LUXEMBOURG 2016 ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
Academic Preparation COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION CONTINUOUSLY SUBJECTED TO ALLEGATIONS OF A DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT WITHIN ITS STRUCTURE, DEBATES CONCERNING THE LEGITIMACY OF THE UNION HAVE BECOME PREVALENT ONES WITHIN MAINSTREAM POLITICS. WHAT REALISTIC STEPS CAN THE EU TAKE TO ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL REFORM? COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION CONTINUOUSLY SUBJECTED TO ALLEGATIONS OF A DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT WITHIN ITS STRUCTURE, DEBATES CONCERNING THE LEGITIMACY OF THE UNION HAVE BECOME PREVALENT ONES WITHIN MAINSTREAM POLITICS. WHAT REALISTIC STEPS CAN THE EU TAKE TO ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL REFORM? COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 38% OF THE EUROPEAN POPULATION SUFFERS FROM A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION EACH YEAR, WITH ONLY A THIRD OF THESE CASES RECEIVING THE TREATMENT NEEDED, IN TURN CAUSING A HUGE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC COST TO MEMBER STATES. HOW CAN THE EU ACT TO ENSURE THE WELLBEING OF ITS CITIZENS AND IMPROVE THE IDENTIFICATION AND TREATMENT OF MENTAL ILLNESSES? COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AND MONETARY AFFAIRS THE GLOBAL DOWNTURN OF 2008-12 HAS LED TO A PROFOUND RISE IN REGIONAL SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITY ACROSS EUROPE, WITH THE ECONOMIC GAP BETWEEN THE NORTH AND THE WEST OF EUROPE, AND THE SOUTH AND THE EAST CONTINUING TO INCREASE. WHAT POLICY IMPLEMENTATIONS SHOULD THE EU ADOPT IN ORDER TO PROMOTE COMPETITIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN POORER REGIONS WITHOUT COMPROMISING SOCIAL PROGRESS? COMMITTEE ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY WHILST SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN WORKING TOWARDS GENDER PARITY IN EUROPE, NOTABLE INEQUALITIES STILL REMAIN, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARDS TO THE WORKPLACE AND PERSONAL SECURITY. HOW SHOULD THE EU LOOK TO ACHIEVE THE PRIORITIES OF THE STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT FOR GENDER EQUALITY 2016-19? COMMITTEE ON LEGAL AFFAIRS THE CURRENT REFUGEE CRISIS PUTS INTO QUESTION THE EU’S ADHERENCE TO HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS, AS WELL AS ITS ABILITY TO ADAPT ITS BORDER AND INTEGRATION POLICIES TO CHANGING REALITIES. WHAT CHANGES RELATING TO THE COMMON EUROPEAN ASYLUM SYSTEM SHOULD THE EU UNDERTAKE TO BETTER DISTRIBUTE, PROTECT AND INTEGRATE ASYLUM SEEKERS WHILST RESPECTING THE VIEWS OF MEMBER STATES? COMMITTEE ON SECURITY AND DEFENCE THE NOVEMBER 2015 ATTACKS ON PARIS HAVE LED TO RENEWED CALLS FOR GREATER SECURITY MEASURES TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN PROTECTING CITIZENS. HOWEVER, THIS HAS LED TO ETHNIC MINORITIES EXPERIENCING INCREASED LEVELS OF POLICE DISCRIMINATION AND RACIAL PROFILING ACROSS EUROPE. HOW CAN THE EU ENSURE ITS MEMBER STATES AFTER SUFFICIENT PROTECTION FROM TERRORIST THREATS WITHOUT INFRINGING ON THE CIVIL LIBERTIES OF THE INDIVIDUAL? 3rd National Selection Conference of EYP Luxembourg Designed by Josh Leyden | ho@eyp.lu
LUXEMBOURG 2016
Dear Participants,
Jana Degrott
I am incredibly proud to be able to present to you the Academic Preparation Kit of Luxembourg 2016. The team of chairpersons, all young people from across Europe, just like yourself, have spent countless hours producing Topic Overviews, which are designed to provide you with a thorough understanding of the issues you will be discussing in Luxembourg soon. The Academic Theme of the Session is 'Reviving European Ideals'. This stems from the idea that the founding values of the European Union; peace, security, harmony and democracy, amongst others, are under threat in modern society. We will tackle these issues head-on. We will discuss the very nature of the European Union's structure, and what can be done to increase the levels of democracy at the heart of the EU. We will work towards defining an approach to shape the EU's relations with Russia, in light of recent tensions. We will explore one of the most pressing health issues in modern Europe - the rise of mental health issues and stigmatisation, and work towards finding effective solutions. We will focus on regional economic inequalities in Europe, discussing how best to spread wealth across the EU. We will look to identify why gender inequalities still persist in contemporary Europe, especially with regard to gender violence, and innovate efficient combat strategies. We will discuss one of the most pressing issues of our time, the refugee crisis, and renovate existing legal structures to provide a better solution. Finally, we will decide our best response to the wave of terrorism that is gripping Europe - a response that offers security and protection, whilst at the same time protecting civil liberties. And it is you, dear delegates, who will serve as the main people in identifying and solving these issues. Over the course of your time in Luxembourg, you will get the heart of these issues, become experts on them, and make an active contribution to civil society. These Topic Overviews serve as your catalyst. You should read them carefully, taking notes where possible, and prepare yourself for the demands of Committee Work. However, there are exactly that an overview. They look to provide you information in an objective way, highlighting key areas of focus - stakeholders, facts, existing laws, and conflicts. They do not provide YOUR views. Those are you own to create. You should follow the further research links, and begin to shape your own opinions on these issues, ready to form a resolution that takes real action. I wish you the very best of luck with your research, and can't wait to hear what you have to say on these issues. All the Best,
Josh Leyden, President - Luxembourg 2016
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COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS PREPARED BY ELLEN PELLOSNIEMI (FI) & GABRIELĖ ŠIMAKAUSKAITĖ (LT) WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION CONTINUOUSLY SUBJECTED TO ALLEGATIONS OF A DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT WITHIN ITS STRUCTURE, DEBATES CONCERNING THE LEGITIMACY OF THE UNION HAVE BECOME PREVALENT ONES WITHIN MAINSTREAM POLITICS. WHAT REALISTIC STEPS CAN THE EU TAKE TO ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL REFORM?
