“Young people don’t vote, they’re not interested in politics”.

We often hear these words. On the other hand, many young people express that they feel underrepresented by political institutions and believe their voices are rarely reflected in decision-making processes. In 2019, the statistics changed after years of constant decline in the turnout in the European Elections. The voter turnout experienced the largest increase in decades, largely driven by the younger generation of voters across the EU, who defied expectations and participated in greater numbers than in previous elections. This showed their motivation to get involved in the democratic process and contribute to meaningful change. The active participation of young voters not only highlights their commitment to shaping the future of Europe but also signals a renewed interest in electoral engagement among younger demographics, which was expected to be reflected in the 2024 European Elections. […]

The whole paper can be found here.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming the world at an unprecedented pace, reshaping industries, enhancing daily life, and introducing new ways of interacting with technology. However, with its rapid advancement, AI also carries significant implications for human rights. From privacy concerns to potential biases in decision-making processes, AI’s impact on people’s lives can be profound, influencing everything from job opportunities to personal freedoms. As AI becomes more integrated into critical areas like healthcare, law enforcement, and social services, ensuring that these technologies respect and protect human rights is essential. (…)

The whole paper can be found here.

Written by Jana Niedringhaus

AEGEE (Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de l’Europe/European Students’ Forum) is a non-governmental, politically independent, and non-profit student organisation, which was created in 1985. The mission of AEGEE is the creation of a borderless Europe, based on democracy and respect for human rights, by bringing together 13,000 students in around 150 cities and 38 countries with different cultural backgrounds. We strive for a democratic, diverse and borderless Europe, which is socially, economically and politically integrated and values the participation of young people in its construction and development. Our main goal is to strengthen mutual understanding among young Europeans and bring Europe closer by empowering them to take an active role in society. The current focus areas as defined by the members at a grassroots level are: Climate Emergency, Mental Health, Political Activism and Social Equity. 

This paper sheds light on AEGEE’s position towards Circular Economy. AEGEE acknowledges the importance and the urgent need for a more Circular Economy in Europe. The current system is flawed and raw material extraction and systematic (waste) leakages need to be minimized. Especially the focus which is often put on recycling as a solution for the existing waste and resource problems conveys a distorted picture of how the current crisis can be tackled. In addition, due to a lack of education and transparency it is difficult for European citizens to grasp what Circular Economy really entails which makes it harder for citizens to advocate for a change of the existing linear model. Therefore, AEGEE tries to offer a space for non-formal education in the field of Circular Economy, as we believe that this is an important component.

One important aspect which is required for a successful transition to a more Circular Economy is targeted formal as well as non-formal education in order to enable European citizens and particularly youth to make informed decisions and properly advocate for their needs. It should teach relevant skills, like evaluating outcomes of our decisions, systems thinking, having a flexible mindset, communication as well as collaboration and leadership skills. Unfortunately, formal education is currently not equipping students with the right skills. Nevertheless, European citizens and especially young people should be willing to (re)learn and develop skills in order to always be able to question the system and show alternative ways.

Another important part for a transition towards more circularity is the empowerment of consumers. The current system often focuses on recycling which should rather be treated as the last resort. We, as a society, should focus on extending products’ and materials’ lifetimes through designing for repair, by empowering people through relevant legislation, spaces, and education, which highlights the need for EU legislation to set down these rights. Keeping products and materials in use as long as possible as well as a right to repair strengthens communities and (local) economies. Realizing these crucial aspects of Circular Economy requires commitment, transparency and accountability of business. 

A key component which could foster both education as well as consumer empowerment is national and European legislation. In this process youth should be a permanent stakeholder, as young people are a main driver of change while at the same time being affected long-term. Legislative barriers need to be removed in order to enable a swift and easy transition to a Circular Economy for producers and consumers. There is still much room for improvements to realize a Circular Economy.

Circular Economy provides opportunities on many different levels. Not only is it a necessary step towards more sustainability but it is also a new way of thinking, approaching problems and valuing resources. AEGEE believes that society needs politics to implement policies for a circular system. In turn, politics needs society to express their needs and especially producers to adapt their behaviour. Circular Economy has several social benefits, such as providing meaningful work and helping to remove the gap to the labour market of disadvantaged groups. Enabling a just and inclusive transition is very important to AEGEE!

