Helvetia Issue Zero by Tamer Özgen

HELVETIA ISSUE ZERO The Official Newspaper Of Bern2015

EDITORIAL Dear delegates, Starting an EYP session is always a mystery. There are lots of people you don’t know, a team you need to work fruitfully and tasks you have to accomplish. Starting a new activity is a radical choice, but you can be more than sure that you have come to the right place. This 6-day step into your new EYP life might change your whole youth. Be brave, take initiative, stand up and do your best in order to achieve the unseen. These first days of September 2015 will change your life!

Onur Can Uçarer & Tamer Özgen

This Issue is brought to you by R. Tamer Özgen (TR) Onur Can Uçarer (TR) Oliver Kötter (DE) Bilge Özensoy (TR) Caoimhe Healy (IE) Cécile Schluep (CH) Dimitris Krokos (GR) Doris Fonseca Lima (CH) Josephine Heinzelmann (CH) Mari Vetti Frostad (NO) Maria Fedoruk (UA) Marta Rosique Saltor (ES) Samuel Hönle (AT) Tom Wölfskämpf (DE)

WHAT’S INSIDE? ELIMINATING 21ST CENTURY SLAVERY TURNING V

TRASH

INTO

CASH

MIGRAINE OR MIGRATION?

CHILDREN OVERWEIGHT IS NOT OVER

DO YOU PAY YOUR TAXES? 4

10 12

AGRICULTURE

ON THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION

WILD YOUR WINDMILLS REINVENTING SCAPEGOATS

T H E V A L U E22

OF AN IDEA

THE PRICE OF FREE TRADE

THE SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE

EVENTS

El覺m覺nat覺ng 21st Century Slavery EMPL

Tom Wolfskampf (DE)

ith one out of five young European citizens between 15 and 24 unemployed in 2014, youth unemployment is one of the biggest problems the European Union faces today. In light of this, young people believe to have no choice but to accept traineeships, which offer little to no financial incentives in hope that they might get a real job offer after their traineeship concludes. Especially unpaid traineeships lead to higher social costs, as they have begun to replace regular labour in many sectors which forces member states to continue their financial support for longer than average periods of time. On top of that, the statistics show that the majority of traineeships do not offer any educational value and do not commonly result in actual, paid employment. Instead, the employability of young people remains low, as trainees are often asked to do menial tasks with popular examples being sorting and copying documents, which has almost become a stereotype that is dangerously close to reality. It is also not helping that there are no clear guidelines on how to certify the new skills, which might have been acquired during traineeships, leading to situations where new traineeships are required as means to prove that certain skills are already in place, defeating the initial purpose of traineeships altogether. All in all, the level of exploitation taking place during unpaid traineeships is so high, that they have become a form if 21st century slavery. The European Commission has noticed these problems and is aiming to solve them by introducing the Quality Framework for Traineeships, which contains a list of problems and non-binding recommendations for member states on how to tackle them. The biggest change is most likely the recommendation to require written agreements, which explicitly state the conditions of the traineeship and has to be agreed on before it starts. This includes that the train-

ee and the traineeship provider agree on clearly indicated educational objectives, financial compensation, health and accident insurance and the rights and obligations of the parties, all under applicable EU and national law. A new duration limitation is also being recommended which hopes to stop long-term abuse of unpaid labour. Six months is what the European Commission believes to be the maximum appropriate time for a traineeship. Ideally these changes should lead to the trainee acquiring practical experience and relevant skills while making it harder for traineeship providers to essentially enslave young European citizens. This would require all member states of the European Union to immediately concentrate on creating and implementing laws, which reflect all the given recommendations. Only this way it could be insured that young Europeans are getting the chances and most importantly the rights, which they deserve. Practically however, none of the recommendations by the European Commission are binding and whether any actual change will follow as a result of the propositions is to be doubted. Keeping in mind the speed of national law making we need to ask ourselves whether it will be too late for an entire generation of young Europeans who are lost and struggling to position themselves in the job market as a result of politics which continue to allow such exploitation. It is now your turn to discover and develop new solutions or to expand and build upon the propositions by the European Commission. In a best case scenario they would lay a foundation as close to binding legislation as possible, which keeps the differences in traineeship culture of the member states in mind while universally protecting the rights of young Europeans looking for education and jobs though traineeships. Only then, it is possible to end the slavery of the 21st century and to enter a new era of empowered and employed young Europeans.