I. Key Terms Democratic Deficit - the, sometimes only felt, lack of democratic principles being present in EU decision making. The question here is: what kind of deficit and principles are we talking about? Input/output legitimacy? Powers of national parliaments compared to the European Parliament and other institutions? There are many different forms of democracy, and so to different people, a lack of democracy can mean different things. Treaty on European Union (TEU) - one of the primary Treaties of the European Union. The TEU forms the basis of EU law, by setting out general principles of the EU's purpose, the governance of its central institutions (such as the Commission, Parliament, and Council), as well as the rules on external, foreign and security policy. Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) - one of two primary Treaties of the European Union. Originating as the Treaty of Rome, the TFEU forms the detailed basis of EU law, by setting out the scope of the EU's authority to legislate and the principles of law in those areas where EU law operates. Ordinary legislative procedure – outlined in the art. 294 TFEU, it is the main legislative procedure by which directives and regulations are adopted.
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II. Explanation and Relevance of the Topic Since its inception, the European Union has faced the criticism of having a democratic deficit. What is meant by this, is that EU decision making is lacking democratic legitimacy, especially with regard to input-legitimacy. Moreover, it is applied to the increased transfer of legislative powers, called ‘competencies’ from national governments to the EU institutions such as the European Commission, European Parliament, or the Council of Ministers. Finally, there is critique regarding the institutional structure of the different European institutions. One main issue lies with the ‘ordinary legislative procedure’, which defines who can propose, and who votes on European legislation. According to this procedure, the Commission has the monopoly of legislative initiative in the EU. This feature is widely criticized as the Commission is not a democratically elected, but appointed by Member States (MS). On another note, the European Parliament encounters criticism for edging out the national parliaments and replacing national legislation. At the same time, it is the only directly elected federal body, and by so can represent citizens’ interests on a EU level in a way their national parliaments may not be able to. Moreover, the Council’s role lacks transparency since it is mainly known for the meetings of ministers even though most of the work is done by “the EU ambassadors” - representatives of the Member States - in the The Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER). Every country has an EU ambassador, representing their counties and ensuring ensuring their counties´ interests. These representatives and their co-workers prepare most of the legislation or alternatives for it for the Council of Ministers. COREPER´s work is not available to the public. Finally, EU heads of states often meet to decide on ‘emergency’ legislation, which can only be minimally scrutinised in parliaments after a de facto decision has already been taken. The real EU democratic deficit seems to be the absence of European politicians. EU voters do not feel like they have an effective way to reject a ‘government’, they do not like, and to change, in some ways the course of politics and policy. Disaffection with Europe has been expressed in the low turnouts at European elections, which reached an all-time low in 2014 with an EU average of just 43% To tackle this issue, European Citizen Initiative (ECI) was introduced together with the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007. The main aim was to increase direct democracy by enabling citizens to participate directly in the development of the EU policies. However, since the introduction only 3 initiatives were successful.
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II. Explanation and Relevance of the Topic (cont.) The question then becomes: what powers did Member States ‘upload’ to the supranational level, and are there powers that should be brought back to the national level, or others than can be more effectively managed on the supranational one? The EU is far from a federal government, but it also is more than just a set of institutions looking over competition policy. How and where should the EU be reformed to be more accountable to its citizens, to what degree should we live within a supranational union, potentially eventually a federal state, and which of its aspects should be enhanced, which reduced?
IIi. Key Questions What are the legislational problems that have to be addressed? a) Which institution and to what extent should take matters in their hands? b) Is there a need for new legislation to be introduced? What steps does the EU have to take in order to gain the citizen’s trust back? How can the EU engage the “inactive“ citizens that find the EU complex and distant? What are the main institutional reforms that have to be done with regards to: a) The European Commission? b) The Council of Ministers? IV. Key Facts & Figures In May 2014, under 43% of the EU citizens voted in the European Parliament Elections. In the same elections, extreme right and eurosceptic parties won seats in 23 of 28 Member States. The European Citizen Initiative (ECI) was introduced together with the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007. Since the introduction only 3 initiatives have been successful.
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IV. Key Facts & Figures In May 2014, under 43% of the EU citizens voted in the European Parliament Elections. In the same elections, extreme right and eurosceptic parties won seats in 23 of 28 Member States. The European Citizen Initiative (ECI) was introduced together with the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007. Since the introduction only 3 initiatives have been successful.
V. Key Conflicts Main conflicts within the topic arise when talking about the EU institutional set-up and more in particular the legislational system. The three institutions forming the legislative triangle – The Commission, the Council and the Parliament – receive a lot of criticism, whilst holding the majority of operational process power in the EU. The EU Ordinary Legislative Procedure (OLP) governs how the three aforementioned EU institutions cooperate. First the European Commission (EC) initiates legislation. These initiatives have been developed in the Commissions’ closed working groups. The Commission also consults interested parties such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local authorities and representatives of industry and civil society, making lobbying a huge factor.
