A Ghost Is Haunting Europe

Posted on November 20, 2014November 20, 2014 by Dieter Sattler

florriebassingbourn_flickr_ukip — UKIP wants the United Kingdom to leave the EU (Flickr:florriebassingbourn/licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

A ghost is haunting Europe. It is the spirit of Euro-skepticism. In almost all western countries, and now with the rise of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) also in Germany, Euro-skeptic parties are on the rise. The United Kingdom, some sort of Mecca for Euro-skeptics, is close to leaving the Union altogether.

What went wrong?

It would be too easy to revile the audience and accuse people of not being on par with the noble idea of Europe. There will always be a few backwards looking Euro-skeptic elements in society, but the current events go far beyond the usual. The thriving of critique aimed at Europe can partially be blamed on the failure of political and economic elites. This can be seen in France especially. Who should the pro-European yet critical citizen vote for at the moment? The socialists of President Francois Hollande perhaps? He has failed on all issues in his two and a half years in office and has driven the country into economic turmoil with his tax policy, all the while blaming the Germans and their supposed austerity, the so-called l’austerité, for France’s struggles. More Europe – for Hollande that means accepting his debt policy. In the race for presidency, his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy of the conservative UMP is preparing to challenge the President. He gets along much better with Germany – but his title Monsieur “Bling-Bling” hints at his lack of integrity and seriousness. With his notorious proximity to the rich and the beautiful, he seems rather unfitting to reestablish trust in the political class of France. It is sad for France and Europa alike that the only remaining serious alternative seems to be the right-wing Front National with Marine Le Pen at its head.

The situation is particularly difficult in France but the underlying problem persists throughout Europe: The elites have pushed the European idea but failed to take the people along. The current President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, in light of his involvement in and partial responsibility for recent events in Luxembourg a symbol for failed EU policy, has once admitted how he fancies European policy making: you pass a law without asking the people, and if there is not too much opposition, you simply continue. One could add: This system prevails until the European Union has become a wild conglomerate of 28 member states of which many do not fulfill the criteria for membership.

The statement of former Head of Commission Jacques Delors bases on the same principle. He once said that EU policy making is like riding a bike. A bike has to continuously move forward. If it stopped, it would simply fall over. This approach has caused an increasing detachment of EU policy making on the one hand from EU member states and their citizens on the other.

Spotlight Europe Anti EU — Anti-EU-sticker in Malmö, Sweden (Flickr:jonsson/licensed under CC BY 2.0)

It essentially laid the basis for the mistrust brought forward towards the EU and Brussels that then downright exploded with the onset of the financial and debt crisis. Since then, an unrestrained fight over how far the European community of joint liability should reach and in how far it should impact the basic needs of citizens has begun. While Greece is in a state of emergency and even cancer patients cannot be guaranteed to receive appropriate treatment, the Germans fear to be held liable for the failures of the Greek state. It did not even tax its richest members of society – and thus is bankrupt.

The southerners plus France bad-mouth the Germans as misers due to their reservation, the Germans retaliate by calling the other side lazy and wasteful. What can be done to counter this weariness with Europe?

There can be no doubt that Europe is without alternative. However, errors need to be admitted openly, and competencies need to be redirected towards member states and their national parliaments. Democracy functions best and predominantly at the root. The bigger an entity the less influence and identification of the individual with it. Only if EU politicians are open to relentless self-criticism, the course can be adjusted and lost trust won back. The appeal to European integration’s role in bringing peace to the continent, as recently renewed by former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, will not be enough. People have to really believe, feel and sense that Europe is important.

Currently, Europe resembles a flat share in which friends have moved together for the best of reasons but have begun fighting over everyday problems (who cleans? Who does the shopping? Who stuffs the fridge?). Those friends should not dissemble the flat share but urgently need to discuss the basis of living together and develop a healthy ratio of closeness and distance. Only then Europe will be able to regain its strength. Europe has just proven how great it can be with its joint space project, the Rosetta mission. Unity is the only way to compete with the giants USA and China and make its voice heard. That does not mean, however, that all European countries need to hum the same tune on all issues. Europe needs to leave room for solos of its member states. Only diversity can bring competitiveness and true solidarity.

