iDeas

cover story:insight in topicswhat is behind EYP?special from mission imposible

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Dear Reader,

As you´ve been spending most of your last days discussing current matters that European Union is facing, it only felt natural for us to tackle the same issues as you did. So, to get a better grasp of what you´ll be debating during GA, we invite you to read our articles on the session topics. We don’t want to change your opinion or influence your voting in general assembly, but just to offer maybe an alternative view.

Of course, EYP is not only about debating politics. Our motto is work hard, party harder, so as the professional journalists that we are, (I could have actually having someone else writing this for me, but it’s not easy to find somebody as clever and beautiful as me) we couldn´t miss out on the opportunity of bringing you glimpses of the welcome party...not that you wouldn´t re-member or anything ;)

On the same note, check out some crea-tive pictures we got from the Photo Hunt. All your ideas you had in order to complete your tasks were quite astonishing.

To finish we decided to ask the stars of their idea how your general assembly is going to be tommorow,.

Two days left. No regrets.

iDeas

L a n d e s z e n t r a l efür p o l i t i s c h e B i l d u n g

Cover story: opinion on topics - page 4-7 and 10-11The Photo Hunt - page 8-9Idea behind eyp - page 12Horoscope - page 13Party report - page 14

content

Partners of the 21st National Selection Conference of EYP Germany

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We use water every single day and it simply belongs to our lives. We drink this liq-uid, wash our clothes in it and take refreshing showers after a long and stressful day. How-ever, do we really appreciate those possibilities given to us?

How is it possible, that there are still countries around the world that haven’t signed and ratified the resolution ensuring proper ac-cess to water for everyone? Surprisingly eight-een of those countries are from Europe and among them some of the most important such us Great Britain. That’s why the first goal of the European Union should definitely be to support and enforce the implementation of the resolu-tion in all its Member countries. Almost everybody at least knows basics about the Millennium Development Goals, also known as the MDGs, where access to water is included as one of the priorities. It is really a shame that over one billion people still don’t have access to clean water and sanitation. Another problem which we might face while dealing with the problem are the citizens themselves. Many people behave ignorantly and do not feel affected by the current situa-tion. Even though Europe has enough water at the moment, the waste of the water sources is enormous and might eventually lead to severe problems in the future. Lack of water is maybe not an issue in

Europe nowadays but we have to think globally and try to work out solutions that

would help to improve the situation all over the world, not just in Europe. Another problem we are facing is a serious lack of cooperation between the public and private sector. The European Union should install a mechanism to support the implementation of new technolo-gies and try to optimize the water management of the Member countries. We have to keep in mind that water is essential for us all and we should start to appre-ciate properly its importance, because we might easily find us one day in a situation when we realize that it’s too late to deal with the issue.

INTA knows: „The first and most impor-tant rule of gun-running is: Never get shot by your own merchandise.”

“There’s one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other eleven?”, Yurli Orlov, (Lord of War). This movie, partly based on the life of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout (currently de-tained by the US) displays how blatantly ruthless the arms business has been and still is. It is clear that EU member states do not act like international criminals such as Mr. Bout, selling to leftists and rightist, even to pacifists (though he did admit that they were not his most regular customers). The EU has a Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, but still arms manufactured in EU coun-tries often find their way to places of dangerous political tensions or even armed conflicts. Being

water here, water there, water everywhere

by Hana Láníková

opinion

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„shooting live“

by Benjamin Eisert

one of the world’s most important arms deal-ers, the EU countries potentially work towards a solution to Mr. Orlov’s question. The main mo-tivation behind all this is simple, money. Arms made in the EU countries are demanded all over the world. With several developing countries increasing their military budgets, arms export is a quickly growing sector. Cuts in defense budgets back home addi-tionally force European armament manufactur-ers to further look abroad to sell their products. Well, there is lot of money to make. Just look at India: With one of the biggest orders (they are looking for fighter jets worth 10 billion $) in sight, India was heavily lobbied by governments of all leading arm manufacturing countries. Today one learned that European governments were successful with Eurofighter & Dassault Rafale making it in the final round. No matter of how important arms deal might be for the economy, complete transpar-ency is essential. An arms deal will probably never be morally waterproof, but in order to claim a reasonable moral standard, one has to aim high.

