Resolution Booklet

12th National Selection Conference of EYP the

Netherlands

10 – 12 February 2012, Amsterdam

PROCEDURE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

General rules

The wish to speak is indicated by raising the committee placard

The authority of the board is absolute

Procedure and time settings

Presenting of the motion for the resolution (operative clauses, friendly amendments)

3 minutes to defend the motion for the resolution

3 minutes to attack the motion for the resolution

Points of information

General debate

3 minutes to sum-up the debate

Voting procedure

Announcing the votes

Friendly amendment

Last minute modifications of a resolution in order to improve it. Amendments are to

be handed in on a specific form (distributed to the chairs) two resolutions before the

resolution in question.

Point of information

Request for a brief explanation of the meaning of specific words and abbreviations.

Note that translations are not points of information.

Point of personal privilege

Request for a delegate to repeat a point that was inaudible.

Point of order

A delegate feels that the board has not properly followed parliamentary procedure.

The placard is used by chairpersons after a request from a delegate.

Direct response

Once per debate, each committee may use the Direct Response sign. Should a

committee member raise the Committee Placard and the “Direct Response” sign, the

board recognises them immediately. The direct response sign is used to contribute to

the point made directly beforehand.

PROGRAMME

9:30 – 10:00 Opening of the General Assembly

10:00 – 10:15 Explanation of GA procedure

10:15 – 11:00 LIBE II

11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break

11:30 – 12:15 AFET

12:15 – 13:00 CULT

13:00 – 13:45 ECON

13:45 – 14:30 Lunch

14:30 – 15:15 LIBE I

15:15 – 16:00 EMPL

16:00 – 16:45 CLIM

16:45 – 17:15 Coffee Break

17:15 – 18:00 AFCO

18:00 – 19:00 Closing Ceremony

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND

HOME AFFAIRS II

The Occupy movement in Europe: an expression of direct

participatory democracy? How should the EU respond to the

dissatisfaction of its citizens, and how should it react to the growing

activity of civil movements across Europe in order to ensure that the

voices of its citizens are being heard?

Submitted by: Midas Boeke (Berlage Lyceum); Loes Broekgaarden (K.S.G. de Breul); Michael

Doorakkers (Metameer); Storm Gibbons (Barlaeus Gymnasium); Jesse van der

Haas (Stanislas College); Robin Habbé (Tabor Werenfridus); Douwe Heemskerk

(RSG Pantarijn); Lay de Jong (Marnix College); Jasper Meijer (St.

Ignatiusgymnasium); Willemijn Polders (Revius Lyceum Doorn); Kiran Rajan

(Erfgooiers College); Vivian Vermeeren (Mencia de Mendoza Lyceum); Gráinne

Hawkes (Chairperson, IE); Zahra Runderkamp (Vice-President, NL)

The European Youth Parliament,

A. Emphasising the importance that the voices of civil movements and individual European Union

Citizens are heard,

B. Aware of the need for citizens to express their dissatisfaction in a constructive manner,

C. Defining direct participatory democracy as a political system in which decisions are made

independently by citizens rather than representatives,

D. Fully aware of the need to increase the use of direct democracy in order to allow citizens influence

the political decision making process,

E. Deeply concerned with decreased political participation caused by the number of EU citizens

lacking knowledge of the mechanisms of representation available to them within national

governments and the EU,

F. Recognising that each Member State is best placed to react to their national problems,

G. Expecting that national platforms will provide a fast track direct participatory democracy for

citizens,

H. Convinced that civil movements should initiate dialogue with the European Citizens Initiative

(ECI) and national platforms,

I. Keeping in mind that civil movements are often radical in both their nature and viewpoint,

J. Deeply disturbed by the use of violence by civil movements,

1. Urges all Member States to provide a national platform through which citizens propose solutions

for local, national and international political issues affecting them;

2. Authorises each Member State to independently decide on the composition of their national

platform according to their domestic needs;

3. Endorses the use of national platforms by governments and the ECI by the EU to respond to civil

movements when they have initiated communication;

4. Emphasises the need for civil movements to understand that compromise is necessary for effective

political solutions;

5. Designates Member States to provide citizens with easily accessible information about

opportunities to participate in the democratic process;

6. Calls for the implementation of an EU-wide no tolerance policy towards violent civil movements

that disregard lawful channels of communication.

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

With the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stating that the

violence committed by the Syrian government against its citizens has

amounted to “crimes against humanity”, how should the EU best

respond to this ever growing crisis?

