BRAGA 2014ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT

ACADEMIC PREPARATION KITBRAGA 2014 – 31ST NATIONAL SELECTION CONFERENCE EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT PORTUGAL

APPEJ – Associação Portuguesa do Parlamento Europeu dos Jovens / European Youth Parliament Portugal Rua da Concórdia 45, 4465-601, Leça do Balio, Porto, Portugal www.pejportugal.com · geral@pejportugal.com

This Academic Preparation Kit was compiled for the 31st National Selection Conference of the European Youth Parliament Portugal, which will take place in the city of Braga, from the 6th to the 9th of November, 2014.

OVERVIEWS

The Topic Overviews are written by the Com-mittees’ Chairpersons and serve as background material. They aim to identify the importance of the issue at hand, as well as the principal matters within it, while offering a short look at their possible future development. They are written with the intention of providing stim-ulating, yet neutral, introductions. It must be noted that the content of the Overviews does not reflect the positions of the Associação Portuguesa – P.E.J. (APPEJ)/European Youth Parliament Portugal (EYP PT), which strongly encourages independent thinking, being the sole responsibility of their authors. Likewise, while the National Selection Conference will be held under the patronage of various public entities, no claim is made that their views are in any way represented by the contents of this Preparation Kit.

LINKS

As regards the suggestions of research links, the list is by no means exhaustive. Also, several of the websites may contain relevant informa-tion other than the one cited herewith. Please note that the EYP PT is not responsible for the contents of the various websites; the texts,

images and/or audio or video clips reflect the opinions of their authors, only. We recommend that you print this preparation kit, together with all the research you will conduct on your own and bring all of those materials with you to the conference. Wishing you a good read and successful preparation,

Christian MachtPresident, Braga 2014

Henrique Vieira Mendes & Rita FerreiraHead-organisers, Braga 2014

João MoreiraPresident, EYP PT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DISCLAIMER

Position PapersThe EU ExplainedCommittee TopicsAFCOCULTECONEMPLFEMMLIBEREGITRANContacts

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POSITION PAPERS

The purpose of the Position Paper is to generate support on an issue. It describes a personal posi-tion on a topic and the rationale behind it. The Po-sition Paper is based on facts that provide a solid foundation for your argument and should be ade-quately presented by: using evidence to support your position, such as statistical evidence or dates and events; validating your position with author-itative references or primary source quotations; examining the strengths and weaknesses of your position; evaluating possible solutions and sug-gesting courses of action. A good Position Paper should not be much longer than one A4 page with the format settings presented to you below (and which we ask you to preserve), and can be structured as follows:

INTRODUCTION

It should clearly identify the issue and state the author’s position. It should be written in a way that captures the reader’s attention.

BODY OF TEXT

It may contain several paragraphs; each of them presenting an idea or main concept that clarifies a portion of the position statement and is sup-ported by evidence or facts. Evidence (first source quotations, statistical data, interviews with ex-perts and/or indisputable dates or events) should lead to the main concept or idea presented in the paragraph.

The body may begin with some background in-formation and should incorporate a discussion on all sides of the issue at hand.

CONCLUSION

It should summarise the main concepts and ideas and reinforce, without repeating, the introduc-tion or body of the paper. It could include sug-gested courses of action and possible solutions.

We have included further instructions in the tem-plate you will be using (separate MS Word file), so please be sure to refer to that.

POSITION PAPERS

The countdown to the session has begun and we are already in a preparation frenzy. In fact, we have waited quite some time for this and, naturally, much of that time was spent preparing. For you, because you deserve a session that is academically challenging whilst promoting the best of EYP’s spirit.

So, what can you do to be prepared when we are more than ready? ‘Outprepare’ us! How? Easily… if you just follow these steps:

1. Read the introduction to this Preparation Kit, the EU guide and all Committee Topic Overviews. Use the keywords and links therein to set you off on your own research.

2. Then, study your information carefully, search your conscience (and your cre-ativity, too), make up your mind and write your Position Paper.

3. As soon as you have finished it – and no later than Thursday, October 30th – save it according to the specifications below and send them to organizacao@pejportugal.com.

4. It may happen that your Chairperson will get in touch with you with further pre-session preparation instructions or requests. For that reason, we must ask that, from this moment until all Session-related communication has ended, you make an effort to check your e-mail inboxes every day.

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THE EU EXPLAINED

The European Union (EU) is a unique economic and political partnership between 28 Europe-an countries which, together, cover much of the continent. The EU was created in the after-math of the Second World War. The first steps were to foster economic cooperation: the idea being that countries who trade with one an-other become economically interdependent and so more likely to avoid conflict.

The result was the European Economic Com-munity (EEC), created in 1958, and initially increasing economic cooperation between six countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Since then, a large single market has been created and continues to develop towards its full potential.

FROM ECONOMIC TO POLITICAL UNION

What began as a purely economic union has evolved into an organisation spanning policy areas, from development aid to environment. A name change from the EEC to the Europe-an Union (EU) in 1993 reflected this. The EU is based on the rule of law: everything that it does is founded on treaties, voluntarily and democratically agreed by all the Member States. These binding agreements set out the EU’s goals in its many areas of activity.

