Tag: environment

Europe must engage in the food revolution!

We do not feed ourselves today as we used to eat in prior stages. We can appreciate it in the evolution of consumer practices; our food model has entered a double revolution. On this World Food Day and taking into account that the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy begins, we are calling for Europe to remain in it.

The first revolution is the link with proximity. We therefore advocate for an ambitious European policy that strengthens the link of urban populations, in ever-increasing numbers, with the agricultural activity, which is close to home. For a long time, this relationship has been denigrated by Europe in the name of the single market, which was supposed to bring down the borders and bring out a European identity. This lead to forget the transnational nature of the European agricultural lands, which existed even before the European Union was born. Alpine cheeses or the production of flax in Normandy and the Netherlands is a proof of the existence of common identities, consequence of geography and history.

We must cherish them nowadays because agricultural traditions most often correspond to a reasoned and adapted management of resources. In addition, local consumption also allows citizens to reconnect with natural laws and thus, promote product quality and seasonality.

Lastly, it makes it possible to avoid the ever-widening disparities between urban and rural areas, by raising awareness of the interdependence between them and their respective inhabitants.
To guarantee the preservation of the terroirs of Europe, we must mobilize European funds to develop short circuits, especially in cross-border areas with common culinary practices. We must also relax the European competition rules to allow collectivities and collective restaurants to buy preferably from local farmers on which they are located.

The second revolution to which Europe will have to respond is the growing demand of citizens for transparency on the composition and origin of food. Advances in medical research are leading to new discoveries every day on preferred culinary practices or products to be avoided by consumers. In this regard, we can no longer live in the reign of suspicion that sometimes discredits the profession of farmers, which we should instead value. In this sense, we should assume the ambition to build a new European Food Safety Agency that can independently carry out studies on the harmfulness of the hundreds of products currently in dispute. No one understands why the opinions given by the health authorities are based on studies conducted and paid for by large agro-food firms.

The many food scandals that have rocked the continent have also convinced citizens that want to go further in the traceability of the food they consume. Therefore, we should implement technologies such as blockchain, in order to create by 2030, the world’s first food information network. While consumers address that they are not aware of what the dishes they can purchase contain, it would ensure perfect traceability and meet the expectations for a strong food revolution that would transcend borders.

Signatures: 

Pierre Baty (Président JDem), Loris Mastromatteo (SG YDE), Mathilde Karceles (VP JDem et YDE), Begoña Garteizaurrekoa (YDE President)

and the following French MPs

Avy-Elimas Nathalie, Val-d’Oise,
Bannier Géraldine, Mayenne
Berta Philippe, Gard
Deprez-Audebert Marguerite, Pas-de-Calais
El Haïry Sarah, Loire-Atlantique, MoDem Spokeswoman
Essayan Nadia, Cher
Garcia Laurent, Meurthe-et-Moselle
Griesbeck Nathalie, MEP for Greater East (France)
Jacquier-Laforge Élodie, Isère
Lagleize Jean-Luc, Haute-Garonne
Latombe Philippe, Vendée
Luquet Aude, Seine-et-Marne
Matteï Jean-Paul, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Michel-Kleisbauer Philippe, Var
Millienne Bruno, Yvelines
Poueyto Josy, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Richard Ramos, Loiret
Turquois Nicolas, Vienne
Waserman Sylvain, Bas-Rhin,
Wehrling Yann, Secretary-General of MoDem

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Young Democrats and Liberals gathered at ALDE Winter Academy

Last week, on the 7th and 8th of December 2016, the Young Democrats for Europe and the European Liberal Youth organised the 2016 Winter Academy with the support of the ALDE Group in the European Parliament on the topic  A Connected Continent for Young People. This event gathered more than 80 young Democrats and Liberals from all over Europe.

