This category is a box full of surprises. What is culture anyways, you ask? Well, with us it is everything that defines our lives as social beings. Here you will find contributions and discussions about the trials and tribulations we sometimes face with our neighbours next door or next country, and what we can learn from one another despite and because of our differences. However, this category is also about the arts, about poetry, and so much more…
This week’s message by the “My Europe” initiator Prof. Dr. Manfred Pohl. (Remix by Spotlight Europe)
Young people have ideals. They are easily fascinated by ideas and/or promises that will shape their lives significantly and give them inspiration.
Today many of us might ask why young people in Europe choose to follow the ideals of the Islamic State movement – an organization which has been officially designated as terrorist by the UN. Why do young people leave their families and friends in order to support the jihad, the holy war?
Young jihad warrior – following his ideals? (Flickr: Israel Defense Forces/licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)
There is yet no concrete number of young people leaving their home to join the IS forces in Iraq and Syria. It is estimated that several thousand Europeans at the age of 15-25 years responded to the call of IS supporters. Also girls voluntarily undertake the journey in order to marry a jihad warrior or help to establish the terror regime. They are all victims of IS propaganda which is blinding them with wrong promises, stylized ideals and last but not least an image of a fulfilling life which is led by values.
The pursuit of ideals is also a pursuit of values that act as guiding lights of how to lead a satisfying life. Values provide for personal orientation and security with regard to the future. Especially young people seek to answer the question what they want to do with their lives. Fight for ideals – yes. But fight for false promises?
When these young people arrive for the jihad mission they are confronted with a cruel reality: Rape, murder and violence belong to the daily routine and one may wonder about the holiness and truthfulness of the mission. Are these still ideals or simply the banal pleasure on other people’s suffering?
Jihad propaganda poster of a female suicide bomber. (Flickr: Israel Defense Forces/licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)
The IS organization is trying to reach out to young people by using social media like Twitter or Facebook. There are pictures of glorious warriors and fierce speakers, women in arms fighting for their men and convictions. Of course you do not see a single shot warrior or raped woman who is enslaved to “produce” new jihad warriors.
There is nothing wrong in pursuing your ideas – when they are not related to terror, murder and violence. So many young people engage in peaceful initiatives where their idealism and creativity is highly welcomed. “My Europe” is one of these initiatives where young people are asked to help make the world a peaceful home to everyone. For this cause you do not need false promises, but true ideals.
About the author:
Prof. Dr. Manfred Pohl is the Founder and Chairman of Frankfurter Zukunftsrat, the think tank that organises “My Europe”. more…
2030: The Treaty of Berlin establishes a European Confederation. (Flickr: Andreas Levers/licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)
The Treaty of Berlin was signed yesterday by all the 31 countries which composed or which would have made the soon ex-European Union! The authorities from all these countries have thought, discussed and negotiated about this proposition for five years and it is now adopted! Let us remember the last ten years of this saga.
“With The European Confederation, the economic centre of gravity will move to Europe.”
It was 16th November 2020. It was raining. In front of 70 000 people, in the heart of Berlin, the re-elected President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, pronounced a speech that remained sharply engraved on our memory. No doubt everybody remembered these words when he closed his speech. “The old countries of the European Union become worthless facing new powers like China, India, yes, but now also facing Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and so on. It is obvious that the old continent’s hegemony has passed away. The European mosaic is going to die asphyxiated if nothing changes! The world is changing, we must change! The Union is the only solution to play again an important part on the scene of world affairs! Let us unite, my friends! Form The European Confederation! One currency, one language, one army, one president! It is a matter of life and death, we have no choice… […] With The European Confederation, the economic centre of gravity will move to Europe, with The European Confederation, we will frighten the world again, with The European Confederation we will find all our heyday! Then… Yes… To believe in this idea, it is to believe in the human. To believe that everybody wants the Union with their neighbours, to believe that everybody wants to survive, at last, it is to believe in the hope for a better life. I believe. Have the merit to believe.” A silence. And then, the crowd burst into loud applause. The thrills are still present ten years later… Juncker had just sowed the seeds of the future European Confederation.
“Negotiations to sign the Treaty began in 2026.”
This speech provoked various reactions in the whole Europe. Some people found that fantastic, and others found that pitiable… The idea has gradually gained ground and negotiations to sign the Treaty establishing the Confederation began in 2026. Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Island wishing to enter the European Union for a few years participated in the negotiations to enter immediately the Confederation although they did not belong to The Union. Now they will soon belong to the Confederation. United Kingdom was the strongest opponent of this project. They didn’t want at all to lose a bit of their autonomy and after two referenda they decided not to ratify the Treaty, not to participate at the Confederation and so to leave the European Union when it becomes the European Confederation.
