issue 1: european challenges

The YMedia Team of Potsdam 2014

Issue 1: European Challenges

EditorialWhy?

That’s the perfect way to piss someone off. It can be used to respond to anything whatsoev-er. The one word question that can make any conversation go on forever. The continuation of anything somebody says unless you answer something like this:

Whatever we do, whatever we believe in and however we behave – motives should be ques-tioned. Why? Because it is most likely the only question that truly pushes borders.

‘Why’ is the most basic and yet most difficult question you can ask someone. Babies exploit this loophole quite soon but perfectly. Over time, however, we move on with our lives, get older, more dutiful and colder. We learn to do things because we have to do them, out of a sense of duty or, most annoyingly, we do stuff because it has always been done this way.

We need people who break this circle; People who look at the world from a different angle and ask this question. This might very likely ‘piss off a lot of people’, but also change the world for the better. Bit by bit, one question at a time.

Your editors,

Tua, David & Sebastian

Hey, I’m gonna get a drink!

Why?

Why not?

Touché

4A new direction for Europe?

6The triangle of power

8The importance of our union

10Timeline of the EP

12Different places, different faces

14EU Mythbusters

Tumblr, the place where we can easily spend hours looking at Grumpy Cat’s sister Pokey, will also be the place where we informally collect random stories, big smiles and hilarious moments from this session. On top of that, we add bizarre GIFs, articles of the printed issues and a collection of the best snap-shots. There, you also have the chance to ask us questions and share ideas - we'll definitely answer.

The best daily photos will also be posted on facebook.com/potsdam2014

tumblrpotsdam14.tumblr.com

A new direction for Europe?

by Lisa Latussek

Milja Miettinen, 17from Tampere, Finland

Why do you care about the elections?Because you can choose the right person to represent you and you can actually influence what the EU is doing.

What do you think the elections can actually change?Making different decisions and you can influence who is going to make them in the next years.

Jonas Carstens, 18from Eckernförde, Germany

Why do you care about the elections?Because the EP is the only directly elected institution and it does have a lot of power and many competences. You can really change something with your vote.

What do you think the elections can actually change?Depends on the subject. It can change how we treat refugees, how we treat the member states that struggle because of the economic crisis and many other important things.

Franziska Franke, 17Traunstein, Germany

Why do you care about the elections?Because there are issues that can’t be solved only in the Mem-ber States. Elections give everyone the chance to take part in European politics and it’s a shame that only few people vote and are interested in Europe. A lot of people don’t really know what to vote or if they even want to vote

What do you think the elections can actually change?Tough question. Well, there are some issues that are currently important, e.g. the TTIP. Especially this elections are really im-portant because many parties have different opinions on that, so it actually matter who you vote for.

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Noémi Melcher, 18from Hungary

Why do you care about the elections?Because elections allow it to represent the people in decisions made in the EU.

What do you think the elections can actually change?They can change a lot. They can change the attitude of peo-ple because they are being encouraged to be open and voice their opinion.

Sandrine Georg, 18Luxemburg

Why do you care about the elections?There are very different opinions throughout Europe. A World War III should not happen and democracy and elections can prevent that.

What do you think the elections can actually change?We can go in a better direction than we are heading in now. Whenever there are elections, people come up with very different ideas. So whenever there’s an election, we can select the best ideas and improve ourselves through voting.

Sandra Trienekens, 18Luxemburg

Why do you care about the elections?It is important to get an influence on the deci-sions made in Europe as a whole. Luxembourg is obliged to vote, so we don’t have a choice. We have to vote, and I think it’s important to think about the elections and the decisions made in the European Union.

What do you think the elections can actually change?Environment is an important aspect for the elections, as well as infrastructure and green energy. People are more and more thinking about that and it gets more and more impor-tant for them.

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Council of theEuropean Union

EuropeanCommission

“government”

28 commissioners on different topics

manage EU budget

enforce EU laws

Citizens’

Initiativecan dism

iss commissi

oners

has to agree on presid

ent

proposes laws

European Council

proposes president

The triangle of powerThe major institutions of Europe in a nutshell

by Philipp Magin

European

Parliament

passes laws

signs aggreements

approves budget

foreign and defence policy

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elects

consists of Member States’ ministers

assembly of the 28 heads of state

European CommissionThe European Commission is the "govern-ment" of the European Union. Each of its 28 Commissioners comes from a different member state. They are proposed by the national gov-ernments. The president of the European Com-mission, who sets the course of commissioners' work and represents the EU internationally, is also proposed by the national governments, but has to be approved by the European Parlia-ment.

