4.1. EM Belgium
‘DISCOVER EUROPE - ROMANIA ’
Together with the Romanian Information Centre of Brussels and Europe Direct Brabant Wallon, the European Movement Belgium organised a cultural evening about Romania. This night took place on Monday the 23th April, 19h, in Louvain-la-Neuve. The film “12H08 à l’Est de Bucarest” from Corneliu Porumboiu, was shown in the UGC cinema. This film from Corneliu Porumboiu is a comedy about the post-Ceaucescu period in Rumania and won the Camera d’Or in Cannes last year.
For more information www.mouvement-europeen.be.
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‘5 May: EUROPE DAY’
Every year the European Movement Belgium is present at the big celebration of the Europe Day. This year the European Institutions will open their doors on Saturday the 5th of May, from 10h until 18h. The EMB will be present in the Leopoldpark and in the European Parliament with stands, with games, and with all kinds of animation and information. In the afternoon the EMB organises a big European debate contest in the EP. Six schools will participate. A jury of politicians and journalists will decide which school debates the best. Everybody is welcome for a visit on this day!
Contact: Lin Vanwayenbergh
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4.2. EM Armenia
The European Movement in Armenia started to organise trainings about the European Union. The trainings are provided by specialists qualified in European Universities. The training "European Union: Institutions and Policy" was organised for the first time and the results were very promising. The European Movement in Armenia is interested in creating a structure similar to the European Movement Training Academy.
For more information click here.
To view the course description click here.
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European of the year in Armenia
The Council of the European Movement in Armenia has recognised Speaker of the RA Parliament Tigran Torosyan Year's Best European in Armenia.
This title was conferred on Speaker Torosyan for his efforts toward development and consolidation of Armenia's relations with other countries and organizations.
For more information see press coverage.
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4.3. EM Denmark
“Rome-cake” - celebration
On 26 of March, the Danish European Movement campaigned in five cities in Denmark, and handed out “Rome-cakes” with European flags and postcards. The event was covered by a number of newspapers and local TV-stations and was a great success. Press here to see a web-transmission from the event.
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New publication: European energy
In September 2006, the Danish European Movement initiated a publication on European energy policy. On 10 of April (2007) the publication was presented at a fully booked public meeting, whith the contributors as panel. They contributors represented a wide range of key actors within the field of energy, among these the Danish Minister of Environment, Connie Hedegaard, the Managing Director of the biggest Danish energy company (DONG) Anders Eldrup, Professor Henrik Carlsen and MEP (ALDE) Karin Riis-Jorgensen. Almost 80 took part in the event, that was arranged as part of the Speak Up Europe -project.
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Debate on agriculture
On 19 of April the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mariann Fischer Boel, took part in a breakfast meeting on the future for European agriculture in a global world. The meeting was organized by the Danish European Movement, the European Commission and the European Parliament in Denmark, and was also part of Speak Up Europe. Apart from the Commissioner the panel consisted of the director of Danish Agriculture Peter Gaemelke, MEP (PES) Dan Jorgensen, International Coordinator in DanChurcAid Christian Friis Bach and President of the European Movement in Denmark, Erik Boel. More than 70 people participated in the event and the lively debate, which will be broadcasted on national television during the next couple of weeks.
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4.4. EM Finland
The EM Finland held its annual congress on 24th March in Helsinki on the eve 50th anniversary of the treaty of Rome. A new president and a new board were elected. Our new president is Mrs. Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, a Member of the Finnish Parliament and a long time activist in EM Finland.
The new board is listed here.
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The 50th year anniversary of the EU has played a major role in EM Finland’s activities. Two publications were published: a magazine aimed at the general public and a high profile discussion report on the future of Europe.
A pdf-version of the Finnish language report can be downloaded here (PDF).
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During the week of the 50th anniversary an exhibition on the advantages of European integration was organized at the main railway station in Helsinki. The EM Finland participated in the organisation of the exhibition together with the German EU presidency. On 24th March before our annual meeting an anniversary seminar was held with many high profile EU experts.
Pictures of the seminar can be viewed here.
