ALDE Group Summer Academy joint statement

By educating and engaging young Europeans of today we ensure and strengthen our Europe of tomorrow

The future of Europe depends on the youth: by fielding young candidates and educating future generations we can ensure it not only survives but thrives.

For the upcoming European Parliament elections, we want to see creative, citizen-centred campaigns that are done online, targeted at youth and concretely explaining what the EU is and has done for each and every one of us.

As Young liberals and democrats we call on ALDE Group member parties to fully embrace digital campaigning to demystify the workings of the EU for young people across Europe.

We call for concrete solutions for reforming the European Union, moving from talk to action.

We want e-democracy and transnational lists, a true fight against youth unemployment, forward-looking copyright laws, and ensuring the rule of law is applied in an equal and just manner.

We want an inclusive Europe, fighting all forms of intolerance and promoting educational programmes targeting skills of the 21st century and building emotional intelligence. We want a Europe of citizens and not a Europe of borders, a Europe that protects the civil, political and social rights and freedoms no matter where people come from or their background.

The challenges of today can only be solved globally, and therefore we want a Europe that guides the world in the fight for peace, prosperity and justice.

 

The Summer Academy participants are young liberals and democrats from across Europe, members of European Liberal Youth and Young Democrats for Europe. For the majority of the participants the 2-day seminar in the European Parliament in Brussels was their first event on European level.

2019 elections: The end of old-school ‘politics as usual’?

The countdown to the next European Parliament elections has begun. They are an opportunity to change the way we do politics in Europe, to become more inclusive, turn under-representation into equal representation and ultimately increase the trust in our political leaders. Will European political parties accept the challenge? Luis Alvarado writes.

Luis Alvarado is the president of the European Youth Forum*.

Unsurprisingly, youth voices are already leading the way.

In a powerful and forward-thinking move, European political party youth organisations from across the political spectrum have come out strongly in support of the same goal: to create a more transparent, open and inclusive democracy.

The path we need to take to achieve this goal by the upcoming 2019 election is so indisputable that it is supported by a joint statement of the widest possible range of youth political parties; all of whom I am proud to call members of the European Youth Forum and to represent. We are breaking the cycle of how to do ‘old-school politics’.

So listen up and take note:

The answer lies in the empowerment of the current and future generations of young people, to not only have their voices heard in politics but also to be fully engaged in all aspects of decision making.

While there will be many crucial debates to come, one thing that can be universally agreed on is that for the European project to survive and thrive, young people must be at the core. This is the first pro-European generation by birth.

A generation that knows no borders or barriers and understands that the challenges of this era can only be solved together. Migration, terrorism, inclusive and resilient societies, the future of work and the digital revolution are challenges that no nation can find solutions to on its own.

Instead, they need to be tackled regionally and globally. Young people understand this.

It’s no secret that across Europe, young people are less likely to participate in traditional manifestations of democracy, including voting in elections. However, the ‘apathetic youth’ stereotype is a myth that has already been debunked time and time again. Young people have proven themselves to be active in society, engaged and ready to create change.

We take action on issues that directly impact us and stand up for causes that we believe in. We saw that in the Scottish referendum and the UK general election – where young people said “enough!”. So no more excuses.

If political parties want to be responsive to new social movements, we encourage them to work with young people: to take account of them in their manifestos, target them in their policies and put more young people forward in elections.

Let’s start with the integration of a youth perspective. Simply throwing in some statistics now and again on youth unemployment doesn’t count. Parties need to really reflect the realities of young people in Europe and to make issues facing youth a real priority.

This means actively reaching out to young people and ensuring that young voices are meaningfully included. Placing more young candidates in electable positions, for example, has the potential to promote youth turnout and also gives voters new choices with much needed fresh perspectives and approaches.

Political party youth organisations are united in demanding that political systems, both at the national and European level, ‘youth up’ and become much more accessible to all. There is so much potential to channel citizen engagement beyond traditional voting including the opportunities presented by digitalisation, such as e-governance and e-democracy.

We don’t want to be only at the receiving end of strategies and actions, we want to be partners in developing them.

We need our political leaders to think ahead: to invest in the personal and social development of young people and society. Introducing citizenship education that allows each and every young person to develop the skills and knowledge needed to become informed, responsible and critical citizens is key to safeguarding our democracy.

