Tag: Migration

YDE and LYMEC welcome an open future of wealth, sustainability and innovation entrepreneurship

We, the young liberals and democrats, have insofar enjoyed a European continent open to travel, trade, studying, working and living wherever opportunities are best. Binding our economies and societies together has guaranteed peace, secured the European leadership in the world and furthered the rights of the individual. Young people need to be the guarantors of the values of human rights, democracy and transparency that set the foundation for European cooperation. At the face of disagreement on small scale, the EU debate has to roll back to its core values and the four freedoms.

Digital change, entrepreneurship and fair labour market

We young liberals and democrats think the EU needs to take a courageous position on how to reform the labour market, where entrepreneurship is encouraged and technological advances are considered an opportunity. We think that the EU should make sure there is no room for exploitation on the labour market. We think the EU should also make sure there is no breach of legal contracts within the labour market. The digital transformation of the economy is the heritage of our generation, it is the outcome of technological breakthroughs that open new opportunities, and it is up to us to seize them to the fullest. There is no changing the path of development of the market, rather we young liberals and democrats need to accommodate and create flexibility at the face of change, including improvement of conditions for start ups and easing the transition from obsolete jobs to new ones.

Press freedom and ethics

According to us young liberals and democrats, now is the time to tackle fake news and cyber propaganda, coming from all directions, with the goal to increase transparency and citizens’ decision-making powers. In this regard, we young liberals and democrats actively promote and defend press freedom, and press for institutions that assess that every freedom is accompanied by requirements regarding ethics. The young generation sees the need for ensuring education in independence of information and the universal respect of ethics, and the role of Social Media in spreading false information should not be underestimated as well.

Populism, rhetoric, getting the message out to citizens and youth in leadership

We, the young generation will advocate for a new fact-oriented rhetoric in the fight against populism, with a focus on the democratic credentials and the aim to reach the general citizen. We call on the EU institutions to outline a roadmap to encourage and assist member states in setting up programmes to improve critical thinking skills in an online context in order to counter disingenuous content. The EU, as a democratic union, is a value in its own and a method for regional decision-making. Upholding credibility of the institutions is therefore of utmost importance.  Young people are not only the future EU leaders but are also the leaders of today, so the EU should invest more in strengthening structured dialogue on all levels of government: local, national and international.

Cyber threats, terrorism and defence

These information challenges, along with terrorism, stress the need for increased security cooperation and cyber security at home. Long-standing partners are changing their position towards the EU and these changed circumstances create the basis for deepened defence cooperation, starting with military procurement and enhanced intelligence sharing and increased military cooperation with the EU neighbourhood policy countries. For that reason and in order to strengthen the defence cooperation it would be convenient to have a common asylum system, as well as a proper European border control agency. We the young liberals and democrats believe in safeguarding the privacy and integrity of European citizens and standing up against any attacks on internet freedom and civil liberties.

Trade, sustainability and global opportunities

We young liberals and democrats believe in fair trade and in a priority for green and sustainable choices as well as a long-term view on equal opportunities to entrepreneurship and trade globally. When populists promote protectionism, we the young liberals and democrats want to see an open trading Europe. We call on the EU to continue to negotiate new bilateral and multilateral trade agreements to stimulate economic cooperation. We believe the EU must be at the forefront of green growth in all sectors and adopt regulations that regard the long-term consequences of our choices including a specific, comprehensive plan for decarbonising the European energy mix. We young liberals and democrats demand openness of negotiations of trade agreements and ask decisionmakers to communicate better as citizens have shown a lack of trust in the agreement processes. Free and fair rules-based trade agreements, guided by the basic rules in the EU treaties should always be the basis for agreements. Human rights, labour and environmental standards need to be guaranteed in the trade agreements also in the future. Trade agreements guarantee the market competition and reduce protectionism, while at the same time also cementing universal values and peace.

YDE
Press Release

Party-Political Youth Organisations: Replace EU-Turkey Deal With Dignified Migration Policy

Today, it is one year since the deal between the European Union and Turkey on relocation of refugees came into force.

