Contenu connexe
Similaire à Think Young. Think Europe - Digital Report
Similaire à Think Young. Think Europe - Digital Report (20)
Think Young. Think Europe - Digital Report
- 3. CherMonsieurleprésidentdelaCommissioneuropéenne,
’ThinkYoung.ThinkEurope’,organisedbystagiairesforstagiaireshereattheEuropeanCommission,took
placeinBrusselson3rdJuly2014.Morethan20brightyoungpeoplefrom13MemberStatescametogetherto
explorethequestion:DoesEuropemeettheneedsandexpectationsofyoungpeopletoday?
AAskingyoungpeopleaboutwhattheythinkEurope'sfutureshouldbehasbecomeverypopularinthelastcouple
ofyears.However,howyouaskthisquestionisjustasimportantasthequestionitself.Conferences,panel
debatesandothertraditionalforumsoftendon'tseemtogeneratesustainableideasand,frustratingly,citizens
feeldisconnectedfrom Europe'sdecisionmakers.Afterall,revealingthetruecreativityofyoungmindsis
preciselywhywearetappingintotheirpotentialintherstplace,n'estpas?
WWeneededanewwayofapproachingthequestionandthat'showtherstBlueBookWorldCafécametolife.A
WorldCaféisahighlyeffective,funanddynamictypeofbrainstormingworkshop,designedforbiggroupswith
bigideas.Inrecentyears,thiskeytechniqueoftheParticipatoryLeadershipmethodologyhasbeenincreasingly
embracedbyseveralDGsthroughouttheCommissionforboththeco-creationofpolicyandthedirect
consultationofcitizensandstakeholders.Ithasalsobeenusedbymanynationalandregionalgovernments,
andbyinnovativeorganisationssuchasTED.
TThedifferentformatelicitedthecuriosityofthestagiaires,anditturnedouttobeoneofthemainreasonswhy
theysignedupfortheevent.Somewereattractedbythepossibilityofdrawingattentiontoissuesaboutwhich
theyalreadyfeltpassionate.OthersrelishedtherareopportunitytoexchangeideasabouttheEuropeanproject
withpeersfromsomanydiversebackgrounds.Everyonewasmotivatedbytheprospectofbeingable,insome
shapeorform,tomaketheirmarkonthefutureofEuropebycontributingtothepoolofideasthatwouldbe
submitteddirectlytoyou,MonsieurJuncker,asthenewpresidentoftheCommission.
AAsstagiaireswewereallselectedfromashortlistofapplicantsreferredtotraditionallyasthe'VirtualBlueBook'.
Wearenowverypleasedtopresentyouwithourveryown'LittleBlueBook'.Itcontainstheopinions,reections
andproposedactionsoftheCommission's2014SummerStage.Itpresentsthebroadspectrumofthemeswhich
emergedduringtheeventandaimstocommunicatewhatyoungpeoplereallythinkaboutEuropeasitistoday,
aswellastheirhopesforitsfuture.
WWhileoneofthedominantthemeswas,understandably,youthunemployment,itisquitestrikingthatsomany
oftheinterestssharedbyyoungEuropeanstodayarecross-generationalissues:theriseofEuroscepticism,the
socialimpactofinter-EUmigration,persistentinequalityandtheestablishmentofa'greener'Europe.Most
signicantly,weidentiedthattheEUneedstobemorevisionaryinitsconceptionoftheEuropeanprojectand
thatbettercommunicationisthekeytotheconstructionofasharedEuropeanidentity.Inessence,westagiaires
arenotsimplyadvocatingthattheEUthinksoftheyoungbutthatsometimesitneedstothinkmorelikethe
young.
NousNousvoussouhaitonsbonnelecture!
Veuillezagréer,MonsieurleprésidentdelaCommissionEuropéenne,l’expressiondenossentimentsles
plusinnovateursetlespluseuropéens.
NaomiMcAteer,IanMcCafferty,AmélieTrippolt,YanaPargovaandGuiXiYoung-onbehalfofallthe
participantsof'ThinkYoung.ThinkEurope.'
2
- 5. THELITTLEBLUEBOOK
Introduction
Ourmorningofrichdiscussionanddebatewasdividedinto
threebrainstormingsessions,eachofwhichwascentredona
questiontobediscussedingroupsoffour.Attheendofevery
round,threemembersofeachgroupwereencouragedto
moveontoothergroupstoensurethewidestpossiblespread
ofideas.Thesuccessivequestionsweredesignedtoelicita
clear,logicalprogressionofthought–fromanoverviewofthe
paspast,toanunderstandingofthepresentand nallytowardsa
visionforthefuture.
•Whatareyourneedsnowthatarenotbeingfullled?
•Whichobstaclesstandinthewayofwhatyouwant?
•WhatdoyouexpecttheEUtodoforyou?
These questions were deliberately formulated in as
open-endedamanneraspossible.Thisallowedthefree owof
ideasasparticipantscouldputforwardtheissuesofmost
signicancetothemwithoutanyexternalinuence.
FFinally,aftertheendofthethirdround,eachgroupwasasked
toidentifytheirtopthreeprioritiesforthenextcommission.
One-by-one,theparticipantsbrieypresentedtheirgroup's
keyconcerns.Thosewiththesameorasimilarargumentthen
addressedthegroupasawhole,explainingthecomparisons
anddifferencesbetweenbothissues.Wethenclusteredallour
prioritiesintobroaderthematicgroupsandwereimmediately
struckstruckbyhowallourideasseemedtoorganicallycomefull
circle.
Inclusteringthemanyideaspresentedatthe‘ThinkYoung,
ThinkEurope’WorldCafé,anatural,cyclicalowemergedfrom
thethemesandsub-themespresented.Attheverytopofthe
circle wasthe common understanding thatin orderto
withstand these challenging timesthe EU needsto be
visionary:intermsofhow thefutureofthepan-European
projectisconceived,andalsowithrespecttothementalityof
itsleadersandtheiitsleadersandtheinternalfunctioningoftheinstitutions.