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At the moment EM Finland and our local branches are planning the Europe Day celebrations, the main theme of the celebrations also being the 50th anniversary of the treaty of Rome. Events will take place in 16 cities all around the country. The national main event will take place in the city of Turku. In Helsinki we are working together with the Eurovision song contest organization as the song contest takes place during the same week in the city. Contestants of the song contest are expected to take part in the Europe Day celebrations.
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4.5. EM Estonia
EM Estonia hosted a study trip for civil society actors from Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus
A group of 25 came to Estonia to observe the Parliamentary elections in practice as well as compare and analyse the electoral systems, pre-election campaigning and the role of civil society in the decision-making process.
The feedback is positive, the necessity of all types of civil society education study visits is essencially necessary, agrees also one of the participants in the particular project, Alexandra Palii, director of European Movement Moldova.
"Moldova and Georgia are exactly the size of countries that Estonia's experience can be used in. The fact is that EU neighbourhood policy area needs the whole EU's attention - besides economic and state spheres, the attention has to come through citizens and civil society organisations,"
urged Ulrika Hurt, the director of EM Estonia all other European Movements to pay more attention to what is going on in Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia for example.
The project was organised by EM Estonia, with the partnership of EM Moldova and with the support of Soros Foundation in Estonia, Ukraine and Moldova.
Additional infomation: Ulrika Hurt
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EM ESTONIA's SUCCESS WITH EURO<26 YOUTH CARD
EM Estonia and its partner in banking sector Hansapank, have launched EURO<26 youth card co-brand card with bank card. EM Estonia is offering variuos youth information services as well as EU information seminars and simulation games to youth, with the cooperation of banking sector, the messages of EU information reached youth who might never turn to EU information sources. Bouth EM Estonia and Hansapank issue a digital youth information newsletter, reaching more than 80 000 young people in Estonia in total.
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EM ESTONIA will get its NEW ADVISORY BOARD on 19th of MAY.
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EM ESTONIA to be arranging a poetry competition for school-children
In the framework of Europe Day, EM Estonia has opened a call for poetry.
"EU and Europe are commonly used words, everyone has an opinion and we are trying to get it from the children in a quite un-traditional format, in the format of a poem. That should make the competition to be more outstanding from others," explained the project coordinator Triin Terasmaa.
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4.6. EM Macedonia
The 9th of May in Macedonia
The European Macedonia will celebrate the "Europe's day" with several events around the country, starting on the 2nd of May . You can download the PDF version of the programme here.
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4.7. EM Bulgaria
The President of the European Movement International Pat Cox delivered a public lecture about the role of the European Parliament in Sofia on the 2nd of May in order to encourage the Bulgarian voters to take part in the elections on the 20th of May.
The lecture was organised by EM in Bulgaria in the framework of the Information Campaign about the EP.
Contact: Velko Ivanov
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4.8. EM France
Etats Généraux de l’Europe : a celebration and a commitment to the future
It was a wild idea: to organise in a few months, in France, a large national gathering of the civil society to celebrate 50 years of Europe and to reflect on the future of the European project. The European Movement France was one of the key organisers of this event. And it was a huge success. The first “Etats Généraux de l’Europe” in Lille attracted over 3 000 people: trade unionists, politicians, civil society, students and citizens of all ages from different walks of life. In the plenary sessions and the sixteen workshops participants debated issues as varied as the Common Agricultural Policy, the environment, the Euro, social dialogue and cultural diversity to name but a few. A report compiling the proposals formulated in the workshops will be presented to the French presidential candidates and the European Council in June.
Above all, however, this was an occasion to celebrate the achievement that is the fiftieth anniversary of the Rome Treaty. It was a way of wiping the slate clean after the defeat of the referendum on the Constitution and of affirming that a significant part of French society is indeed proud to be European!
http://www.fierteeuropeenne.eu/
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4.9. JEF
Federal Committee & 5to12 action
In the weekend of March 23-25, coinciding with the celebrations for the 50 years of the EU, JEF Europe held its Federal Committee meeting and a series of events in Berlin. JEFers from around Europe made their voices heard regarding the Berlin Declaration, signed by the presidents of the European Council, European Parliament and European Commission. As expected, the declaration offered no concrete steps for a European Constitution.