MOBILITY, GROWTH, STABILITY, SINGLE CURRENCY

The EU has delivered half a century of peace, stability and prosperity, helped raise living

standards and launched a single European currency, the euro. Thanks to the abolition of border controls between EU countries, peo-ple can travel freely throughout most of the continent. And it has become much easier to live and work abroad in Europe. The single or ‘internal’ market is the EU’s main economic en-gine, enabling most goods, services, money and people to move freely. Another key objec-tive is to develop this huge resource to ensure that Europeans can draw the maximum benefit from it.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUALITY

One of the EU’s main goals is to promote hu-man rights both internally and around the world. Human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for hu-man rights: these are the core values of the EU. Since the 2009 signing of the Treaty of Lisbon, the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights brings all these rights together in a single document. The EU’s institutions are legally bound to up-hold them, as are EU governments whenever they apply EU law.

TRANSPARENT AND DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS

As it continues to grow, the EU remains fo-cused on making its governing institutions more transparent and democratic. More pow-ers are being given to the directly elected Eu-ropean Parliament, while national parliaments are being given a greater role, working along-side the European institutions. In turn, Europe-an citizens have an ever-increasing number of

channels for taking part in the political process.

The institutional structure of the EU cannot be compared to that of any other international organisation (e.g., the North Atlantic Treaty Or-ganization or the United Nations). It is neither a centralised unity like a nation state, nor does it imitate a relatively loose structure, such as the Commonwealth of Nations or a confederation like the United States of America – it is an or-ganisation sui generis. The structure is unique and continuously developed. The Treaty of Lis-bon marks the last big step in this process.

A. MAIN INSTITUTIONS

1. Within the institutional triangle

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

The European Commission (EC) is the ‘execu-tive’ power of the EU. One Commissioner is ap-pointed by each Member State (with one, cur-rently José Manuel Durão Barroso, being the President of the EC). The Commissioners are appointed by their respective Member States, approved by the European Parliament and put in charge of specific issues (e.g., Connie Hede-gaard, the Danish Commissioner, is responsible for Climate Action).

The EC monitors the Member States’ and the Union’s adherence to the acquis commu-nautaire (the ensemble of all EU legislation), represents the Union in its foreign relations

(especially through one of its Vice-presidents, Catherine Ashton, who is also the High Repre-sentative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) and has the exclusive Right of Initiative. 1

Additionally, the term ‘Commission’ is also used to refer to the full administrative body about 23,000 staff members working in various Direc-torates-General (DGs) or services, each respon-sible for a particular policy area and headed by a Director-General, who reports directly to the President. The DGs draft laws, but their propos-als become official only once the College of Commissioners adopts them during its weekly meeting.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

The European Parliament (EP) is the first part of the EU’s legislative branch and consists of 766 Members of Parliament (commonly, MEPs), who are elected for five-year mandates by all EU citizens (over 18 years old, in Austria over 16). The first direct EP election was held in 1979; the latest between May 22nd and 25th, 2014.

The EP is divided into seven large fractions plus several independent MEPs. The biggest

1 The Right of Initiative is the right to propose laws. In the EU, the EC has the right to propose Regulations and Directives to the European Parlia- ment and to the Council of the European Union).

I. WHAT IS THE EU?

II. HOW DOES THE EU WORK?

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three fractions are the European People‘s Par-ty pooling Christian Democrats (EPP), followed by the Party of European Socialists (PES) and by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats Party (ALDE). It works either in a big plenary or in its 20 different Committees, each responsible for specific issue areas. The EP shares its legislative competences with the Council of the European Union.

COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (COUN-CIL OF MINISTERS)

Also known as ‘the Council’, the Council of the EU is structured in issue-specific groups (coun-cils), comprising the respective Ministers of the Member States (e.g., the Council for Justice and Home Affairs, with all Ministers of the Interior/Home Affairs). The presidency of the Council changes every six months and the ‘president’ in office supplies the different councils with a Chairperson, with the exception of the council on Foreign Affairs, which is presided to by the High Representative.

The issue areas are mirrored in those of the EP (e.g., environment, education, economy, bud-get), with whom the Council shares its legis-lative competences. Additionally, the Council also has executive powers. The last presidency (January–June 2014) was held by Greece; the current one (July–December 2014) is being held by Italy.

2. Outside the institutional triangle EUROPEAN COUNCIL

The European Council (no standard abbrevia-tion is used) is an EU institution comprising the heads of state or heads of government of the Member States, along with the council’s own President (Herman Van Rompuy, until Novem-ber 2014) and the President of the European Commission (José Manuel Durão Barroso, until October 2014 and after that Jean-Claude Junk-er). The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy takes part in its meetings. The European Council was estab-lished as an informal body in 1975; it became an official EU institution in 2009, when the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force.

While the European Council has no formal leg-islative power, it is charged under the Treaty of Lisbon with defining “the general political di-rections and priorities” of the Union. It is, thus, the Union’s strategic (and crisis-solving) body, acting as the collective presidency of the EU.

EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK

The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank for the euro and administers the mone-tary policy of the euro area, which consists of 18 EU member states and is one of the largest currency areas in the world. It is one of the world’s most important central banks. The bank was established by the Treaty of Amster-

dam in 1998, and is headquartered in Frank-furt, Germany. Since 2011 (and until 2019) the President of the ECB has been Mario Draghi, former governor of the Bank of Italy. The own-ers and shareholders of the European Central Bank are the central banks of the 28 Member States of the EU.

COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is an EU institution that encompasses the whole judiciary. Seating in Luxembourg, it consists of two major courts and a number of specialised courts. The institution was origi-nally established in 1952 as the Court of Justice of the European Coal and Steel Communities [as of 1958 the Court of Justice of the Europe-an Communities (CJEC)]. In 2009, with the en-try into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the court changed to its current name.