IncreatingavisionofEuropebasedonsharedgoalsand
commonvalues,theEU needstobefullycommittedto
levellingoutthesocio-economicdifferencesbetweenMember
Stateswhilesimultaneouslycelebratingtheirculturaldiversity.
The‘freedom ofmovementofpeoples’isthehumansoulof
Europeanintegration.Thismustbedefendedandupheld
withoutexception.However,thesocialrealitiesofinter-EU
mimigrationcannolongerbeignoredandlefttobetwistedinto
hatefuldiscoursebyEurosceptics.TheEUmusttaketheleadin
promotingcross-culturalunderstandingamongstitsfellow
citizens.Itisonlythroughfosteringincreasedconnectivityand
breakingdownpopularmisconceptionsthatatruesenseof
Europeanidentitymayemerge.
TTowinnewgenerationsovertotheEuropeanproject,today’s
leadersneedtodemonstratetheirappreciationforthespecic
needsand expectationsofyoung people.Chronicyouth
unemploymentand nancialinsecuritymeanthatanentire
generationofpromisingyoungEuropeanslive,workorstudyin
aclimateofconstantdoubtandinstability.Itmustapplyallits
creativepowersandcollectiveexperienceinto ndingnew
wawaystoprotectyoungpeoplefromexploitationandtosupport
usinbridgingthatpivotalgapbetweeneducationandthe
labourmarket.
The World Café participants unanimously identied
communicationasthekeytothesuccessoftheEuropean
project.Underthethemeofcommunication,threemain
strandsforimprovementwereidentied:whatdoestheEUdo,
how andwhy?NotonlydoestheEUneedtobeableto
effectivelycommunicateitsvisiontoitscitizensinorderto
achieveit,italsoneedstolistentoitscitizens.
AAsthe12starsinacircleontheEuropean agsymbolisethe
idealsofunity,solidarityandharmonyamongthepeoplesof
Europe,comingfullcirclewiththeclusteringofourideasbrings
usbacktothe rstpoint:theneedfortheEUtobevisionary.In
thetruestspiritofequalityandpartnership–thatbetween
statesandbetweencitizens–Europe’sleadersmustdirectly
consulttheEuropeanpeoplesinordertoco-createavisionof
EuEuropethatresonateswithusall.
4
- 6. THINKVISION
"Worldpeacecannotbesafeguardedwithoutthemakingofcreativeefforts
proportionatetothedangerswhichthreatenit."
TheSchumanDeclaration,9thMay1950
Sixty-fouryearsaftertheSchumanDeclarationlaidthe rst
stoneoftheEuropeanHouse,thepivotalroleplayedbya
unitedEurope‘intheserviceofpeace’isnolessrelevanttoday
thanitwasintheaftermathoftheSecondWorldWar.The
eventscurrentlyescalatinginUkraineduringthiscentenary
yearofthewarof1914-1918providesanominousreminderof
this.ThatthefoundingvisionoftheEuropeanprojectisso
ofoftenoverlookedbyitscriticsisinmanywaysatestimonyto
thedecadesofpeacethatcloseeconomicand political
cooperationhasbroughttothepeoplesof,rsttheCommon
Market,andthentheEuropeanUnion.Thatsaid,evenforthose
ofuswhoarewhollycommittedtoEuropeanintegration,itis
easyduringthesetroubledeconomictimestolosesightof
whatEuropetrulystandsfor.Itoftenseemstobelostinthe
mimireofstatistics,redtapeandinstitutionalstagnation.Asa
result,somuchofthegoodthatEuropedoesforitscitizensis
drownedoutbythefear-mongeringchantsoftheincreasingly
inuentialfar-rightpopulistparties.
TheresultsoftherecentEuropeanParliamentelectionsconrm
thatEuroscepticism cannotbe dismissed asa minority
phenomenonlurkingfaroffonthefringes.Nolongeramere
tendency,thisisanimmediatepoliticalrealitythatthreatens
everythingthattheMemberStateshavebuilttogether,andthe
peacefulandprosperousfuturethatwe,asyoungEuropeans,
havetherighttoexpect.Inthefaceofthecurrentcrisisof
condenceintheEU,webelieve–toparaphraseRobert
Schuman-thattheEuropeanUnioncannotbesafeguarded
withoutthemakingofcreativeeffortsproportionatetothe
Euroscepticismthatthreatensit.
MMostsignicantlywestronglyfeelthatheretheemphasis
needstobeplacedontheword‘creative’.TheEUneedsto
channelallitscreativeresourcesintobeingvisionaryonce
more-notonlyintermsofitsleadershipandhow the
institutionsfunctionbutalsowithrespecttohowitconceives
thegreatergoalsofthepan-Europeanprojectanddefendsthe
collectivevaluesofitscitizens.
ThinkingOutsidetheBoxThinkingOutsidetheBox
FFromourexperienceasstagiairesattheCommission,wethink
thattheEUneedstoresistthecurrenttrendtowardsthe
institutionalisationofmentalitieswhichleadstothestagnation
ofideas.TheEuropeaninstitutionscouldwellreconsidertheir
currentrecruitmentprocessesatatimeprocessesatatime
whenthesurvivaloftheEuropeanprojectrequiresvisionaries
whocanthink‘outsidethebox’.Thoughthereisnoshortageof
applicaapplicantswhowanttoworkforEurope,theinstitutionsneed
totaketheso-calledGoogleapproachtohumancapitaland
activelysellthemselvesasdynamicworkplacesinorderto
attracthighlyinnovativepeople.Mostimporantly,webelieve
thatregulardialogueswithcitizensandtheco-creationof
policyfromthebottomupisthebestwaytoensurethatthe
visionofEuropearticulatedbyitsleadersalsospeakstoits
peoplepeoples.