Maybe it would not even be too bad if currency issues, in the event of a continued reliance on the Euro, would be approached with a greater level of independence of member states as is currently the case. If, however, the monetary union is to become further densified and extended, common rules need to be found and compliance with them strictly enforced. That would certainly be the better approach – and maybe we could overcome the ideological contradiction of growth and austerity after all.

About the author:

Dr. Dieter Sattler is Head Editor of the Politics department at Frankfurter Neue Presse. He studied Politics, German and Philosophy at Goethe University in Frankfurt. more…

Should Turkey become a member of the EU? (2/4)

Posted on November 18, 2014November 21, 2014 by Hacı Mehmet Boyraz

This is the second part of a 4-part series, discussing the pros and cons of an accession of Turkey to the European Union from all angles. Check the blog regularly or sign up to our newsletter to be notified as soon as the following parts are available. You will find the first part here.

In the previous article, I tried to clarify why Turkey should become a member of the EU from the EU’s perspective. In the second part, I will look at the issue from Turkey’s perspective instead.

7574046808_8f029dba9f_k — The Bosporus – Geographical Border of Europe and Asia (Flickr:sammsky/licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)

Promoting democracy in Turkey via EU reforms

Turkey has been transforming itself into a more democratic country. Throughout its political history, Turkish people have seen 4 military coups, which made Turkey weak, but for a long time, Turkey has been enjoying that there has been no possibility of a new military coup. To be honest, this is due to the EU reforms made by today’s government. For example, the National Security Council was at the centre of Turkish politics because it was clear that it was often acting above the Grand National Assembly. When the negotiations between Turkey and the EU started, this issue (power of the Council) was one of the arguments against Turkey. The EU was right because in EU member states there is no such an institution which has more power than the National Assemblies. Today, Turkey is more democratic. Furthermore, the human rights record is much better; women’s rights are discussed every day; children’s rights are daily life’s debates and indeed animal rights are more visible… Thus, today, if we talk about rights, freedoms and related topics, the positive changes are due to the EU reforms, so when Turkey is a member, these values will be upheld better.

Travelling Europe without any visa

The most important benefit of being a member of the EU is of course “travelling Europe without any visa”. I, as a university student, like seeing new places but unfortunately since Turkey is out of the EU, I have to get visa every time. This makes me unhappy because every time I have to pay money, I have to collect documents, and I have to wait. However, when Turkey becomes a member, from Istanbul, an impressive city in Europe, to London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Amsterdam, Lisbon, and many other capitals in the EU member states, the Turkish people will be able to travel more…

Working together for global peace

“Turkey cooperates extensively with the EU on almost every policy field including foreign policy issues. Turkey’s contribution to the EU’s security and defence policy is really clear. The EU is Turkey’s main economic and political partner. As a factor of stability in its region, Turkey’s membership to the EU would also contribute to regional and global peace and stability as well as the dissemination of universal values to a wider geography.” ⁽¹⁾

A greater voice in international arena

Turkey is the European Union’s gateway to Asia (The Emirr/licensced under CC BY 3.0)

When Turkey becomes a member of the EU, it will have a greater voice in the international arena because the EU as a whole would include 29 countries. Instead of being alone in issues, Turkey with its friends within the EU will rule with a common foreign policy. This will make Turkey stronger because the problems of Turkey will be shared by other members like the problems of the EU will be shared by Turkey.

Also, although Turkey is not a member of the EU, it is a member of the Customs Union. The EU is Turkey’s main trade partner. 40% of Turkey’s total trade is with the European Union. Every year, total trade between Turkey and the EU increases. This underlines the importance of the EU as a large and secure market for Turkey. By the way, Turkey as a member will have more shares in international trade.