Amongst the speakers on different issues such as Transport, Digitalisation, Migration and Education: YDE president Antoine Carette, ALDE Group vice president Petras Auštrevičius, Vincent Chauvet from the European Citizens’ Initiative One Single Tariff, ALDE MEPs Dominique Riquet, Angelika Mlinar, Fredrik Federley and Martina Dlabajová, Alexandre Beddock, director of the movie Voices of Refugees and Sacha Garben, Professor of EU Law at College of Europe.

Delegates had also the opportunity to engage in discussion and promote their views for the 1st time thanks to 2 workshops on Migrations and Digitalisation. The 2 statements following the workshops are available here.

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Beyond the gloomy present: your Democratic impulse! – IED/YDE Winter Academy

This first IED/YDE Winter Academy Edition gathered in Brussels about 30 young centrists from all over Europe.

Speakers with various backgrounds and responsibilities participated in making this event interesting, lively and a general success. Amongst these speakers were François Pauli (deputy Secretary General of the ALDE Group), François Lafond (member of the Scientific Committee of the IED), Claude Rolin (Belgian MEP), Henri Malosse (Former EESC president), as well as young experts such as Marinella Davide, Wilhelm Bargum, Stepan Berko, Mihai Sebe, Jeremy Van Gorp, and Mathieu Baudier.

IED/YDE Winter Academy – Dec'15 – Beyond the gloomy present: y…

What do more than 30 young Centrists do just a week before Christmas? Reflect, exchange, learn and plan on a brighter future for Europeans and #Europe

Posted by Young Democrats for Europe (YDE) on Tuesday, 29 December 2015

The European Union is facing one massive challenge and all the participants agreed on it: the EU has nearly no budget and is facing great adversity and expectations both internally and externally. The EU’s Budget – 1% of the EU-28’s Gross National Income (just a little bit above Hungary’s GNI) – is far too small for 508 million Europeans. With 75% of its expenditure going to the Common Agricultural Policy and the Regional Cohesion Policy, there is very few left to tackle tremendous crises and challenges at a continent scale such as those currently faced by the EU.

We understand that we need more Europe where it is necessary to tackle those challenges. However, the current organisation of European institutions and the Eurosceptic climate in Europe is a break we, Democrats, will have to handle.

Improving our messages and how the EU is functioning are the only ways to tackle challenges such as youth unemployment, which is “a cancer for our societies”, as Claude Rolin explained. A dematerialised economy and politicians understanding what it means for someone to be unemployed for several months or years are one of the key issues Europe needs to address.

Our internal challenges should not make us forget about external challenges, those just happening at and within our borders. We need to rethink the way we approach the Eastern partnership considering the current and the potential future geopolitical situation. We need to support Democrats where they are, battling for a better, independent, society, just like in Ukraine.

No practical solution can be found without values. Solidarity was exuding from our different talks. Solidarity between citizens after the recent terrorist attacks, solidarity with smaller countries threatened by climate change, solidarity with youngsters who thrive to integrate, solidarity between Member States in tackling the refugees’ crisis.

It is crystal-clear that European Union members have not found the answer yet to handle the refugees’ crisis following a truly humanist path regarding refugees and migrants; nor in a fair way for Member States such as Greece, Italy or Spain which have been asked to handle on their own a region-wide situation, or Germany and Sweden showing solidarity for all others. Fighting opposition one by one is the best way to fail and fall one by one.

While the present does look gloomy, it is not too late to avoid more deadlocks. But solutions will not happen without everyone’s contribution and it is about time to roll up our sleeves.

Special thanks to Eimys Ortiz and Mathieu Camescasse for making it happen.

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Also available in German, Basque and Spanish

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Hope for the future, pride to be European

V Hope

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…

 

Pride to be European

 

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.

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Jeunes Democrates Europeens (JDE)
YDE is the youth wing of the European Party.We embrace the key role of democratic principles, underlined in the Lisbon Treaty and shrined in our political belief: democracy, freedom, equality, participation, sustainability and solidarity.

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