Asagenerationaccustomedtothefast-paceddigitalage,we
areoftenfrustratedbyhowslowlythingsseem toprogress
withintheinstitutions.Nevertheless,wearealsoconvinced
thattheEUmustadoptamuchmorelong-term perspective
thanithasinrecentyears.Wefeelthatmanyofthecurrent
obstacleswithwhichwearefaced–particularlythoserelated
toyouthunemploymentandgettingonthecareerladder-are
eithereitherrootedin,ortiedto,thechronicshort-termism ofthe
currentsystem.TheEUneedstoseriouslyreconsiderhowit
decidesupontimeframesfortheimplementationofpolicy.For
policiestohaveatrulylastingimpacttheirlife-spanneedsto
extend beyond the limited timeframes set by each
commission’s veyearmandate.Signicantly,agreatmanyof
thekeyissuesthatwererecommendedbytheparticipantsof
thisthisWorldCafétobeprioritiesforthenextcommission–from
5
- 7. educationandtrainingtoenvironmentalawarenessandthe
promotionofequality–aremultigenerationalinvestments.
EuropeanSpirit
UnderstandablUnderstandably,manyofthenextCommission’sprioritieswill
beorientated towardspost-crisiseconomicrecoveryand
reform -thestabilisationoftheEurozone,balancingpublic
accountsineachMemberStateand,ofcourse,continued
bankingreform.However,itisequallyimportanttoconsider
howwecanbestfosterasenseof‘Europeanspirit’amongstour
citizensand(re)buildarealEuropeanidentitystrongenoughto
withstandwithstandsuchtestingtimes.Manycitizensfeelalienatedby
whatthey,rightlyorwrongly,perceiveEuropetobe:a scal
projectdominatedbysoullessnumber-crunchersandfaceless
bureaucrats.NegativepressthatdepictstheEUassomething
thattakesawayanddoesnotgivebackcombinedwith
genuinelytougheconomictimesfeedthisdisenchantment.
Pessimism overthefutureiscertainlyrifeamongstyoung
peoplepeopletoday–weneedmoreoptimism andforthattheEU
mustbetterarticulateagreatersenseofpurpose.Weneedto
knowwhatwehavetobeoptimisticabout!
BeyondNationalBoundaries
TheEUhasto rmlyestablishitsvisionforthefuture.Indoing
soitshouldtakeinspirationfromthecommonvaluessharedby
itscitizens.Oneparticipantcommentedthathewassurprised,
andpleased,todiscoverthathesharedsomanyviewpoints
with fellow stagiaires despite their diverse cultural
backgrounds.Indeedforthemostpart,themainneedsand
eexpectationsofyoungEuropeanstodaytranscendnational
boundaries.Thewidearrayoftopicsdiscussedduringour
WorldCaféclearlyillustratesthatthereisnoshortageof
fundamentalissuesbehindwhichyoungEuropeansarealready
united.Notably,weagreeontheimmediateneedtoaddress
climatechangeandputanendtopersistentinequalityacross
Europe.Wealsoagreethatitsimplydoesnotmakesenseto
atattempttodealwiththesepan-Europeanissuesunilaterally.
Theparticipantsof'ThinkYoung.ThinkEurope'looktotheEU
totaketheleadonguaranteeingagreenerEurope.Currently,
theEU'sroleinpromotingenvironmentalawarenessand
enforcingexistingEUlawsbarelyaddressesthetipofarapidly
meltingiceberg.Whenitcomestotacklingclimatechange,we
donothavetheluxuryoftime,norcanwepresentanything
otherthanaunitedfront.Thedisparateenergypoliticsofthe
individualMemberStatesisgettingusnowhere.Answerstothe
loomingquestionsofover-pollution,risingenergycostsand
growing dependenceon Russian gasneed to befound
collectively.
SimilaSimilarly,wefeelthatmoreneedstobedoneatanEUlevelto
ensuretheequalityofEurope'scitizensregardlessoftheirage,
gender,raceorculturalbackground.EU-widegenderinequality
isfedbythecontinuedacceptanceof‘everydaysexism’.This
ranges from persistent patriarchal norms and casual
chauvinism tooffensivegenderstereotyping3
andoutright
sexual discrimination.The so-called ‘glass ceiling’ is
evever-presentandever-restrictive;thefemalecitizensofEurope
faceanuphillstruggletohaveequalpayandthesame
opportunitiesforcareerprogressionastheirmalecounterparts.
TheEUshouldleadbyexamplebyensuringthatwomenhave
paritywithmeninhigh-leveljobs,startingattheverytopby
electing atleastten women to the 2014 college of
commissioners.Similarly,thecurrentlevelofsexualharassment
ononthestreetsofmanyofEurope’scitiesisunacceptable.
EuropeansecuritypolicyneedstostartathomewiththeEU
taking a zero-tolerance approach to both physicaland
psychologicalviolenceagainstanyofitscitizens.
Despitethefactthatthereissomuchthatunitesus,European
citizensareclearlystrugglingtofeelpersonallyconnectedtoan
abstractconceptof‘Europe’.Tothiswesay–whenfacingthe
challengesontheroadaheadthenextcommissionmust
rekindlethespiritofEurope’sfoundingfathersandalways
ThinkVision.
6
- 8. THINKYOUNG
WithEuroscepticismsweepingacrossEurope,nowisthetime
forEUleaderstoreachouttothosewhooneday,notsofar
from now,willthemselvesbethearchitectsoftheEuropean
House.However,loftyrhetoricabouttheeventual‘changingof
theguard’orthe‘passingofthetorch’doeslittletogalvanise
youngpeopletoembracetheEuropeoftodayinorderto
prepareitselftoleadtheEuropeoftomorrow.Europe’sdecision
makersmakersneedtomakeEuroperelevanttoyoungpeopleright
now.Itneedstodosoinrealandtangiblewaysbyengaging
withthespecicneedsandexpectationsofyoungpeopleand
includingthem rightintheheartofthedebate.Inessence,
Europe’sleadersneedtothinknotsimplyoftheyoung,but
moreliketheyoung.