Submitted by: Tirza Dam (Cals College); Fahad Fahad (Tabor Werenfridus); Chandelle van

Gelderen (Berlage Lyceum); Milan Happé (Erfgooiers College); Thijs

Heijligenberg (Marnix College); Tom Molenaar (Christelijk Lyceum Zeist); Nick

Poels (Metameer); Max van der Stelt (Mencia de Mendoza); Titus Verster (St.

Ignatiusgymnasium); Thomas Vos (RSG Pantarijn); Kim van Winkel (Barlaeus

Gymnasium); Moira Lanters (Chairperson, NL); Niall Murphy (Chairperson, IÉ)

The European Youth Parliament,

A. Deeply concerned with the lack of certain basic human freedoms brought about by the actions of

the Syrian government such as the:

i) freedom of assembly,

ii) freedom of association,

iii) freedom of movement,

B. Deeply disturbed that Russia and China place a greater emphasis on international trade than human

rights, and that this has thus far prevented the passing of a UN Security Council resolution on the

humanitarian crisis in Syria,

C. Noting with regret that the Syrian government refuses to talk and cooperate with the interested

parties within the country and on the international level,

D. Welcoming the work of the Arab League in their attempts to bring the crisis to a resolution,

E. Deeply convinced that creating a new, sustainable and democratic government for Syria is fully

achievable,

F. Bearing in mind that the United States of America may not be willing to support military action

against Syria,

G. Fully aware that unilateral military intervention would cause dangerous instability in the region,

H. Taking into account that not every EU Member State would be willing to participate in a military

intervention,

I. Convinced that all viable diplomatic and economic options have been exhausted,

J. Further convinced that military intervention is now the only remaining viable option to resolve the

humanitarian crisis in Syria;

1. Urges the UN Security Council to vote in favour of a resolution calling for military intervention in

Syria;

2. Calls upon NATO to execute said military intervention in Syria, in close alliance with the Arab

League and according to the provisions laid out in the aforementioned UN resolution;

3. Draws attention to the fact that the current state of civil unrest and the autocratic regime put

Russian economic investments in Syria under threat;

4. Calls for the establishment of a democratic regime and the development of a free and open

economy;

5. Supports the freezing of all monetary assets associated with the Syrian government across the EU;

6. Requests the implementation of further economic sanctions on Syria with the aim of exerting

pressure on the current regime;

7. Endorses the creation of a new Syrian constitution, taking note of and working closely with the

many ethnic groups and minorities in Syria, based on the principals of:

a) democracy;

b) human rights;

c) the division of powers.

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON CULTURE AND EDUCATION

With growing recognition of the importance of cultural diplomacy:

How can the EU broaden the scope of its cultural policies and

successfully promote the Union’s core values, such as democracy,

human rights protection and equality, through cultural initiatives?

Submitted by: Jeroen van Alem (Cals College); Zephyr Brüggen (Barlaeus Gymnasium); Laura

Defossez (K.S.G. de Breul); Steffan Oberman (St. Ignatiusgymnasium); Annick

van der Harten (Christelijk Lyceum Zeist); Annemarie Hijmans van den Bergh

(Marnix College); Axel Hirschel (Revius Lyceum Doorn); Lucia van der Meulen

(RSG Pantarijn); Kim Peters (Mencia de Mendoza Lyceum); Tatjana Ramljak

(Stanislas College); Maarten de Reij (Tabor Werenfridus); Carolina Vergroesen

(Berlage Lyceum); Jeroen Wübbels (Metameer); Dirk Hofland (Chairperson, NL);

Milda Šabūnaitė (President, LT)

The European Youth Parliament,

A. Fully believing in the importance of culture for intergovernmental relations,

B. Emphasising the need to keep the creative process itself independent from any political agenda,

C. Recognising cultural diplomacy as the exchange of ideas, information, values and other aspects of

culture, with the intention of fostering mutual understanding in order to promote national interests,

build relationships and enhance socio-cultural understanding,

D. Believing the core values of the European Union (EU) to be:

i) unity,

ii) peace,

iii) freedom of speech, thought and religion,

iv) democracy,

v) protection of human rights,

vi) equality,

E. Emphasising the need to raise awareness of the EU’s core values both inside and outside the EU,

F. Convinced that cultural diplomacy should be used as an effective tool to promote the EU’s core

values through leading by example,

G. Recognising that cultural diversity is a key part of the European identity,

H. Convinced that this diversity should be protected by national cultural policies of individual

Member States;

1. Recommends Member States to oblige high schools to offer a programme on EU studies for all

levels;

2. Calls for the appointment of cultural ambassadors who shall be responsible for:

a) all cultural initiatives abroad,

b) representation and promotion of the core values of the EU through cultural initiatives;

3. Calls upon the EU to extend communication through means of online media, such as websites and

online fora;

4. Urges the EU to raise awareness of its core values amongst its citizens through:

a) facilitating cross-border cultural events, such as music festivals, concerts and sport

competitions,

b) allocating funds for non-profit organisations currently promoting these values in countries

outside the EU,

c) creating platforms for intercultural dialogue.