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V. Key Conflicts (cont.) Given the disproportional amount of material and human resources available to big companies, this can outweigh the citizens’ interests, and input. Another conflict is that the Commission, having the monopoly of legislative initiative consists of commissioners who, according to art. 17(1) TEU, represent the interests of the EU instead of the interests of people of the EU. Whilst the Head of the Commission is appointed through the European Parliament, the rest of Commissioners are appointed directly by the governments of the Member States. The European Parliament (EP) discusses the proposal and vote on amendments. EP uses simple majority when they vote (over 50%). First of all, the European Parliament is the only democratically elected institution in the EU and represents the people of the EU. However, whereas in national systems, parliaments are the ones to suggest legislation as well as adopt it, in the EU the Parliament has no power of legislative initiative. Furthermore, when adopting legislation, in most cases, Parliament has to reach consensus with the Council.
National parliaments have democratic legitimacy at the national level; this needs to be transferred onto the EU stage so that they can become actors there". - The European Scrutiny Committee “
Afterwards the Council of Ministers further addresses the issue and EP´s amendments. The initiative can now be approved with double majority meaning that over 55% of the Member States representing over 65% of the population is standing behind the decision. If the initiative is not accepted it can go through a maximum of two more readings in the EP and the Council. Another possibility is also to use so called trialogue meetings where all three institutions come together discussing the matter. To block a legislative initiative in the Council at least 35% of the population and at least four Member States oppose the decision. This means that bigger countries can prevent and slow down the decision-making process, whilst smaller ones need to bundle together. Whilst this seems intuitive at first, it isn’t so much when looking at the vote-weighing distribution of qualified majority vote (QMV). .
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V. Key Conflicts The EU offers methods for involving citizens in the democratic process but, unfortunately, they are far from perfect. First of all, most EU citizens are still unfamiliar with most of them and therefore they only reach those that are already interested in European politics. Thus, one can argue that no matter what measures are in place, they do not decrease the democratic deficit in Europe in the way that they are suppose to. An argument for institutional reform then is to include EU citizens in more instances, such as by electing Commissioners, instead of appointing them, or giving the right of initiating legislation to the EP. Whatever solutions you may come up with, you have to consider the institutional framework, as well as going beyond media campaigns to get citizens to become more involved with EU politics, so as to make the EU and its institutions more accountable to us, its citizens .
VI. Key Stakeholders The European Parliament (EP) - the only democratically elected EU institution and therefore is the only institution directly representing the EU citizens. Even though EP got a lot more power after the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force in 2009 it still has no power to initiate legislation. The Parliament acts as a co-legislator, sharing with the Council the power to adopt and amend legislative proposals and to decide on the EU budget. It also supervises the work of the Commission and other EU bodies and cooperates with national parliaments of EU countries to get their input. The European Commission - The Commission consists of 28 commissioners, one from each Member State, representing the interests of the EU as a whole. The “engine” of the EU has monopoly on legislative initiative and also functions as the executive power of the EU. Council of Ministers - Together with the Parliament, the Council of the European Union has a most of the legislative power in the EU. It was established as an official institution in the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007. It consists of ministers from all Member States coming together and discussing the EU's stance on different issues. The Committee of Permanent Representative (COREPER) - The permanent representatives also called “the EU ambassadors” are doing most of the Council of Minister´s prework. Every Member State has their own representatives protecting their own interests.
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VI. Key Stakeholders (cont.) National governments - The governments of the Member States of the EU. They have an obligation to incorporate the EU legislation into their national systems depending on the type of legislation issued by the EU. In the context of the foregoing, the national governments do not have the access to the minutes of the meetings of the Council’s working groups and therefore cannot be sufficiently informed of the procedure the Council follows in order to adopt the legislation. Citizens - Lately there has arisen concerns on the citizens’ dissatisfaction and loss of trust towards the EU. The European parliament (EP) elections´s voting rate hit an all time low in May 2014 with a voting rate of under 43%. In the same elections, extreme right and eurosceptic parties won seats in 23 of 28 Member States. Some argue that citizen find the EU complex and distant, which decreases the legitimacy of the Union. VII. Measures In Place Treaty of Lisbon – an international agreement, which was signed by the EU Member States on 13 December 2007 and entered into force at 1 December 2009. It amends the Maastricht Treaty (1993), also known as the TEU and Treaty of Rome (1957) also known as the Treaty Establishing the European Community (TEEC). The Treaty of Lisbon renamed Treaty of Rome to TFEU. Briefly explained the Treaty of Lisbon gave the EU in general more power. Most importantly it extended the Parliament's legislative power and made it a truly equal lawmaker with the Council of Ministers. Moreover, it made the European Council, which consists of heads of state of each Member State, an official EU institution. The Treaty of Lisbon introduced the European Citizen Initiative, aiming at involving citizens in the decision-making process. Article 10.3 of the TEU stipulates, “Every citizen shall have the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union”. European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) - Took effect on 1st of April 2012, allows the citizens to be “coauthors of the law”: if a measure gathers at least one million signatures coming from at least 7 out of the 28 Member States, it will have to be considered by the European Commission. Until this day only three initiatives has been followed up by the Commission. The number of initiatives in general, both rejected and closed and open ones, has been low, with under 50 initiatives in total. It has been argued that citizens face hurdles starting an ECI due to lack of legal expertise.
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VII. Measures In Place Europe for Citizens Programme (2014-2020) - Aims at fostering European citizenship and helping people understand the Union's policy making-process, its history and diversity. The programme is aiming at stimulating debate and improving conditions for civic and democratic participation and volunteering at Union level. The European Citizen’s house - Is a project aiming at contributing to a more open and democratic European Union (EU) and engaging “the unengaged” at the service of European citizens. This nonpartisan project is a virtual web-based house based on three C’s: citizen’s rights, civil society, and citizen’s participation. Debating Europe - Want to encourage a genuine and more frequent conversation between Europe’s politicians and the citizens they serve. In practice it works like an online debate where citizens can ask questions and get answers from the EU´s political elite.