TheembracingoffundamentalEuropeanidealssuchasfree
movement,multiculturalism,peaceand prosperityshould
comequitenaturallyto theyoung.Notonlyarewea
generationthathasbeenbroughtuponsuchvalues,weshould
alsobemotivatedbyahealthystreakofyouthfuloptimism.
However,theharshrealitiesoftheeconomicdownturnhavehit
ushard.Formany,unemploymentand uncertainty has
quenchedquenchedoutoptimismtowardsEuropeandhasevenfuelled
Euroscepticism.Inordertoreignitemuchneededenthusiasm
fortheEuropeanproject,theEU needstoengageyoung
people notthrough words,butthrough positive lived
experience.Atthetopofthelistofissueswhichareparticularly
galvanisingforusare:thelackofprofessionaltrainingduring
third-level education; youth unemployment and the
despedesperationtogetonthecareerladder;andthecurrent
decienciesofskillsetdevelopmentwithregardtoalternative
careerchoicessuchasentrepreneurship.
TrainingforSuccess
Oneofthekeyissuesraisedbytheparticipantsof‘ThinkYoung.
ThinkEurope’wasthetopicof‘trainingandemployment’.As
Europe'syoungpeopletoday,we ndourselvesenteringthe
jobmarketatatimeofsignicantnancialturbulence,whichin
turnheightenscompetitionandfuelsdemotivation.Oursisa
generationfortunatetohaveinlargepartbeenaffordedgreat
opportunities in terms oftertiary education,language
acacquisitionandtravel;however,theover-ridingfeelingtodayis
thatweareunabletofullyexploittheskillswehavegainedand
realiseourpotential.Oneoftheprincipalreasonsforthisisthat
theprofessionalworldcurrentlydemandstheimpossible;it
requirespotentialyoungemployeestohavesignicantwork
7
experienceinaprofessionalenvironmentbeforetheyhave
evenstartedtheircareers.Astheonlywaytogainthisis
throughprofessionalemployment,graduates ndthemselves
stuckbetweenarockandahardplace.Employersareunwilling
tooffertheprofessionalexperiencerequiredforadmittance
intotheworkingworld,andsothisviciouscircleisonewhichis
extremelydifficulttobreak.Withthisinmind,wefeelthat
muchmuchgreaterattentionshouldbepaidtobridgingthedivide
between'graduate'and'employee'.
AsErasmusandothersuccessfulstudyprogrammesserveto
openyoungmindstothepotentialthatEuropeholdsforthem,
theestablishmentofsimilarworkprogrammesforprofessional
trainingregulatedbytheEUwoulddeliverthemuchneeded
assurancethatEuropeisalsoaccessibleonprofessionallevel.
EURESisoneexamplebutalotmorecouldbedone.For
instance,provisionofmuchmoreintensiveandsubstantial
trtraining(sometimesevenonacompulsorybasis)forstudents
duringthecourseoftheirstudies,towardstheendoftheir
universitycareersorintheinterim betweengraduationand
employment,maybethekeytobreakingyoungpeopleoutof
careerlimboandsettingthemonthepathtosuccess.
InternshiporBust
"It'sthroughjobsthatwecanreinforcetheEuropeanvision",participant
Inthefaceofthis‘impossible’situation,manycapableyoung
graduatesstruggling to secure professionalemployment
post-universityresorttoworkingforfree.Whileawealthof
- 9. valuable opportunities is afforded by internships and
traineeshipsonnationalandinternationallevels,manyofthese
positionsareentirelyunpaidorfallwellbelowminimumwage.
Remunerationissomethingthatmanyfeelforcedtosacrice,
simplyoutoftheirsheerdesperationtogetontothejobladder:
inshort,Europe'syouthiscaughtina'Catch-22'situation.
Althoughmanyoftheseschemesprovideapplicableand
relerelevanttraining,manyprovetobeunrewardingexperiences
becausethedailytasksaremonotonousandunchallenging.
Moreover,evenifaninternshipistheidealsteppingstonetoa
‘realjob’,how canyoungpeoplepossiblyaffordtosupport
themselvesforsixmonthswithoutearningfairwagesfortheir
workandmoreimportantly,whyshouldtheybeexpectedto?
Afterall,‘growingpains’shouldn'tcontinueuntilyouare30.
Inanidealworldunpaidinternshipswouldberecognisedas
exploitation and abolished since theyare fundamentally
unethicalunethicalandtheyonlyservetoprolongthelimbobetween
universityandworkinglife.Undoubtedly,theyshouldbe
replacedbyvalidschemes,accreditedas‘traineeships’which
offernecessarytrainingaswellas nancialrecompense.As
traineesoftheEuropeanCommission,weareperforminghigh
qualitywork,contributingactivelyandconstructivelytothe
workplaceand managing workloadsequaltothatofan
enentry-levelfullyremuneratedposition:wemeritpaymentfor
ourlabourinjustthesameway.However,whileacknowledging
thatrealityisnotquitesosimpleandthusabolitionmaybe
unfeasibleintheshort-term,webelievethattheEUmust
immediatelytakealeadingrolewithregardstothewelfareof
internsbymeansofincreasedregulationandcooperationona
locallevelinthedifferentMemberStates.
Werecognisethatthereisawidediscrepancyinthedifferent
MemberStateswithregardtothis,andwhileitmaynotbe
within theEU'sremitto applyaEurope-widepolicyon
internships,itiscertainlywithinitsremittoprotectitsyoung
citizensfromexploitation.WecallonthenextCommissionto
takealeadingroleinadvocatingfairnessandimplementing
strictqualitycontrols.TheEuropeanParliament's2013–14
PrProhibitionofUnpaidInternshipsBilliscertainlyanimportant
stepintherightdirection,howevermuchmoremuststillbe
done.Anofficial‘Eurobarometer’ofwhatmaybelegitimately
deemedavalid‘internship’or‘traineeship’wouldmakean
importantstatementoftheEU’scommitmenttothisissue.The
Commissionmightalsousefullylookatwhatiscurrentlybeing
doneinindividualmemberstatesandconsiderrecommending
thatinternsbeentitledtoclaim socialwelfarebenetswhen
participatinginanEUaccreditedtraineeshipscheme.