All in all, Turkey has been a part of the European family for a long time. “Since the foundation of the Republic, Turkey has taken part in almost all European institutions, in most of them as a founding member. Turkey has made considerable contributions to the formation of the current European architecture through the constructive role it played within international organizations such as the Council of Europe, OECD, NATO and OSCE.” ⁽²⁾ So the membership of Turkey to the EU will be based on a “win-win” situation. Everybody will be more pleased…

References:

http://www.mfa.gov.tr/questions.en.mfa (20.20.2014)
http://www.mfa.gov.tr/questions.en.mfa (20.20.2014)

About the author:

Hacı Mehmet Boyraz (21) is a student of International Relations with Political Science and Public Administration at Gediz University in İzmir.

Regionalisation: Chance for Europe

Posted on November 14, 2014November 20, 2014 by Manfred Pohl

15208602841_806c30b633_k — Catalan people demonstrate for an independence referendum in Barcelona / September 2014 (Flickr:Joan Campderrós-i-Canas/licensed under CC BY 2.0)

The idea of Europe as a unified and prosperous continent, particularly in light of the devastating financial crisis and recent election results, cannot be considered to sustain itself anymore. Especially young adults have expressed their disappointment and disillusionment with current political processes.

The European South is hit by soaring youth unemployment; economies are at the brink of collapsing; and while the political establishment preaches the end of the crisis and the dawn of economic recovery, people are steadily losing their trust in European institutions and the Euro as our common currency. It can be of no surprise that in these challenging times, people turn to what they know and understand best: their region. They can hardly be blamed.

It needs to be noted that the trend towards greater identification with regional communities is not necessarily a step away from Europe. Both the Scottish and Catalan independence movements, for example, stressed that they see themselves as part of the European Union, yet as independent countries with all the sovereign rights associated with the status.

The youth does not want borders

Young people of this day and age do not identify with overly nationalist notions anyways. A Europe made up of borders is inconceivable to them. In an increasingly globalized world, however, they have developed an acute sense for regional cultural heritage, for a feeling of belonging that exists outside of the normative political and economic structures.

We need to respect this desire for stronger regional identity and greater self-determination, especially when European integration is increasingly perceived among people as an imposition.

The drawing of new borders, however, cannot be the answer. The close cooperation of European states has benefitted all. A return to nation states will only reproduce the problems that brought them together in the first place. What Europe needs are new impulses, creative ideas, and a greater political will to finish what was started more than 60 years ago.

A new dawn for Europe?

Scotland — Is the future of Europe one of regional identity? (Flickr:Phyllis Buchanan/licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

In fact, the altered conditions offer a chance to redefine Europe. The slogan of the European Union “United in Diversity” could finally become symbol for a symbiosis of greater political and economic integration and the respect for cultural diversity. At the moment it too often seems like a hollow phrase.

Now is the time for European institutions to foster what young people across Europe have been fully aware of for quite a while: Europe needs to be a place for all. Being united in diversity requires us to acknowledge that Catalonia is not Transylvania. Both, however, are part of Europe and should be respected as such.

Not just a European question?

The European Union has been a model for other regions of the world. The Union of South American Nations (USAN) is not much unlike the European Community once was, the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) will be a strong economic competitor in the future. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is even a step further as it has moved from purely economic cooperation to showing signs of political integration as well. It may be a utopian perspective of the future, but one day the European Union could be only one of several regional blocs spreading the entire globe. In a century or so these blocs might even start integrating with one another. Should that day ever come, respect for regional diversity will be more important than ever.

As you can see, the issue is one that needs to be discussed. If you are interested, join us tonight (Friday, November 14) for YOUTH ON EUROPE | Regionalisation of the EU. We will broadcast the discussion of MEP Elmar Brok with students of the Youth Council for the Future live on the internet.

About the author:

Prof. Dr. Manfred Pohl is the Founder and Chairman of Frankfurter Zukunftsrat, the think tank that organises “My Europe”. more…

Careers in Today’s Europe

Posted on November 11, 2014November 11, 2014 by Federico Ghizzoni

When you finish school and embark on a career, we expect a better Europe. These days, almost a quarter of young Europeans in the labor market are unable to find a job, according to a European Commission report last year. The same report also found that our unemployment rate in the EU is the highest in world outside of the Middle East and Africa – right now, more than 5.5 million young Europeans do not have jobs.

