add a creative touch with “tiger from Africa” instead of boring old “tiger uppercut”)! Portrait drawing? Van Gogh would be proud! “What can you take to the bunker?” No stopping until the last one of them figures it out. That’s a team spirit, baby! The favourite teambuilding game, however, cannot be defined as there are just too many options. They seem to like them all: Go Banana song, pass the ball, “PrinEMPL
cess and Dragon”, “Fruit Salad” and practically any game that has a hard-to-figure-out point. However the game they all definitely consider to be their trademark thing is “La pick, La chock”. I think that actually for EMPL it’s not just a teambuilding game, it’s more like a motto: “La pick, la chock, la Richard, la Enno, la Iva, la Martin, la David, la Kaja, la Klara, la Tomas, la Adela, la one more Tomas, la Chris, la Ha My, la cosana, na na na na, na na na na” They even made some brave people sing and dance it with them during the Treasure Hunt. Treasure Hunt in itself came as a natural part of committee dinner. A warm and cozy Indian restaurant somehow gets everyone in the mood for mind-working, playing the “Who am I?” game. That balanced on the verge of intellectual debate about the authorship of “Little Red R” and just laughing
EMPL
out loud, rephrasing “some kind of Jesus” into Santa Claus. Even despite the fact that no one in Pardubice seemed to want EMPL to do a good deed for them, the Christmassy atmosphere and warmth of the shopping mall made them believe in miracles again. After long inner debate on why they can’t put their own names as the obvious choice for the hottest committee member, the survey shows that all girls of EMPL are hot, but there’s only one Mr. EMPL - Martin. Actually though, the true hottie of EMPL is the cutest creature named Gingerbread. Evaluating the fulfillment of session expectations, EMPL delegates got a stable 4,27 out of 5. And I hope that rereading this and remembering all the fun they had at the session EMPL will get the top score of 5.
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THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE COMMITTEE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS I BY NELA GÁBRIŠOVÁ
THE SYNCHRONISED LIBE I
Having interviewed the lovely LIBE I delegates, I must conclude that the menstrual synchrony phenomenon* might not be complete nonsense. The whole committee (including boys) has got so startlingly synchronised during the session that even opinions of all members are almost the same. However, the phenomenon apparently does not apply only for
women and menstruation, but for ways of human thinking too. Nearly everyone found the problem-solving teambuilding games especially enjoyable. Not only beating the limits in passing the tennis ball was mentioned, but also traffic jam or the (unsolved) human knot. Challenges are simple appealing to LIBE I. Furthermore, the vast
* A phenomenon reported in 1971 that proved that the menstrual cycles of women who lived together (in homes, prisons etc.) reportedly became synchronized over time. The existence of menstrual synchrony has not been definitively established, and studies investigating it have been controversial. PAREXCELLENCE
LIBE I
majority of delegates has the identical great expectations which are: To improve in English and meet new people. Fortunately, in contrast to Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, these have been rather more than less fulfilled so far. Considering the adjectives that best describe the committee, funny and interesting are the most expressive ones. Moreover, they perfectly describe the members of the committee too. As one attractive person is just too few, there are three elected hotties in LIBE I: friendly Lucka the Lonely, outgoing funny Láďa and cute Natálie. Furthermore, the committee consists of the same number of people who rather listen than talk as of those who are rather talkative and thus it occurs to be very well balanced. THE MALL HUNT
During the committee dinner curious Petr just could not wait anymore to discover what the Treasure Hunt was supposed to
LIBE I
be about and interrogated everyone around about that matter. For common relief and pleasure, Gio soon gave away the secret of hunting. However, the goal turned out to be “Let’s go to the mall!” instead of “Let’s go find the treasure!” On the way there, LIBE I managed to scare, surprise, embarrass, but also amuse and make smile dozens of people in only an hour. A great achievement for such a short time, is it not? Without being spontaneous like Olga, we would not be that successful. ABSOLUTELY SPOTLESS
When dealing with the issue of minorities segregated from society, apart from the obvious importance of raising employment rate and level of education, the committee revealed the essential “state of cleanness”. It goes beyond doubt that living in a proper order increases your standard of living as well as social status. Be as spotless and inventive as LIBE I and help the others to get integrated by supporting their resolution.