Somehow the European Union has been providing policies to implement restrictions on the enlargement. Here is an overview of the actual situation.

In the flow of our lives we all have to make choices, choices that can actually immor-talize some moments (choices which convey

memories and bla, bla, bla… however this is indeed other topic). For some unknown reasons you may end up on a stage wearing only your underwear and for some other you could come to a party wearing a piggy costume. However, divagating on that, we just end up realizing that there are some important decisions, which have been made, like the establishing of the European Union. And thanks to this, we are actually par-ticipating or our first or twentieth EYP session (Yey!). The union of 27 countries was actually formed with sort of a selection: the different nations have to fulfil and adhere to some “quali-ties”. It’s like when you become friend with someone: How do you decide if he’s the right person to spend some time with? Do you study his traits, his humour, his behaviour? Seriously we all have different friends and they are not at all same! Therefore the European Union should accept the distinctions between all the different countries. Treaties have been created to avoid difficulties that the European Union would have to deal with if they actually accepted countries having serious po-litical or economical problems. It’s true that the European Union has im-portant values that every single Member state should respect. But isn’t the motto: “united in diversity”? If we are actually refusing Turkey, a country that made incredible efforts to join the Union and which is willing to do even more of, aren’t we being hypocrites? Whom should we accept then? The excuse of the religion is nowa-days somewhat unacceptable. Maybe we should think about whether it’s actually time for us to review our policies and conditions on the selection of our next Eu-ropean friends!

by Stella Benfatto

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iDeas opinion

the eu has a new friend request! – accept? or ignore?

I was having lunch with my 11-year-old sister the other day and she commented on me taking another potato: “They say less is more, you know.“ I retaliated: “But only when more is too much. Besides I only have 4 potatoes, so stop bugging me!“ A question of perspective, is it not? So, how much is too much or in other words how big can we go?

Estonia (among other countries) was wel-comed to the EU in 2004. Back then the sceptics were already talking about how bad effect the new member states would have on the close-knit EU family. 7 years later the EU is still stand-ing, so why not expand? Mr. Romano Prodi said that he would like to see ’a ring of friends surrounding the EU’. But who are our friends? Perhaps the countries that like the same things (agree on the same poli-cies) and are reliable (fully committed to their membership) should be welcomed in the EU. However, this raises the question of how do we actually determine a good friend? There are so many backstabbers (countries who violate mem-bership agreements) that act without supervi-sion and are still part of the EU. The 21st century is facilitating change and it is our job as the people of this century to adapt to this process. We are moving towards being ’united in diversity’, so the question is not whether to welcome new members or not, but

to ensure that the members joining the EU know what they’re in for. Members

have to agree upon common policies, taking into consideration the directives of the state, as well as the EU. Quanitity has no value without quality, so if and when we decide to enlarge some more, let’s choose wisely. “It [joining the EU] is like going to the cinema. Almost everybody wants to go, but the movie theatre has only so many seats and every person going [to the movies] has a different taste.“ (my sister on EU enlargement)

As a journalist in the committee on women´s right and gender equality I have the pleasure to witness a very fruitfull discussion which will eventually resolve to an answer for this precise question - How should the EU reach its aims in Lisbon strategy, to increase the employment rates of women?

The first thing that usually comes up to one´s mind when talking about gender equal-ity are quotas. Personally I am strongly against setting certain percentage of women employed for every company including the government. It could be a good start, however positive discrimi-nation for one is still discrimination for some-body else. I truly support the introduction of pa-rental leave which allows the parents to decide whether they are going to use the maternal or paternal leave. By allowing men to stay home with their child we can easily change the stere-otypes and the common way of viewing men as

by Karin-Liis Lahtmäe

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iDeasopinion

how big can you go?

by Zuzana Holakovská

freedom of choice or boundaries of tradition?