“The biggest change is the common language.”
But, in concrete terms, what will change with this Treaty? First of all, in place of one president for the Commission, one for the European Council we will have one executive power like in each country. Secondly the armies from all the countries will form the European army which would have the means to deter any ambitions. The crisis in Ukraine, when this country lost about a quarter of his territory will never reoccur. Finally, the biggest change is the common language. We have at present more than twenty official different languages in the European Union and translation is the first job in the European Union but it will change. A single language is going to be instituted. Esperanto will become the only language of the European Confederation. Against the increasing power of Chinese and to counteract the loss of English, the leaders decided to institute one language, that favours nobody and is easy to learn. Esperanto will be taught in the short term at school as a second or third language. Thanks to the single language the European Confederation will have the possibility to raise funds to reduce poverty, to improve teaching and so on.
“The European Union is living its last years.”
On the one hand, within the Confederation, the autonomy from the different states stays large, they conserve their king, president and government for example, and on the other hand the Union is strengthened and will be able to fight against the new powers of this changing world. Now that the Treaty is signed, the European Union is living its last years… Juncker died in 2027 when a disturbed Europhobic Bulgarian killed him in front of his house but his dream is still alive and will come true. All over The European Union 16th November is already staying as Saint-Juncker day…
20th May 2030, Bastien Adriaens
About the author:
Bastien – Author at Spotlight Europe
Bastien (17) participated at the “My Europe” workshop in Brussels, Belgium, in February 2015 and impressed the jury with his future vision for Europe 2030.
Prof. Dr. Manfred Pohl (Remix by Spotlight Europe)
The terrible crash of the Germanwings airplane on Tuesday, 24th March 2015, is particularly shocking as it was caused – as far as the official investigation has proclaimed – deliberately by a single person who had decided to end his life. He did it full knowing that the lives of all other 149 passengers on board would end with his too.
This tragic suicide is not the first in history. Suicide happens in many variations and sadly enough one cannot for sure exclude that it would happen again – despite all intensified controls and despite all taken actions after the crash.
There is no glory in suicide. There is only sadness and emptiness.
Then why, one has to ask, do young people in Europe take the decision to join terroristic movements like the Islamic State (IS) in order to blow themselves and kill others? Is this suicide so very different from the one in March 2015? Ironically the world that is so much shaken by tragic wars and crisis is a globalized world, a world where the borders of communication increasingly fade away. The news of the deliberate airplane crash went around the world and sent waves of shocks, left people speechless. Empathy is with the victims.
In our modern information society where everyone can access every bit of information, the message of suicide should be clear – especially for young people: Suicide is not the next adventurous kick of your life but a sad way to vanish from this earth without leaving footprints.
For our society it is important though to try to understand and reintegrate these young people and to take their worries into account. Nowadays it is important to foster democracy and to take religious symbols and rituals seriously, but not to the extend that they justify exclusion, terror and murder.
In their basic idea democracy and religion are the same: They are peaceful and people want peace.
About the author:
Prof. Dr. Manfred Pohl is the Founder and Chairman of Frankfurter Zukunftsrat, the think tank that organises “My Europe”. more…
European Unity means a unity of people. (Flickr: fady habib/licensed under CC BY 2.0)
There is a classic saying that roughly goes “we study history in order to predict what may lie ahead of us”. Bearing that in mind we can look back to grant the opportunity of seeing forward with a broader perspective. Allow me to more precisely justify what I am aiming at; the well-known struggle between the Eastern and Western world – now evolved?
To this day the conflict partly exists between Middle Eastern countries and the US. Fairly recently Russia too joined this game of power measurements. Controversial Putin managed to upset many of the Western world’s great leaders by initiating the “conquest” of Crimea – so as to show that he was in the running for the royal throne of Europe without further consent. Thus both of these examples are present, history reveals that this plot reaches far back in time, for instance the warfare Western Rome and the Eastern/Byzantine Empire held against one another.
Recent articles and theories suggest that our future concern in struggle might not exist within the West versus the East but rather between the poor developing countries localized on the Southern hemisphere and the rich industrial nations of the North. Material and financial inequality are enough to be considered injustice – is it fair that North America, Western Europe and Japan account for less than 18 percent of the world population but represent more than 60 percent of world income? Hardly.
“I fear for an outbreak”
My worrying conclusion is that should we not deal with this equality concern now, I fear we’re facing something ravingly more serious henceforth – with great danger towards not only the EU but our exclusively beloved earth. I fear for an outbreak affecting the majority of nations we so well have come to know. But the outbreak is yet to arrive and plenty of time remains for us to change our future from, what can turn into, dystopia to utopia. However, I believe a minor push by the EU is enough to alter the direction of where this eventual future crisis is heading.