In light of this expectation, JEF launched its 5to12 campaign (www.5to12.eu), letting Europe's leadership know that it is time for Europe to adopt a Constitution with ambitious institutional reforms, sooner rather than later. JEF'ers around Europe sent in pictures of clocks in their cities with the handles facing 5to12. In Berlin JEF'ers raised a banner on Berlin's famous Siegessäule monument. In Rome JEFers took to the streets to promote the campaign for a European referendum, which was incidentally signed by former President of the Convention on the Future of Europe: Mr. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
The various actions were very successful, with JEF being highlighted in various independent and national media outlets. A full review with accompanying pictures is available on the JEF Europe website at www.jef.eu
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JEF PRESS RELEASE
JEF Europe answers to Merkel's 12 points-questionnaire
In reply to the letter sent out by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to her 26 European counterparts, the Young European Federalists (JEF Europe) take a stand on 12 questions concerning the future of the Constitution.
In their open reply letter, available on www.jef.eu, the Young European Federalists underline both the advantages of the current version of the Constitution and the most urgent needs for further improvement. They strongly urge for the parts I and II of the current text to be upheld in their entirety while including new topic fields, in which the Union has progressed over the past months.
JEF Europe's president, Jan Seifert, commented on their initiative: "We take this questionnaire as an opportunity to speak out symbolically and publicly as an organisation representing 35,000 young political activists who are concerned about their European future. The consultations on the future of the Constitution must be taken out of the closet and into the public thereby involving the interested civil society and parliamentarians. Unfortunately, the German presidency has not yet dared to do so. It is now high time that Chancellor Merkel’s ministries get actively involved in preparing her proposed civil society hearing together with the European Parliament.”
Seifert added: “The European Constitution was a long necessary step forward in terms of institutional changes and one that provided for wider legitimacy thanks to the Convention method preparing it. We are concerned that Europe is falling back to the disastrous Nice-style IGC negotiations, hence giving way for deadlocks, ill-suited compromises and above all excluding the citizens in the drafting procedure. Instead we call for a second mini-convention to review the text where necessary and then put it up for a European consultative referendum in 2009”.
The Young European Federalists have for long condemned the fact that a tiny minority of states keep the whole Union from progressing further. By lobbying for the abolishment of the unanimity principle for further treaty changes they support the idea that states who cannot agree on new steps can join the Constitutional Europe later.
ENDS
For the full text of the reply to Mrs Merkel, visit the JEF website.
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JEF Publishes two visions of 2057
European century or European decline? Read JEF’s "The Daily European" from 2057!
05. May 2007
Today, the Young European Federalists (JEF Europe) present The Daily European to the members of the European Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO) and to European media. The Daily European newspaper has been beamed to Brussels from the year 2057. Ironically, there are two versions of the newspaper: one from a disintegrated Europe and the other from a flourishing in 2057. Whichever one of the two versions will be reality in 2057 very much depends on the path chosen in 2007. - Constitutional ambition or European decline?
”Retired JEF activists in 2057 have been invited to look back at Europe in the time around 2007. Their experience with the European debate and activities can be found in the two scenarios of The Daily European” explained Jan Seifert, President of JEF Europe, when presenting the newspaper in Brussels.
“We want to open the eyes of Europe’s leaders for the different scenarios of the Rome Treaties' 100-year anniversary in 2057”, so Seifert. “In contrast to our leaders, we are young and our role in 2057 is of great concern for us. In order to reach a flourishing Europe, the young generation wants a bold step forward with our continent. Only the adoption of an ambitious European Constitution can build a framework for Europe to grow further together and find its role in the globalised world of 2057”, Seifert claimed.
JEF Europe has for long condemned the fact that a tiny minority of governments can keep the whole Union from progressing further. Seifert concluded: "It is now time to let the European people decide and put the revised Constitution to a European consultative ballot in 2009. Let us work on Europe, so that we can say in 2057 that the party began in 2007!”
The two versions of the Daily European are available online at www.jef.eu. Printed versions can be mailed upon request. Please contact the JEF secretariat in Brussels.
ENDS
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4.10. ELDR
ELDR Congress - “Europe as a global partner” - 18-19 October in Berlin, Germany
The annual Congress of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform (ELDR) Party is scheduled to take place on 18-19 October in Berlin, Germany. During this congress entitled “Europe as a global partner”, representatives of liberal democrat parties from all over Europe will discuss the way forward for European countries to reap the full benefits of globalisation. Distinguished personalities from outside will be invited to express their perception of the European Union. There will also be debates on climate change, the promotion of the European values and ensuring European unity on the global stage.