Its mission is to ensure that “the law is observed (…) in the interpretation and application” of the Treaties. The Court reviews the legality of the acts of any EU institution, ensures that the Member States comply with obligations under the Treaties and interprets EU law at the re-quest of the national courts.

It consists of two major courts: i) the European Court of Justice (created in 1952), the highest court in the EU legal system; ii) the General Court (created in 1988; formerly the Court of

First Instance);

3. Not an EU body!

COUNCIL OF EUROPE The Council of Europe (CoE) is an international organisation promoting cooperation amongst all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic develop-ment, the rule of law and cultural cooperation. It was founded in 1949, has 47 Member States with over 800 million citizens, and is an entire-ly separate body from the EU. The CoE cannot make binding laws.

Its best known bodies are the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which enforces the European Convention on Human Rights, and the European Pharmacopoeia Commission, which sets the quality standards for pharma-ceutical products in Europe. The Council of Europe’s work has resulted in standards, char-ters and conventions to facilitate cooperation between European countries.

Its statutory institutions are the Committee of Ministers (comprising the foreign ministers of each of its 47 Member States), the Parliamenta-ry Assembly (composed of MPs from the parlia-ment of each Member State) and the Secretary General (Thorbjørn Jagland).

THE EU EXPLAINED

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B. WHAT CAN THE EU DO?

1. Exclusive competences – as per Article 2 (1) and Article 3 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)

In these areas, only the EU may legislate and adopt legally binding acts. Exceptions are pos-sible if the EU empowers Member States to act or with regard to the implementation of Union acts.

• The customs union, including an internal free trade area with common customs tar-iffs (Art. 31 TFEU).

• The monetary policy of the EU for the Member States whose currency is the euro, overseen by the European Central Bank and with certain precepts formulat-ed in the Stability and Growth Pact (Art. 129 (3) and (4), Arts. 132, 138, 219 TFEU).

• Competition rules controlling state aid from national governments and the ac-tions of companies necessary for the func-tioning of the internal market.

• A common international trade policy, e.g., a common position in international trade negotiations (Art. 207 TFEU).

• The conclusion of certain international agreements (Art. 3 (2) TFEU).

• Common commercial policy.

• The conservation of marine biological resources (part of the Common Fisheries Policy, Art. 38 (1) TFEU).

2. Shared EU competences – as per Art. 2 (2) and Art. 4 TFEU

These are policy areas on which the Member States have agreed to act individually if the EU has not exercised (or planned to exercise) its competence. If a policy area is neither exclu-sive nor falls under supportive actions, it is a shared competence. Some examples are:

• Internal market;

• Economic, social and territorial cohesion;

• Agriculture and fishing (except the con-servation of marine biological resources);

• Social policy;

• Transport;

• Environment, pollution and energy;

• Consumer protection;

• Area of Freedom, Security and Justice.

3. Supporting, coordinating or complementary competences – as per Art. 2 (5), Art. 6 TFEU

The EU can financially support the actions of the Member states that have agreed to coor-dinate their domestic policies through the EU. However, it does not entail harmonisation of regulations. These areas include:

• Education, vocational training, youth and sport;

• Tourism;

• Administrative cooperation;

• Civil protection;

• Protection and improvement of human health;

• Industry;

• Culture.

C. LEGAL ACTS OF THE EU

While the EU can issue several types of legal acts, not all are fully binding for its Member States. These acts are named according to their legal strength and are divided into:

• Regulations – have to be strictly adhered to in all Member States and leave no room for adjustments during the implementa-tion process;

• Directives – provide a framework and give a certain policy direction, leaving the states with more flexibility and room for adjustments;

• Decisions – always address certain recip-ients and are only valid for those specific countries/people/institutions;

• Recommendations – without legal force, but negotiated and voted on according to the appropriate procedure, they are not binding for the Member States;

• Opinions – similar to recommendations in that they have no legal force, but not vot-ed on, simply emitted.

The European legislative procedure runs con-siderably longer than those of most Member States.

In brief: The EC (which has the exclusive Right to Initiative), the Council and the EP decide if the proposal becomes a legal act after hav-ing discussed relevant details. General policy guidelines and statements, especially from the EP, are formulated in Resolutions. They can en-tail instructions for future procedures, as well as regulations, which are formally valid in the Member States. Legal acts passed by the EP and the Council enter into force once the na-tional governments have transposed them into national law.

The combined legal heritage of the EU, in-cluding all legal acts, contracts and treaties is known as the acquis communautaire.

THE EU EXPLAINED

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THE EU EXPLAINED

A. GENERAL LINKS

To learn more about the EU, its institutions and instruments, please visit their respective websites, below.

1. European Union http://europa.eu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book:European_Union

2. EU-Institutions http://eu2012.dk/en/EU-and-the-Presidency/About-EU/EU-Background/EU-Institutions

3. European Neighbourhood Policy http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp

4. Enlargement http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement

5. Common Foreign and Security Policy http://europa.eu/pol/cfsp http://europa.eu/agencies/regulatory_agencies_bodies/se-curity_agencies

6. Lisbon Treaty http://europa.eu/lisbon_treaty http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe

7. Treaty on European Union (TEU) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content

8. Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content

9. TFEU with explanations http://en.euabc.com/upload/books/lisbon-treaty

10. Europe 2020 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ

11. Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union http://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter

B. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

After you have read the Topic Overviews, it is recommended that you take the time to consider the questions therein, as well as the ones below. This will be an important phase in preparation and will greatly aid you clarify your own stance on the matters at hand (which, in turn, is crucial for you to have decided by the time you start writing your Position Paper).