The Erasmus+ programme offers amazing opportunities to contribute to the personal, social, political and economic development of youth and their communities. Imagine if all young people had the chance to experience these benefits? SPOILER ALERT: We’ve pledged to increase its budget by 10 with our #ERASMUSx10 campaign.

The sooner Europe recognises youth as a resource for transformative change, the better. We’ve had enough of being left out of decisions that will directly impact our lives. Young people’s future has already been put at risk by short-term thinking and unsustainable solutions.

Today’s economic and political system does not work for our planet or for people, especially young people. We need to be ambitious in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and we need Europe to be a leader in combating climate change in Europe and globally.

Political parties rarely come together to join forces for a common cause. However, the next European Parliament elections in 2019 have to be more than ‘politics as usual’. Youth organisations have recognised this fact and have shown themselves to be ready and willing to work towards a stronger European future together.

For political parties and candidates to write off young generations, or ignore this joint call for action, would fail not only for youth but democracy as a whole.

*The op-ed was published in Euractiv on the 7th of Februay (https://www.euractiv.com/section/elections/opinion/2019-elections-the-end-of-old-school-politics-as-usual/) endorsed by European Liberal Youth (LYMEC), Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG), Young Democrats for Europe (YDE), Young European Federalists (JEF), European Democrat Students (EDS), International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY), European Free Alliance Youth (EFAy), Youth of the European People’s Party (YEPP), Young European Socialists (YES) and International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY).

Statement on the Elections in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

The elections on December 11th provide the people of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.Macedonia) with the possibility of a new start, and the unification of all democratic forces. And foremost, it offers the people of F.Y.R.O.Macedonia  the possibility to choose the direction for the future of their country.

Free and fair elections are the cornerstones of robust democratic states. These principles are not negotiable and must be respected by all political forces. Ensuring clean electoral lists,  and preventing manipulation of the electorate must have absolute priority in order to secure not only transparency and accountability, but most of all legitimacy. It is crucial that citizens are presented with a variety of meaningful options from which they can choose what kind of lives and systems they consider to be the most desirable for their very own community. This means, free and open competition between different parties. Considering that the latest European Commission report on the F.Y.R.O. Macedonia mention the increasing risk of “state capture” and expresses serious concerns regarding civil liberties, it is crucial that these elections are conducted in a free and fair way so that the country can get back on democratic track and take action in order to give a more positive outlook for the next report .

Vivid discussions focussing on the political content and ideological differences do not only allow all people to enjoy their fundamental rights, such as the freedom of speech, freedom of association and assembly, and freedom of the press, it is also a tool which fosters deeper political participation and paves the way for the emancipation of both individuals and groups. We call on all the candidates to use their opportunities and participate in public debates, thus providing enough information, so that the public can make an informed choice.

The people of F.Y.R.O.Macedonia have lived in a polarized society for many years and they deserve to once and for all enjoy their fundamental rights and democracy. Everything else is not giving them the adequate respect they deserve.

As young people, who are not only living today, but who will also bear the consequences of today’s decisions in the future, we call upon all parties and all other relevant institutions and organisations to collectively ensure that all citizens can practice the democracy they are entitled to through the constitution.

EFAy- European Free Alliance Youth

FYEG- Federation of Young European Greens

IFLRY- International Federation of Liberal Youth

IUSY- International Union of Socialist Youth

JEF- Young European Federalists

LYMEC- European Liberal Youth

YDE- Young Democrats for Europe

YES- Young European Socialists

Young people demand the election of the President of the European Commission remains democratic

Statement from political party youth organisations on discussions by Heads of EU Member States to block the “Spitzenkandidaten” process of electing the President of the European Commission.

The 2014 European elections were the first time voters were able to have a say on who should run the European Commission, with the five main European political parties putting forward candidates who became known by the German term “Spitzenkandidaten”. The main European political party youth organisations have strongly defended this democratic system following reports that almost all EU Heads of States or Government are planning to revert to the previous system, under which they decide on the President behind closed doors.