Of even more concern, the report found that 7.5 million young Europeans between the ages of 15 and 24 years old are not employed, not in school and not in training. Even when the European economy improves, whether you want to have a high-flying career or just a steady job, an education will remain the best way to reach your goal. If you leave school before obtaining any degrees, or if you only receive the lowest possible degree, you will hardly stand out when you look for work.

People quit school for many reasons, and the EU has embarked on structural reforms to help overcome this problem. We now understand that the overriding reason young people are having trouble advancing is that they lack skills relevant to the workplace. That is why we need more robust education-to-employment systems in Europe.

This means that, as a young European who will be looking for work in the coming years, you probably will not get your desired job immediately. Nevertheless, there are some things you can do to set yourself up for your future:

take the opportunity to continue to educate yourself
balance education with a profession by getting a part-time job while you study
be flexible and ready to change, either by switching to a different company or to a different position in the same company
believe in your own ideas and be known and appreciated by teachers and colleagues
persevere and don’t get discouraged – employers love positive and enthusiastic people

Of course, employers must also make sure that young talent is not wasted. At UniCredit, we are trying to do our part in three different ways:

First, we are promoting studies in economics, finance, law, politics and social sciences. We do this through the UniCredit & Universities Foundation, which supports promising students and researchers, offers grants and awards for scientific publications and promotes numerous initiatives in cooperation with Europe’s main universities.

Second, to help foster the young talent among our more than 147,000 employees at UniCredit, I have also made it a priority to build a workforce based on merit. The quality of a person’s work depends on many factors, including what he or she knows and has experienced, how he or she performs in different scenarios, and how he or she manages relations with colleagues and clients. To hire or promote someone based on those traits is the definition of meritocracy.

Most big companies understand the right attitude and personality are needed to develop a true meritocracy. UniCredit hires people through an impartial process that values the knowledge and skills of the candidate, and whether he or she shares the values of our Integrity Charter: fairness, transparency, respect, freedom to act, trust and reciprocity.

With greater meritocracy in Europe, we will be better equipped to compete at the international level. In the last two decades, productivity per hour has increased by 10 percent in Spain, 20 percent in France and Germany, and 30 percent in the US. In Italy, meanwhile, productivity per hour has not changed. Clearly we must do better.

Third, to enhance the quality of work among our people at UniCredit, I firmly believe in the power of feedback. It is often difficult to hear criticism from others, but accepting constructive feedback is critical to improving yourself – it helps you to better see your strengths and pinpoint where to focus your efforts. An honest assessment is the secret to creating a meritocracy, and it is also how you can better understand what you want out of your future career.

Performance evaluations can sometimes frustrate or discourage us, but they are essential for successful development. They help give responsibility to those who deserve it, recognize potential and reward hard work. This type of feedback is so important that at UniCredit, we now conduct annual performance evaluations for both managers and staff.

When you embark on your own careers, it is my hope that you are equipped with the right competencies, hired based on your proven skills and potential, and you are comfortable giving and receiving productive feedback. Given the initiatives being planned or currently underway, I am optimistic that Europe is turning the corner, and that more employment opportunities will become available for new entrants to the job market. Success in this area is essential to ensuring Europe remains a key player on the global stage for years to come.

About the author:

Federico Ghizzoni is Chief Executive Officer of UniCredit S.p.A. with almost 150.000 employees. Since 2012 he supports the “My Europe” Initiative as a Member of the Board of Patrons for European Youth. more…

PS: Federico Ghizzoni will gladly answer all questions you might have. However, due to time constraints, he cannot do so regularly. We will collect your questions and comments that have been submitted until and including November 21, 2014, and will pass them on to him. For all questions submitted after that, we cannot guarantee an answer.