1. What is the legal basis for the Committee Topic?

2. What are the relevant EU competences?

3. What are the relevant EU institutions?

4. Who decides on policies?

5. Is an EU-level solution desirable?

6. What are the short-term and long-term implications?

7. What type of further legislation is needed?

III. FURTHER RESEARCH

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COMMITTEE TOPICS

AFCO - Regenerate Democratic Participationchaired by Milana Yandieva (CZ)While the minimum voting age in the majority of EU remains at 18, Scottish youth had their say in the decisive indepence referendum this September. Should the EU and its Member States welcome this as long-due change or view it as a dangerous precedent with populism on the rise?

CULT - Regenerate Educationchaired by Anna Galkina (RU)While Portugal has already achived significant success in the area over the last years, the number of early school leavers still remains high. What are the reasons for this development and what can be done to reach the Europe 2020 goal of reducing school dropout-rates and increasing educational at-tainment?

ECON - Regenerate Foreign Policychaired by Panagiotis Patikos (GR)Ukraine’s vital link – economic prosperity: Where are the main business opportunities and challenges after the adoption of the Ukraine - European Union Association Agreement? How can strategic coop-eration between the EU and Ukraine be prosperous for both sides?

EMPL - Regenerate Job Opportunitieschaired by Nanuka Gurgenidze (GE)Too much, too fast: The €6 billion made available through the EU Youth Guarantee to fight youth un-employment are not reaching the young and unemployed. How does European youth need to be supported to make the successful transition into their first jobs and where does the Youth Guarantee fall short in providing this support?

FEMM - Regenerate Gender Roleschaired by Joana Cavaco (PT)Considering the polar divide between traditional and modern gender roles, what further measures should the EU take within its 2010-15 framework “Equality between women and men” to strengthen the position of young Europeans?

LIBE - Regenerate Networked Knowledgechaired by Britta Thiemt (DE)With Tim Berners-Lee calling for a democratic and open web at it’s 25th anniversary, how must the EU’s Digital Agenda be revised in order to address the needs of younger generations? What are the main struggles and goals of a long-term digital strategy when aiming for a Europe of knowledge and prosperity?

REGI - Regenerate Local Consciencechaired by Anna Zellweger (CH)With cities as the central hotbeds of major social and economic challenges, how can civic engagement and networked localism be supported and encouraged to develop concrete solutions for Braga, Porto, Lisbon as well as smaller cities?

TRAN - Regenerate Sustainable Tourismchaired by Ana Andrade (PT)The European Union relies heavily on fossil fuels to power its transport sector. How can Member States encourage affordable transport to meet the EU’s climate change targets while at the same time keep-ing in mind the economic importance of catering to a growing numbers of tourists.

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VIDEOS

Sean Kippin: Lowering the voting age to 16

Why would we want 16-year olds to vote? Watch this video and decide on whether you (dis)agree with the speaker.

Yes or No to Scottish Independence by Cambuslang Youth Film Collective

Haven’t met any Scottish teenagers in your life & can’t yet make up your mind whether it was a valid decision to let them vote? Check out this short film which covers the range of opinions of teenagers and then think like a Scottish MP: should teenagers have a say? (N.B. Beware the Scottish accent!)

ARTICLES

BBC: Scottish referendum: How first vote went for 16/17-year-olds

A general overview of the Scottish youth’s contribution to the voting turnout + UK parties’ brief stance on lowering the voting age.

CBC News (Canada): Scotland Referendum: Will slacktivists help secession succeed?

A negative conduct of allowing teenagers to participate in the voting - short & brusque.

The Telegraph: Scottish independence: could these teenagers swing the vote?

A written record of 6 Scottish teenagers with differing opinions watching and discussing The Big Debate. Check out the 2-minute video to hear why they would vote either YES or NO.

AFCOCommittee on Constitutional Affairs chaired by

Milana Yandieva (CZ)While the minimum voting age in the majority of the EU remains at 18, Scottish youth had their say in the decisive independence referendum this September. Should the EU and its Member States welcome this long-debated change or view it as a dangerous precedent with populism on the rise?

Did you know that in most European countries, including Portugal, you have a vast amount of basic legal rights, once you turn 16? However, one wouldn’t be allowed to vote in 27 out of 28 Member States before their 18th birthday.

Should the EU condemn or support Member States in their reluctance to allow 16 & 17-year olds to have a say in the elections? Let’s introduce some arguments…

IN FAVOUR:

• As an EU citizen, you deserve to have a say! Article 39 of the Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the EU1 states: “Every citizen of the EU has the right to vote (...)”. Member States could adopt the same positive and inclusive attitude, which would eliminate any age discrimination in voter participation.

• Young people would be more interested in the current affairs How else would we promote the benefits of European citizenship if not from involving young-sters directly? If young people obtain their right to vote, they can become more politically in-formed, becoming more engaged in a vast array of politics, including those of the EU, becom-ing aware of elements such as How the European Union Works and EU Citizenship.

AGAINST:

• Teenagers are not mature/independent enough to make such decisions One’s opinion is more prone to change before the age of 18, without exposure to a political education. The rigour and the academics of the final years at school shape one’s personality and civic awareness.

• Concerns about populism According to Lord Ashcroft’s poll after the Scottish Independence referendum, 16 & 17-year olds are very extreme in their opinions. This highlights the ways in which extreme political parties can appeal to younger, politically unaware voters.