Turning Trash INTO CA $ H

ENVI

aking out the trash is usually a chore that is passed around the house with “You do it!”s, because of the terrible smell and hygienic concerns. After it leaves the house, however, the process becomes a bit more complicated than just carrying a stinky bag between two cans. Each member of the household produces about half a ton of waste each year, and only 40% of it is recycled. The waste production of industrialised cities is however, not only limited to the garbage coming out of residential areas, which are called “household waste”, and fall in the category of non-hazardous waste. In fact, out of 2 billion tons of waste produced in total per year, over 40 million tons are categorised as hazardous waste. Overall, every 10 tonnes of material used in Europe each year end up leaving 4 tonnes of waste. Moreover, only 36% of the waste is recycled, whereas the rest is land filled or burned. The 5-step “European Waste Hierarchy” advocates that land filling and burning should be like what pariah is in a caste system: they should be avoided and pushed aside. Both methods are environmentally harmful, as they contribute significantly to the emission of Greenhouse gases. Land filling especially is a potential threat to groundwater due to possible leachate. Before destroying the waste that was once useful material, one should firstly prevent and reduce the production of such wastes, secondly reuse the products before they become waste, thirdly recycle the material and use it for alternative purposes and fourthly try to recover it by partially incinerating and gaining some energy from the process. The last step is referred to as “waste-to-energy” programs, and they not only divert waste from going straight under the soil in a landfill, but also serve as an alternative energy source that could replace fossil fuels.

Bilge Özensoy (TR)

The waste-to-energy programs are so favoured especially in the production of heat energy that many cities are drastically transitioning to waste-to-energy plants instead of the carbon emitting. In Paris, for instance, 50% of the district heating network is supplied by three waste-to-energy plants. Likewise, in Malmö, 60% of the heat demand of the city is supplied by these plants. If the promotion of the WtE (waste-to-energy) plants continues, 8-42 million tons of fossil fuels that emit 21-42 million tons of carbon dioxide can be replaced each year. What’s more, half of the energy produced by the plants is considered as renewable energy, which will contribute to Europe 2020 targets in which renewable energy sources are set out to account for 20% of the overall energy consumption. Lastly, as a part of Circular Economy Strategy Roadmap which is to be established by the European Commission later this year and seeks a more competitive and resource-efficient economy in Europe, regaining the waste through pertinent waste management holds a key position. The roadmap states that action is needed at every stage of the life cycle of products; be it the extraction, product design, production, distribution, consumption, repairing, remanufacturing, recycling and even the disposal. The roadmap will be a crucial step defining the strategy to transitioning the economy to one that is circular and efficient. However, with businesses and the consumers favouring the current disposal systems, it would take intensive proposals and investments to realise the transition to such a system. It is time to give waste a second chance, a second life before burying it in the ground to rot. The major question now is what can the EU do to incentivise the investments to WtE technologies and similar waste management methods? How can the EU support the adaptation of the public and the businesses to the new economic goals?

Migraine or Migration? lıbe ı

“There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.” - Plato

The search for peace and food that is forcing thousands of women and men, often with their young children in tow, to risk their lives reaching Europe didn’t begin today, and it won’t end tomorrow. Anyone who thinks this crisis can be solved with a tweet or a Facebook post lives in a parallel universe. Plato was alive circa 308 BC, and just look at the foresight he possessed. The Mediterranean migrant emergency is not Italy’s, nor Ireland, nor Switzerland, nor any other individual country’s problem. It is Europe’s. Where you are geographically located within the EU should not affect how you are treated. We shouldn’t let fear and selfishness divide us. We need a humane, European-Union-wide strategy on immigration. However the question remains- how do we actually tackle this?

urope has increasingly become a very diverse continent over the last several years, both demographically and culturally. This diversity offers certain advantages to Europe’s economies and societies, but it also poses numerous challenges. European states are still keen to keep their immigration policies independent from one another’s, creating a mosaic of responses and views on migration and integration. As result, there is often a lack of coordination when it comes to dealing with illegal immigration or human trafficking. Yet a little over a year ago, Europe had to abruptly face the reality that exists across its outer borders. In October 2013, more than 300 African migrants lost their lives near the Italian island of Lampedusa, while trying to reach European shores. Heartbreakingly, this was not an isolated incident. Every year since, and even more so in recent weeks, thousands of migrants have faced similar fates. It is evident that Europe’s leaders cannot ignore this reality any longer. As our continent becomes increasingly surrounded by unstable, war torn regions, it is expected that incidents such as these will become more and more common. Additionally, since illegal immigration affects all EU countries – and not just those located on the borders - there must be a collective effort to defend and closely monitor our continent’s frontiers. Perhaps the EU could increase spending on agencies such a Frontex, which helps foster the free movement of people. European Border Guard Teams (EBGT) are part of the relatively new Frontex regulation which specifies that they will create EBGT for deployment in joint operations and rapid border interventions. The teams are composed of border guards from EU Member States, with experts from all all areas of border management being utilised. One of the most difficult aspects of ‘patrolling’ (and I use the term loosely) our own borders, is keeping the internal borders of Europe open. This is of paramount importance. The Schengen Agreement and the free movement of people are indispensible benefits, which citizens receive with their country’s EU

Caoimhe Healy (IE) membership. We must not put them in jeopardy, due to potential threats arising from illegal immigration or human trafficking.