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AND MONETARY

AFFAIRS

In the light of the UK opting out of the recently proposed fiscal union

pact, how much control should the EU have in regulating national

fiscal policies?

Submitted by: Dianne de Gee (Marnix College); Kaj Heesakkers (Metameer); Willem Koelewijn

(Christelijk Lyceum Zeist); Pelle Koppen (Barlaeus Gymnasium); Yannick

Louwerse (Revius Lyceum Doorn); Samuël Nelemans (St. Ignatiusgymnasium);

Cas van der Oord (Tabor Werenfridus); Martijn Pas (Mencia de Mendoza

Lyceum); Bren Schaap (RSG Pantarijn); Panayiotis Ataou (Chairperson, CY);

Karim Ben Hamda (Chairperson, NL)

The European Youth Parliament,

A. Fully aware of the diversity in cultures across the European Union (EU) leading to different

economic interests among Member States when considering fiscal policies,

B. Recognising the current poor financial situation of certain Member States,

C. Realising the necessity for a control mechanism over Member States’ fiscal policies and their

execution,

D. Noting with regret the increasing lack of confidence towards the EU from various Member States

regarding its abilities to handle economic affairs,

E. Deeply disturbed by the inefficiency and loss of credibility of the EU caused by:

i) a number of failed EU summits on fiscal policy,

ii) lengthy bureaucratic processes in fiscal policy decision making,

F. Fully aware that various Member States have been neglecting previously set criteria and have been

denying their importance,

G. Alarmed by the fact that the appropriate measures against excessive budget deficits were not taken

by the EU despite the fact that criteria laid out in the Maastricht Treaty were breached by certain

Member States,

H. Declaring that an improvement in the level of transparency within the EU is required,

I. Expecting that a certain amount of sovereignty of Member States has to be sacrificed in order to

serve a common European interest;

1. Accepts the European Commission (EC) as the primary organ regarding European fiscal and

monetary matters;

2. Calls for the European Parliament to abolish current veto rights regarding monetary and fiscal

policies and enforce the requirement of an 85% majority when voting on such policies;

3. Recommends that if Member State budgets do not comply with the criteria set in the Maastricht

Treaty they will be allowed six months to alter their budget plan which, if remain inadequate, will

then be followed by immediate involvement of the EC;

4. Authorises the EC to step in after six months if the set criteria are not met in order to reach an

agreement with the Member States in question on developing a more appropriate budget plan;

5. Supports three years of budget guidance after the Member State in question has met the criteria set

in the Maastricht Treaty, executed by the EC;

6. Calls upon Member States to report on their budget in detail on a yearly basis.

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND

HOME AFFAIRS I

A common European identity: a core European value or an out-

dated concept? With the rise of nationalist right-wing movements

across Member States, what actions should the EU take to reaffirm

and strengthen its citizens’ trust in the European idea, and create a

more unified, inclusive and tolerant society?

Submitted by: Kim Blommestein (Metameer); Misha Goudsmit (St. Ignatiusgymnasium);

Elenora Hu (Stanislas College); Bonnie van der Lee (Berlage Lyceum); Anneke

van der Linde (Marnix College); Quinten van der Kaaij (Erfgooiers College);

Christian van Kampen (Revius Lyceum Doorn); Camilla Nieman (Barlaeus

Gymnasium); Jeroen Porton (Mencia de Mendoza Lyceum); Leon Rinkel

(Christelijk Lyceum Zeist); Evelien Scheffers (K.S.G. de Breul); Leonie Stroet

(Tabor Werenfridus); Frank Reijbroek (RSG Pantarijn); Yves Haverkamp

(Chairperson, NL); Victoria Bendiksby Wilkinson (Vice-President, NO)