The Future of Higher Education

Posted on November 7, 2014November 20, 2014 by Elena Draghici

Davide Cannata is the Deputy Chairman of our Youth Council for the Future and represented us and “My Europe” during the IE University’s International Conference on Reinventing Higher Education as a panelist. I have met with him to talk about his experiences.

The IE University has recently organized the 5th edition of their International Conference on Reinventing Higher Education in which you participated. What was this year’s theme of discussion and who were the attendees?

The conference was composed of 4 different panels. I participated in the introductory one, called “Beyond Bologna, targeting new priorities in Higher Education”. The main topics were core-competencies, innovation, employability, international programs, flexible curriculum and evaluation. Four more people were talking in the introductory session: Stéphan Vincent-Lancrin, researcher at the OECD; Thomas Estermann, representative of the European Universities Association; Paul Norris, from UK NARIC and Kurt Deketelaere from the League of European Research Universities.

Regarding the Bologna Process and its implementation, were the opinions of the representatives of different professional fields convergent or divergent? Were their opinions different from the insight that you, as a student, have on higher education?

Summing up, I found that common positions were more frequent than the divergences. Most of the people at the conference agreed on the importance of the Bologna Process as well as the consistently insufficient results. The ambition of the process was in fact undermined by the actual implementation in the European framework. For example, countries are still really different in terms of the amount of funds given to higher education.

Were there solutions proposed for the discussed issues regarding Bologna or was it only a problem-finding session?

The goal of the conference couldn’t have been a problem solving role. That would have required a discussion of the present laws, the agreement of different representatives and much more time. We can say that it was a problem and opportunities-finding session. The main question was: What can we do to align university with the rapidly changing contemporary world? So it was necessary both to find problems and to present new needs and discoveries.

Davide speaks during the panel “Beyond Bologna, targeting new priorities in Higher Education” (Credit: IE University)

What was the consensus on the liberty students should have on choosing subjects and managing their studies? How much freedom is enough for comfort but complying with the credits system and the established curricula?

It was a hot topic and it mixed two different ideas of student flexibility. Flexibility about the subjects and flexibility about how to confront the subject. Those who saw flexibility mainly as the choice of subjects were mainly apposing too much of it. Although it might be cool studying a bit of political sciences, a bit of economics and a bit of philosophy (just to make an example), the resulting profile could not meet the criteria required to enter the professional world. More positive was the vision of those who considered flexibility especially as concerning a more flexible work of the students inside their classes. It was differentiated between the possibility of being flexible at different levels (bachelor-master-PhD) and the general idea was that flexibility can augment through the education.

How are evaluation methods to be changed/improved? How much regulation is enough for an objective comparison of results but not restrictive of the universities’/instructors’ liberty to choose how to grade their exams?

This was another important topic. Here the main problem seems to be the different way of evaluating people across different countries. In Italy, for example, oral sessions are more common, while in Spain most of the evaluation works through multiple choice exams. Furthermore, it’s really different to convert the grades from one nation to another and it is a problem during international exchange. There should be a better understanding of the main goal of grading students: Is it about giving them a score to present to companies (that in most of the cases are not so concerned about it) or giving them a feedback, a confrontation and a further learning moment? Choices of evaluation methods should start from there.

Overall, how was your experience at the conference? Have any prospective themes been proposed for next year’s conference?

My experience was really satisfying. My voice was recognized and it flattered me. Moreover, I learnt many things from different people talking about the future of European Education. What was underlined by many was that in the process of forming competitive professionals, it is always important to focus on the core competencies of the students. Internships were also viewed as an important way to contribute to the professional growth of a student. There wasn’t a proposal to set up next year’s agenda. I hope that what has been discussed at the RHE conference will be material for political discussions in the coming years.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would just like to thank you for the interview and wish you the best.

Thank you, Davide!

About the interviewer:

Elena (20) is a member of the Youth Council for the Future. She is involved in “My Europe” since the workshop in Bucharest in 2011.