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iDeas opinionhunters and women as care-givers. What is also more than necessary is the introduction of more daycare centers and possi-bly offering tax benefits to companies that open them either in neigbhourhoods or in work-places. As a woman who would like to one day combine both family and professional life I see care of my children as the biggest obstacle pre-venting me from being successful in my carreer. Some may doubt the actual need for having more women employed, however if we face the reality we can see that if we give women at least a chance to reach same high positions then the market will continue shaping itself. More wom-en in leading positions would certainly motivate other women to do so as well and having equal representation in both the private and public sector is essential in order to reach well bal-anced decisions. I wish my committee all the best and hopefully one day we will see more men working in day care centers and as nurses and more women aiming to become a scientist.

Without doubt, the current crisis in the Eurozone is shaking European Union to its very core. With the PIIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain) family becoming bigger and bigger and the financial troubles becoming worse it is understandable that our common currency is being questioned, not just by noto-rious euroskeptics.

Some of them went even further; they are challenging the whole idea of European integration. The European Union stands at a crucial crossroad. Our political leaders are well aware that hesitation or even failure to act on this issue will seal the European Union’s fate on its way to breakdown. Still, finding a consensus seems some-what a matter of really tough negotiation rather than economical expertise. When it comes to money and with growing euro skepticism back home, our leaders appear to forget about soli-darity and trust. The dept crisis exposes one of the biggest weaknesses of the Union: the lack of solidarity and trust and the desperate need for the con-cept of European identity to reach the citizen’s minds. Rescue funds and crisis mechanisms might give us time, but in order to strengthen our political union, we need change, not just in politics, but in all our minds. To secure the future of European Union, it needs to become a union of solidarity, even when we know it’s certainly not going to be most popular step. In the multi-polar world of the near future Europe can only maintain its position as a global player on one level with the US and the emerging states when speaking with one voice. Consequently, the process of European integra-tion has to move on, with a focus on promoting a European identity. Thus, it is vital for the EU to become more concrete, more citizen-orientat-ed, and simply more real for its citizens. Not only the politicians but all of us have to move closer together. We need the Euro and we need more Europe. This is the big challenge of our time - for the sake of stability and peace in Europe, there is no alternative to success.

when it comes to mon-ey, our solidarity quick-ly finds a dead end

by Benjamin Eisert

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mission imposible?

brutal farmer and his wife from DEVE

and an alternative by IMCO

well, LIBE 2 certainly knows how to pile people

variation on seesaw by FEMM and LIBE 1

funky chicken by AFCO 1

iDeas

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INTA presents celebrity, is it biber?

paradise for boys from AFCO 1

i believe i can fly... by AFCO 2

hippies a relict from 60’s? ENVI proofs you wrong

bunnies with bunnies...yes, that’s FEMM

and a eu flag from IMCO to finish5 nationalities in AFCO 1

iDeas

Did you ever take a moment to under-stand what’s behind the Google’s researching bar? Did actually one of these groups on face-book saying: “who’s looking at your profile” already worked at least once? Believe it or not, but you have continuously been admired by someone interested in your activities.

How many times a day do we find our-selves facing an advertisement in front of us? Are we able to avoid any of those shining pic-tures, images or sentences that are seducing us to buy goods and services? No! As soon as we connect to internet the virtual businesses take the chance to spy out our hobbies and activities, so that after-wards they can curse us with their products! Is that fair? We are facing companies specialized on the research and acquisition of personal infor-mation, to individualize the different promo-tions, to provide a strong influential effect on the potential customer. Users often even don’t know how they have been manipulated in order to receive a personalized advertisement, which is only possi-ble because these procedures are used without our consent and knowledge. Therefore, at some point, the Internet users need to be warned about the commercial procedures and have the consequences explained. Ordinary people should have the right and have the freedom to

surf on the web without having our privacy violated by Google or facebook.