The European Youth Parliament,

A. Keeping in mind that the European Union (EU) was originally established in order to maintain

peace between Member States through economic integration,

B. Bearing in mind that the EU makes it possible for individual Member States to have a stronger

impact on international questions,

C. Fully aware of the growing scepticism towards the EU within Member States,

D. Deeply concerned that nationalist right-wing movements tend to have a populist nature,

E. Believing in a more unified Europe,

F. Taking into account the distrust among citizens of Member States towards the EU, caused by:

i) not being involved in the decision making process,

ii) economic instability,

iii) the lack of visible results of the work of the EU institutions,

G. Expressing its dissatisfaction with the citizens’ lack of knowledge, education and understanding of

the EU’s system and its institutions,

H. Recognising the difficulty of reaffirming the European identity due to economic and cultural

differences between Member States,

I. Noting the decrease in effectiveness of EU institutions as a result of Member States’ unwillingness

to give up their sovereignty,

J. Bearing in mind the considerable delay before the citizens see the result of actions taken by

European institutions;

1. Urges the EU to create balance against the popularity of right-wing nationalist movements in order to

strengthen the citizens trust in the European idea;

2. Urges all Member States to establish an obligatory EU education programme in schools;

3. Encourages Member States to promote European values and European unity through cultural and

educational initiatives such as festivals and documentaries about other EU countries to celebrate the variety

of cultures in Europe;

4. Trusts that each Member State places the same amount of emphasis on elections for the European

Parliament as on elections for national government;

5. Encourages all Member States to directly elect their representatives to the European Commission;

6. Recommends the establishment of an independent press agency in the EU;

7. Further recommends this agency to have a representative for every Member State responsible for informing

the citizens in his country on current European matters;

8. Expresses its hope that all information relevant to citizens from the European institutions is made accessible

for all.

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS

Two years after celebrating the European year to combat poverty and

social exclusion, 1 out of 7 European citizens still face the risk of living in

poverty. What means should be taken to achieve efficient reduction and

efficient eradication of poverty and social inequality across the EU?

Submitted by: Marco Barsoum (Berlage Lyceum); Heleen van de Coevering (Cals College);

Annemarie Cools (Stanislas College); Anne van der Heijden (RSG Pantarijn); Iris

Koning (Tabor Werenfridus); Hester van der Laan (Barlaeus Gymnasium); Jasper

Montanus (Revius Lyceum Doorn); Irma Ridder (Erfgooiers College); Shannon

Teunissen (Metameer); Koen Verdenius (Marnix College); Demi Wiskerke

(Mencia de Mendoza Lyceum); Eliane Zwart (St. Ignatiusgymnasium); Lorenzo

Parrulli (Chairperson, IT); Jara Verkleij (Chairperson, NL)

The European Youth Parliament,

A. Taking note of the fact that, between 2006 and 2013, the European Social Fund (ESF) will have spent 10%

of the European Union’s (EU) budget on its employment-enhancing projects,

B. Noting with regret that not all Member States act in accordance with government budgets' limits established

in the Treaty on European Union and the agreements which followed,

C. Bearing in mind that strategies to combat poverty and social inequality are constituted on the European

level, but implemented mostly on national level,

D. Fully alarmed by the economic and financial crisis regarding employment and social conditions in the EU,

E. Deeply concerned by the fact that more than 14% of the EU population between 18 and 24 years of age left

school prematurely,

F. Noting with deep concern that unemployment rates of people without secondary level education is almost

three times as high as the rate of those with a tertiary level of education,

G. Fully aware of the entry barriers that minorities face when accessing the labour market,

H. Emphasising the high risk of impoverishment caused by the low level of pensions across the EU;

1. Encourages Member States and the European Commission to expand the ESF budget for social policy

actions implemented by those Member States that have the highest unemployment rates;

2. Urges Member States to augment and improve social benefits for those relying on an income below 60% of

the median average household income of their country;

3. Further requests that the abovementioned citizens are supported by tax cuts once they become active in the

labour market;

4. Recommends independent auditing in order to revise and propose adjustments to budget plans created by

governments of Member States;

5. Calls upon Member States to invest in creating more jobs for those without secondary level education;

6. Requests that Member States encourage the abovementioned less-educated people to resume their education

or support them during the job search;

7. Invites Member States to adopt minimum quotas for groups which are at risk of suffering from social

inequality (i.e. women, immigrants, the disabled), adjusted to the specific economic and business sector;

8. Calls upon Member States to allocate more funds to raise pensions to a level that ensures financial and

social stability to the beneficiary.