• Quantity vs. quality? Austria, as a result of lowering the voting age to 16, experienced increased levels of turnout, which would potentially promote an increase in the number of votes in future elections also. However, with such high numbers of young people in new electorates, they may struggle to find their views represented by ‘out of touch’ politicians. Additionally, largely focusing on younger voters may alienate older ones.

1 Article 39: “Every citizen of the Union has the right to vote and to stand as a candidate at elections to the European Parliament in the Member State in which he or she resides, under the same conditions as nationals of that State.“

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CULTCommittee on Culture and Education chaired by

Anna Galkina (RU)While Portugal has already achieved significant success over the last years, the number of early school leavers still remains high. What are the reasons for this development and what can be done to reach the Europe 2020 goal of reducing school dropout-rates and increasing educational attainment?

“Education would be much more effective if its purpose was to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they do not know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it.”

–William Haley

The European Union defines early school leavers (ESL) as people aged 18-24 who have only lower secondary education or less and are no longer in education or training. ESL can take several forms. It includes young people who have dropped out of school before the end of compulsory education and those who have followed pre-vo-cational or vocational courses without a qualification equivalent to upper secondary level.

ESL are influenced by educational factors, individual circumstances and socio-economic conditions. It is a process which often starts in primary education with first experiences of failure and alienation from school. ESL create high individual, social and economic costs. One calculation based on the assumption that ESL have 6% lower productivity than qualified leavers, and using the 2005 figure of 23% unqualified leavers, suggests that ESL incur an economic productivity loss of 1.4%. ESL are strongly associated with ‘social’ costs (social breakdown, increased demand on the health system, and lower social cohesion) and ‘economic’ costs (lower productivity, lower tax revenues and higher welfare payments). 1

The Europe 2020 strategy contains five headline targets. One is to reduce the EU average early school leaving rate to less than 10% by 2020. The share of young people leaving school early now stands at 12.8% on average in the EU, down from 13.5% in 2011. The data on early school leavers is collected annually via the European Labour Force Survey.

For many, education can mean the difference between success and failure, giving them confidence to storm the barriers of social exclusion, enriching their lives, and preventing children at risk from becoming second-class citi-zens. To anyone growing up in a disadvantaged community these qualities are of immense significance.

The lack of data continues to be a difficulty, as it is still not possible to determine actual dropout rates between the primary and secondary level. In addition, although Post-Primary Pupil Data-base of the Department of Education and Science can now provide information on those who have left at the end of the school year, it does not offer any details on socio-economic or family background, which would be helpful for policy purposes.

The main questions regarding our topic are: How can we create a school that can be embraced and educate a generation that sees success at school as vital means to an end? And what strategies should be pursued to halt early school leaving?

VIDEOS

The EU and the School Dropout

Dropping out Changes your Life

ARTICLES AND PAPERS

Early School-Leavers in the EU

“When It Makes Sense to Drop Out of School”

“ESL. Lessons from research for policy makers”

1 Early School Leaving Report, European Commission, 2010 https://www.spd.dcu.ie/site/edc

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VIDEOS

Reactions from Kyiv as the EU-Ukraine association agreement is signed

European Union Signs Landmark Association Agreement with Ukraine

Poroshenko’s Speech on Signing EU Association Agreement

FURTHER SOURCES

Ukraine crisis: Parliaments to ratify landmark EU pact

European Parliament ratifies EU-Ukraine Association Agreement

Ukraine and EU ratify landmark Association Agreement

ECONCommittee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

chaired byPanagiotis Patikos (GR)Ukraine’s vital link – economic prosperity: Where are the main business opportu-

nities and challenges after the adoption of the Ukraine - European Union Associa-tion Agreement? How can strategic cooperation between the EU and Ukraine be prosperous for both sides?

Two years ago the European Union (EU) and Ukraine (UA) moved on to the drafting of an Association Agreement that ushered a new era of trade relations; signed, March 21st, 2014 despite Ukraine’s tur-bulent course, originating from the population’s dichotomy as to whether Ukraine should take steps towards joining the EU.

The Act, not only presents a trade agreement between the EU and Ukraine, but also indicates the firm stance of Ukraine towards Russia. Subsequently, it formulates the foreign policy of the EU and Ukraine towards the Crimean crisis. Economically, the Agreement, based on legislation signed in 1957, sets a general framework for future bilateral trade agreements aimed towards the economic recovery of Ukraine and growth of EU exports. With establishing a rigid legal, political and economic framework, it paves the way for transparent and unified trade regulations between the two signato-ries in imports and exports strategic and commercial goods alike.

Yet, despite the intended integration of the two markets and the guarantee for stable natural gas and grain imports -for the EU- and commercial goods -for Ukraine- the picture is not that simple. As EU-UA political and economic relations strengthen, the foreign policies of third parties such as Russia or even China, are greatly affected as the agreement shifts the balance of Ukraine’s economic and sociopolitical affiliations towards the EU with effects on geopolitics and economics. Commencing with the reduction of transactions between Russia and Ukraine, affecting Ukraine’s economy, reper-cussions could evolve to the transfer of Russian investments and capital to China, one of Europe’s economic competitors.

As the Agreement extends to affect socio and geopolitics the question arises: “How can the two par-ties “close the gap”, in business and production standards and preserve a foreign economic stance that minimizes the risk of trade repercussions from third parties?”

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VIDEOS

Explanation of the Youth Guarantee by the European Commission

Solving global youth unemployment: Mona Mourshed at TedxUnPlaza

UK on “Youth Guarantee”, Is the EU’s Youth Guarantee a failure?