“In October 2013, more than 300 African migrants lost their lives near the Italian island of Lampedusa, while trying to reach European shores.” This is a crisis of politics as much as it is one of migration and there are two separate levels to examine with this problem. Europe could continue to militarise its borders, and Member States could quibble over relocating migrants as if they were pollutants, not people- or we as a Union of people and countries will find the guidance and bravery to create a just asylum and migrant system where we all pull together to ensure that these migrants are offered a basic standard of living regardless of where they arrive. On another level, a more difficult discussion about the EU and whom or what it exists to benefit is required. Europe prides itself on having removed internal borders- but is this maintained in the interests of its people or its capital? Nonetheless, a solution is within our reach. From the volunteers who visit detainees in British immigration prisons, and the No Borders activists in France who help migrants find safe, empty buildings to take shelter in, to the support groups that have sprung up overnight in Italy and Greece to help new arrivals, everyday, solidarity exists. And more importantly it can be built on. Only a small proportion of the world’s migrants reach this continent of ours- over 85% are still continually hosted in developing countries- and yet it is us who have the resources to help them. Now, whether it happens or not is entirely our choice.

IMCO

Children Overweight is Not Over

Marta Rosique i Saltor (ES)

“Since 2008, the prevalence of obesity has more than tripled and this has brought the EU to direct 7% of its national health budgets to tackle obesity, which is an overall impact of €118 to €236 billion a year.” During the last decades, not only has technology lived an expansion and innovation but also has the food consumption noticeably changed. HFSS (High Fat, Salt and Sugar) products have become every-day-life meals. Healthy food, normal rations and physical activity have faded away in a few years. Since 2008, the prevalence of obesity has more than tripled and this has brought the EU to direct 7% of its national health budgets to tackle obesity, which is an overall impact of €118 to €236 billion a year. And what’s worse, this new lifestyle has rapidly affected the children and young population, what leads us to count on 1 out of 3 children between 6 and 9 years old are overweight or obese. Extra kilograms have become a serious trouble. Although many projects have been set up from governments, the EU, WHO (World Health Organisation) and a considerable number of organisations, the situation remains unchanged. It is necessary to reconsider the key actors who can prevent obesity, the means and the areas of focus.

The last initiative taken in 2014, aims to collect past experiences by adding new proposals. The project called EU Action Plan on Childhood Obesity 2014-2020 counts on the EU and WHO. Focusing on 7 fields, it pretends to halt obesity in less than 18 year-old population by, at the same time, promoting the protection of vulnerable consumers. However, we must consider that whatever is proposed is not compulsory for Member States and must be adapted according to their own circumstances. The main areas of focus are a healthy start in life, healthier environments, a healthy option being the easier one, restricting marketing advertising, informing and empowering families, physical activity monitoring, evaluating and increasing research. Therefore, everything relies on the consumer vulnerability, which is a problem that can easily be tackled by many means. What this project suggests is based on limiting the unhealthy food, both by its commercials and its display in the market and this has already been implemented in some Member States.

The main areas of focus are a healthy start in life, healthier environments, a healthy option being the easier one, restricting marketing advertising, informing and empowering families, physical activity monitoring, evaluating and increasing research. Therefore, everything relies on the consumer vulnerability, which is a problem that can easily be tackled by many means. What this project suggests is based on limiting the unhealthy food, both by its commercials and its display in the market and this has already been implemented in some Member States. Let’s move onto real situations and use a refreshing drink as an example. If we wonder what’s the common activity of all the children, we will surely come up with a quick conclusion: Internet and TV. Thus, both means have become a clear source of information for them. And that’s when commercials or even programmes play a crucial role. Accord-

ing to a study published in the March 2011 issue of the Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, cartoon characters like Shrek have a clear influence on childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eating habits. Therefore, if Bart Simpson drinks a refreshing drink instead of water, millions of kids will be ordering it and consequently, ingesting sugar that might produce -in a continuous and long term- overweight or obesity, which might lead to cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers or musculoskeletal disorders, as well as social stigmatisation and mental health problems. This issue was already solved by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, which accorded that commercial communications for HFSS would be compulsory in children programmes or adverts directed to them. And this is exactly why the EU Pledge was set up. This voluntary initiative by the leading com-

panies of beverage and food aims to delete its commercials for under 12 years old children and its communications in primary school. And companies like Pepsico and Coca Cola are taking part on it. However, this is just a step forward in the process, as parental influence also matters. Another way to ensure consumers responsibility is by regulating the display of HFSS food or its price. In Denmark, for example, the so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;fat taxâ&#x20AC;? was implemented. By adding 16 kroner per kilo of saturated fat on any food containing more than 3%. They aimed to reduce cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. Physical activity also plays an important role in this field. According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, 41% of children did not exercise in the prior 7 days, 13%

of which had not even walked for ten minutes. Such sedentary lifestyle highly increases the chances of overweight and also leads to non-communicable diseases. Therefore, the Action Plan tackles this with proposals such as the creation of new activity facilities such as parks. And many more aspects can influence consumers like the labels or the attractiveness of the healthy food. However, the problem comes when negotiating with HFSS companies. With such improvements in health, they are between the Devil and the deep blue sea, as they must decide whether to go for the economic benefit or for the children healthiness. And this is the main reason why everything that needed to be solved by 2014 has been delayed to 2020. There is still a lot to be done by many actors, by many means.