Entrepreneurship
AAnotherpossiblecareerpathwhichishugelyundervaluedin
oureducationsystemsisthatoftheentrepreneur.Althoughthe
economiccrisisnaturallyincreasedthenumberofstart-ups
acrossEuropeanditgeneratedpublicinterestintoalternative
professions,littlehasbeendoneonanEUleveltoensurea
transparent and regulated environment for these
developments.Likewise,oureducationsystemsarebehindthe
timestimesintermsofpresentingentrepreneurshipasaviable
optionaftergraduation.
Webelievethatentrepreneurshipshouldbeencouraged,even
promotedamongallEuropeancitizens,butespeciallytargeting
youngpeopleandtappingintotheirinnovativespirit.By
becomingyoungentrepreneurstheycouldnotonlymakeajob
forthemselvesbutcouldpotentiallycreateevenmorejobsfor
others.The rststepshouldbedoneonalocallevelbythe
various stakeholders (governments,municipalities,NGOs,
uniuniversities)ensuringthesimplicationoftheproceduressince
theyarestillquiteunclearandstagnant.TheEUcouldplaya
signicantrolein funding approved training coursesfor
starting a business,and organising public awareness
campaigns. Furthermore, the EU can nurture the
entrepreneurialenvironmentbymanyothermeansbesides
regulationandfunding.Itcouldcoordinatethecreationofa
nenetwork ofstakeholdersacrossEurope,who can share
know-how andbestpracticeswithregardstheprovisionof
funding opportunitiesorthequalityofentrepreneurship
programmescurrentlyavailable.
Getting on the careerladdershould notbe a Mission
Impossible:youngpeopleareoftenaccusedofbeingnaïveand
demanding,butforthoseofustryingtoenterthejobmarket
forthe rsttimeitseemslikewe’renottheoneswiththe
unrealisticexpectations.WecallonEuropetoThinkYoungand
helpussay‘missionaccomplished’!
8
- 10. THINKEUROPE
SincethesigningoftheTreatyofRomein1957thefree
movementofpeople,goods,servicesandcapitalhavebeen
thecornerstonesofwhatwethinkofas'Europe'.Withthisin
mind,itisreallyquitestrikingthatofallthepossibletopicsthat
couldhavecomeupat‘ThinkYoung.ThinkEurope,’theissueof
'mobility'wassomethingthattrulystirredthepassionsofall
participants.Adeepconcernwasexpressedoverthemany
fafactorswhicheitherimpedeEuropeancitizensfromexercising
theirfundamentalrighttomovetoanotherMemberStateor
underminetheirqualityoflifeoncetheyhavemoved.Inorder
toengagemeaningfullywithcitizens,webelievethattheEU
needstofocusonthemosthumanaspectofthehistoric‘Four
Freedoms.’IftheEUwantstowinheartsaswellasminds,it
needstoprioritisepeople.Intheorythefreemovementof
peoplepeoplegivesallEuropeancitizenstherighttolive,work,study
orretirein anyotherEU country.In practice,persistent
inequalitybetweenMemberStatesandthelackofmutual
culturalunderstandingamongstEurope'scitizensmeansthat
theactuallivedexperienceofthisfundamentalrightdoesnot
alwaysliveuptothespiritinwhichthisrightwasfounded.
The‘EuropeanDream’
Asstagiairesofthe European Commission'straineeship
programme,we have allbeneted from thisincredible
opportunitytoliveandworkinanothercountryalongwith
colleaguesfrom allcornersoftheEU.Manyofushavealso
thoroughlyenjoyedtheexperienceofstudyingabroadwhile
on Erasmusand found itsimilarlyenriching.Indeed,we
stagiairescouldbesaidtobelivingthe‘EuropeanDream.’
HoHowever,wealsorecognisehowluckywehavebeentohave
experiencedlifeinanothercountrywithintheframeworkof
long-establishedandwell-respectedEUschemesandwithall
thesocialbenetsandsupporttherein.Withoutthesupport
systemsinplace,themoveabroadcouldhavebeenfarmore
dauntingthanexciting,sodauntingitmayevenhavebeen
prohibitive.
Moreover,formostEuropeans,therealityofinter-EUmobilityis
notthesomewhatprivilegedpursuitofthe‘EuropeanDream’
butaquestionofneed.ManyEuropeansfeelforcedtomove
abroadsimplybecausetheycannotseeafutureathome.The
experienceofmovingabroadundersuchconditionscanbe
riddledwithuncertaintieswithregardstothecostofliving,
individualrightsandresponsibilitiesandsocialintegration.Itis
aasadtruththatthosewhogoabroadinsearchofbetter
employmentopportunitiesandahigherstandardoflivingare
oftenwronglytreatedlikesecondclasscitizens,asiftheywere
interloperslookingtostealjobsfrom localsandscroungeoff
benetsinwealthierMemberStates.Themythofthemodern
inter-EUmigrantthatcurrentlyfuelsthe resofEuroscepticism
needstoberecognisedforwhatitis:ahatecrime.However,itis
alsoimportanttorecognisethatdiscontentamongstMember
StStatesandmanyofthesocial-integrationproblemsarising
frominter-EUmigrationstemfromthecurrenttwo-tiersystem
ofhaves and have-nots.As such,the power ofthe
scaremongers’talemaybecurbedbyconcertedeffortsatanEU
leveltonotonlydispelpopularmisconceptionsandfacilitate
socialintegrationbutalsobylevellingoutthesocio-economic
differencesbetweentheMemberStates.Assuch,westagiaires
ffeelthattherearethreekeyareaswheretheEUcoulddomore
tobringdowntheinvisiblebarrierstothefreemovementof
peoples:rstly,bypromotingawarenessofdifferenteducation
systemsacrosstheMemberStatesinordertoensurethat
employersrespectqualityregardlessofnationality;secondly,
byfacilitatingevenmorecross-culturalexchanges,particularly
throughthepromotionofmultilingualism;andthirdly,by
ensuensuringeasieraccesstovitalinformationaboutlivingabroad.