However is it actually possible to change our economical system? A balance between consumer safety and the needs of the businesses need to be found. Sometimes we have to accept our own respon-sibilities, since it’s our decision to have a profile on facebook and share our life with other peo-ple. But the private companies shouldn’t moni-tor each word that we research on Google.Consequently now is the moment for the Euro-pean Union to restrict the commercial practices and protect the innocent consumers! New regulations should be implemented in order to protect the consumer and to avoid the spread of private information.

Information is power! Whistleblower platforms like Wikileaks: The public’s right to know or disclose defence secrets? Where should EU legislation draw the thin line be-tween freedom of press and national security?

They have been planning to take nude pictures in all bathrooms at Schloss Dreilützow! Numerous secret cameras were installed in the doors and ceilings last week! When Maria got wind of that on Tuesday, she went ballistic, she threatened to press charges and she personally made sure that all nude officials’ photos were deleted. Thank God our president is a superior hacker. There is even less reason than usual to feel uncomfortable on the loo. Imagine you found this in the rubbish bin of the press room. Imagine the journalists beg-

by Quynh-Anh Nguyen-Xuan

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iDeasopinion

by Stella Benfatto

someone is monitoring our internet behavior

attention! abominable discovery!

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ging you not to expose the information to any-one, because that would ruin the session and EYP Germany along with more than a thousand participants a year. Forever. Would you reveal the racketeering, regardless of the fact that all victims chose to forgive the wrongdoers? That nothing really happened? Of course, it’s an ugly example. Rest as-sured that the penultimate sentence is the only one that might be true. But would you sacrifice the ideas that EYP stands for? Would you want your chair to be questioned at the local police station and possibly even arrested? Honestly, all these question marks sug-gest an openness that I cannot feel at all. I re-gard the “whistleblowing” just as odious as the crime itself if the former is bound to jeopardize the common good. LIBE 2 has been assigned to draw the line between the freedom of the press and national security. Sure, I prefer independent media as an essential element of democracy, but for the sake of a greater concept, we must set firm bounda-ries for blithering, squealing individuals. And obviously, we would not want anyone to esca-late bagatelles to international conflicts. After all, Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben has never been wrong about this: With great power comes great responsibility.

Bombs exploding in the air. I am leav-ing my home, running away once and for all. The fear of the unknown paralyzes me. I stop. Where am I to go? What if I am not welcome?

All the ’what if’s’ spinning in my head, I reach the border of Europe. What happens now?

European Union member states offer asylum to thousands of people. One of the most “generous contributors“ to this asylum system is Italy. Italy can’t do it alone, yet others are for-getting it in a time of need. Why are we, the Europeans of today, facing this problem of Italy hinging under its asylum-seekers to begin with? Well, here’s three words for you: lack of solidarity. Lack of solidar-ity in everyday situations, government offices, between countries. To elaborate further, self-ishness, lack of solidarity and tolerance lead to hotly contested disputes, verbal and physical battles, and in the worst case scenario – a war. Albeit, it is very common for people now-adays to whine about how the government, the country in general is doing everything wrong. One must not forget that the government and the country consist of people. People like you and me. Everything starts from the individual, from you and your friends being educated, may-be holding an administrative position at work in the future, conveying the mentality of the younger generations – acceptance instead of bullying – to the citizens, thus creating a sense of solidarity. If you were faced with the same decision, what would you do? Would you risk staying in your home country, be persecuted, quite pos-sibly slaughtered? Or would you go to Europe, a paradise for asylum-seekers and still risk being an outcast, fill in numerous applications, wait patiently for far too long, migrate from one country to the other, and feel the sting of rejec-tion? Believe me, the choice is a difficult one, so let’s hope that in the future nobody has to make it.

opinion

fight-or-flight aka bombs away

by Karin-Liis Lahtmäe

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For many of you, dear delegates, this may be your first session. Hopefully you are excited about being given the chance to partici-pate at the National Selection Conference. In this article you may want to find out something more about the European Youth Parliament (EYP) itself, its history and mainly the idea be-hind it.