DO YOU PAY YOUR TAXES

Dimitris Krokos (GR)

econ

f the answer to the question above is “NO”, then you might as well stop reading. If, on the other hand, the answer is “YES” then this article may just be of interest to you. This is because a great deal of our fellow Europeans don’t pay their taxes, hence imposing their share of the taxes on us, the silent majority who – thus - has to give an even bigger part of their income to the state. To be fair, it’s not that they don’t pay their taxes at all; they just find ways to avoid paying a ridiculously big amount of their taxes. This amount is estimated to be as high as 1 trillion Euros per year EU-wide. You might still wonder what the problem is, since not paying your taxes is illegal and it should be pretty easy to tackle, right? Well, not exactly. This is the case when we are talking about tax fraud, but the biggest amount of unpaid taxes is due to tax avoidance. Tax avoidance employs methods that are often in the outskirts of legality and most of the times go against the spirit of the law, while not being openly illegal.

LuxLeaks Example In November 2014, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published the results of an investigation based on confidential data, which shook Europe and burst into a scandal. The investigation was about a tax avoidance scheme, conned by one of the world’s four biggest auditing firms, Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PwC), and under the auspices of the government of Luxemburg which gave favourable tax rulings to multinational corporations. This allowed them to transfer vast sums of money from other EU countries with higher tax rates to subsidiary ghost-companies based in Luxemburg, hence “legally” avoiding paying taxes in countries with higher tax rates. In our small case study of tax avoidance, Luxemburg plays the role of a tax haven, while the strategy devised by PwC and implemented by numerous multinational corporations is called aggressive tax planning. Aggressive tax planning is a strategy aiming at making sure that the revenue of a firm is taxed in the least costly manner and at the least costly place. The bitter experience of LuxLeaks led to the full acknowledgment of the issue at hand by both the European Commission and the European Parliament. The Commission proposed several action plans regarding corporate taxation in the EU, which have been doubted as to their efficiency by NGOs, and the Parliament set up a special committee to look into the matter, which has yet to produce any tangible results.

The Vicious Triangle With our short case study in mind, sketching the 3 pillars of tax avoidance becomes relatively easy. First and foremost, we have businesses and individuals who do not want to pay their fair share in taxes and are looking for a way to do so, without committing fraud and ending up straight to jail (eg. Apple). Secondly, we have tax havens, meaning countries such as Monaco, Switzerland and Luxemburg who are willing to provide more appealing tax regimes, therefore drawing capital towards their banking sector. Finally, especially in the case of multinational corporations, big auditing firms (eg. PwC) come into play, providing aggressive tax plans, in order to serve as a link between individu-

als or corporations seeking to minimize their taxes on one hand and tax havens on the other. Although this “triangle” might appear quite straightforward in theory, in real-life it is often much more complicated. Most of the times, tax deals are kept in secrecy by the authorities and the banks don’t release their customers’ records, big corporations often have complex schemes, such as the one at the picture with subsidiaries, shell corporations and ghost-entities, and auditing firms operate with secrecy and invoke customer confidentiality, when questioned about their strategies. In the end, one thing can be said for sure; that big corporations will continue implementing tax avoidance schemes, as long as it is more cost-effective than paying their taxes where they are due.

Is There Any Hope? The burden of answering this question, dear delegates of ECON, rests upon your shoulders. may you have passionate and fruitful debates!

AGRI

Agr覺culture On The verge

Of Extinction

The world’s population is continuously growing, with an ever-increasing demand for food. In sharp contrast to this, there is an on going loss of arable land in both developed and developing countries. Doris Fonseca Lima (CH) Soil degradation is of concern all over the world. While soil erosion due to wind or water does occur naturally, human actions can intensify the rates at which arable land is lost. Physical degradation of soil, such as desertification is increased by deforestation and overgrazing. Other practices, such as large-scale irrigation of drylands (e.g. in Africa) lead to chemical degradation of soil, mainly salinization. In Europe, the amount of soil degradation varies strongly between different regions. This is due to different climates, topography and soil chemistry. While water erosion is a big concern in Iceland, it’s virtually non-existent in Scandinavia, which has a less harsh climate. Wind erosion is most prevalent in South-Eastern Europe. Only some parts of the soil are taken away by the wind (clay and organic matter with absorbed nutrients), what remains is impoverished, coarse textured soil. The most catastrophic effects of soil erosion can be observed in the Mediterranean region. According to CORINE (1992), a large proportion of land in Portugal, Greece and Spain (68%, 43% and 41% respectively) is at high risk for soil erosion. In these countries, heavy rainfalls, falling on steep slopes with fragile soil, follow long dry periods. Today there are already parts of Greece and Albania that are mostly considered deserts now. Urbanisation is another factor that decreases the amount of arable land worldwide. In 2008, the world’s urban population exceeded its rural population for the first time. Buildings and infrastructures are sealing land that was formerly used for agriculture. In many lower and middle-income nations the urban expansion is occurring haphazardly. Mostly, the growing cities cover the most productive agricultural land of a nation since they where built there in the first place because of highly fertile soils. On an international level, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) addresses the aforementioned threats. This convention has been established in 1994, in light of the Rio Earth Summit. While it is an impressive guide on the bureaucracy surrounding sustainable development, there is little emphasis on actions. It is to be seen if the

convention achieves a « new and more effective approach » until its closure in 2018;