ARespectforQuality
Amajorproblem facedbytheEU ishow toensurethat
academicandprofessionalqualicationsfrom allMember
9
- 11. Statesreceivetherecognitiontheydeserve.Alltoooften,a
degreeoradiplomathathasbeenrecognisedtohavemeta
certainstandardinonecountryisvastlyunderratedinanother
countryduetoeitherovertorpassivediscrimination.Despite
efforts to standardise the recognition of third level
qualicationswiththeEuropeanCreditTransferSystem(ECTS),
university degreesfrom certain MemberStatesare still
peperceivedtobemoreprestigiousthanthosefrom others.It
follows thatcareeropportunities and earning capacity
amongstEuropeangraduatesalso uctuategreatly-notonly
from countrytocountrybutalsodependinguponaperson’s
placeoforigin.Similarly,manyprofessionalsfurtheralongtheir
careerpath ndthatthevaluableexperiencethattheyhave
gainedintheirhomecountryisnotrespectedinanotherEU
membermemberstate.Assuch,takingthedecisiontomoveabroadin
searchofgreaterjobsecurityinthelongrunmayrequire
job-seekersto go backto squareoneprofessionally.We
stagiairesbelievethatmuchneedstobedonebyEurope’s
leaderstoleveltheplaying eldoftheEuropeanjobmarket.We
callontheEUtodomoretoensureagenuinerespectfor
qualityandexperienceandspreadawarenessofthedifferent
educeducation and training systemsthroughouttheMember
States;it’ssimplyacaseofcreditwherecreditisdue.
Cross-culturalUnderstanding
Westronglyconsidermutualunderstandingtobeanessential
factorinalleviatingthenegativesocialramicationsofinter-EU
migration.Programmesthatfacilitatecross-culturalexchange
can do wondersto breakdown popularmisconceptions
throughincreasedconnectivity.Asstagiairesworkinginan
internationalinstitution,wehavea rst-handappreciationof
boththepracticalandhiddenvalueoflearninglanguages
otherotherthanourownmothertongue.Languageacquisition,
particularlyatayoungageisaninvaluableprofessionalasset
anditprovidesmanyyoungcitizensofEuropewiththeoption
ofsearchingforhighleveljobsabroadaswellasathome.Itis
alsoimportantnottounderestimatehowculturallyenriching
theexperienceoflanguagelearningis.Embracingthelinguistic
heritageofanothercountry–whetherit’sthrough uencyor
justjustafewphrasesto‘getbywith’–isalife-longlearningthat
opensa gatewayonto otherculturalworldsand other
perspectives.Thereisundoubtedlyadirectcorollarybetween
levelsofEuroscepticismandhostilitytowardsimmigrantsfrom
partnerEuropeannationsinMemberStateswherelanguage
learningisundervalued.Inordertocreateastronger,more
unitedEuropeforfuturegenerations,farmoremustbedoneto
ppromote,encourage and ensure acquisition offoreign
languagesacrossallMemberStates,andforcitizensfromavery
youngage.
OOfcourse,cross-culturalunderstandingisatwo-waystreet.Itis
justasimportantthatEuropeancitizenspreparingtomoveto
anotherMemberStateareawareofroadthatliesahead.Agreat
manyparticipantsof‘ThinkYoung.ThinkEurope’feltthatinfor-
mationcurrentlyavailableaboutresidencyrightsandresponsi-
bilitiesinotherMemberStates–fromtaxsystemstohealthand
welfare–didnotmeeteithertheirneedsortheirexpectations.
Thisisquitealarmingconsideringthefactthatawealthofsuch
informationisalreadyprovidedbytheEuropeaninstitutions
online.Quiteclearly,theavailabilityofinformationisonlyhalf
thebattle;italsoneedstobecomprehensibleandeasilyacces-
sible.Itseemsthatthebiggestproblemisthatthereisaninfor-
mationoverloadandthosemovingabroad ndthereistoo
muchtodigest.
ToparaphraseGeorgeOrwell,allEUcitizensareequal,but
somecitizensaremoreequalthanothers.AsyoungEuropeans
whohavegreatlybenetedfromthebestaspectsofthe‘First
Freedom’ofEurope,wecallontheEUtodomoretoensurethat
thelivedexperienceofallcitizenswhochoosetomoveabroad
toanotherMemberStateisinkeepingwiththeEuropean
valuesofequality,mutualrespectandhumandignity.TheEU
couldcouldbetterguaranteethesafety,securityandhappinessofits
citizensbydoingmoretopromotenotonlytolerancebutalso
mutualappreciationthroughcross-culturallearningschemes
andclearercommunicationofinformationforthosethinkingof
movingabroad.Words,however,mustbebackedupwithac-
tionsandthereforewewantspecicanti-discriminationmeas-
ures,especiallyinthesphereofemployment,tobeacorefocus
ofthenextcommission.Inessence,wecallonEuropeto‘think
people’whenevertheyThinkEurop.
10
- 12. THINKCOMMUNICATION
Communicationsandinformationpolicyhasbeenattheheart
oftheEuropeanProjectsincetheveryearliestyearsofits
construction.FromitsinceptionwithinthePress&Information
ServiceoftheEuropeanCoalandSteelCommunity(ECSC),to
thecurrentroleoftheCommission’sDG COMM,effective
communication hasbeen vitalin thepast60+ yearsof
Europeanevolution.Atthe rstBlueBookWorldCafé,thelatest
instalmeinstalmentofwould-beEuropeancivilservantsmettodiscuss
theirhopesandaspirationsforthefutureofEurope,examining
notonlywheretheybelieveditshouldgobuthowtheyfeltit
shouldgetthere.Withoutexception,theimportanceofgood
communicationpermeatedalltopicsofdiscussion.
Astheworldbecomesmoreinterconnectedwehavesomany
moreopportunitiestolearnaboutourglobalneighbours.