According to official documents, EYP is an educational project that encourages inde-pendent thinking and socio-political initiative of young people. The whole EYP network consists of 40 national committees, which means that participants get to meet not only people from within the European Union but also from the countries that are not members yet. Since the establishment of the EYP in 1987 in Fontaineb-leau, France, over 61 International Sessions and thousands of national and regional sessions were held. By being part of the EYP, you are offered many possibilities and options and it is only up to you, how you use them and what are you eventually going to get from them. It is more than obvious that all of you get to meet new people, but the question is - Are you able and willing to, actually stay in touch with them and try to grow a strong, long-lasting friendship? Just imagine the great feeling of travelling to the opposite side of Europe just to see your EYP friend in between the sessions. Through the

EYP you also have a great chance to share your culture and learn some-

thing about other countries too. Isn´t it fun to taste different kinds of food during the session and maybe learn some typical dance at a party? But because EYP is not only about having fun but also about exploring and improving your debate, communication and language skills. Even if you may feel a little nervous before the session, it is always important to remember that you, as well as all the other participants, are somehow special. All of you distinguish yourself from the crowd of the general public by your (maybe hidden) self-confidence, political aware-ness, leadership qualities, language skills and optimistic and cheerfull attitude. Due to the fact that the educational sys-tems in Europe differ a lot and students in some parts may spend more time presenting their own ideas, while students somewhere else are mostly memorizing text books, it is great that at any EYP session all delegates experience the feeling of being heard and not laughed at. Be-ing able to speak clearly and to the point is not always easy and by keeping that in mind we can make it easier for our peers. Just to conclude I would like to add some-thing about what EYP means for me personally. Being a part of the EYP Czech republic allows me to spend my free, and sometimes school time, with my friends and do something productive. Without the EYP I would not have the chance to travel to many European countries, be with my best friend so often and work on my rhetorical skills.

iDeas

by Zuzana Holakovská

the idea behind european youth parliament

idea

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AFCO IDespite the good committee work, you are going to have some struggles during the GA. Nevertheless, you are going to fight back against all the odds and succeed in the end. Just try not to focus on single issue. You need to be able to respond to any question that comes your way, so open yourself up as much as possible.

AFCO IIFlying solo is not advised for the GA. Remember you are one committee and don’t let the com-petition guide your steps. Then the communica-tion between all delegates is going to lead to an amazing and enjoyable GA as well as your own success.

LIBE IThe friendships you developed through team-building will support you during the hard times at GA and you will realize how important such friendships are. They will contain a spark of inspiration that will reenergize and motivate you to a better performance. Don’t miss it!

LIBE IIYour efforts and patience will pay off and you can kiss your worries goodbye. Listen to each other’s advice and you will deserve the warm feeling of achievement. During the hard times in GA, you should fully concentrate your energy and use all your skills to fulfill your expectations.

DEVEThe truth is that you get a lot more done when you focus on what’s in front of you. You’re an outgoing, cheerful and engaging committee.

However you should concentrate and pay atten-tion during the speeches held in GA, because some tricky questions will occur.

ENVIIf you overcome some obstacles such as be-ing too shy and nervous, your speeches will be convincing and you will gain more votes than you could have expected. Although there are going to be some really treacherous questions asked by other delegates. You will easily answer them if you managed to reach consensus during debates within your committee.

IMCOThe stars are lined up for a magnificent perform-ance, but only if you work with your committee. Don’t lose the energy and ideals, but be ready to be led a bit further than you had intended to go. Keep your confidence and you will love the GA.

INTADon’t let a small misunderstanding with your fellow delegate turn into a big power strug-gle. In the end, there is more that you have in common and if you find the best things in each other, you will complement each other in GA.

FEMMYou’ve made it over the hump. You’ve overcome all the struggles during your teambuilding and committee work and are just ready to give an amazing performance. If you use your skills gained during teambuilding, such as respect-ing others, you can expect the same behavior from others.

horoscope

by Quynh-Anh Nguyen-Xuan and Hana Láníková

heavenly ideas of your ga

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by Hana Láníková and Zuzana Holakovská

party report