European ParliamentThe European Parliament consists of 751 mem-bers. Each member state contributes between 6 to 96 members roughly proportionate to the number of inhabitants. These members of the parliament are elected by EU citizens for 5 years, and represent their voters on an Europe-an level. The parliament checks the other two major EU institutions, but it also plays a major role in the legislative process and sets the EU budget. Thus it sets the emphasis on specific points on European politics along with the Eu-ropean Council.

Council of the European UnionThe European Council is the member states’ representative in the EU. Its members consist of national governments’ ministers, who meet with their European colleagues to discuss mat-ters concerning their specific resort. Thus the European Council is responsible for the cooper-ation between member states in legislative and budgetary matters.

Treaty of LisbonThe Lisbon treaty was implemented in 2009 and granted the European Parliament more power than ever before. They are now involved in the legislative process of almost all topics, and has great influence on the election of the President of the European Commission.

Council of theEuropean Union

make laws

European

Parliament

passes laws

signs aggreements

approves budget

foreign and defence policy

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consists of Member States’ ministers

§

The importance of our Union

“Hence in times of the dangerous crisis in Ukraine and surprisingly powerful right-wing parties, we do need more Europe instead of less.”

by Ole Petersen

The democratic deficit of the EU is an old, but – especially in times of the election – highly important and controversial issue. Due to the increasing euro-skepticism and political apathy in some countries, I want to use the chance to elaborate on the weaknesses and emphasize its potential. The European Parliament is the only directly elected EU institution, which makes citizens’ participation in European politics difficult and abstract. The perceived lack of representation is only one of the many problems blamed on the current situation.Furthermore the European Parliament does not have a right to initiate laws, which makes the European Parliament weaker than legislative bodies in most parliamentary democracies. Even though the European Commission is selected by the national governments and indirectly legitimated by the European citi-zens it has the power to create laws and give the political tendency. However, the European Commission is still the most powerful institution at the moment.

Since this issue has been well-known for a long time and the Lisbon treaty of 2007 did not have the desired outcome, the elections of 2009 finally showed us impressively how urgent an institutional change is to strengthen the believe of a united and successful Europe.

Recently the negotiations about the Transat-lantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) seemed to demonstrate impressively how decisions are legally made in the EU right now. A few people, most likely in a close relation-ship to lobbyists, are discussing market-based

changes that affect all of us. This stereotype, developed by the lack of transparency, is a big motive for euro-skepti-cism. However, the parliament will get the right to inspect documents soon, giving everyone the opportunity to receive detailed and correct information about currently debated issues. Despite that, it would be helpful focusing on relevant European topics and issues in the EU, which are of interest for all member states. Due to this point that the EU is often seen as a sys-tem focused on useless laws instead of urgent worries.

Another big step forward will be implementing direct democratic instruments, such as plebi-scites, to offer a further possibility of political participation. Referenda had already been implemented on different national levels, demonstrating the advantage and feasibility of direct democratic elements. Fact is, that citizens become more interested whilst getting more political rights. Moreover it is still necessary to convince na-tional governments about the importance of a strong and democratic EU even though it might reduce their sovereignty in certain fields.Some national governments still do not fight against euro-skepticism and stereotypes ambi-tiously enough.

There are various ways to improve the EU and not every mentioned point needs to be real-ized, but it is necessary that every involved party (citizens, national governments, EU exec-utive) is willing to have the same goal.

Only with united forces the future of the EU will

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become more democratic and European poli-tics more efficient. Hence in times of the dan-gerous crisis in Ukraine and surprisingly power-ful right-wing parties, we do need more Europe instead of less.Finally, it is our responsibility to care even more about supranational politics for emphasizing the importance in public.

The first step will be to go voting and to say “yes” to an EU, which already achieved a lot and practically brought us together for this Na-tional Selection Conference here in Potsdam.