However,theriseofthefar-rightintherecentEuropean
Parliamentelectionspointtoanarrowingofmindsanda
hardening ofattitudes-resultswhich arefundamentally
anathemato theEU’sveryfounding principlesof'unity,
solidarityandharmony.'Europeisnotonlyfacinga nancial
crcrisis:itisfacingacrisisofcondence.Recession,corruption
andscepticism aretermsthatarebeingthrownatEurope's
youth,challengingfutureprospects.Immigrationisbeing
twistedintoadirtyword.Peoples'faithintheEUisunder
threat.
Thedrawtowardspopulistrhetoricsuggeststhatpeopleare
desperatelysearchingforalterativenarratives.Whatnarrative
cantheEUoffer?Whatistheroleofcommunicationsinthe
continuedevolutionoftheEuropeanProject?We,thestagiaires
oftheEuropean Commission,feelthatEuropeneedsto
effectivelyandcooperativelycommunicatewithitspeoplein
ordertobothrealiseandachieveasharedvisionforthefuture.
Underthethemeof'Communication,'threemainstrandswere
ideidentiedby'ThinkYoungThinkEurope'participants:what
doestheEUdo,howandwhy?
What?
Quitesimplyput,too manyofEurope’scitizensdo not
understandthepositiveimpactthattheEU hasontheir
day-to-daylives.Manypeopledonotrealisethatthemajority
ofthelaws,policiesandlegalframeworksthatsafeguardtheir
rightsandensurequalityoflifehaveadirectlinktothe
EuropeanInstitutions.Thiswasoneofthestrongestmessages
toemergeduringthe'ThinkYoung,ThinkEurope’WorldCafé
discussiondiscussions.Participantsfeltthatitshouldbemademuch
easierforpeopletoappreciatewhyEuropeissignicantfor
them.Above allelse,practicalexamplesare needed to
highlightthetangibleeffectsofthedecisionsmadeinBrussels
andStrasbourg."Wedon'twanttoseenumbers"statedone
participant,"wewanttoseerealities".Inessence,it'snotabout
makingEuroperelevant;it'saboutshowinghowitalreadyis.
TTheissueathandisthatmanypeoplecanfeelcutofffromthe
EU anditsdecision-makingprocess.Wrappedinlayersof
bureaucracy,thereexistsafrustrationaroundnotonlythe
lengthoftimeittakestocometoadecisionbutthelackof
transparencysurroundingtheentireprocess.WelooktotheEU
toimproveitslinesofcommunicationtothepublic,informing
themofthisprocessandencouragingcontribution.
How?
TTheEUisacomplexmachine.Therearemanydifferentactors,
institutions,departments,sectors,unitsandagenciesandeach
ofthemhavesomethingtosay.Whatisnecessary,however,is
thecollaborationofeffortstocommunicatewiththepublicina
direct,understandableandaccessibleway.Weneedtosimplify
themessage.Insofarasispossible,theEUshouldstriveto
speakwith onevoice.Information coming from various,
dispadisparatesourcescanleadtoconfusionandcreateabarrierto
effectivepublicengagement.Itmustbenotedthatin-roadsare
11
- 13. beingmadetoresolvethisandrecentlyanumberofpositive
stepstosimplytheimagepresentedtothepublichavebeen
taken:VisualIdentityinitiativeswherebyinstitutions'logosand
generalimagesaremanagedundervisualidentityguidelines
bothonlineandoff;andtherationalisationofEUwebcontent
undertheDigitalTransformationProgramme.Westagiaires
hopetoseethistypeofprogresscontinueunderthenext
collegeofcollegeofCommissioners.
MemberStateRepresentationsalsohaveastrongroletoplayin
publicengagement.Theyallow forthedecentralisationof
communicationstrategyandtheprioritisationofinformation
baseduponcontextualunderstanding:theverydenitionof
subsidiarity.AstheREPShavetheabilitytohighlightthe
relevanceofEUactionsbaseduponnationalpriorities,wefeel
that more needs to be done to channel targeted
communiccommunication campaignsin individualMembersStates,
whichnotonlyinformpeopleaboutwhattheEUisdoingbutto
motivate them to reconnectwith Europe.How the EU
communicateswiththepublicisjustasimportantaswhatis
says.AsMarshallMcLuhansuccinctlystated,"themediumisthe
message." IfthemainissueisthatEuropeappearsfaceless,
giveitaface;ifitisdistant,bringitcloser.TheCitizens'
DialoguesDialoguesofferauniqueopportunityforcitizenstomeetwith
Europeanleadersintheirowncountry.We nditencouraging
that the EU has embraced this method of two-way
communication.WecallfortheCitizens'Dialogueprogramme
tonotonlybecontinuedunderthenextCommissionbutforit
totrulyinspirethenextcollegetoexpandandevolveallforums
–bigandsmall-thatallowcitizenstodirectlyparticipatein
EEuropeanaffairs.Wehopethatitwillallowforsubstantialand
authenticdebatewhichwillsincerelycontributetopolicy
creationandimplementation.
Why?
IIn1972the rstpermanentsurveyofpublicopinionwas
introduced.ThismarkedachangeinEU communications
strategy:theInstitutionssawtheneedtokeepa ngeronthe
pulseofEurope.42yearsand22MemberStateslatercanthese
sameInstitutionsbecitedforhavingtakentheir ngeroffit?
Therecentelectionssignifyaworryingelementofdiscontent
amongstthepeopleofEurope.Theaforementionedriseofthe
fafar-rightandthedrawtowardspopulistdialoguehaveshown
usthatpeoplefeeltheEUisneithermeetingtheirneedsnor
living up to their expectations. Effective two-way
communicationisvitalinorderfortheEUtoidentifyand
addresstheseneedsandexpectationsandtherebyreconnect
withitspeople.TheEUwasforgedfromtheashesofconict,
divisionandmistrusttorepresentasetofcorevalues.The
LisbonLisbonTreatylaysoutthesevaluesas:humandignity,freedom,
democracy,equality,theruleoflawandrespectforhuman
rights.TheEUexiststorepresentanddefendthesevalues
throughitspolicies,itsactionsanditsfutureplanning;yetwe
feelthatperceivedissuessuchascorruptionandalackof
transparencyservetoderailthisprocess.
