Europe on Track training and opening conference in Budapest

By Rut & Ele  On the 15th of April, 2017, the ambassadors and project team started arriving in Budapest and Monday evening we finally all gathered together, offline, for the first time. Starting the Monday “fashionably” late, we went on a city tour, led by Luca Búr, to admire the beautiful architecture and fascinating history of the city. Budapest being known for its ruin bars, we ended the day at Szimpla, the city’s first and most famous ruin bar, known for its disoriented but charming environment. […]

AEGEE’s response to populism: European Planning Meeting Zagreb 2017

Long before President Donald Trump's victory, Europe's populist movements have been on the cusp of sweeping far-right, nationalist and euroskeptic parties into power across the continent in a series of upcoming elections. Once consigned to the fringes of the political scene, these parties now legitimately stand front and center alongside their more traditional counterparts. The word “populism” and “populist movements” are everywhere in the media. But what the concept means in the everyday realities of citizens of Europe? Opinions might differ. Many also claim that the upcoming European elections in several countries elections and the decisions citizens take might bring [...]

STATEMENT: AEGEE-Europe reacts to the ‘Brexit’ referendum results

Following the results of the UK referendum on EU membership, with 52% of citizens voting ‘Leave’, AEGEE / European Students’ Forum states that we respect the results and the will of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. However, as a Network and a family of young Europeans who dream and strive for a democratic, borderless Europe, today we are sad and disappointed with the referendum results. The referendum in the United Kingdom proves that the process of European integration can also regress, and it will unquestionably have drastic consequences - especially for the youth in the UK, the [...]

Position of AEGEE to the deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union and to the Referendum on EU membership

Adopted at Spring Agora Bergamo, May 2016 On the 19 of February 2016, the European Council published the conclusions adopted during their last meeting, explaining the new member status agreed with the United Kingdom, which David Cameron will present to his electorate before the Referendum on EU membership [1]. The EU Referendum will be held on June 23rd in the United Kingdom, asking citizens whether the UK should remain a member of the EU or leave [2]. AEGEE strives for a diverse and borderless Europe, socially and politically integrated, and we see our vision of Europe seriously challenged by this [...]

Policy Paper on Migration

AEGEE-Europe Policy Paper on Migration Adopted in Spring Agora Bergamo, May 2016 01 | SUMMARY AEGEE (Association des Etats Généraux des Etudiants de l’Europe / European Students’ Forum) was created under a vision of a borderless, unified Europe, based on democracy and respect for human rights, by bringing together students with different cultural backgrounds. Today, AEGEE is Europe’s largest interdisciplinary youth organization present in 200 cities in 40 countries and with 13.000 friends. As stated in its Statement of Principles, the members of AEGEE “come together under a common vision of a democratic, diverse and borderless Europe” where “freedom and [...]

Borderless Europe: Blessing or Burden?

The Borderless Europe: Blessing or Burden? Conference was held in Cluj-Napoca, in the heart of Transylvania, between 6th and 9th of May, gathering together around 60 young students from all over Europe. The event was the result of an active cooperation between AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca, AEGEE-Europe, Your vision for EUrope project and with the large contribution of the Association des Amis de Franck Bancheri . The initial reasons that pushed people to get involved in the conference may have been different and so are the ways they got active- whether as participants or organizers-. However the vision, points of view and opinions [...]

AEGEE’s Night of the Seven Antennae wins the National Charlemagne Youth Prize in Bulgaria

The Night of the Seven Antennae, the AEGEE-Europe project that connected the AEGEE locals in seven different European cities in April 2015, has been selected as national winner of the Charlemagne Youth Prize 2016 in Bulgaria, represented by AEGEE-Sofia. The Bulgarian jury, formed by the Members of the European Parliament Eva Paunova (EPP), Svetoslav Malinov (EPP), Momchil Nekov (S&D) and Angel Dzhambazki (ECR), and Alexander Ivanov (Bulgarian National Youth Forum),unanimously chose the Night of the Seven Antennae out of the eight projects submitted, as “it encourages understanding between peoples and facilitates the exchange of ideas between young people from different [...]

Open letter – Presidents of pan-European youth organisations call upon the European Council to preserve the Schengen principles

AEGEE-Europe signs the open letter to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, initiated by JEF-Europe. Brussels, 17 February 2016 Dear President Tusk, We are writing to you today as representatives of fourteen pan-European youth organisations - representing millions of young people across Europe - because we are seriously worried about the future of the Schengen Area. Open borders are one of Europe’s greatest milestones – we want to keep it that way. The increased migratory pressure in recent months has led to a gradual suspension of the institutions of the Schengen Area. Most notably, we have seen temporary reintroductions [...]

AEGEE-Budapest organises ‘Refugees in Hungary – recent events in light of the migration policy of the EU’

From left to right: the PDU’s Veronika Czina, Carlos Puente, Pétér Balázs and András Kováts. On September 23, 2015 AEGEE-Budapest co-hosted a panel discussion together with the Project for Democratic Union on the Hungarian refugee crisis in light of the EU’s current migration policy. The conference held at Corvinus University in Budapest featured PDU’s patron, Professor Péter Balázs from Central European University, who is also a former Foreign Minister of Hungary, Dr. Carlos Puente, Doctor in Economics and Attorney at Law, and András Kováts, Junior Research Fellow at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Director of the Menedék (Shelter) – Hungarian [...]