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“INDIVIDUALLY WE ARE ONE DROP. TOGETHER, WE ARE AN OCEAN.” BY ANNA KAMPFMANN
It has been raining during the past few days, the drops fall all over – Matěrina, Petrkéta, Daninik, Filistýna & Katka – merging into a continuous body of water, a small sea and unique committee. Who is it? LIBE II considers itself an innovative, active, diverse, and enthusiastic committee – not surprising, as they presented themselves as the unofficial presidential committee two days before. To say it with Matouš’s words: “Our group simply is the best one!” PAREXCELLENCE
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” During the past few days, hours, minutes, one could not miss the sparkling eyes of each and every delegate, their excitement and evenness – even though some unpleasant or plain awkward moments happened to occur. Brainstorming – by dropping this word and handing out the post-its to the delegates, the chairs Míša and Nemanja managed to put nearly each and every delegate out of countenance for several minutes. However, even LIBE II
that was just the calm before the storm! Imagine a discussion on the topic of terrorism amongst future jet fighter pilots, lawyers and scouts… Offence or Defence? From my point of view, I can tell that it really was interesting and exciting for me to listen to your lively and sometimes even heated debates. “Honey, tell me that you love me!” While thinking about the question of who is the hottest, the most attractive fellow delegate, one might have noticed a slight uncertainty and shy smiles passing their lips. Who finally won the competition? Hilary Duff and Tintin. 5 out of 5 points Czech Village was one of the very highlights at the 8th Czech Forum for a majority of LIBE II. What they liked best? Besides the homemade Czech cherry liquor, the words “orgasmus” and “cmunda” were dropped. Speaking of culinary experiences - let me just drop some words about the wonderful committee dinner: Because
LIBE II
of all delegates actively taking part in the conversation, the relaxed atmosphere, and the heart-warming toasts, your chair called it “her favourite moment of the session so far” - I agree. Moreover, what became quite clear during the few minutes of conversation is that they all got ignited, got inspired by the “EYP spirit” in some way or another – 9 out of 9 people responded positively to the question whether they want to continue in EYP or not – figures that speak for themselves. See you soon, somewhere across Europe! PS: Have you heard about the Dead Sea? The salt lake that never lets you drown but carries you on the surface of the water instead, whatever happens? There actually is something about this lake that reminds me of the Committee on Civil Liberty, Justice and Home Affairs II…
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LIBE III BY JIŘÍ POUR
It is 10:37 on the 26th of November 2011 and LIBE III is going through a surprisingly calm and focused discussion finishing up its solutions on drugs and their legal regulation. Suddenly somebody cries “Where is Honza?” “How long has he not been here?” “Five minutes? Half an hour? I don’t know”, responds another one. While watching this scene I remembered a strange answer of one of the LIBE III delegates when having to say three adjectives suitable for his committee. Among PAREXCELLENCE
other things he described it as drugged. Of course it was probably just a joke referring to the resolution topic but he was closer to the truth than he might have thought. This committee really is drugged. Drugged by their topic, drugged by their desire to find solutions for the problems they have already described and agreed on the day before. Thankfully Honza was fine and came back in a moment. But there is more to appreciate about LIBE III than just focus and enthusiasm, shown LIBE III
in the little story above. It is fascinating how they work together, listen to each other and seem to share a same sense of humor after less than three days. But being a committee is not only about working together, it is also about having fun and getting to know each other better. Having fun and meeting new friends were by the way some of the most common expectations of the LIBE III delegates before the session. Last night was a night of committee dinners and treasure hunting, both activities that fit ideally to fulfilling those expectations. Starting with a waiter in the restaurant, who had the skills and face of an experienced mime and used them every time he got to our table, followed by Nata’s amazing ability to learn and reproduce his facial art using her own face, the night was a continuous chain of laughter, sometimes on an edge of a health hazard.
LIBE III
It is 13:34 on 26.11.2011 and I am still sitting in LIBE’s committee room. The resolution is done. It is the time of distribution of the roles at GA. That is a very difficult, revealing and sometimes even painful moment of the session. The group spirit is confronted with personal ambitions of the delegates and their self-confidence. I am very happy that as I am writing this paragraph, LIBE III managed to find an agreement that all of them seem to be satisfied with. It will be Sunday afternoon when my dear delegates from LIBE III hold this article in their hands. They are probably very tired and, I hope, having a feeling of accomplishment. They should. No matter how the GA went, they took a long path from awkward moments at the beginning to being able to stand up for their opinions and manage to write a good resolution together.
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BE A “YOUROPEAN”! HAVE YOUR SAY! TAKE THE POLL! BY ANA MARIA CROITORU
There is a warm fuzzy feeling that goes trough your veins once you have tasted the spirit of an EYP session. It is as if EYP would be a box of matches that lights a fire that raises your expectations of yourself, of others, of Europe. But in order for this fire not to fade away one has to do more than simply attend EYP sessions; one has “to get involved, stay informed and spread the word”. It was the need of the young people to express their opinion concerning the socio-political issues of the society we live in today that gave birth to the European Youth Polls. These polls’ aim is to bring together the opinions of the young people around our continent and to make their voice be heard at a national and international level. But even though young Europeans wanted to make themselves be heard, the first poll on the European Dept Crisis turn out not to be the success everyone was expecting for, since only 1231 people were interested in filling in the o the surveys. But as the word was spread, the next poll on Immigration and Asylum PAREXCELLENCE
policy was already taken by 2352 people. The number impressed the MEP Kinga Gal of Hungary and made him discuss the results and opinions of the youngsters in the European political debate over Schengen. We proved that we can; now it’s your turn! Do you want to be an active European? Prove it! If you want to have your say check out the Facebook European Youth Polls page, where all the pieces of information on new polls are released then share it with at least 5 friends of yours. Not content with the polls released or you have an idea that could make a poll? Send it to info@eyp.org! As Monet would have said, “Don’t be an optimist; be determined” and only then you will be able to change something .
