While freedom of information has an excellent legal framework and is exercised in a relatively satisfactory manner overall in the European Union, it is put to a severe test in some member countries including those that most pride themselves on respecting civil liberties.
Data : Reporters sans frontière (rsf.org) – ec.europa.eu
Access to a free digital network is essential. All data should be treated on the Internet equally and not discriminated or charged differentially by user, content or mode of communication. We sign the Youth4NetNeutrality manifesto to guarantee freedom of speech, safeguard equality and open internet principles.
For the first time in history, the youth of Europe is united from conservative to progressive, from left to right, from North to South and from East to West to stand up together for an issue that we deeply care about.
We stand up for the open internet. An internet without censorship. An internet where all data is treated equally. An internet without network discrimination. An internet without anti-competitive agreements.
As youth of Europe, we therefore call upon the Council of the European Union to preserve network neutrality in the Telecoms Single Market Regulation proposal as drafted by the European Parliament. We strongly urge the Council to define net neutrality clearly – and without any loopholes – in order to safeguard equality, facilitate fair competition and foster innovation.
Find more about the initiative here
Young Democrats for Europe have hope for the future.
Europeans like Europe but regret its inability to solve problems such as unemployment which stays one of our key concerns. Hit by the crisis, unable to fix an effective strategy, European leaders have failed.
They are the ones Europeans consider guilty, not the European Union. Nevertheless, the European project is a victim of this failure.
Young Democrats for Europe want to pursue the European dream, this is therefore essential that our governments finally manage to re-create growth and employment.
This is the only solution for European youth in particular to reconcile with Europe and its governments.
Therefore, to reach that aim, Europe has to begin a policy of economic stimulation by launching across all the territories projects based on the requirement of environmental protection and the creation of infrastructures tightening links between peoples.
As we know, if Europe agrees to subsidise those important projects, millions of local jobs will be created and the project to bring people closer would be strengthened.
Regarding environment, Europe has to increase investments in renewable energy and in construction of public transport networks in all the European important cities. This will contribute to combating global warming, to the improvement of Europeans’ everyday life and to developing European metropolises.
Solutions exist. Now we need political courage to implement them.
This is the only way to revive the European ideal…
Young Democrats for Europe are proud to be Europeans.
With regard to the history of Europe, Europeans are aware of their role and influence in the world. We know that numerous countries consider the European Union as a model of human development. Health, Culture, Gastronomy, the luxury and high-technology industry, cinema, architecture,… all these areas illustrate the European know-how and contribute to its outreach.
This reality is an opportunity and a resource that we must harness.
Building on these strengths, the European Union finally achieves to create a functional diplomacy capable of defending our interests and promoting our culture in the world.
Thanks to this active policy of outreach, Europe will be able to make “its” citizens proud to belong to a humanist civilization.
By reconciling with its past and its assets, Europe will be able to contribute to the creation of Europeans, ambassadors.
In order to achieve this, beyond its internal political construction, Europe has to play a role on the international stage, in particular on the territories connected to our history. The latter aspire to develop themselves and to another model than those of the United States or China. This is our duty to hear, understand and to answer this call for help.
Wherever States tear themselves, our experience of conflict settlement should be used. To make Europeans proud and confident in the future, the European Union has to assume and accept its role of major power.
The VI EDP Congress, held in Brussels, has just concluded after two days of discussion. More than 100 delegates, coming from 17 different countries have attended. The Congress took place during a signifying period for Europe and Italy.
With regards to Italy, the previous days had been marked by a controversy between Italian and German governments about the Italian debt; controversy arisen from the words of Angela MERKEL against Italian policies about debt reduction animating the last few weeks of the Italian semester.
Regarding the Italian presidency of EU Council semester, Matteo RENZI said that “we faced a big challenge: to find the soul of the EU and to find the deep sense of European togetherness” and “this challenge inevitably affected our results”. Indeed, the Italian presidency results seem below our expectations – as Matteo RENZI admits – but in consideration of the hard troubles we had to tackle, we still managed to achieve important results such as the review of tax policies and a better coordination among member states. Anyway, these achievements have not been perceived by the population: Europe is still identified as foreign institution.
At present time, the quotation of a former President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio CIAMPI, is still topical: he defined Europe mainly “a political project”.
For such reasons, we must be aware that EDP role is very important: a crucial role because we – as EDP members – are concrete politicians and we have tried, even during our conference, to bring a human dimension to EU policy and policies. Our way to be politicians is intended not just as “muscle power show”, but mainly as the courage to suggest the right solutions, even if they could be difficult to understand at a first sight. We really believe that such behaviour will bring European people closer to our party.
On November 23rd, local elections in Calabria marked an amazing achievement for us, by electing Flora SCULCO, a young woman who joined the EDP project, as Congress delegate and Calabria MRP. During her electoral campaign, we talked a lot about European Institution and about all the issues we recently discussed in Brussels EDP Congress: economic growth and employment recovery, fiscal convergence, common foreign policy, immigration and fight against human trafficking. We have the proof that such topics are not unrealistic and they stimulate the debate among people and between our party and people.
In conclusion, a short hint about a crucial theme, the sustainable development. Lima’s summit (COP20), the environmental summit preparatory to Paris Conference, has just ended without gaining significant results, nevertheless reaching some progress in the fight against climate change that, we all know, represents a real challenge for the future.
The Young Democrats for Europe (YDE) will surely engage with passion these challenging issues. Together we can realize the project of Europe as a political union.
By Laura Venneri
Following the 2014 European elections, the EDP held its Congress in Brussels on the 10th and 11th of December. Delegates from our organisation attended the Congress and we also organised a Board and Council meeting.
Concluding the first 3 months of the new Board team, these meetings were an occasion to end the preparations of our 2015 initiatives and actions. These two days were also a warm gathering of Democrats during this festive period. With more than 80 delegates coming from 17 countries, the EDP adopted a motion supported by the Young Democrats for Europe on the importance of having a Democrat political family and cooperating with Liberals in Europe.
⚪️ #EDPCongress meeting at the @Europarl_EN with a delegation of #YDE pic.twitter.com/4Y4STYMy1T
— Young Dems for EU (@YoungDemsEU) 10 Décembre 2014
Our president Miroslava took the floor during the EDP Congress:
“This is not the first time I get the floor at a EDP meeting but today I am honoured to speak as the newly elected president of the Youth of the EDP and therefore to be the voice of all our members. I would like to underline some changes I think are the most important within our youth organisation:
- the first milestone was the third congress of our organisation in September in Bilbao. I want to thank our Basque organisation, EGI, as well as the Basque national party. This was crucial and helped us to move toward a renewal: a new 10-member Board was elected with me as President and Mathieu Camescasse as Secretary General, new youth organisations were welcomed – our friends from National forum and UDI – as well as individual members. Our internal problems solved, we could now start anew on an improved and stronger footing and help you.
- Today we also held our third Board meeting. These regular meetings allow me drawing up new policies. Being exemplary is our objective and I am therefore happy to announce that we have adopted a new Code of Ethics. We want to assure you, as well as everybody, we will work to be an example, to share our common values and beliefs, and be responsible and accountable with regard to finances. We will spend public money wisely.
- These sound bases allow us working on concrete projects, and on specific issues. One of our next challenges is to strengthen our cooperation and work effectively with the Institute of European democrats and the ALDE group. But more especially and first of all to be the pro-active youth organisation of the European Democratic Party and work closely with you, our MEPs, our MPs. We aim at bringing your work to Youths and European citizens. We will be pleased to work with your office and assistants.”
©Soazig de la Moissonniere
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