“Realizing that, despite efforts in the past, progress in combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought has not met expectations and that a new and more effective approach is needed at all levels within the framework of sustainable development.” In Europe itself, there seems to be a slightly more action-oriented approach towards the threat of land degradation. The Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) is coordinating several projects. One is the recently launched research project PEGASUS. It aims to “develop new ways of thinking about the way farmland and forests are managed in order to stimulate a long-lasting improvement in the provision of public goods and ecosystem services from agricultural and forest land in the EU.“ Furthermore, there is the Common Agricultural Policy, which is continuously updated and provides basic regulations on rural development, funding, direct payments for farmers and market measures. It should concern every single one of us that economic growth and development is seriously affecting the environment. However, when the loss of arable land is due to agricultural practices, sometimes there is just a lack of formation. European states should therefore try to raise awareness for sustainable agriculture. A prime example for sustainable agriculture is Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR). This low-cost, sustainable land-restoration technique is especially applicable to dryland tropics. It involves planting of trees, which improve the water retention of the soil and provide shade. This creates optimal growing conditions for crops and decreases erosion by wind and heat damage of the soil. It has been said that FMNR can at least double crop yields on low fertility soils. With the implementation of more sustainable agricultural techniques and action programmes we can hope that the rate of land loss can be slowed down.

WIELD YOUR WINDMILLS WIELD YOUR WINDMILLS

ıtre

Mari Vetti Frostad (NO)

ver a century ago, when the tension level between the European states was so high that the continent was on the brink of World War One, Britain decided to shift the power source of the countries’ navy’s ships from coal to oil. The man behind this complete turnover was called Winston Churchill, who was in charge of the navy at the time. His goal was to make sure the British fleet was faster and stronger than Germans. Even though it was a risky move, Churchill remained steady as a rock in his strategy: “Safety and certainty in oil,” he said, “lie in variety and variety alone.” Money is might,–so are energy resources. Churchill knew that. Many say this historical move gave the British fleet the advantage needed to win the war. Since then, energy resources have remained an essential ingredient to the international power picture – not only as a crucial weapon in wars but also as a cause to the outbursts of armed conflicts. But the world wars are long gone, you say – and what has warfare really got to do with achieving a sustainable European energy supply? Firstly, let us have a look at the major conflicts covering BBCs news stream today. Ranging from the Islamic State to the Ukraine Crisis, these conflicts are fuelled by the hunt for oil and gas. “Make no mistake about it”, says Micheal Klare from the renowned political paper Le Monde Diplomatique, “these are 21st century energy wars”.

“Safety and certainty in oil, lie in variety and variety alone.” The problem is, Europe is not positioned very well energy-wise. European states are heavily dependent on import of oil and natural gas, receiving over 7 million barrels of oil a week. Unlike Churchill’s political goal, such a market with little energy divergence is vulnerable to events. Considering how much the energy policies affects international relations, the core question remains: What will European states’ countermoves be? Facing a strong Russia, on which we are heavily dependent, how can the EU rather shift to cleaner energy supplies and risk the tension escalating?

Luckily, opportunities could actually arise from the strident fight for oil. The ISIS occupations, Russian monopoly and the political restrictions on gas and oil lead to higher energy demand and higher prices. The increased demand could, if directed wisely by well-designed policies, make way for a market in which investment in clean technologies are more profitable. Renewable energy is not only environmentally sustainable, but also economically and socially. Energy efficiency means cost efficiency – and e.g. solar panels can gain local societies on a small scale, as opposed to the costly extraction of oil which is only available for the wealthiest companies. Nevertheless, there are no short cuts to ensuring the clean-tech market growth. Manoeuvring into clean-tech holds several risks such as the economic uncertainty of investing in premature technologies. Clean sources such as wind, solar, tidal, hydro and biomass still struggle for their position in the market. In order to make the European energy market greener, measures must aim for boosting all aspects of clean technologies; not only by filling up the clean-tech budget post as far as it goes. The challenge that remains for new clean-techs to break through is investment in “all the other opportunities it brings for exports, new markets, the discovery of new scientific areas, employment and economic development”, states Angela Merkel. The move Churchill chose to make a century ago towards energy divergence was a daring one. He also faced threatening international conflicts, but chose to be bold and innovative. Today, introducing a long overdue shift in Europe’s energy market has come past the point of installing a couple of solar panels on David Cameron’s rooftop. The challenge goes deeper than that. Following Angela Merkel’s advice, ensuring a sustainable energy supply demands measures all along the complicated chain of international trade, economics and technology. It also means that the major obstacle to the development of new energy sources is not geology and geography, but what happens in dusty offices: international affairs, governmental decision-making and strategies in the hunt for energy. There is an energy war raging with increasing intensity – and that war will never stop. It is up to ITRE how European states should steer the warfare towards a more sustainable direction. Wield your windmills.