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VIII. Further Research http://www.europarl.europa.eu/external/appendix/legislativeprocedure/europarl_ordinarylegislativepr ocedure_howitworks_en.pdf http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:12012E/TXT&from=EN (art. 294 TFEU) http://www.euractiv.com/section/eu-elections-2014/news/it-s-official-last-eu-election-had-lowest-everturnout/ http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/initiatives/successful http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/competences/faq?lg=en#q1 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/preparatory-bodies/?pb%5B%5D=613 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tsdgo510&plugin=1 http://civitas.org.uk/eu-facts/eu-overview/democracy-in-the-eu/ https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Ordinary_legislative_procedure.svg/10 09px-Ordinary_legislative_procedure.svg.png http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/08/lobbyists-european-parliament-brussels-corporate http://en.euabc.com/word/783 http://europa.eu/eu-law/decision-making/treaties/index_en.htm http://www.citizens-initiative.eu/eci/open-closed/ http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/europe-for-citizens-programme/index_en.htm http://ecas.org/ech/ http://www.debatingeurope.eu/2012/07/13/does-the-eu-have-a-democratic-deficit/#.VunIZH197IU
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COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS PREPARED BY CARLOS SEVERO ESTEBAN (ES) & NADIA D'AMICO (IT) IN THE LIGHT OF THE CRIMEAN CRISIS, THE GROWING MILITARY AND ECONOMIC INFLUENCE HELD BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION IN ITS NEIGHBOURING STATES HAS CREATED FURTHER DIPLOMATIC TENSIONS WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION. HOW SHOULD THE EU MOVE TOWARDS ACHIEVING A STRONGER POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC RELATION WITH RUSSIA IN ORDER TO DETER THE POSSIBILITY OF A FUTURE CONFLICT?
I. Key Terms Soft Power: The capacity to command global influence when a country's culture, ideas and institutions are valued by most other countries. Culture, political values, diplomacy and foreign policy are some of the tools it has at its disposal. Hard Power: Is coercion by means of economic or military, is the aggressive way a State has to influence the decision of another State. Examples of hard power are economic sanctions or the threat to use military forces. Positive sum game: A situation where all the countries can benefit, even if some countries benefit more than others. Embargo: A government’s prohibition on a certain trade with a foreign nation.
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II. Explanation and Relevance of the Topic EU sanctions against Russia over the annexation of Crimea and the crisis in Ukraine came into effect in July 2014. The measures affected state-owned banks, major oil companies, and reduced supplies of certain goods. However, most importantly it caused the suspension of most of the EU-Russia cooperation programmes. Some of them, such as visa-negotiations, had been on-going for several years, and would have signalled a big step towards better relations. The negotiations for a new EURussia Agreement, meant to substitute the existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which dates back to the 90s, were also interrupted. As a result of the sanctions, Russia introduced an embargo on agricultural products and raw materials, banning products such as European beef, cheese, and vegetables from the Russian market and substituting them with homemade products. Both Russian imports and exports fell, as the EU started differentiating its gas supply; the South Stream project was interrupted, causing economic losses on both sides. Diplomatic tensions also rose over the agreements when Russia started convincing its neighbouring countries to halt talks with the EU, and began negotiations for them to join the Eurasian Union. This comes at the same time as Eastern European countries feel menaced by Russia’s military presence and the Ukrainian episode. Assuming in fact that Russia would have interest to expand its influence abroad with the military, some of them have requested to host a stronger presence of NATO military forces on their territory, further increasing the already existing tensions.
IIi. Key Questions How can the EU prevent future conflict through dialogue while ensuring the safety of all of its Member States? Given the commitment of the PCA accords to develop both side’s economies through cooperation, how should the EU face the current economical “closure”? What measures could the EU put in place for a better understanding and building up trust with Russia? How can a balance be reached between EU potential expansion and Russian Foreign policy regarding its neighboring countries?
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IV. Key Facts & Figures The restrictive measures on Russia that the EU has taken in response to its annexation of Crimea include the suspension of EU-Russia cooperation programmes, such as the visa free dialogue and the realisation of South Stream. The economic sanctions have had a harder impact on the Russian economy. Some of the results have been the decreasing value of the Rouble, entering recession and affecting import levels (when its economy was expected to grow by 4-5%), or exports falling by 33%. On the other hand, Russia banned food imports from the EU which increased prices even more, forcing the EU-MS to diversify their exports. Some EU Member States have managed to limit the impact of the food embargo, while others have registered a reduction of export; most remarkably Finland and Lithuania with a decrease of 2.5% and 4.7% respectively. The EU and Russia carry a policy of cooperation on issues of international concern including climate change, drug and human trafficking and counter-terrorism. Both Russia and NATO maintain and invest in military presence on the eastern border. While Moscow maintains its presence in eastern Ukraine, The White House plans a budget of more than $3.4 billion for military spending in Europe in 2017. Nearly 3 million Russians or Russian-related live within EU-member states, and other significant Russian minorities live in candidate or potential candidate States to the EU. This is important for integration and diplomatic, but also for defence purposes; Article 61.2 of the Russian Constitution legitimises, in fact, the Upper Chamber to authorise the use of force beyond its borders to protect russian or former soviet citizens.
V. Key Conflicts Europe-Russia relations in the last centuries have always been “complicated� but the new circumstances of the XXI century have established a new set of rules and scenario for these two well known titans facing each other one more time. Furthermore, it is equally important to take into account how the players have evolved in the last two decades.