ARTICLES

Youthpolicy.org “Youth in News”

European Commission “The Youth Guarantee Making it Happen”

European Youth Forum “Youth Organisations And The Youth Guarantee In Europe”

EMPLCommittee on Employment and Social Affairs

chaired byNanuka Gurgenidze (GE)Too much, too fast: The €6 billion made available through the EU Youth Guarantee

to fight youth unemployment is not reaching the young and unemployed. How does European youth need to be supported to make the successful transition into their first jobs and where does the Youth Guarantee fall short in providing this support?

“The cost of doing nothing has been shown to be great” stated a recent European Commission report on youth unemployment. The recent European economic crisis has had lasting effects on the entire continent. However, the crisis has hit young people particularly hard. In January 2014, youth unemployment in the EU reached 23.4%, whilst in some Member States the unemployment rate for 15-24 year-olds exceeded 50%. Statistics show that even when they do find employment, these jobs tend to be unstable and short-term. In 2012, 42% of young employees across Europe worked on temporary contracts and 32% had part-time jobs.

The European Union thus decided to take direct initiative in order to tackle the problem of youth unem-ployment. On April, 2013 the European Council adopted the recommendation of establishing a so-called Youth Guarantee (YG). The YG is a state-supported promise that a person under the age of 25 will be guar-anteed a job, education, training or an apprenticeship within a specified period of time after leaving school or becoming unemployed. It aims to tackle three of the “Europe 2020” strategy targets, which include de-creasing the percentage of early school leavers by 10%, ultimately reaching a 75% rate of employment for people ranging from 20-64 and lifting 20 million people out of poverty and social exclusion.

The YG aims to achieve these goals by introducing “building blocks” of action. The Guarantee is not a uni-versal set of actions but a framework within which each national government should introduce their own YG action plan. For example in 2013, France submitted its YG implementation plan where, based on the national youth unemployment problems, they targeted young NEET’s (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and tried to bring the youngsters with disadvantages closer to the job market. France’s action plan has been approved and 310.6 million Euros have been allocated to its implementation.

The main source of funding for the YG is the European Social Fund (ESF), together with the Council and European Parliament who agreed to allocate 6 billion Euro to the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI). The YEI will concentrate mainly on regions where youth unemployment rate is over 25% and on NEET’s aged up to 25. EYI money can be used to subsidies young people’s start up businesses, internship opportunities, to provide apprenticeships and to improve their access to education.

However, the YG has been harshly criticised by many, including the UK national government, with critics mentioning that the scheme falls short of its target. Even though the YG seems to be a promising initiative, its ability to produce high quality or quantity of jobs has been questioned. What kind of support does the European youth need to access employment and how can the YG support these needs?

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VIDEOS

Gender roles and equality for all - A brief Q&A with Dr. Sandra Ribeiro, by Joana Cavaco and Beatriz Rodrigues

“Let’s all get on board” by the Institute for Gender Equality

SOURCES

“Gender equality requires tackling stereotype” by Kartika Liotard

“We need gender studies to battle inequality across the board’’ by Triona Kennedy

“Gender inequality: for society to thrive, women must thrive” by The Observer

FEMMCommittee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

chaired byJoana Cavaco (PT)Considering the polar divide between traditional and modern gender roles, what

further measures should the EU take within its 2010-15 framework “Equality be-tween women and men” to strengthen the position of young Europeans? ‘’It is only through true equality that we can offer a better life and a sustainable future to all – both women and men. The Commission remains committed to further improve gender equality, in Eu-rope and also with our international partners.’’

– José Manuel Durão Barroso, Brussels 5th March 2010

Nearly five years have passed since the European Commission (EC) adopted the European Union (EU) Women’s Charter. 1 The general acceptance of this charter by the EU’s Member States (MS) represented a milestone to the EU itself since it was the first successful common strategy able to form a framework of action, in all areas of EU activities, to promote equality 2 between women and men. To assist in the implementation of these commitments and to support the EC work program it was necessary to set forth concrete goals to the MS – hence the “Strategy for equality between women and men 2010-2015” 3 was declared as one of the EU’s main projects.

The Strategy, besides prioritizing areas such as economic independence of women, equality in decision-making, dignity, integrity and equal pay for equal work, proposes to follow the dual approach of gender mainstreaming 4 and specific measures aiming to stimulate developments at the national level while providing the basis for coop-eration with other European agencies, such as The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). 5

In 2008 the gender pay gap6 within the EU’s MS was on average 17.5%, 7 and after the implementation of the Strat-egy, it showed a slight downward trend to 16.2%. 8 In fact there are many more numbers to illustrate the reality of women in the EU today, but the question remains: Is the current pace of ‘progress’ sufficient enough? Is this 1.3% decrease in 5 years a clear indicator that the EU is on the right path towards the modernisation of female gender roles 9 while eradicating discrimination and educational stereotypes?

Equality between women and men constitutes a fundamental right 10 for all, and an essential value for every de-mocracy. In order to be achieved, this right needs to be legally recognised, nevertheless how can it be applied to all aspects of life-political, economic, social and cultural- if the civil society 11 and the re-definition of the general population’s mentality are not yet recognised by the EU as main actors in order to achieve change?

It is safe to assume that gender equality is a matter of urgency and above all, sustainability for all future genera-tions. It is necessary to resurrect the European idea and revive its values. Nonetheless, if continuing at this pace, it would eventually take 63 years 12 to eradicate the gender pay gap between women and men. How many years should it really take to change mentalities, break traditional conventions and achieve full gender equality? If policies remain unchanged and if equality between men and women continues to be discussed only from the perspective of economic growth, will it ever be possible to build a true roadmap towards eradicating gender inequality?