REINVENTING SCAPEGOATS 20

Right-Wing Popularism Across Europe

lıbe ıI

ight-wing populism itself isn’t anything new. It has been a fixed entity for about 30 years in many European countries, sometimes successful and sometimes not. What is new, however, is that the right-wing populists have discovered a reality that is much more appealing to voters than the usual anger against foreigners and the political class. They have found a powerful new issue in resistance against the growing visibility of Islam in Europe. They portray themselves as the defenders of European values, and yet both they and their voters seem to care very little that some of those values, such as freedom of religion, are being trampled on in the struggle.

Cecile Schluep (CH) In our politically pluralistic society there is no majority: The basic ideas of government are seen through the ideas of individuals and groups to ensure that all the needs and wants of society are taken care of. There is no right or wrong idea: Everyone’s ideas are valid. Therefore, despite the disruptive qualities of extremist parties, they have the right to voice their opinion and deserve to be represented in their national and European parliament, as well as any other party: this is democracy. Religious freedom and equal treatment, however, are basic principles that are very often violated or ignored.

round of the next national elections and one day getting more than 50 percent of the votes. A January 2015 survey puts the National Front’s popularity at 28 percent, just two percentage points shy of President François Hollande’s Socialist Party. A party with a woman stating “Muslims in France are like Nazi occupation” as its head, won 24 of France’s 74 seats in 2014 European Parliament Election. Unquiet?

Similarly, deep economic crisis in Greece created conditions for fascist Golden Dawn to capture 6 % of the vote, resulting in 17 senate seats in the 300-seat government body. Widely described as a Far right uses extremely populist methods neo-Nazi party, Golden Dawn has been to convince voters to join their ranks. linked to violent attacks against minoriMany of the parties incite fear, blaming ties, using immigrants as scapegoats for The ubiquitous economic crisis, increased immigration or the perceived threat from the frustrations, insecurities and hardimmigration, the threat of international Islam for their countries’ social or ecoships of today’s indigenous Greek popterrorism and the growing scepticism nomic illnesses. They propose very simple ulation. During organized rallies they toward the European Union (EU) are solutions such as expulsion of all immipractice Nazi salutes and embrace Nazi reasons for EU citizens to shift their atgrants, closing borders or immediate exit doctrines. In 2013, its’ leader Michaloliatention to their own country’s needs and from the European Union. kos and 16 other members were arrested therefore neglecting the EU and its prinin the wake of the murder of an anti-fasciples. This change of mind has led many The attack on Charlie Hebdo’s headquar- cist rapper by a Goldern Dawn supporter. European voters to rally behind far right ters perpetrated by Islamists made way for Michaloliakos currently remains in jail as nationalist parties hoping to save their anti-Muslim rhetoric all over Europe. In his trial continues. nation’s sovereignty. France, the National Front’s popularity is growing steadily and surely. The party is This rise of far right parties is a chilling Unfortunately, social democratic parties now lead by the daughter of its controver- echo of the 1930s. The big question now are incapable of defending themselves sial former head Jean-Marie le Pen, who is whether the EU should act to tackle the against right-wing populists, who cite made several anti-Semitic remarks during arising xenophobia and far right parties in the same values of free speech, feminism his tenure of the party. While her father order to prevent history from rewinding and secularism in defending their batwas nicknamed, the “Devil of the Repub- itself or leave it up to democracy. LIBE II tles against headscarves, minarets and lic” by the mainstream media, Marine le delegates will have to take not only politmosques. Mainstream parties, as well, are Pen pursued a policy of “de-demonizaical but also philosophical analysis of our forced to shift more right, worried to lose tion” of the party by softening its image. democracy into consideration to answer votes if they don’t. Although she appears to be more modthis highly controversial question. erate than her father, she’s in fact more What democratic principles are we dangerous. According to polls, there is a talking about? possibility of her getting through the first

THE VALU E

AN IDEA INTA I

In a digitising and globalising world, ideas in the widest sense have become an important trade good. However, it is almost impossible to define the value of an idea. Therefore, Intellectual Property Rights have been established in almost every country, enabling inventors to monetise their ideas. Even though often beneficial, these laws can be also harmful, as in the case of medicine. Where should we draw the line between inventorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights and the public good? 22