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V. Key Conflicts (cont.) Russia today is deemed to be a semi democratic State, with Vladimir Putin its undisputed ruler. Observers argue that it is taking steps to become more authoritarian than democratic. While this clashes directly with European values, it has allowed Russia to have one solid and coherent voice, contrarily to Europe where its Head of State changes every 4 years and where its Member States have great difficulties to find common ground and a common voice. Moreover, whilst we have seen so many European politicians fall due to the effects of the financial crisis, Mr. Putin has kept if not increased its popularity in spite of the significant economic difficulties. As mentioned before, the EU has great difficulties to reach an agreement as their representatives have to defend their own national interests and comply with their voters. For example, the Nordic and Baltic States have security as their top priority regarding Russia, especially after the events in Eastern Ukraine, while other States like Britain, Germany or Greece have a more positive stand towards Russia as their priorities are trade and preventing confrontation on an international level. On the other hand, Russia aims at recovering its lost influence in the Eastern part of Europe and, despite its weak economic situation, it shows domestically and internationally that it still remains a strong power through its military success. All the previous comes together in a geopolitical game where all the players compete using soft and hard power and diplomacy in different ways to achieve their aims. Some examples to illustrate Europe-Russia relations are the Baltic States making use of hard power by requesting more NATO presence in their territory to deter any kind of Russian aggression or the use of Public diplomacy by Russia when it decided to host Mr. Snowden when no European nation was willing to do so. No need to remark the importance of the new front that is the Internet for International relations as it might be the key to tip the balance in one's favour.
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VI. Key Stakeholders EU & Russian Federation: As major players of the regions they have different social, economic, defence, energy interests, amongst others. These interests sometimes clash, causing tension in West-East relations. Eastern European Countries: EU member states and former Soviet states where the EU and Russia dispute their influence. They are sometimes excluded from the decision-making processes which directly affect them. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Considered the Minister of Foreign affairs for the EU, but oppositely to a national one it has more limited action as it has to represent the interest of the 28 member states. NATO: Military and political organisation which promotes democracy, encourages cooperation and consultation on defence and security issues for the peaceful resolution of conflicts. In addition, it is empowered to use military power in certain situations. (Footnote: art 5 of Washington Treaty?) Private Sector: Businesses desire stability and the removal of trade sanctions as the economic situation is already difficult due to the world financial crisis. Russian minorities/community: The Russian constitution allows Russia's Upper chamber to authorise the use of force outside its territory to protect Russian people and former soviet citizens. ( Footnote art. 62.1 of the Russian constitution?).
VII. Measures In Place The PCA (Partnerships and Cooperation Agreement) is an Agreement that sets the current basis for cooperation between Russia and EU. Its aim is to strengthen collaboration on international issues of mutual concern through political dialogue to ensure stability and prevent future conflicts. It also lays the framework for a future free trade area. The Agreement is being successful regarding cooperation on international issues, such as the counter-terrorism activity operated by both EU and Russia, but most of its programmes are now interrupted due to the crisis in Ukraine. At the St. Petersburg Summit in 2003, the EU and Russia created four ‘common spaces’ to be created in the long term, thus reinforcing the cooperation set by the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. During the Moscow summit in 2005, the EU and Russia adopted a package of road maps, which were implemented for the four common spaces during the summit in London, in 2005.
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VII. Measures In Place (cont.) The Partnership for Modernisation, which followed the 2010 Rostov Summit, represents a further strengthening of dialogue covering all areas of modernisation; the initiatives concern the Judiciary and both economical and technological development. In July 2014, the sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU came into effect, causing the suspension of most of the EU-Russia cooperation programmes. In return, Russia set an embargo on certain types of EU products, banning them from the Russian market. Despite the will of certain Member States and private companies to resume trade and continue the Common Economic Space policies, cooperation under an economic perspective is still frozen.
VIII. Further Research http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-28400218 http://eeas.europa.eu/russia/about/index_en.htm http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/02/world/europe/us-fortifying-europes-east-to-deter-putin.html? _r=0 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=URISERV%3Ar17002 http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2003/november/tradoc_114138.pdf
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COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS PREPARED BY HARIS KUŠMIĆ (BA) & VALERIYA BOYKO (UA) IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 38% OF THE EUROPEAN POPULATION SUFFERS FROM A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION EACH YEAR, WITH ONLY A THIRD OF THESE CASES RECEIVING THE TREATMENT NEEDED, IN TURN CAUSING A HUGE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC COST TO MEMBER STATES. HOW CAN THE EU ACT TO ENSURE THE WELLBEING OF ITS CITIZENS AND IMPROVE THE IDENTIFICATION AND TREATMENT OF MENTAL ILLNESSES?
I. Key Terms Psychological well-being: a theory developed by Carol Ryff that defines mental well-being by the following items: self-acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, environmental mastery, Autonomy, and positive relations with others. Mental illness: a mental or behavioral pattern that causes either suffering or a poor ability to function in ordinary life. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitting, or occur as a single episode. Neurosis: minor mental illnesses like phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and anxiety disorders, among others. Psychosis: major mental illnesses in which the mental state impairs thoughts, perception and judgement. Stigma: the distinguishing mark establishing a demarcation between a stigmatised person and others, attributing negative characteristics to the former. The stigma attached to mental illness often leads to social exclusion and discrimination and creates an additional burden for the affected individual.
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II. Explanation and Relevance of the Topic Mental health is identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the main challenges in public health facing the European region. With 38% of the European population having issues with their mental health in their lifetime, mental illnesses account for more suffering and death in industrialised countries than heart disease and strokes, or even cancer put together. A mental illness is a condition that impacts a person's thinking, feeling or mood and may affect his or her ability to relate to others and function on a daily basis. Each person will have different experiences, even people with the same diagnosis. Rates for women are significantly higher as compared to those for men, except for substance use disorders (men: 5.6%, women 1.3%), and psychotic disorders (almost identical estimates). Overall rates are 33.2 versus 21.7. These figures also fail to capture the complexity of the problems many people face. 32% of those affected had one additional mental disorder, while 18% had two and 14% three or more. According to research conducted by WHO, citizens with psychiatric histories have higher mortality rates than those without. Primarily so, as certain cases of mental illness can be linked to suicidal tendencies. Statistically, 12 of 1000 EU citizens will take their lives. What is more noticeable is the fact that the number of suicides rose in Europe by 6.5% during the financial crisis and continued until 2011. According to the research published by the British Journal of Psychiatry in 2014, most suicides were committed by people with clinical depression and there was a significant rise of using antidepressants during the recession. Some reports also state that genetics can play an important role in suicide rates and furthermore, 28% of completed suicides have a diagnosis of alcohol-related psychiatric problems in Slovenia. In total, some numbers show 90% of suicides being carried out due to mental illnesses. Poor mental health negatively contributes to European economies. The impact is estimated to be equivalent to a reduction of 3-4% of total GDP. Mental health is also found to be closely linked with material circumstances such as poverty and employment, as it was stated previously. While there is a growing acceptance of the importance of mental health in government policy, evident by the fact that many countries have updated their policies in the past five years, more needs to be done.