Far-right leaders join forces against EU `monster`- The Times

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Schicksalswochenende für Europa- süddeutsche Zeitung

l´Unione Europea sceglie il futuro- la repubblica

Volby do Evropskeho parlamentu: Volil uz i prezident, premier i ministr financi.

- Nova online

Los ultraderechistas de UKIP ganan terreno en las elecciones locales de Reino Unido

- la verdad

Timeline of the EPThe European Parliament has already existed for more than 50 years.

This timeline illustrates the most important dates and reversals of its history.

by Michal Novotný

The first meeting of the Common Assembly. 78 parlia-mentarians selected from the national parliaments of the member states are given legislative power.19

52

Members sit according to political ideology rather than nationality – the birth of the modern European Parliament.19

58

The European Parliament is granted power over some areas of the budget of the European Union.19

70

Members of the European Parliament are di-rectly elected for the first time.

1979

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The European Council states that the European Parliament will retain its formal seat in Strasbourg, where twelve sessions a year will be held.19

92

The European Parliament forces the resignation of the European Commission in office between 1995 and 1995 led by J. Santer due to allegations of corruptions.19

99

In voting on the Bolkestein directive, an EU law that aims at establishing a single market for services within the European Union, the Parliament votes by a large majority for over 400 amendments that change the fundamental principle of the law.20

06

The European Parliament is for the first time included in talks on the second Schengen Information System, a governmental database used by European countries to maintain and distribute information on individuals and pieces of property of interest.20

07

With the Lisbon Treaty the European Parliament receives power over the entire EU budget.20

09

The largest trans-national European Parliament election in the EU history. About 400 million Eu-ropeans have the opportunity to cast their vote between May 22 and May 25 and therefore decide about the future of the EU.

2014

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Over the past 60 years, the Eu-ropean Parliament grew from an institution with 78 members to one of the largest parlia-ments of the world, with 751 members as of 2014.

Each dot represents 40 mem-bers of the parliament.

Different places,different faces

Does it matter where you come from, when it comes to what you think?

by Max van der Stelt

Some say the Britons refuse to wear them as protection for the sun, simply because there is no sun. Others say Austrians only wear them while skiing, to give reflection from snow zero chance. All we know is they are called Glasses, which come in any shape or form. From sun- to safety-glasses, from reading- to 3D-glasses: When discussing politics, people’s judgement depends on the ‘glasses’ they wear. Left or right, pro-EU or EU-sceptic. The European Un-ion contains many diverse countries with vary-ing ideas and beliefs. But which region wears which kind of glasses?

Sandra Trienekens (INTA), Sandrine Georg (ECON) and Margot Delaunois (DROI) rep-resent the charming country of Luxembourg. Schengen, a small village previously best known for wine-making, has played a nota-ble role in European history with the Treaty of Schengen, which is still growing in countries. One can only wonder what spectacles they put on when it comes to the European Union.

What makes your country different from oth-er countries?Our population consists of a large group of foreigners, 44% to be exact. With all those different nationalities, it is hard to find a real ‘Luxembourg spirit’.

Is the European Union of interest to the peo-ple in your country?No, not really. We do not talk about the EU that often. There have been some debates recently with the elections, but it is not popular. There is one thing that is interesting. Jean-Claude Juncker, who was prime minister from 1995 until last year, is now running for presidency of the European Commission as top candidate of

the conservative party. Elderly people like him for his points of view, but the youngsters think he is too conservative.

What is Luxembourg’s view towards the European Union? How important is its exist-ence?We consider the EU to be important for several reasons. We are hugely dependent on the EU in an economic way. Besides that, travelling is made so much easier by the Schengen Treaty, which really favours us. As a small country we should be happy for the EU to be there.

What is your region’s stance towards the elections? Positive or negative?What you should know is that in Luxembourg we are obliged to vote. We think they should be obliged to vote in every country. That way we can increase the awareness and get people to think. If everyone would vote, the ideas will be better represented.

How is the EU visible in your region? Would things have been different without the EU?Schengen is really important. Without Schen-gen, Luxemburg would have been unknown. Luxemburg gets its importance from Schengen. Luxembourg is proud of the status it has in the European Union, despite of its small size.