“The EU can be an agent of change in the world, a trend-setter, and not just a passive witness.” – The Members of the Reflection Group
We must not take shelter behind the immense walls built by the right-wing extremists and isolate ourselves from the world outside. Time has come to open our arms, embrace our neighbors regardless of their ethnicity, condition or local ties. The human species is a herd animal by instinct. Therefore we must act by those standards and show the true meaning of a loving civilization. It is up to us all EU citizens to unite in pride, to discover solidarity within other nations for the challenges ahead are too vast for us to handle by ourselves. Prior to that though, we must furthermore secure internal cohesion fora solid growth within the Union. Thenceforth our ability of influencing developments beyond our borders will enhance.
“Optimism is key to success”
Realistically a prediction of the future is beyond the bounds of possibility. However, I choose to be optimistic. In fact, my experience is that optimism is key to success, regardless the task. Nevertheless, on account we unify, as in one European Unity, I see an increase regarding the world economy influence, but as well a firmer establishment in the aspects of military, defense and the preservation of peace. Moreover, I believe as in one single unity our ambition to unravel the economic crisis in areas such as Spain and Greece would be more eagerly escalated in comparison to how the situation is presently. In turn that equals less spending and financing in other areas. The currently stronger industrial countries would have to sacrifice; adapt their budgets for a future greater cause in form of economical contribution – leastwise the total distribution would look different.
“It is up to us all EU citizens to unite in pride.”
In addition to that I believe most of us primarily would feel rather confused due to the enormous transition. Without hesitation I can admit that it somewhat frightens me – to suddenly partake in something as colossal as a population of over 500 million inhabitants! The mechanics of democracy across the nation would become complicated. Endless diversity in traditions and culture. What would the educational system develop into? Countless questions will arise, a confusion of a former continent. I doubt we are ready for that by the year of 2030. However I wish our journey towards the Unity has come to a beginning. Certainly, we speak different languages and follow different cultures and traditions –however, our similarities outweigh the differences. We share the same history and will be part of the same future – the European Unity.
About the author:
Robin – Author at Spotlight Europe
Robin participated in the “My Europe” workshop in Stockholm, Sweden in November 2014.
In December 2012 visitors of the European Parliament were greeted by a giant illuminated heart. A message to European citizens. (Flickr: European Parliament/licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
An overwhelming silence settled her messy and stuffy room. It was night: A storm echoed outside. Suddenly she woke up from the agitation of all her fruitless dreams and plans for the future, looked at the mirror that stood in front of her and became aware that she was no longer a child. She was a grown up: Something had happened during the short period of hours she had slept.
Although her creased expression could be clearly noticed, she had always lived as an instinctive young lady, an irresponsible one. Throughout her life she took decisions, without bothering about the future.
Meanwhile she looked at the clock and felt confident, powerful. However, confused, she tried to say a few words but she could not speak for herself. In her mind, voices, tortures and cries of many different faces were echoing. Within a second, she felt a strange beat in her heart, a burning desire to help her own and a tingling shivering down her spine. She was definitely perceiving the world differently.
Unexpectedly, she looked back again at the image she was seeing in the mirror. Without any doubt, it was a transformed Europe. The Europe I design for 2030.
“The European Union will cease to be an institution”
I believe that on its awakening, the European Union will cease to be an institution, almost an abstract concept, and will reach out to the life of all Europeans. Politicians will be closer to the people who can familiarise with their representatives in the European Parliament. Debates about the present and the future of Europe will regularly materialise, counting with the participation of individuals from different social-cultural levels who will be taken under consideration by the assemblies of the Member States. As a result, new and innovative ideas will be discussed pragmatically, apart from the fact that it will be given a voice to minorities, which are sometimes subjugated to the interests of a certain elite.
“Man is the only animal which devours his own kind” (Flickr: Alex Proimos/licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)
Furthermore, in this eye opener to challenges in reality, the words of Thomas Jefferson will not make sense anymore and be, instead, considered an insult to the human condition achieved with effort and the dedication of many citizens, characterized by their active political participation, over the years: “Experience declares that man is the only animal which devours his own kind; for I can apply no milder term to the governments of Europe, and to the general prey of the rich on the poor.” Within this framework of thought, not only at the political level but also economically, will be sought, above all, the common good – the subordination of the parts to the whole. Policies of cohesion aimed at fighting for the establishment of a goal in which all come out as winners will be stimulated, especially those that provide greater economic interdependence or the ones that ensure a more efficient reaction capacity by the EU (as a whole and not just of the strongest countries). In the same way, it will be defined levels of responsibility in order to guarantee greater efficiency in meeting all types of problems.