AEGEE acknowledges the efforts already being made by the European Union and national governments. However, AEGEE believes that in order to reach climate-neutrality by 2050 and fulfil the goals of the European Green Deal more effort is required. Currently, there is an overall lack of progress in terms of legislation, education, changes of production and consumption patterns, transparency and cooperation. It needs a combined effort of all parts of society. Therefore, we believe that we ourselves have to keep working and improving, but at the same time also producers and decision-makers have to push forward and lead the way. This is the only way we can reach the goal of an economy that is more circular, regenerative, inclusive and which stays within the planetary boundaries!

We, the people of AEGEE, meeting at the Autumn Agora Salerno 2019, hereby declare:

We ACKNOWLEDGE that we have a moral and social responsibility to make Europe and the world a better place for current and future generations.

We UNDERSTAND that Sustainable Development aims to meet the needs of present generations without jeopardising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

We face challenges in all three pillars of Sustainable Development:

• Environmental – the ongoing pollution of our home, habitat destruction for millions of species, and the refusal to acknowledge planetary boundaries, leading to both a loss of biodiversity and to the climate emergency
• Social – barriers to inclusion, growing inequalities, the normalisation of  hate speech, weakened democratic institutions, lack of solidarity and of civic education
• Economic – a model that creates great disparities in society and stimulates overconsumption by focusing on short-term economic growth at the expense of society and the environment

The United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development was signed by all 193 member states. This agenda includes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): a universal call to action to protect the planet, end poverty and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The SDGs are all interconnected and rely on one another to achieve an equilibrium of environmental, social and economic sustainability. We need a multilateral approach from all stakeholders on all fronts to achieve that balance.

We COMMIT to incorporating the three pillars of sustainability into everything we do.

We empower the youth of Europe to work towards sustainable development and achieving the SDGs through non-formal education, awareness-raising and our collective actions. We will measure our contributions to the SDGs and publish them to inspire others to get active in the fields of sustainable development and movements for climate and environmental justice.

We need more than just individual actions.

We COMMIT to demanding from every politician and decision-maker the systemic change that is necessary in order to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis, move towards a fair and equal society and a suitable economic model for the challenges of our generation and the ones to come.

We CALL upon every politician and decision-maker to acknowledge their moral and social responsibility to make the world a better place for current and future generations. We urge them to do this by leading the necessary systemic change to the current paradigm:

First and foremost, we call upon decision-makers in Europe and around the world to immediately undertake a multilateral approach to the global environmental crisis, to declare a state of climate emergency and to communicate the urgency for change. We call on them to acknowledge the intrinsic value of nature and to mobilise all of humanity’s resources to maintain Earth as a habitat, both for humanity and for the other species we share it with.

Secondly, we call upon decision-makers in Europe and around the world to tackle the growing inequalities in society. We demand universal healthcare and education, fair payment and social benefits for all. We must end exploitation and protect the dignity of the individual. We call for transparent and democratic societies that can provide their citizens with a fulfilling and healthy life in a safe environment.

Thirdly, we call upon decision-makers in Europe and around the world to rethink our economic models and find alternatives in which economic prosperity and environmental protection go hand in hand, and success isn’t just measured by GDP growth. Consumerism and endless growth at the expense of the environment and the people should no longer be the norm. We urge them to transition to a model that doesn’t intensify inequalities but instead fosters prosperity for all.

We must involve everyone in the process: individuals, civil society, governments and businesses. It’s only by educating all stakeholders about these issues, increasing participation and creating citizens’ assemblies, that we can mobilise the ethical leadership we need to bring about the systemic change that Europe and the world are calling for.

The people of AEGEE at the Autumn Agora Salerno on 26th October 2019

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The 2019 European Elections enter into history as the first signal of ownership of the European project by citizens.

The stop to falling turnout proves that the European election will no longer be a second-class vote. The presence of three trans-European parties in the campaign testifies that more Europeans understand that some issues are trans-border. The centrality of environmental concerns in the campaign, indicated by green parties’ high results and the importance of this question in every party agenda, shows that for a significant number of Europeans, this kind of question call for continental answers.