1 The Women’s Charter was addressed to the local and regional governments of Europe, who were invited to sign it, to make a formal public commit-ment to the principle of equality of women and men, and to implement, within their territory, the commitments set out within the Charter;

2 Equality is the condition of possessing the same rights, privileges, and immunities, and being liable to the same duties. Equality is equity;

3 The Strategy represents the work program of the EC on gender equality, aiming additionally to stimulate developments at national level and to pro-vide the basis for cooperation with the other European institutions and with stakeholders;

4 Gender mainstreaming meaning the integration of the gender dimension in all policy areas;

5 The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) is an autonomous body of the European Union, established to contribute to and strengthen the pro-motion of gender equality, including gender mainstreaming in all EU policies and the resulting national policies, and the fight against discrimination based on sex, as well as to raise EU citizens’ awareness of gender equality.

6 The gender pay gap is the difference between male and female earnings expressed as a percentage of male earnings;

7 Source: Eurostat 2008;

8 Source: Eurostat 2012;

9 Gender role is a theoretical construct involving a set of social and behavioral norms that, within a specific culture, are widely considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex;

10 The rights of all EU citizens are consecrated in The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU which brings together in a single document the funda-mental rights protected in the EU. The Charter contains rights and freedoms under six titles: Dignity, Freedoms, Equality, Solidarity, Citizens’ Rights, and Justice. Proclaimed in 2000, the Charter has become legally binding on the EU with the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, in December 2009;

11 The civil society is the sum of non-governmental organizations and institutions that manifest interests and the will of citizens; individuals and orga-nizations in a society which are independent of the government;

12 If the pay gap is currently at 16.2% and if decreases 1.3% every five years, statistically speaking it would take 63 years to achieve equal payment between men and women in the EU’s MS.

14

VIDEOS

Tim Berners Lee - A Magna Carta for the Web

2014 Digital Agenda Scoreboard

ARTICLES

Digital Agenda for Europe

Website on the 25th anniversary of the Web

Digital Agenda for the EU’s Twitter

LIBECommittee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

chaired byBritta Thiemt (DE)With Tim Berners-Lee calling for a democratic and open web at it’s 25th anniversa-

ry, how must the EU’s Digital Agenda be revised in order to address the needs of younger generations? What are the main struggles and goals of a long-term digital strategy when aiming for a Europe of knowledge and prosperity?

“What sort of web do you want?”, Tim Berners-Lee asked in his talk “A Magna Carta for the Web” on TED.

The web was invented by Berners-Lee only 25 years ago. There was no such thing as the internet before 1990. While its history is the story of a huge success, with over 40% of the world using it today, Berners-Lee also named developments that are threatening the web as he and a number of open web advocates imagine it: surveillance and censorship, corporate centralisation and abolishing net neutrality 1 are eroding the very core of a free and open web.

He calls for a “magna carta”, a legal document to regulate how the web should work and that is agreed on by all parties. While no worldwide regulation exists, different regions have their own intri-cate webs of laws and rules.

The EU adresses these issues in its agenda for Europe 2020, deeming them so important that digital development and the increased education on information and communication technologies (ICT) are ranked amongst its flagship initiatives. The Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE) is the key document, focusing action on seven pillars:

1. A vibrant digital single market;2. Interoperability and standards;3. Trust and security;4. Fast and ultra-fast Internet access;5. Research and innovation;6. Enhancing digital literacy, skills and inclusion;7. ICT-enabled benefits for EU society;

The DAE’s aim is to “create growth and jobs in Europe” through digital innovation. From November on, two commissioners will take over the work by Neelie Kroes, with their areas renamed to “Dig-ital Single Market” and “Digital Economy and Society”. This shows the importance Juncker’s new comission gives digital issues. However, which way will Europe’s digital agenda take with people like 61-year-old comissioner Günther Oettinger of the conservative PPDE leading it? What are the needs of younger generations when it comes to the web, and how can they be worked into a digital agenda that sets up Europeans for a better future?

1 Treating different types of content differently, e.g. slowing down downloads from specific servers. See: Wikipedia - Net Neutrality

15

VIDEOS

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayor Challenge. In addition to this video, have a look at what the 21 finalists of the Challenge 2014 came up with as they are all inspired ideas on how civil involvement can solve urban challenges.

The antidote to apathy. In this TED Talk Dave Meslin identifies 7 barriers in society that, in his opinion, keep citizens from getting more involved. Do you agree? And what must one do to overcome such barriers?

ARTICLES

Although this article speaks of American cities it makes some interesting points concerning the importance of civic engagement

Youth Civic Participation (Portugal)

“Civic Engagement the Key to Success in Community Building, Urban Revitalization and Our Future” by Schnequa N. Diggs, Alexandru V. Roman

REGICommittee on Regional Development

chaired byAnna Zellweger (CH)

With cities as the central hotbeds of major social and economic challenges, how can civic engagement and networked localism be supported and encouraged to develop concrete solutions for Braga, Porto, Lisbon as well as smaller cities?

“This city is what it is because our citizens are what they are.”– Plato

In just over a century, the European continent has developed itself from a predominantly rural, to a largely urban, continent. It is estimated that approximately 70 % of the European population lives in urban agglomerations of over 5000 inhabitants. There are many factors that have lead to this trans-formation, such as the industrialisation, however, what interests us concerning this topic is not the past but the present and the future. What challenges do cities in Europe face nowadays and how can civic engagement be a part of their solution?