ThedistancepeoplefeelbetweenthemandtheEU–theydon't
understandwhatitdoes;theydon'tseehowitisnecessary;
theydon'tfeelpartoftheprocess–needstobebridgedby
effectivecommunicationincludingon-the-ground,bottom-up
initiatives.The'communications'elementoftheEU–fromthe
Press&InformationServicetoDGCOMM–hasalwaysreacted
toexogenousfactors.Now wearecallingontheEUtobe
prproactive;wearecallingonyoutoThinkCommunication.
'ThisTimeIt'sDifferent'?Please,tellushow...
12
- 14. ThinkYoung.ThinkEurope.
DDoesEuropemeettheneedsandexpectationsofyoungpeopletoday?WellwhattherstBlueBookWorldCafé
hasclearlyshownusisthatyoungpeoplehaveveryhighexpectationsindeed.ThoughwefeelthatEurope’slead-
ershavemuchtodointermsoflivinguptothefoundingidealsoftheEuropeanproject,itisimportanttohigh-
lightthataftervemonthsworkingintheheartoftheEuropeanCommission,westagiairesarestillcommitted
totheEU’scontinuedroleinworkingtowardsthoseideals.DuringthiseraofrisingEuroscepticism,wefeelthat
thereactionshouldnotbethequestioningofEuropebutrathertheposingoflegitimatequestionstoEurope.For
youngpeople,atthetopofthislistarequestionsaboutinter-EUmigration,persistentinequalitiesamongstEuro-
peancitizens,environmentalconcerns,Euroscepticismanddiscrimination,andchronicyouthunemployment.
ThoughweareofcourselookingtoEurope’sleadersforanswers,wewanttoplayourpartin ndingsolutions.
WestronglybelievethattheEUneedstobemorevisionaryinitsconceptionandarticulationoftheEuropean
projectandthatbettercommunicationisundoubtedlythekeytoconstructingasharedEuropeanidentitythat
canendurethesetestingtimes.
Unanimously,thosewhoparticipatedin'ThinkYoung.ThinkEurope'foundtheeventtobeahighlyfulllingex-
perience.Atitssimplestlevel,itwasagreatopportunityforstagiairestohavehands-onexperienceofatech-
niquethathasbecomeincreasinglypopularwithintheCommissioninrecentyears.However,itwastheactof
contributingideasandwhat’smore,feelinglikethoseideaswerebeingheardandvalued,thattrulygalvanised
enthusiasmandfosteredthesenseof‘EuropeanSpirit’amongparticipants.Oneparticipantsaid‘itissohearten-
ingtoseethatyoungpeopleacrossEuropehavesimilarconcernstome’andlikewiseanotherstatedthat‘thisis
the rsttimethatI’veeverdiscussedseriousEUthemeswithsomanypeoplemyownagebefore.’Manyheads
noddedvigorouslyinagreementwhenoneparticipantsaid‘Thiswasarealopportunitytohavemyvoiceheard
andIjustreallyappreciatethetrustthatwasputinustoday.’
Mostsignicantly,manyparticipantshadfeltdriventotakepartbecausetheresultsoftheEuropeanelections
madethemfeellikethey‘hadtodosomething’because‘thingsneedtobedifferent’.Afterwards,everyoneagreed
thattheprocessofidentifyingtheareaswheretheyfeltEuropeislackingactuallymadethemmoreoptimistic
aboutthefuture.However,thissenseofoptimismwasaccompaniedwiththeconditionthat‘thisexercisehasto
amounttosomething’.Nobodywantedtohavetheideasthatwedebatedtodisappearintothinair.Everyone
feltreallypassionatethatadetailedaccountofthedaybewrittenupandsubmitteddirectlytoyouMonsieur
JuncJunckerasthenextpresidentoftheEuropeanCommissioninthehopethatnotonlytheneedsandexpectations
ofyoungpeoplebeconsideredbutalsothatthenextCommissionknowsthatwewanttoplayanactivepartin
ndingsolutions.
So,afterthinkingyoungandthinkingEurope,nowtheparticipantsoftherstBlueBookWorldCaféarethinking
BIG!Consideringthevarietyoftheideasthatemergeddebatedonatasmallscaleevent,alltheparticipantsin-
volvedagreethatcarryingoutasimilareventonamassscale–thatistosaywiththeinvolvementofallstagi-
aires–wouldbeanincrediblyrichandworthwhileexperience.Wethinkthatasimilarparticipatoryevent,offi-
ciallyendorsedbythetraineeshipofficeandorganisedbya‘WorldCafésub-committee,’shouldbecomeaninte-
gralxtureofboththesummerandwintertraineeshipsattheCommission.Suchaneventcouldalsobeincorp
ratedintofuturewelcomeconferences–whatbetterwaytokickoffourEuropeanadventure?
Forstagiairesthemselves,itwouldpresentperhapsaonceinalifetimeexperiencetoactivelybrainstormwith
suchamassive,andinternational,gatheringofourpeers.Moreover,wealsofeelthatatraineeshipWorldCafé
wouldallowustomakeacontributiontotheEuropeanproject–thesamedesirethatgotusintotheBlueBook
intherstplace.Westagiairesareperfectlyplacedtoactasabridgebetweenincreasinglydisenchantedcitizens
andtheCommission.Bymaking'ThinkYoung.ThinkEurope'anintegralxtureofeachtraineeship,youcan
guaranteethateveryyeartheCommissionwillgetadoubledoseofinnovationandvisiontocomplementits
ownownexperienceandexpertise.Whenyouthinkaboutit,howoftendoyouget650young,highlymotivatedand
politicallyawarepeoplefrom28countriestogetherinoneroom?ThisistheoneenergyresourcethatEurope
shouldbeexploiting!
13