This demonstrates that concern about European politics is growing among citizens across the continent, that the citizens of European countries seek control on their future and that they are conscious of their shared responsibility regarding the fate of Europe.

But this overhaul remains unsatisfactory, even disturbing, in several respects:

• the increase in participation is still weak amongst young people: this year, still 59% of young people are the let-offs of European democratization
• trans-European parties now exist but remain invisible: Volt, Diem25 and Pirates only get five seats, and the future of the Europeans remains in the hands of national and nationalist forces, reinforcing Europe’s schizophrenia
• European campaign contents are still dominated by the most radical components of national political lives, with the risk that the new European debate tends to an ominous extremism threatening the fundamental values of European integration: peace, democracy and prosperity.

Therefore, while welcoming the 2019 election’s democratization and transformational potential, we call the European society as a whole:

• to be extremely vigilant on political decisions and orientations of Europe in this next European legislature
• to ensure that in the 2024 election will display counter-proposals resulting from direct trans-European consultations and political dynamics
• to become examples of active citizens both during, before and after elections
• to include the voice of young people in decision-making processes at local, national and European level
• to include the whole process in a debate and reflection on the future of our continent by 2040.

If we admit that the youth is the most European component of our society, that they are the most concerned about the future and that they have the highest potential for innovation, it is in European youth that slumbers the alternatives to this Europe of divisions and of fear of the future.

The whole of European civil society must resolutely lean on these new generations for Europe to become the instrument serving our common societal projects.

AEGEE-Europe, LEAP2040 and AAFB are three organisations related to Franck Biancheri. This joint declaration is part of their dedication to continue the battle Franck Biancheri fought during 30 years for the democratisation of Europe and provide it with a new horizon: 2040.

Press Release

Inclusive Mobility Alliance puts forth recommendations

for a more inclusive Erasmus programme

The Inclusive Mobility Alliance has been officially launched on the 22nd of January 2019 at the European Parliament. Gathering more than 20 organisations with expertise in Disability, Youth and Higher Education, the Alliance aims at making Erasmus+ more inclusive. Students and young people taking part in Erasmus+ mobilities represent respectively approx. 0.17% and 2.8% of all beneficiaries. These low figures have been stagnating for the past 10 years and are the main reasons behind the creation of the Inclusive Mobility Alliance.

Based on the United Nation Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the Alliance has produced 17 policy recommendations on how to make the Erasmus programme – the flagship of the European Union – more inclusive to students and young people with disabilities. The recommendations that are being published in a timely moment, when the next Erasmus programme for the period 2021-2027 is being drafted by the European Commission.

The recommendations call for a needs-based approach and include, among others:

• The necessity for all staff working with Erasmus+ to be trained on working and communicating with

potential beneficiaries in an inclusive way

• Inviting the European Commission to revise the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education including a

clause on disability and inclusion

• Inviting Member States to allow the portability of grants and support services between different countries

“Erasmus + is certainly the most successful program of the Union and more than any other has concretely contributed to the process of European integration. For this reason, we have gladly hosted this event: because we consider a priority for this experience to become truly as accessible as possible for everyone, regardless of the economic and physical conditions, and, therefore, truly inclusive,” said the Members of European Parliament Damiano Zoffoli and Luigi Morgano

“We have the right to experience the lifechanging benefits of mobility. The recommendations released by the Alliance are a roadmap to ensure this right,” said Yannis Vardakastanis, President of the European Disability Forum.

“For decades, the EU has proudly flagged the motto “unity in diversity”. I believe it is time to add more layers to the diversity of nations we proudly celebrate. Talking about inclusion of all needs of all people in Erasmus+ is bringing fairness to a flagship project of an Union we want to be actually diverse,” said João Pinto, President of the Erasmus Student Network.

By signing the Inclusive Mobility Alliance Declaration, MEPs Luigi Morgano and Damiano Zoffoli (S&D) and the 21 partners organisations have expressed their commitment to support the work of the Alliance and fight for more equal and fair access to the Erasmus+ programme for those underrepresented groups.

For more information please visit http://inclusivemobility.eu or contact dominique.montagnese@esn.org.