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS

Two years after celebrating the European year to combat poverty and

social exclusion, 1 out of 7 European citizens still face the risk of living in

poverty. What means should be taken to achieve efficient reduction and

efficient eradication of poverty and social inequality across the EU?

Submitted by: Marco Barsoum (Berlage Lyceum); Heleen van de Coevering (Cals College);

Annemarie Cools (Stanislas College); Anne van der Heijden (RSG Pantarijn); Iris

Koning (Tabor Werenfridus); Hester van der Laan (Barlaeus Gymnasium); Jasper

Montanus (Revius Lyceum Doorn); Irma Ridder (Erfgooiers College); Shannon

Teunissen (Metameer); Koen Verdenius (Marnix College); Demi Wiskerke

(Mencia de Mendoza Lyceum); Eliane Zwart (St. Ignatiusgymnasium); Lorenzo

Parrulli (Chairperson, IT); Jara Verkleij (Chairperson, NL)

The European Youth Parliament,

A. Taking note of the fact that, between 2006 and 2013, the European Social Fund (ESF) will have spent 10%

of the European Union’s (EU) budget on its employment-enhancing projects,

B. Noting with regret that not all Member States act in accordance with government budgets' limits established

in the Treaty on European Union and the agreements which followed,

C. Bearing in mind that strategies to combat poverty and social inequality are constituted on the European

level, but implemented mostly on national level,

D. Fully alarmed by the economic and financial crisis regarding employment and social conditions in the EU,

E. Deeply concerned by the fact that more than 14% of the EU population between 18 and 24 years of age left

school prematurely,

F. Noting with deep concern that unemployment rates of people without secondary level education is almost

three times as high as the rate of those with a tertiary level of education,

G. Fully aware of the entry barriers that minorities face when accessing the labour market,

H. Emphasising the high risk of impoverishment caused by the low level of pensions across the EU;

1. Encourages Member States and the European Commission to expand the ESF budget for social policy

actions implemented by those Member States that have the highest unemployment rates;

2. Urges Member States to augment and improve social benefits for those relying on an income below 60% of

the median average household income of their country;

3. Further requests that the abovementioned citizens are supported by tax cuts once they become active in the

labour market;

4. Recommends independent auditing in order to revise and propose adjustments to budget plans created by

governments of Member States;

5. Calls upon Member States to invest in creating more jobs for those without secondary level education;

6. Requests that Member States encourage the abovementioned less-educated people to resume their education

or support them during the job search;

7. Invites Member States to adopt minimum quotas for groups which are at risk of suffering from social

inequality (i.e. women, immigrants, the disabled), adjusted to the specific economic and business sector;

8. Calls upon Member States to allocate more funds to raise pensions to a level that ensures financial and

social stability to the beneficiary.

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON CLIMATE CHANGE

With a global commitment to sign a legally binding agreement on reducing

greenhouse gas emissions achieved in Durban, how can the EU maintain its

leading role in future negotiations on the specifics of the agreement in order

to ensure an effective fight against climate change?

Submitted by: Romy uit het Broek (Cals College); Bregje Ditters (Metameer); Leon Hermans

(Marnix College); Tadé Hogenelst (Barlaeus Gymnasium); Bernet Meijer (St.

Ignatiusgymnasium); Olivier van Minnen (Erfgooiers College); Caroline

Opperman (Mencia de Mendoza Lyceum); Myrthe Roemer (Stanislas College);

Jorden Schoonderwoerd (Revius Lyceum Doorn); Emma van Zoelen (Tabor

Werenfridus); Pieternel de Zwart (RSG Pantarijn); Maria-Anna Grasl

(Chairperson, AT); Charif van Zetten (Chairperson, NL)

The European Youth Parliament,

A. Noting with deep concern that green energy remains a secondary source of power and is not yet a reliable

substitute for finite fossil fuels,

B. Observing that new ideas on how to tackle climate change are lost due to a lack of cooperation between

universities in Member States and the research activities in the European Union (EU),

C. Believing that incentives might encourage more students to work for the implementation and further

development of their own ideas,

D. Concerned with the large amount of emissions certificates that reduces the need for companies to limit their

amount of emissions,

E. Expresses its appreciation for the European Commission’s decision to include all greenhouse gases and

sectors for the Phase III (2013 -2020) of the Emissions Trading System (ETS),

F. Fully aware that transport is the cause of generating a quarter of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions,

G. Noting that the use of private transport has a greater polluting effect than public transport,

H. Realising that the current public transportation system within the EU is insufficient as an alternative to

private transport,

I. Alarmed that citizens of Member States are not sufficiently aware of the significant consequences of, and

the individual contribution to climate change;