ntellectual property has become more and more important over the past few decades and is increasing to do so. This is due to the shift society is going through towards a so-called “information society”. As the world is becoming more digitalised and globalised, information is becoming easier to publish and access. Applying the law of supply and demand, the value of information decreases as it gets easier to be accessed. To give creators and inventors an opportunity to monetise their creations and inventions, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) have been put into place to let them protect their work. The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is an international agreement aiming at establishing comparable IPR regulations to simplify international trade. However, TRIPS is under great criticism as it is said that it mainly benefits developed countries and it is unhelpful or even harmful to less-developed countries. This is caused by developed countries and powerful lobbies having a much greater influence on the negotiations. The economic situations and cultural backgrounds of less-developed countries would often require less strict or different IPR regimes to benefit their economies and populations. Depending on which type of intellectual property you want to protect, there are different types of IPRs you can use. For example, if you invent a new, refreshing drink called “BubbleFuzz” and want to bring it to the market, the recipe would be covered under patent law, while you would protect the name as a trademark. With this system, you as the inventor can be sure that you are the only one who is allowed to produce this exact drink and that nobody else is allowed to make profit off your idea. You are also the only one who is allowed to use “BubbleFuzz™” as the name of your product, and consumers can be sure that they will drink the original BubbleFuzz when they buy a bottle with the name on it. In this case, IPRs benefit both the producer and the consumer. In the case of medicine, however,

Samuel Hönle (AT) IPRs can have an entirely different effect. As recipes are protected under patent law, it is generally not possible to produce more affordable generic versions of a drug. This leads to limited access to potentially life-saving drugs, especially in less-developed countries. Many countries and agreements (also TRIPS) have special clauses to allow generic drugs, mainly in the case of a national health crisis, but the way to such an exemption is often long and costly. The main arguments for and against strict IPRs revolve around whether or not they are beneficial for innovation. Supporters say that by only offering them a way to protect their work, innovators and researchers have enough revenue prospects which foster further innovation and research. In contrast, opponents claim that IPRs harm the economy and the consumers by restricting competition and establishing monopolies. In the context of medicine supply, stricter IPRs would help pharmaceutical companies to fund further research and develop new drugs, while less strict IPRs would make medicine more affordable and thus more easily accessible to citizens, especially in less-developed countries. Over the past years, it has become quite clear that TRIPS needs to be revised. The question is which stance developed countries should take in order to make this agreement beneficial for all participating countries. Without a doubt, the patenting of medicines needs to be one of the key aspects to be discussed, as it concerns public health – especially in less-developed countries. The negotiators need to strike a balance between fostering research and making medicine accessible to those who need it the most. However, medicine is not the only part of TRIPS that needs to be revised. At the end of the day, considering the greatly varying needs of countries concerning intellectual property, we need to ask ourselves if a global IPR standard is the right approach after all. 23

INTA II

PRICE OF

FREE TRADE

evelopment is one of the top priorities on any country‘s agenda. The word has a positive connotation; that of growth and of a sense of moving forward into a brighter future. In our globalised world of the 21st century, it also means working beyond national boarders and practicing an active exchange between countries and their cultures. This exchange helps nations develop economically as well as technologically. Thus, governments have established free trade agreements(FTAs), so as to facilitate the outreach across boarders. And upon hearing the word „free“ we think of freedom, do we not? Freedom is a principle, a value so important to us, to democracy, that we believe every single human being should have the right to it. The question is, do these FTAs, which sound so very promising, promote development whilst guaranteeing freedom to everyone? First, even the fiercest critics cannot deny the advantages FTAs have. Governments establish them as key parts of their development plans, as they are designed in a way so as to reduce the barriers to trade between two or more countries. Lowering said trade barriers, such as tariffs, helps industries access new markets, increasing their reach and the number of people they can sell their products to. In addition, FTA-supporters argue that due to larger markets, FTAs create more jobs. Finally, FTAs are also ultimately designed to benefit consumers; in theory, increased competition means more products on the shelves at lower prices. Thus far, the benefits of FTAs seem numerous and legitimate. Taking a closer look, however, the side-effects of FTAs turn ugly. Some critics go so far as to call them “wolves in sheep‘s clothing“. Trade liberalisation does sound like a winning deal -- but at what cost? After all, the trade barriers in place help protect local markets and industries as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). Thus, in effect, FTAs further promote large industries that are strong already. On an international scale, critics fear that FTAs enable powerful economies to impose their will over smaller, developing economies, forcing the latter to make more concessions than are beneficial for them in the long term. FTAs bear even another area of concern, i.e. the dimension of human and labour rights. To portray this, the FTA established between Switzerland and China in 2013 offers an illustrative example. Economic relations were to be further expanded be-