On the contrary, as a more accurate alternative, we will be able to quote the German Chancellor Angela Merkel: “Nobody in Europe will be abandoned. Nobody in Europe will be excluded. Europe only succeeds if we work together.” To concede life to her words, it is necessary to take further measures to achieve both unification and improvement of national education systems as well as health care. They frighteningly differ in quality and effectiveness within countries that commit themselves to belong to the same union.
“A Union in which no nation is left behind”
As far as I am concerned, the utopia described has a strong possibility to turn out to be a reality. Actually, these days one would say “Big thinking precedes great achievement”. Therefore, the European project I believe in involves a Union in which no nation is left behind, in which all citizens will be given equal opportunities, professionally as well as in terms of personal fulfilment, regardless of gender or even the colour of their skin. The pyramid of moral values must be also reformulated and witness at its top an attitude of mutual help, equality, solidarity and honesty.
As a matter of a fact, the secret of success is hidden behind a path of sweat, above and beyond many tears, though optimism and perseverance are the best search engines for achievement. “United in diversity”, with a spirit of mission, we will strive towards what we have always dreamed for.
And thus, like a rejuvenated phoenix, Europe came out of her room, from its apparent position of comfort with the sincere intention to face what is ahead, looking for the good that is waiting.
About the author:
Ana Catarina – Author at Spotlight Europe
Ana Catarina (17) participated in the “My Europe” workshop in Lison in November 2014. She is a student at Escola Secundária Rainha Dona Leonor.
Austerity = Murder? A live report from Frankfurt (Picture: Spotlight Europe)
This morning when I left the metro station “Lokalbahnhof” on my way to work nothing seemed to be out of the usual – at first sight. Traffic was going loudly and slowly as always until I noticed the mass of cars standing at the crossroads. I walked past a man and a woman who discussed with a police officer standing next to two cars that had apparently crashed.
Entering the office I heard the sounds of a helicopter through the open window. I began to wonder first but then it all made sense: The unusual traffic, helicopters encircling the city and the unnerving slow motion attitude of public transport this morning. Today the new building of the European Central Bank has been officially inaugurated. Tens of thousands of people have met in Frankfurt’s east city to protest against the austerity programs in the European Union. They have even come from other European countries to give voice to their frustration.
Sitting in the office it all seems to be far away to me. The noise outside and the permanent sight of helicopters overviewing the east district with the new ECB tower reminds me of a Hollywood picture in which King Kong is starring. I am checking the headlines now. “Citizens in fear”, is one. Also: “Scenes of protest”. There are pictures of burning police cars, loose stones that have been thrown, two policemen supporting a woman whose nose is bleeding. I see black smoke arising from inflamed tires. What is going on???
Riots near the new ECB building. (Picture: Spotlight Europe)
This movement which takes place here today in Frankfurt has a name: Blockupy. It unites those people who are dissatisfied with the way the EU is handling its monetary policies. Saving money in times of crisis may seem comprehensible but nobody wants to be the one whose budget and services are being cut drastically. But this is exactly what happened in countries like Spain, Italy or Greece. There are many who lost everything due to the enforced austerity programs of an institution that does not even reside in their country. From their view it must look like a bad joke: The ECB is opening its own new glass temple while so many Europeans fear for their future and the maintenance of their living standards. They see themselves as the losers in the game of financial power and economic recovery. And to be honest about it: Yes, as taxpayers we do have to shoulder the burden of political decisions and economic actions. Europe’s weight is pressing on us heavier than ever.
Who is responsible? For sure not the Euro symbol… (Picture: Spotlight Europe)
But who is responsible for the consequences of the measures taken? For sure neither the damaged police cars nor the police itself. For sure not the new ECB tower and least of all not Frankfurt’s citizens who will have to pay for the damages done so far. The real anger and frustration is directed towards decision-makers in politics, the finance lobby and some poor scapegoats working for the ECB. The new ECB tower is merely a symbol and troubling its inauguration ceremony means to raise the highest possible awareness for the cause of the protest.
I am checking the headlines again. There is a peaceful manifestation in the city center. People are standing together and listening to speeches by the movement’s organizers. I hear the distant siren of a police car, probably rushing to prevent another object going up in flames. Ironically it is our tax money that is being sacrificed to the fire. Nobody can predict what will happen in the evening. But one thing is for sure: Violence is no appropriate instrument to vent one’s dissatisfaction.
About the author:
Juliane works for “My Europe” in Frankfurt, Germany.
About the Pursuit of Ideals
Prof. Dr. Manfred Pohl is the Founder and Chairman of Frankfurter Zukunftsrat, the think tank that organises “My Europe”. more…