1. Fully supports the maintenance of EU’s leading role in future negotiations concerning the fight against

climate change by acting as a role model rather than an aggressor;

2. Encourages the improvement and subsequent implementation of all kinds of alternative energy such as

geothermal-, solar-, wind-, bio- and hydro energy, by conducting essential research;

3. Calls for increased acknowledgement of the innovative ideas potentially tackling climate change provided

by university students of both the European Research Council (ERC) and the European University

Association (EUA) collectively;

4. Further calls that for extra academic credits be awarded to students whose ideas have been implemented;

5. Recommends to set the linear factor, by which the amount of emission allowances shall decrease annually in

relation to the Phase II cap, above the agreed 1.74% so as to ensure that the EU will achieve a 21%

reduction in EU ETS sector emissions compared to 2005 by 2020;

6. Encourages the media to effectively inform European citizens of their responsibility concerning the negative

consequences of climate change;

7. Further invites the media to stress the benefits of an eco-friendly lifestyle;

8. Declares the necessity of using sustainable energy in means of public transport, such as buses, trains and

metros;

9. Urges the European Railway Agency to improve its operating systems to effectively connect all Member

States.

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Further expansion or more integration? Witnessing growing levels of civic

scepticism towards the European project as a number of existing Member

States struggle through severe economic instability, should the EU continue

to expand its borders or should it rather focus on deeper integration of its

current Member States?

Submitted by: Naomi Appelman (Barlaeus Gymnasium); Emily den Boer (Revius Lyceum

Doorn); Vivianne Jagt (Mencia de Mendoza Lyceum); Chris de Jong (Marnix

College); Ilse de Jong (RSG Pantarijn); Jari Kuipers (Berlage Lyceum); Elise

Langedijk (Tabor Werenfridus); Bas van Leeuwen (Christelijk Lyceum Zeist);

Leonie Oorschot (Cals College); Jorrit Oudhof (Stanislas College); Thomas Relou

(Metameer); Welmoed Rentes (K.S.G de Breul); Milan Varenhorst (Erfgooiers

College); Nastassia Winge (St. Ignatiusgymnasium), Megan Wennekers

(Chairperson, NL), Dimitris Zacharias (Chairperson, GR)

The European Youth Parliament,

A. Deeply disturbed by the increasing democratic deficit which has rendered European Union decision making

processes inefficient,

B. Deeply concerned by the lack of a common European identity among Member States which contradicts the

EU motto “United in Diversity”,

C. Alarmed by increasing levels of Euroscepticism and their impact on EU integration strategies,

D. Bearing in mind that conflict between interests of the Member States and those of the EU lead to

contradicting policies which obstruct effectiveness and overall efficiency of the policy making processes,

E. Noting with regret the EU’s inability to provide candidate countries and potential candidates with sufficient

financial assistance due to the current deteriorating economic environment,

F. Emphasising the EU’s commitment to support candidate countries and potential candidates in their efforts to

join the bloc,

G. Recognising the need to strengthen the EU by further integrating Member States on a political and social

level which will reinstate economic stability and financial sustainability,

H. Seeking to distinguish between long and short term strategic objectives aimed at consolidating EU

integration policies and the need to stabilise the economy;

1. Supports pan–European student exchange programmes and volunteer work allowing young participants to

form a European identity;

2. Calls for the inclusion of a European dimension in formal and non-formal education;

3. Recommends the use of information campaigns aimed at rendering EU more accessible to the public;

4. Urges EU institutions and NGOs to promote youth involvement in political simulation activities aimed at

increasing participation and interest in political European affairs;

5. Expresses its hope that the decision-making processes in the EU are accelerated by granting the European

Parliament more authority on legislative matters;

6. Recommends the postponement of accession negotiations with candidate countries and potential candidates

countries until the evaluation of economic surroundings provide concrete conclusions which indicate

recovery and overall economic stability;

7. Encourages the EU to maintain its financial and other assistance to candidate countries and potential

candidate countries that are currently in the negotiation process;

8. Strongly condemns failure of Member States to converge to the criteria of the Growth and Stability Pact

(GSP) by imposing:

a) monetary sanctions in the short-term,

b) tighter financial monitoring so as to ensure budgetary discipline in the long term;

9. Calls for the short-term centralisation of decision making in matters of monetary balance and budgetary

monitoring so as to ensure economic recovery.