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II. Explanation and Relevance of the Topic (cont.) In 2013, the 53 Member States in the WHO European Region adopted the European Mental Health Action Plan. It seeks to reduce suicide rates among the population as a whole and in subgroups related to age, sex, ethnicity and other vulnerable groups, and proposes that Member States “develop and implement suicide prevention strategies that incorporate best evidence, combining a universal approach with activities protecting vulnerable groups�. Whilst the European Commission's Joint Action on Mental Health and Wellbeing is now on the stage of national implementation, the problem can be explored with three most-pressing issues: application of evidence-based practises, empowerment of people with mental illness and national actions.
IIi. Key Questions In light of the final conference on European Framework for Action on Mental Health and Wellbeing held in Brussels in January this year, how can the EU ensure that all Member States will implement the proposed actions? Having in mind the complexity of analysing the causes for mental illnesses, which new and precise methods can health and medical research institutions use to register and to offer treatment to these people? What should the cooperation between national governments and the EU look like regarding this issue and what will be their specific roles in this process? How does a lack of uniformity when it comes to various types of medical treatment effect EU member states' national cost, in relation to resources and type of professionals? What can be done to integrate people suffering from mental illnesses to the society eventually leading to reduced effects of stigmatisation? How does tackling issues of stigma and the result of discrimination against those with existing mental illness (whilst including the dissemination of information on the ubiquity of mental health problems) corelate to public representation and labeling of a mental illness? How does a national budget mostly dedicated to hospital care, reflect possible investments in community care programs, prevention and promotion strategies?
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IIi. Key Questions (cont.) To what extent are goods and services provided so that dignity and independence of people with disabilities as their basic human right, remain intact? How significant low political priority, insufficient and inadequate funding and lack of consensus among stakeholders are? How effective healthcare system of Member States is in order to provide services to people who need it when it comes to mental health? What is hindering and what is promoting evidence-based e-Mental health in Europe?
IV. Key Facts & Figures 27% of the adult population had experienced at least one of a series of mental disorders in the past year (this included problems arising from substance use, psychoses, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders), Nearly half of the world lives in a country where there is less than one psychiatrist per 100,000 people, On average 26% of people with mental illness in Europe are provided with treatment 83 million people being affected in total, Two important domains of discrimination: personal relationships and work, The overall financial costs of mental disorders, including direct medical as well as indirect costs through care and lost productivity, amount to more than Euro 450 billion per year in the EU. Developing mental illness is very common among unemployed population. Jobs with low control and discretion can be bad for psychosocial health and health inequalities
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IV. Key Facts & Figures (cont.) Mental illness is rarely given the priority that physical ill-health receives. 2013 estimate: the proportion attributable to direct healthcare costs (37%) was greater than that attributed to indirect non-medical costs (e.g. social services) (23%).
V. Key Conflicts The right for health care is a fundamental human right. This also includes following: services, goods and facilities must be available, accessible, acceptable and of good quality. In other words, economic and social factors are very crucial while considering health care system as a term. Mental health is a human right and the EU’s mental capital, the cognitive, intellectual and emotional potential in its population, it is a key resource for the EU’s success as a knowledge-based society”. A least 30% of people with severe mental disorders in Europe, do not have access to mental health care, and the majority of the populations don’t benefit from the interventions that have proved to be effective in prevention and promotion. “
Speaking of government funded programmes, the UK government has recently decided to invest cca. £ 1 billion into a health care as a part of a new mental health strategy. Mental health was found to have a positive impact on following areas: improved educational outcomes, reduced school drop-out, increased productivity at work, fewer missed days off work, reduced disability benefit costs, higher income, more social relationships and better connectedness, reduced anti-social behaviour, crime and violence. That being said, the cost or burden of mental illness itself is far reaching - since 6 years ago, the total cost of disorders of the brain across 30 European countries ,was estimated at 798 billion Euros. On the opposite, speaking of e.g Lithuania- government funded programs tend to run parallel to those of non-governmental organisations. That being said, two sides end up competing against each other – usually for the same small grant programs. Furthermore, speaking of active stakeholders, at the European level European Social Network (ESN) is active in the Joint Action on Mental Health and Well-being. They've been publishing various community-based programmes across Europe. Their programs, are based on empowerment of people with mental illness and national actions.
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VI. Key Stakeholders A large number of non-governmental actors are recognizing the relevance of mental health for the success of their activities. Furthermore, civil society organisations as well as health and specific mental health organisations play an important role. On the other hand EU-Compass for Action on Mental Health and Well-being is monitoring mental health and wellbeing policies and activities by Member States and non-governmental stakeholders through various types of activities, during 2015-2018 period. Moreover, World Health Organization (WHO) aims to provide access to primary care for mental health illnesses, high quality information on mental health issues, adequate funding and most importantly it aims to deal with tackling discrimination and stigma. According to the European profile of prevention and promotion of mental health published in 2013, the European Commission is being recommended to carry on with a leadership role on mental health and well-being. That also includes, integrating mental health into the EU's own policies in addition to improving the availability of data on the mental health status in the population and defining, collecting and disseminating good practices. When it comes to Member States, they were recommended to ensure their commitment and leadership to population mental health and well-being, strengthen promotion and prevention of mental illnesses, promote mental health and well-being partnership action; promote transition towards mental health services that are integrated into the community and ensure a better distribution of and access to services. In addition to that, quality of care, data collection promotion as well as defining indicators were recommended to be promoted.