In the absence of a functional relocation scheme within the European Union, a deal was forged that would effectively push back refugees to Turkey, deemed a safe third country. There are, however, numerous reports from leading human rights organisations that Turkey is not safe for refugees (source: HRW, Amnesty International).

The EU-Turkey deal decreased the amount of crossings along the so called Eastern Mediterranean route from Turkey to Greece. However, the number of migrants trying to reach Europe via the so called Central Mediterranean route from North Africa to Italy increased . The latter route is considerably more dangerous than the former, leading to new deadly records each year. More than 5000 migrants lost their lives in the Mediterranean in 2016 – more than any previous year. In the first two months of 2017, the death toll in the Mediterranean is already higher than in previous years. The vast majority of these victims were attempting to reach Italy (source: IOM).

One year later, we regret to note that the EU-Turkey deal has worsened the already dire situation of thousands of displaced persons. Furthermore, deals modeled on the EU-Turkey deal with even less stable countries, like Libya and several countries in North Africa, threaten to lock up vulnerable people in inhumane situations. We therefore demand the following:

  1. The urgent implementation of a functional framework for the resettlement of refugees in the European Union. The size of the quotas must reflect the actual needs of protection of asylum seekers.
  2. Sufficient support to countries of entry, in particular Greece and Italy, to ensure decent living conditions for refugees and the resources needed to expediently process asylum applications.
  3. The abolishment of the Dublin-II regulation and an end to the nationalization of asylum policy in general.
  4. The constitution of a European Agency for Asylum and Migration responsible for the examining of asylum applications. This agency has the responsibility to coordinate the national asylum agencies, increase the efficiency and grant for the rights of refugees by consistently applying existing European standards.
  5. The creation of more legal channels of migration in order to save lives and reduce human trafficking by all EU Member States to commonly introducing a “humanitarian visa system” allowing refugees to enter the EU territory legally, and thus be able to seek asylum on humanitarian grounds upon arrival. The adoption of common criteria for these visas, and the enabling of asylum seekers to apply to all of the EU countries in any EU embassy by creating a common asylum policy at European level.
  6. The revoking of the EU-Turkey deal and the halting of plans for other similar deals with third countries, such as with Libya, until there are guarantees that all agreements with third countries comply with the international humanitarian legal obligations of EU member states. The EU to work together to even out the differences in financial responsibility of member states in managing the external border in order to make sure that no country feel that it is necessary to outsource border control to non-EU countries.
  7. The allocation of sufficient resources to the Asylum and Migration Fund, which will include the former asylum and refugee funds, in the EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020. The EU to ensure that the EU external aid priorities and fundings are coherent with the ones of the Asylum and Migration fund.

Signatories:

EFAy – European Free Alliance Youth
European Liberal Youth (LYMEC)
Young Democrats for Europe (YDE)
Young European Socialists
IUSY – International Union of Socialist Youth
Youth of the European Left
IFLRY – International Federation of Liberal Youth
Young European Federalists [JEF]
Federation of Young European Greens – FYEG

Picture by Elias Markou

YDE
Press Release

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.

YDE
News

YDE co-signs call for solutions to refugees’ integration and employment

Investing in solutions for refugees/migrants and creating quality jobs for young people

Young people across Europe have been deeply affected by the migration and refugee crisis and have often been the first to act to protect human life. Civil Society Organisations and Youth Organisations in particular have done their best to translate the goodwill of young people into adequate responses to the urgent needs of migrants and refugees at local and national levels. Young people, often working as volunteers, are helping to stem a humanitarian crisis in countries across Europe.

As the Commission launches proposals to deal with the refugee crisis today – we state that a European solution to the migration and refugee crisis focusing on solidarity and European values is urgently needed. Europe cannot and must not return to national borders.

Young people want to continue making their contribution to a European solution to this crisis, believing that such a solution will create more quality employment opportunities for young people, including refugees and migrants themselves.