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BIG GOVERNMENT. SMALL BRAINS. DUMB LAWS. BY LIA PACHLER
Navigating Europe’s legal redundancies. When thinking of pointless laws the first that will probably come to your mind is the notorious story about an American woman who filed a lawsuit against the producer of her microwave for not warning her about the dangers of putting a cat in the microwave and she had the law on her side. However, it is not only the Americans having plain old ridiculous laws, they are also widespread among the Europeans. Imagine travelling through Europe or living in another country for some time and getting arrested just because you did not know about a foolish law. For avoiding this in the near future, read the following instructions carefully. When going to a restaurant in Denmark and ordering a free glass of tap water, make sure there will be no lemon slice or ice cubes added, because otherwise you may have to pay for those. After finishing your drink and getting back to your car, pay attention to the bottom of it, due to the fact that it is illegal to start a car while someone is underneath the 9
vehicle. Heading to Napoleon’s country of origin, one may not address one’s pig as “Napoleon”. Additionally, if you happen to get in the situation of killing someone, avoid doing it with an ashtray, since they are treated as a deadly weapon in court. Possibly you were falling in love with a romantic Frenchman/woman and you want to continue your travel together; in this case I would not recommend you to go by railway because unfortunately kissing there is illegal. I hope you will remember those facts when travelling through the above-mentioned countries, because otherwise you may find yourself spending your stay in the police’s custody.
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IN EYP, NEVER SAY “GOODBYE”, ALWAYS SAY “SEE YOU SOON”. BY LYUBOV DVORETSKAYA
The only thing in EYP that I myself feel very sad about is the fact that almost at every session you meet people that become important to you, and once the session ends, there always comes the time to say goodbye.
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Very few people are good at saying goodbs, and honestly speaking, it’s not a thing you want to be good at. yeAfter a first session it may seem that you are not going to see your new friends anywhere but Facebook, but let me assure you, that no one in EYP ever says good bye forever. That’s one of the wonders of European Youth Parliament. Once you’re in, you don’t want to get out. And it doesn’t take any s u p e r n at ural powers to predict with a 90% probability that you’re bound to meet your EYP friends at some session, somewhere in Europe. You never know when will it happen – next month, or next year, but it’s worth the wait. The incomparable feeling of joy 10
from the surprise meeting (it still feels like a surprise birthday present, even if you knew about the upcoming meeting) can be compared to a one of a family reunion. Actually it is a family reunion – of an EYP family. There’s never a session where you don’t know anyone. It’s always ”Hey, you were in my committee once!”, “You were Journo at our Nationals last year!”, and Chairs simply never forget their delegates, so you’re guaranteed to receive a warm welcome from your former Chair wherever you meet them. Sometimes, it can even be like, “Oh, it’s so good to see you again! You must still have my USB stick from the previous session”. Happens to family members all the time, right? Of course, everything is in the hands of fate and unexpected meeting with friends is always a
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good thing, but actually, there’s something you can do to ensure that your fate will lead you the way you want it to - meaning, to the right people. All it takes is to just keep track of the sessions that are planned in different countries and APPLY. Or, if you are brave enough – become an organizer at a session and invite your friends to come to you. At some point you’ll notice that you feel like home in any EYP country. That’s a real way to become a citizen of united Europe. It’s totally worth it, as you know, sometimes, some people who live in another country or city somehow become closer to you than those you sit at one desk with at school. And meanwhile, In Facebook we trust!
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NEWSFLASH 27.11.11 BY ANNA KAMPFMANN
PARDUBICE | 8th Czech Forum participants celebrate Farewell Party +++++ In the meanwhile +++++ EU | Controversial “eurobond” plan being set out - Jose Manuel Barroso’s proposals for common Euro-area bonds to handle the current debt crisis attracted harsh criticism, especially by the German government. FRANCE/GERMANY | Police in continuous service on 1,100 kilometres - Despite numerous protests and demonstrations, 11 CASTOR wagons of nuclear waste have crossed the Franco-German border on their way to Gorleben. EGYPT | Violence returns to Cairo’s streets - Activist killed in Cairo as thousands of people demonstrate in Tahrir Square PAKISTAN | Troops killed by NATO helicopter strike on Afghan border, says country’s military - Helicopters from Afghanistan flew across the border in northwest Pakistan and attacked checkpoint, 24 soldiers were killed PALESTINE | Hamas and Fatah agree on “May poll” - Leaders of the two rival Palestinian factions concluded negotiations aiming at a reconciliation to end a long-standing contention. LONDON | World’s first video game urinals? - Nintendo is presenting its latest innovation: The first urine-controlled video games. Going to the loo has never been this much fun.
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8th Czech Forum Pardubice EYP Czech Republic 24.-27.11.2011 Záštitu převzali: x x x
Miroslava Němcová, předsedkyně Poslanecké sněmovny Parlamentu ČR Mgr. Jindřich Tauber, náměstek primátorky statutárního města Pardubic Ing. Jana Pernicová, členka Rady Pardubického kraje