The Future of Europe conference aims to give young people an active role in shaping EU policies

Europe reaches out to young people in building a new future

photo_camera Future of Europe Conference

The seminar of the Conference on the Future of Europe convened by the Spanish Federal Council of the European Movement chaired by Francisco Aldecoa, in conjunction with the Complutense University, the European Commission and the European Parliament, was held in a context marked by the uncertainty of the future of the EU due to the pandemic. 

In this framework, the Conference has set as its objective the active and direct participation of young people, understanding this population sector as essential in the implementation of responses and solutions to the main challenges facing the European Union.

Conferencia sobre el Futuro de Europa

Following the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Conference on the Future of Europe, Madrid hosted the Conference on the Future of Europe in the Auditorium of the Complutense University of Madrid, with the aim of involving citizens in European political processes and debating the issues that concern them most. According to President Aldecoa: "Universities have a fundamental role to play in the process of European construction". 

After the opening, presented by the Director of the European Parliament, María Andrés, the President of the International European Movement, Eva Maydell, and the Director of the Diplomatic School, Alberto Antón, several debates were held with leading academic figures and professors. The main theme of the debates revolved around the importance of listening to citizens in order to carry out more democratic and social policies that would break down the structures of decision-making in an intergenerational debate.  

Conferencia sobre el Futuro de Europa

At the conference, young people, the sector at which the spirit of the colloquium was aimed, were of particular relevance. It was they who addressed the issues of most concern to young people, namely youth unemployment, the difficulty of access to decent work and EU tax policy. According to data compiled by Statista, Spain leads the ranking in youth unemployment rate with 40.2%, followed by Greece (33%), Italy (29.7%) and Lithuania (24.9%). According to the participants, "Europe is called upon to reform and mitigate the economic and social effects of the COVID pandemic". 

Members stressed the need for the Conference because of its importance in promoting the inclusion of young people in the legislative process and their responsibility in building a strong and sustainable European future. Likewise, the debate was marked by a strong concern for the lack of knowledge of young people and their lack of concern for the European institutions. The president of 'Europa en suma', Juan Cuesta, pointed out that in the 2014 European elections, only 28% of young people took part in the vote.

Conferencia sobre el Futuro de Europa

Cuesta urged that this misinformation may be marked by the little information given on the subject at school and in schools as well as ignorance.  

Among the main aims of the conference were the importance of generating a structured and inclusive social debate in which transversality reigns. In line with the event, this process would aim to listen to the population in order to build a bottom-up decision-making scheme and not the other way around. 

Conferencia sobre el Futuro de Europa

One of the most important measures proposed was the transformation from a participatory democracy to a consolidated representative democracy. Moreover, the concept of unanimity and governance were notions that gained special relevance as policies that should be present in the EU's future solutions. Alongside this, the EU's future aims to be able to "take a step forward" in this "still open constituent process". With this, the EU appeals to continue to "defend a noble cause for survival and peace". 

Another important aspect that was addressed was the struggle and integration of the defence of women's rights in the measures aimed at putting an end to the salary gap and of the LGTBIQ collective, since "we cannot build Europe against them". On the other hand, one of the great challenges proposed was the digital transformation of the EU in order to modernise and adapt to the digital context in which we live in order to be as inclusive, efficient and productive as possible. 

Conferencia sobre el Futuro de Europa

The event ended with a speech by the Rector of the Complutense University of Madrid, Joaquín Goyache Goñi, who said that Europeans "are not together just for the sake of it, we are together to make great enterprises, to build this European project of which we are a part".

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