Defining all the challenges cities encounter is near impossible. They range from social to political to environmental to many other areas that affect the everyday lives of urban citizens. When regarding Portuguese cities in particular we can identify demographic decline and a shockingly low birth rate as a major issue, with predictions stating that by 2030 almost 30% of the Portuguese population will be above the age of 65. When searching for a solution to these problems the responsibility usually lies almost entirely in the hands of a select few decision-makers rather than the city’s population at large.

Nethertheless, more and more so called Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have begun to identify civic engagement as a key tool in solving the many challenges faced by cities all over Europe. The United Nations Development Programme has begun to work with a range of CSOs across Europe aiming to combat poverty, build resilient communities and promote human rights. Initiatives like these are not singular. Through its Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency the Euro-pean Commission has launched a strand aimed at fostering European Citizenship and improving conditions for civic participation in Europe by offering grants and other support. The European Union seems to have identified European citizens as the decision makers and shapers of the future and the Cities of Tomorrow document paves the way for new, innovative ideas on how to involve all citizens. But does this actually reflect the reality in Portuguese cities? What are the re-sponsibilities of European citizens when it comes to local politics and how can civic engagement be fostered through official bodies?

16

VIDEOS

TED: Dude, where’s my car?

EC: TEN-T

ARTICLES

Reducing emissions from transport

Infrastructure - TEN-T - Connecting Europe

European Tourism: Feared of Decline in Its Market Share In Future

TRANCommittee on Transport and Tourism

chaired byAna Andrade (PT)

The European Union relies heavily on fossil fuels to power its transport sector. How can Member States encourage affordable transport to meet the EU’s climate change targets while at the same time keeping in mind the economic importance of catering to a growing numbers of tourists.

“Every year it takes less time to fly across the Atlantic and more time to drive to the office.”

In 2012, EU residents aged 15 and over made 1,196 million tourism trips. . A flight from London to New York generates roughly the same level of emissions as the average European citizen does by heating their home for a full year. 1 To fight Climate Change (CC) the EU has set both european and national targets up to 2050. The Emissions Trading System (ETS), launched in 2005, is the cornerstone to meet them as it covers 45% of the EU’s carbon emissions.

The transport sector, even though it is one of the most polluting sectors, is not included. Only since 2012, all airlines flying between airports within the EU have been part of the emissions trading sys-tem, but there is still maritime, rail and road transportation. Urban areas start to feel the effect of car’s overuse as low air quality, sound pollution and gas prices. This is due to the almost exclusive (96%) use of oil-based fossil fuels.

The concern for environmental damages coming from transports was first addressed by the EU in the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992 and followed by other policies. But countries across Europe are in different development stages, and to achieve the 80% reduction of CO2 emissions goal by 2050, 2 the transport sector would have to reduce its emissions by 60% by 2050 and invest €1.5 trillion up to 2030. 3

The “Trans-European Transport Network” (TEN-T) is also aiming to connect Europe ‘’into a smooth-run-ning network’’ and the construction of the Øresund Bridge has already increased rail traffic by more than 200% between Malmö and Copenhagen. In aviation, the “Single European Sky Air Traffic Man-agement research programme” (SESAR) has the ambitious goal to triple air space capacity, raise safe-ty by a factor of 10, cut 10% of carbon emissions by flight and save 50% of air traffic management costs. 4 Flights would be more eco friendly and more destinations could be available.

But securing tourism as well as the EU’s CC goals will be no easy task as customers are expecting to travel faster and cheaper. 1 Climate action: Building a world we like, with a climate we like, page 11,

‘’Transport Gases on the Rise’’

2 Transport: Connecting Europe’s citizens and businesses, p. 8, ‘’How much Pollution is Caused by Transport?’’

3 Transport: Connecting Europe’s citizens and businesses, p. 16, ‘’Investment and Funding: The Connecting Europe Facility’’

4 Transport: Connecting Europe’s citizens and businesses, p. 7, ‘’Research and Innovation’’

17

This Academic Preparation Kit is the responsibility of the Board of the session and of the team of Chairpersons. General queries should be addressed to the President. Otherwise, the Chairpersons will contact their Commit-tees regarding all pre-session academic preparation tasks.

APPEJ – ASSOCIAÇÃO PORTUGUESA DO PARLAMENTO EUROPEU DOS JOVENS/EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIA-MENT PORTUGALE-mail address: geral@pejportugal.comWebsite: www.pejportugal.com

BRAGA 2014 - 31ST NATIONAL SELECTION CONFERENCE OF EYP PORTUGALE-mail address: organizacao@pejportugal.comOfficial FB: https://www.facebook.com/Bra-ga2014EYPPortugal

HEAD-ORGANISERSE-mail address: organizacao@pejportugal.com (reaches both)Telephone:Henrique Vieira Mendes – (+351) 919061935Rita Ferreira – (+351) 916916436

SESSION PRESIDENTE-mail address: christian.macht@eyp.de

BRAGA 201431st NATIONAL SELECTION CONFERENCE OF EYP PORTUGAL5-9 NOVEMBER, 2014

PARTNERSCONTACTSUnder the patronage of the Municipality of Braga and Instituto Português do Desporto e da Juventude, I. P.

With the support of Universidade do Minho, Escola Se-cundária Carlos Amarante, SYnergia, Hotel Residencial Cen-tro Comercial da Avenida, Conservatório de Música Calouste Gulbenkian and Fundação Bracara Augusta.