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Milja Miettinen (INTA) came to Potsdam all the way from Finland. What glasses do people wear in the far north, with the fjords and cliffs of Scandinavia?

What makes your country different from oth-er countries?Forests, forests and forests! They are just over-whelming. Besides having to deal with trees, we also have to deal with refugees and foreign-ers. Most Finns do not like foreigners. Finland should, in their opinion, be there for the Finns.

Is the European Union of interest to the peo-ple in your country?No, we do not like the European Union. We only talk about the bad things the EU caus-es for us. For example, Finns hate bears and wolves and like to shoot them in order to pre-vent them from harming our environment. EU legislation forbid the hunting, which feels like they have taken one of our hobbies away.

What is Luxembourg’s view towards the European Union? How important is its exist-ence?Finns are very EU-sceptic, over 60% would rather not be part of the Union. We do not feel European, we are way too nationalistic for that. Whenever legislation passes or something else happens, we compare ourselves to Sweden. We might even be a little jealous of Sweden.

What is your region’s stance towards the elections? Is it Positive or negative?Almost all Finns have no interest for the elec-tions, just a small part of the country does. The majority is not eager to vote.

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EU MythbustersBrussels stands for a metaphor for many things going wrong.

We took a closer look on some of the following myths, and see: busted!

by Lara Alexa Nagel

“The EU dislikes curved cucumbers”

Quality standards like a minimum length of 14cm and a thickness of 2.7cm for an average cucumber seem irritating and useless to many EU citizens.

These standards serve to keep the products comparable across borders and also exist for many other vegetables and fruits within the EU. Other European countries, the United Nations and the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) had decided on a standardisation of products long before the EU started regulating these products. The idea does not have its origins in Brussels but was adopted in the process of standardisa-tion within the EU with the aim to inform peo-ple about the food they buy.

If we really should aim for our food to look all the same and if this really tastes better or is healthier is a different discussion.

#1

“The Euro made everything more expensive”

It is true: since the introduction of the Euro, everyday life has become more expensive. However, this trend already existed before the monetary union and has even decreased over the last years.

Everyday goods like electricity, fuel and some food items have become more expensive due to the increase of stock prices on the interna-tional market.

On the other hand, electronic devices like smartphones and notebooks have become cheaper. A possible reason for that is the up-ward revaluation of the Euro, which reduces the costs of imports.

#2

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“Migrants take away the jobs of EU citizens”

In 2004, just before the eastern expansion of the EU, the fear of a flood of migrants was present in the minds of many Central Europe-an citizens. Germany and Austria even passed temporary regulations to ban any competition for the unemployed population.

Since 2014, Romanians and Bulgarians are also allowed to work in EU countries. After the sec-ond time an increase of refusing migrants was caused by fear appeared again, this time for ex-ample visible in a campaign (“Who betrays, is going to get the boot”) of the CSU in Germany.

Since 2004, 260.000 people from Eastern Europe live and work in Germany. The concern was more than unjust.

#3

“The European Commis-sion wants to control my shower habits”

The Ecodesign Directive, which exists since 2005, annoyed politicians like Markus Ferber, the leading candidate for the European elec-tions for the. Quotes like “What comes next? The ban of bath tubs?” illustrate the frustration caused by the plan of the European Commis-sion to implement the obligatory labelling of water consuming devices according to efficien-cy guidelines.

However, the Ecodesign Directive does not ac-tually include any obligatory instructions. These can only be decided when member states, companies and environmental organisations discussed about the suggestions.

Nevertheless, climate change makes it nec-essary implement regulations improve the energy efficiency of technological devices. It is true that these measures can only be a start for a more energy-efficient lifestyle. But it still leads to innovations and products which are eco-friendlier and at the same time less expen-sive than older devices.

#4

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supported by:

Brought to you by the media team of Potsdam’14:Ole Petersen (DE)

Michal Novotny (CZ)Lisa Latussek (DE)

Veriko Devidze (GE)Max van der Stelt (NL)

Philipp Magin (DE)Joana Stachera (PL)

Ana Viitanen (FI)Lara Alexa Nagel (DE)

Special thanks go to the organising team, particularly to Doro and Alyona.

issue 1: european challenges

Documents

word question

difficult question

tough question

circle people

lot of people dont

different angle

important things

different decisions