Josephine Heinzelmann (CH) tween Switzerland and China and the agreement was expected to secure further competitive advantages for Swiss exporters. Switzerland, as a very small country, sought to position itself in the global economy so as not to fall behind, so their intentions are thus far understandable. However, trading with China has its pitfalls: there are massive human rights violations and working conditions are appalling. To name a few, there exist little or no access to social services and health facilities, exploitation in sweatshops, forced labour in labour camps (approx. 3 million inmates), child labour, discrimination of more than 200 million migratory labourers at the workplace, forced evictions, death penalty and torture, violation of freedom of expression - the list goes on and on. During the negotiations, an association of various organisations in Switzerland called the „China platform“ demanded binding clauses on all human rights to be included in the FTA and the setting up of an agency that ensures human and labour rights are implicated. But Switzerland didn‘t deliver. This makes it possible for companies to profit from China‘s low human rights standards. There is no guarantee that Chinese products fabricated under disregard of human and labour rights will not be on sale in Swiss stores. How could this have happened? A state that enters into agreements with a partner country must ensure that these rights are not infringed upon but guaranteed, otherwise the state in question becomes a supporter, an accomplice of human rights violators. Indeed, Switzerland‘s FTA with China promotes trade liberalisation at the price of human rights in China. What makes the situation even worse is that China may now show its FTA with Switzerland as a precedent when dealing with other countries. The FTA with China would have been Switzerland‘s chance to make a difference, to raise our voices in favour of the protection of freedom and the rights of every person in the world. Now, however, it‘s the EU that must reflect upon the following questions and must choose between what is right and what is easy. What should be learned from the FTA between Switzerland and China? Does a state that enters into an agreement with a country known for human rights violations truly become an accomplice to those human rights violations? How should the EU weigh economic growth against upholding enforcement of human rights? Do the FTA‘s benefit outweigh their dangers? These questions to be solved are so important that the quality of the life of millions as well as the functioning of the international economy depend upon the outcomes.

Nfo r

rie

DROI

Ev en ts

“When one flips a coin, they expect a game of fortune: you never know if you are going to pick the right side. And today it means you might not get even the fairest life conditions – equality is perceived differently in various states all over the globe. Thus, the never-ending Shakespearean question remains open: ‘Water access: to be or not to be?’ – and not even a human skull may influence your answer.” Maria Fedoruk (UA) The water crisis has been considered as the top global risk, measuring its impact on the societal environment of mankind by the World Economic Forum, January 2015. What is called initially as the public resource and one of the human rights by birth granted by international law now exists only for so-called lucky ones. Letting figures speak explicitly shows that approximately 768 million people have no access to safe drinking water, 1 billion still practice open defecation, which can lead to the water contamination and diseases such as cholera, hepatitis A and diarrhoea and 2.5 billion people do not meet hygiene standards due to lack of proper facilities. Yet how many more people do we need to find the right solution on such urgent matter? Who must be responsible for water investment; public sector, private sector or both combined? If it is a game of a flipping coin, check sides and prove your luck.

‘Heads’ and you are out in a developed country like Den-

mark. According to the rate of UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme the whole Danish population has continuous access to improved water supply and sanitation which marks the high level of approval among citizens regarding the state environmental policy. This policy itself is carried out by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. Moreover, water supply is highly decentralised, with large and small waterworks situated all over the country. The regulation and monitoring come from both municipalities and consumers’ cooperatives. Last but not least, issue of environmentally sustainable water supply is taken care by the Danish Water and Waste Association which is a non-profit organisation funded by its members, municipalities and different regional clusters’ utilities. However, you always pay for the high quality product – and this is the case in Denmark as well. The Danish price for water and wastewater including taxes is 8,6 dollars per cubic metre – the highest tariff in the world. People have started appreciating the scarcity of the resource and its true value. Whilst such benefits clearly lead to greater water conservation, water consumption in agriculture and food industry is dropping dramatically summarising the economic strain and distortion of competition among such companies. Furthermore, the main question arises: how can the government run the water supply sector for the people’s good when it is selling off the public resource to large financial corporations? Philosophy is probably seen behind: big companies are interested in the return on investment which is reached by price fixing. Doesn’t it sound like a success story when you are tossing a lucky coin?

‘Tails’

When you face a image, you see that there are yet regions where the concept of water supply or sanitation is barely understood. The rest of the world is suffering from dirty water and its implications on health and main living conditions. That is not the victory indeed, especially while more than 840,000 people die each year from a water-related disease. Although the urgency of solving the water crisis is hard to question, the African Development Bank rejects the proposals coming from various NGOs to include water and sanitation to the list of health policy integral parts due to the financial gap and requirements to get more investors and – specifically – customers who will pay for themselves. It is explained by the lack of infrastructure and needed facilities. However, an average African citizen hardly imagines the way to afford proper supply of safe drinking water on his own. Thus, the time of Public Private Partnerships’ (PPP) projects has come. One of such projects has been launched in Manila, the Philippines. The International Finance Corporation claims the project is a success story because it has provided an extra 1.7 million people with clean water, reduced diarrhoea cases by 51%, and offered customers significant savings: 20 times less than per cubic metre rates previously charged by water vendors. On the other hand, the other PPP project has recently led to protests due to inadequate price rising, unequal water distribution and illegal activity of companies who ruled the roost in the India’s largest city, Nagpur. Consequently, the story of the privatised companies as well as those who combine their activities with high officials is quite shady but promising if supervising methods are applied.

One can say that you should follow what the coin tells you but as the matter of fact, it only helps you make up your mind for the right decision. Do you feel right about all results? Then here is the question: equal water access across the globe – to be or not to be?

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