VII. Measures In Place Positive mental health and wellbeing result in a broad range of impacts across different sectors and result in improved social cohesion, economic progress and sustainable development in the EU. On the EU level, a first mental health strategy was released in 2005 in the form of the Green Paper“ , however so far : Europe has definitely upgraded it's strategy various times, with the latest being "Together for Health".
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VII. Measures In Place (cont.) As for economy, a paper to present first outcomes of the implementation of the ‘European Pact for Mental Health and Well-being’ (2008) states that employment is good for mental health and aids recovery after mental illness. However, societal changes, such as globalisation, economic crises and working life changes put workers’ mental health increasingly under pressure. The creation of healthy framework conditions at the workplace offers an opportunity to eliminate disease-causing factors while promoting employees' health skills. Few years later, WHO Europe, in its 2011 Booklet argues that the successful recovery of European economies crucially depends on the mental health of the population supporting the previous point thus significant efforts have been made with the EU in collaboration with WHO and the OECD. Finally, recently in January 2016 European Framework for Action on Mental Health and Wellbeing confirms that it has become imperative for all managements and governments to recognise the workplace as both a major factor in development of mental and physical health problems and as a platform for the introduction and development of effective preventative measures. The Joint Action Mental Health and Wellbeing (JA MH-WB) started its work in 2013 and involved 25 Member States as well as Iceland and Norway. The main purpose of JA MH-WB is to build a framework for action in mental health policy at the European level. This initiative has resulted in the establishment of the Key Actions Recommendations developed to be implemented across Member States.
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VIII. Further Research VIDEO: John Oliver’s piece on Mental Health http://youtu.be/NGY6DqB1HX8 EU’s Compass on Mental Health: Telegraph: More than a third of EU population suffer mental health problems http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/8741207/More-than-a-third-of-EU-population-suffermental-health-problems.html Fact Sheet on Mental Health in Europe from World Health Organisation: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/215275/RC63-Fact-sheet-MNH-Eng.pdf World Health Organisation’s Key Terms on mental health: http://www.euro.who.int/en/healthtopics/noncommunicable-diseases/mental-health/key-terms-and-definitions-in-mental-health A Brief History of Mental Illness and the U.S. Mental Health Care System: http://www.uniteforsight.org/mental-health/module2 Final Conference on European Framework for Action on Mental Health and Wellbeing: http://ec.europa.eu/health/mental_health/events/ev_20160121_en.htm Joint Action Mental Health and Wellbeing: Policy Reccomendations ● Good practice examples of mental health policites implementation - p.21 http://www.mentalhealthandwellbeing.eu/assets/docs/publications/MHiAP%20Final.pdf Mental Health initiatives by Member States: http://ec.europa.eu/health/mental_health/policy/national_authorities/ms_overview_en.htm
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COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AND MONETARY AFFAIRS PREPARED BY MATHIEU LOHR (LU) & TARIK SMAJLOVIĆ (BA) THE GLOBAL DOWNTURN OF 2008-12 HAS LED TO A PROFOUND RISE IN REGIONAL SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITY ACROSS EUROPE, WITH THE ECONOMIC GAP BETWEEN THE NORTH AND THE WEST OF EUROPE, AND THE SOUTH AND THE EAST CONTINUING TO INCREASE. WHAT POLICY IMPLEMENTATIONS SHOULD THE EU ADOPT IN ORDER TO PROMOTE COMPETITIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN POORER REGIONS WITHOUT COMPROMISING SOCIAL PROGRESS?
I. Key Terms Socio-economic inequality - the existing difference between different people and regions in social and economic terms, mostly based on differences in Human Development Index, and annual income per capita, etc.. Research very convincingly shows that more equal societies are associated with higher levels of economic growth and political inclusion. By contrast unequal societies experience higher rates of crime, ill-health drug abuse, and persistent poverty. Cohesion and growth objectives are therefore complementary as well as critical to socio-economic well being. Economic growth - an increase in the capacity of an economy to produce goods and services, compared from one period of time to another. Economic growth can be measured in nominal terms, which include inflation, or in real terms, which are adjusted for inflation. Sustainable development - development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Economic downturn - An economic downturn suggests the rate of economic growth is slowing down and possibly entering into recession.
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I. Key Terms Social progress - the idea that societies can or do improve in terms of their social, political, and economic structures. This may happen as a result of direct human action, as in social enterprise or through social activism, or as a natural part of sociocultural evolution. Austerity - state of reduced spending and increased frugality in the financial sector. Austerity measures generally refer to the measures taken by governments to reduce expenditures in an attempt to shrink their growing budget deficits. Welfare state - Political system based on the premise that the government (and not the individual, corporations, or the local community) has the responsibility for the well being of its citizens, by ensuring that a minimum standard of living is within everyone's reach. This commitment is translated into provision of education, medical care, insurance against disability, sickness, and unemployment, family allowances for income supplement, and old age pensions. Eurobonds - A form of debt security. Issued jointly by the 17 eurozone governments, at one common interest rate. Currently, each eurozone country pays different rates - with for instance Spain having to pay investors close to 7% to hold its bonds, whilst Germany can issue negative interest bonds, meaning investors lose money over time if they invest into the bonds. The difference in percentage is due to the stability and risk associated with investing into a country’s bond-market. Keynesian Economics - tand in opposition to austerity-politics. Keynes believed that during and after a recession, people want to save their money. By not spending it, demand in the economy remains weak. If a majority of people don’t spend their money, businesses can’t make profits and make investments that would create jobs and give people money to spend. That is why the government has to create artificial demand by investing into infrastructure projects for example. This then creates jobs and allows people to start spending their money again, allowing business to invest, making growth pick up again.