“New Anti-Semitism”

Posted on November 6, 2014November 6, 2014 by Anissa Asli

As a young adult in Germany, the acts of cruelty of World War II were present in the education and socialization of each of us. At primary school we experienced through the Diary of Anne Frank how a girl of the same age suffered under the hateful ideology of National Socialists. Followed by additional trips to different meeting points, to Holocaust- memorials, also to concentration camps, I have never lost the feeling, I was educated in the “feelings of guilt”, which I have never felt. Till this day I do not feel so.

Every human born guilty? – The great difference between a collective guilt and a collective responsibility

The European concept of what it means to be human is based on the idea that everyone should become an authentic person discovering his/her own liberty through the use of reason. Taking into account this understanding of humanity, it is important to make a distinction: There is a big difference between a collective guilt and a collective responsibility. I am innocent of the crimes of Nazism. Neither the German legal system nor the European know a transmissible guilt. Every single individual has to assume responsibility for his/her own action. My generation is born a half a century after the Second World War. How could we be guilty then? Exactly this is where the collective responsibility becomes important. I am consciously talking about a collective one. Therefore it is not just a German or Austrian, it is a global – a human responsibility. This responsibility includes two obligations for each of us: Firstly to recognize the abomination of any anti-Semitic ideology. The cruelty of anti-Semitism should not be called into question. The second obligation goes further: It means the responsibility to combat and to respond to every expression of anti-Semitism.

Wrong education of young Europeans?

Nowadays there is a dangerous trend: Specific groups of the population, mostly minorities, are increasingly discriminated. Especially the mass media stir up new prejudices. It is a fatal mistake to impose different roles on children: Jewish children and adolescents should not take the passive “role of the victim”, as well others should not be educated in “feelings of guilt”. We should free ourselves from historical roles and understand that only self-confident adolescents can reflect the failures of the past, learn from them and avoid them in the future. In a society characterized by diversity, every part of society should “show its face”. But “Showing face” assumes that all of us have the possibility to approach the past without any impartiality.

Focusing on that point, I think it would be better to teach young Europeans not just the historical facts and horror, but rather how to deal with history. A good historical education should put methods and tools into the hands of the next generation to help them to develop constant principles and maxim.

“European values”: universal rights or privilege?

The European Union is a community based on values, such as the rule of law, human rights or protection of minorities. Even if these are often declared as “European values“, they are nevertheless values of humanity. Maybe the emphasis of “European values“ seems necessary, because they have been violated in such a brutal manner during the first part of the 20th century. It is an appeal to all human beings, to all politicians and decision-makers to make sure that we remain innocent.

However, a lot has been said in media about a “New Anti- Semitism”. In essence, it means the same sickening ideology and vision of the world declaring Judaism as “the evil”. The only new thing about this anti-Semitism may be the criminal groups. Also and especially in view of the conflict in the Middle East the term of “Anti-Semitism” runs through the Western reporting. In my opinion too careless and sometimes not reflected upon at all. Actually there are a lot of anti-Semitic statements hidden behind the freedom of opinion, which a democracy provides for citizens. Anti-Semitism starts, where Israel is regarded as “the representative of the Jewish faith”, where a construct of a categorical “good” and “evil” is established. But it is a fatal error to declare every criticism directed towards Israel as a state or Israeli policy trends as anti-Semitic. A “club” of a categorical anti-Semitism suspicion damages the democratic culture of debate. This culture teaches us to adopt a well-considered stance- The respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are non-negotiable. Everything else is- at least in the context of the democratic culture of debate. In Europe there exists no legal vacuum: In the 21st century there is a consensus of humanity teaching us the equal treatment of each human being. Resulting from this fact, everyone should apply the same yardstick across the political spectrum. So how seriously do we take our “Europeans values”, our “democratic culture” if their applicability is for disposal?

History can not disqualify one from making moral judgments! On the contrary, the past teaches us to assume more responsibility. If we want to remain innocent, we have to!

About the author:

Anissa (21) is a member of the Youth Council for the Future. She started being active in the “My Europe” Initiative in 2011.