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4.11. AEGEE
Striving for Education Unlimited! in Europe
Lifelong and life-wide learning of students, key competences acquired through complementary forms of education and foremost students’ voice on education at grass-root level!...there is still a lot to do in European education and members of the European Students' Forum – AEGEE say: Let's improve it!
The AEGEE flagship project 2007 Education Unlimited! is rocking! It aims at strengthening involvement of young people in educational policies at the grass-root level and bridging formal and non-formal education in a more sustainable way. Let us update you about the latest developments.
The project’s launch took place with the Bologna Process–chance or obstacle? Opening Conference in Stuttgart, 25-28 January 2007. The event proved the need for better information flow and more open dialogue between students and Higher Education Institutions in all European countries.
Bologna Process Training Seminar – Make it yours! followed in Munster between 21-25 February and aimed at making participants aware of their rights as students and raising interest in organising small events starting from grass-root level. Topics like the recognition of non-formal education, requirements of labour market or how we should estimate the student’s workload raised most interest of participants.
The upcoming conference in Nis, Serbia Bologna Process Best Practices (7-11 May 2007) will bring together Europe-wide famous personalities of education from Council of Europe, Bologna Process Follow-Up Group, rectors of important universities and students to analyse practical implementation of reforms.
More NGOs are showing interest in the project. Members of the Joint Programmatic Committee on Youth at UNESCO work with AEGEE on the global event: Day on Non-Formal Education to be held presumably in UNESCO building in December 2007. Student NGOs (like EMSA, JADE a.o.) will analyse Bologna Process' impact on active students at a Partnership Building Activity planned in summer 2007.
More information about the Education Unlimited! project: news, events, outcomes can be now found on the recently launched website www.aegee.org/educationunlimited.
For further information do not hesitate to contact the team at education-unlimited-l@aegee.org.
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4.12. UEF
European Referendum campaign website
A new campaign for a European referendum on the European constitution was launched in Berlin on Saturday 17 March. The campaign calls for a consultative referendum on the constitution in all EU member states at the time of the next European elections.
The campaign website will invite one million citizens to register their support for the European referendum in the coming months.
Among the first signatories were: Mercedes BRESSO, president of the Union of European Federalists (UEF) and president of the Italian region of Piemonte, as well as Peter ALTMAIER, president of Europa Union Deutschland and state secretary in the German federal foreign ministry.
For more information on the Campaign visit the new website: www.europeanreferendum.eu.
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Results of the Federal Committee in Munich
The UEF Federal Committee met in Munich on the 20-22nd of April. Approximately 70 delegates and observers attended the meeting.
The weekend officially launched the Campaign for a European Consultative Referendum on the Constitution on Saturday afternoon. Details of the campaign planning and implementation were discussed in the workshop “Towards a European Constitution” with Paolo Ponzano, Director of the Task Force on the future of the Union and Institutional Matters, set up by the Secretariat-General of the European Commission as the main speaker.
The adopted resolutions are available on-line.
You can also view the pictures from the event here.
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UEF public debate
The June 2007 roadmap –A new vision for the ‘Project Europe’?
9 May, European Parliament, Brussels
After a lengthy period of reflection, the European Council is expected to agree this June on a roadmap paving the way towards a European constitutional framework. The 2009 deadline for “institutional reforms”, as it was called in the March Berlin Declaration, seems to be set, but will this process deliver the hoped-for results? Will reforming the decision-making structures be sufficient to provide the badly needed new vision for the Project Europe?
Together with the Permanent Forum for civil Society, the UEF is organising an evening debate within the framework of the Speak up Europe campaign, highlighting the state of affairs on the future of Europe. The most likely scenarios for the way ahead will be discussed and some new and maybe inspiring ideas will be put on the table.
The event will be held on 9 May at 18.00 - 19.00 in the Eastman Building of the European Parliament. Speakers will be Elmar BROK (MEP, European people's party) and Jens-Peter BONDE (MEP, Independance/democracy group).
For more information and the registration form, please click here.
Contact: Hanneli Ebding
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