The European Union is facing challenges on multiple levels, and clear European leadership is essential if Europe is to act cohesively to solve its existential issues. It is vital, therefore, for the EU’s future that it strives to be ever-more democratic and transparent. The process of European elections determining the next President of the Commission has been a hugely positive step in empowering citizens to choose the direction of the EU, adding transparency and more democratic legitimacy to the process. Reversing this would be a regressive step in the democratising trend that has been ongoing in the EU for several decades, especially at a time when the citizens already feel that the EU lacks legitimacy.

The Spitzenkandidaten process gave a face to European leaders. It helped to open up EU democracy, which often seems to be very distant from citizens, especially for young people. In 2014, the European Youth Forum, along with the University and City of Maastricht and Euronews, organised the first-ever televised debate between these Spitzenkandidaten. This debate, broadcast live to millions of viewers, focused on youth issues. Over the course of the elections, the Spitzenkandidaten process contributed to bigger media coverage and, in several Member States, it stopped the tendency of continuously decreasing participation rates.  A regressive move back to the old system would risk further alienating voters, particularly young voters, who are often sceptical of engaging in traditional politics. To secure more popular support, the European Union needs to be more democratic, not less.

It is in the interest of our national leaders to support the continuous opening up of European democracy. Therefore we demand that they follow the recent call from the European Parliament to secure and develop the Spitzenkandidaten process.

After all, is it not better that one of the key leadership positions of the EU is decided on by its 500 million citizens rather than just by 28 heads of state?

YFJ – European Youth Forum

YEPP – Youth of European People’s Party

DEMYC- Democrat Youth Community of Europe

FYEG – Federation of Young European Greens

EFAY – European Free Alliance Youth

LYMEC – European Liberal Youth

JEF – Young European Federalists

IFLRY – International Federation of Liberal Youth

IUSY – International Union of Socialist Youth

YES – Young European Socialists

YDE – Young Democrats for Europe

AEGEE-Europe – European Students’ Forum

Germany moves to the right!

State elections in Germany: right-wing-populist-party AfD enters three parliaments

During the past weeks, Germans have often made fun of the Americans. “How can they vote for someone like Donald Trump?” German people would ask. And they cannot be blamed. The Republicans’ presidential candidate wants to forbid the entry in the United States to Muslims; he wants to bolt the Mexican border with a wall and describes himself as “the best president God has ever created”. Regarding his statements and demands, we are stunned and also about the Americans’ electoral behaviour. But with the last state elections in Germany on March 13, the situation in Germany turned out to be as worse as in the United States.

24.2% is the score the right-wing party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD, Alternative for Germany) did receive in Saxony-Anhalt at its first election! This result is frightening and dangerous. In Baden-Wurttemberg (15.1%) and Rhineland-Palatinate (12.6%), the situation is hardly better. After this electoral Super-Sunday, the political map of Germany has changed. A party that wants to allow shooting at refugees, to dissolve the EU, to abolish social benefits and to prohibit Muslims from practising their religion is now represented in eight of the 16 federal state’s parliaments. “The AfD confesses to the traditional family as an example” and rejects state kindergartens. Men should work; women should educate children and stay at home to cook. Every vote for the right-wing populists is a retrograde step.

UKIP in the United Kingdom, the Front National in France – and now the AfD in Germany. The biggest reason why parties like these could get that popular is the refugees’ crisis: hundred thousands of people fleeing from their native countries from war,  to Europe, to Germany. The AfD takes advantage of this, rushes and shrinks back from nothing; and gets votes – alarmingly many votes. The AfD gets voters from the established parties; however, non-voters give primarily their votes to the right-wing-party. Besides, three of four voters indicate to have chosen the AfD not because of their manifesto, but to teach a lesson to the governing parties.

Already once in German history a right-wing-party scored such a great success in such a short time! It should not only be a German effort, but also a European one, that this will not happen again. Established centrist parties must take the citizens seriously, their demands, worries and fears. They must not give them a reason to vote for a right-wing party only to teach a lesson. This is the only way to maintain our democratic and pro-European values. However, the AfD is not one thing for sure: an alternative.

By Bettina Schwarz (@betti_schwarz)

Photo: Túrelio

Young Democrats for Europe (YDE)
Jeunes Democrates Europeens (JDE)
YDE is the youth wing of the European Party.We embrace the key role of democratic principles, underlined in the Lisbon Treaty and shrined in our political belief: democracy, freedom, equality, participation, sustainability and solidarity.

Contact us

    OUR PARTNERS