We call for efforts to focus on the following:

  • Reception of refugees and migrants: To ensure that refugees and migrants are treated in a way that protects their rights, is in accordance with European values and creates jobs in Europe – EU borders should be in Europe and not outsourced to Turkey or other countries.
  • Humanitarian programmes to provide services and decent conditions for and with migrants and refugees. This must include tailor-made support for refugees and migrants.
  • Inclusion programmes to engage refugees and migrants in local communities. Young people and youth organisations are uniquely positioned to carry out this effort, given our open and welcoming attitude to refugees and migrants. Done well, these can create social integration and harmony – one example being citizenship education and peace education programmes that can facilitate exchanges regarding identity. These can also create many quality jobs for European young people, refugees and migrants themselves, including through skills and competences acquired through non-formal education programmes.

Concrete actions of youth organisations: 

  •  Don Bosco Youth-Net volunteers in Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria offer free language courses and sports/leisure activities to young refugees as a first step to the integration in the local community.
  • Scouts are providing tents, medical supplies, basic medical assistance, organising the collection of donations among the local population, preparing food according to the different religious beliefs and organising its distribution on a daily basis

Full statement can be downloaded here.

Signatories: Austrian Youth Council, European Liberal Youth, Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG), Young European Socialists,  Don Bosco Youth-Net, European Federation for Intercultural Learning (EFIL), World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), Young Democrats for Europe (YDE). Coordinated by European Youth Forum.

YDE
News Press Release

Germany moves to the right!

State elections in Germany: right-wing-populist-party AfD enters three parliaments

During the past weeks, Germans have often made fun of the Americans. “How can they vote for someone like Donald Trump?” German people would ask. And they cannot be blamed. The Republicans’ presidential candidate wants to forbid the entry in the United States to Muslims; he wants to bolt the Mexican border with a wall and describes himself as “the best president God has ever created”. Regarding his statements and demands, we are stunned and also about the Americans’ electoral behaviour. But with the last state elections in Germany on March 13, the situation in Germany turned out to be as worse as in the United States.

24.2% is the score the right-wing party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD, Alternative for Germany) did receive in Saxony-Anhalt at its first election! This result is frightening and dangerous. In Baden-Wurttemberg (15.1%) and Rhineland-Palatinate (12.6%), the situation is hardly better. After this electoral Super-Sunday, the political map of Germany has changed. A party that wants to allow shooting at refugees, to dissolve the EU, to abolish social benefits and to prohibit Muslims from practising their religion is now represented in eight of the 16 federal state’s parliaments. “The AfD confesses to the traditional family as an example” and rejects state kindergartens. Men should work; women should educate children and stay at home to cook. Every vote for the right-wing populists is a retrograde step.

UKIP in the United Kingdom, the Front National in France – and now the AfD in Germany. The biggest reason why parties like these could get that popular is the refugees’ crisis: hundred thousands of people fleeing from their native countries from war,  to Europe, to Germany. The AfD takes advantage of this, rushes and shrinks back from nothing; and gets votes – alarmingly many votes. The AfD gets voters from the established parties; however, non-voters give primarily their votes to the right-wing-party. Besides, three of four voters indicate to have chosen the AfD not because of their manifesto, but to teach a lesson to the governing parties.

Already once in German history a right-wing-party scored such a great success in such a short time! It should not only be a German effort, but also a European one, that this will not happen again. Established centrist parties must take the citizens seriously, their demands, worries and fears. They must not give them a reason to vote for a right-wing party only to teach a lesson. This is the only way to maintain our democratic and pro-European values. However, the AfD is not one thing for sure: an alternative.

By Bettina Schwarz (@betti_schwarz)

Photo: Túrelio

YDE
News

Young Democrats for Europe (YDE)
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.

Contact us

    OUR PARTNERS

     

    Young Democrats for Europe - All Rights Reserved © With the financial support of the European Parliament and the european Democratic Party