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II. Explanation and Relevance of the Topic According to the Global Competitiveness Index, Europe is trailing behind on the United States and some Asian countries when it comes to overall competitiveness, infrastructure and innovation. The EU is in need of improving its competitiveness as a union, but also has to consider its internal disparities. Northern Europe consistently outperforms Southern Europe in terms of overall competitiveness. Southern economies suffer from limited product-market competition, especially in services, heavily regulated labour markets and inefficient public spending and taxation systems. The current narrative is that for sustainable growth, Member States (MS) will have to to showcase committed discipline to fiscal policies to the markets, assure banks are capitalised, and on the longer run find solutions to the North-South competition gap. But at what price would such ‘discipline’ come to the people of those countries, and what are the right policies to pursue?During 2008-2009, the world experienced its worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. In 2009, global output contracted by 2 per cent. While a deeper, more prolonged global recession has been averted by coordinated stimulus measures, the recovery is nonetheless fragile and uneven. The economic slowdown has reduced social spending in most developing countries while the turn to fiscal austerity has undermined social spending in developed countries. The global economic downturn has had wide-ranging negative social outcomes and set back progress towards achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. Given the fragility of the economic recovery and uneven progress in major economies, social conditions are only expected to recover slowly. The increased levels of poverty, hunger and unemployment will continue to affect billions for years to come. Socio-economic inequality refers to differences in a range of economic and social factors that influence well-being, including income, education, and health. Economic inequalities relate primarily to disparities in earnings, derived from paid employment and in household incomes, which reflect the combined effects of earnings and net social transfers (taxes and benefits). Social inequality refers to differences in access to social commodities, e.g. health care or education, or to social and institutional networks. When obtaining social goods depends on wealth, social and economic inequalities are linked. For Member States (MS), this can for example mean access to the bond-market, which would allow them to make new debts to invest into their economy. However, due to their dire economic situation of especially Southern MS, they have troubles finding access to the bond-market, because no one wants to lend them money under terms that are acceptable to buyer and lender, effectively creating a vicious-cycle
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IIi. Key Questions Why do some countries show higher inequality within themselves than others? What factors in history create inequality between countries? How could this be addressed, and should this be addressed? What are the most effective measures on the short, mid, and long-term? What is their respective impact, what are the costs, what the benefits? To what extent do already established methods and measures in place penetrate to the core of the inequality problem? How to adapt policies to be useful in the short, mid and long term? Where should more focus be put? Which countries should serve as a front-leader in reducing disparities in between north-south, eastwest? If productivity is such an important indicator for economic growth, how can it be fostered in a sustainable way?
IV. Key Facts & Figures Over 90% of people in Southern European Countries feel corruption is an issue which affects their economy. whilst in Northern countries, the opposite is the case. In general, over 50% of people in the the economically Southern countries report to be affected personally by corruption, whilst it is less than 10% in Northern countries. More than 4.5 million young people (aged 15-24 years) are unemployed today in the EU. More than 7 million people in the 15-24 age group are neither in employment nor in education or training. Lower levels of wage inequality are found in the Nordic and Western European states where trade unions play a greater role in wage determination, in comparison to the UK and Ireland and countries in Eastern and Southern Europe
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IV. Key Facts & Figures France, and the Nordic Countries, have the lowest poverty rate in Europe, at around 13% approximately. Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Spain have the highest rate at over 20%. Between 15% and 18,5% of the population are at risk of social exclusion in the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, whereas 40% or over are at risk in Bulgaria and Romania. Studies suggest that negative differences in productivity are far more important than differences in joblessness in explaining regional income gaps.
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IV. Key Facts & Figures These two images highlight the differences in the Human Development Index of European Countries, displaying notable differences between North/West Europe and South/East. The top image shows 2010, and the bottom 2015.
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IV. Key Facts & Figures
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V. Key Conflicts A major point of contention is whether austerity or keynesian policies should be used to tackle the issue. Austerity aims at ridding systems of inefficiencies that previously existed, and promoting longterm institutional reform that will allow for a more business-friendly environment following austeritypolicies. However, this is a contested approach due to the high short-term impact it has on people, especially on the lower end of the economic scale. To mediate this, Keynesianism aims for a much stronger state that overcomes a time of crisis by strategically investing into mostly infrastructure and other related projects to artificially create demand within the economy, and make sure there is a monetary flow between businesses and banks. Keynesians see a danger in people putting away money into banks or into their mattresses, as that money is taken out of the circular flow, and so cannot be reinvested. That can create downward pressure that makes banks more unlikely to lend money, as less investment in general means less jobs and prospects for future growth. The balance then is to create an environment that attracts investors, assures both short-term and long-term growth, but does not ignore old structural inefficiencies within the system that will come back to haunt it later. What is an acceptable economic burden that can be forced onto people (within austerity policies), and in how far can state-directed investment overcome a downturn, or just temporarily overcome it to later see the same inefficiencies arise again. You will need creative solutions that either bring these two policies together, or support solving the weaknesses of either approach. Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), repeatedly stated that the solution needed for the Eurozone’s stagnant economy is three- fold. He calls for decisive actions on three fronts at once. 1. a looser monetary policy, 2. faster and deeper structural reforms by national governments, and 3. a more supportive fiscal policy. On the first, the ECB has announced it will at last use Quantitative Easing (QE) in order to stimulate monetary flows and stimulate a healthy inflation rate. The Bank of England and the Federal Reserve (USA) have used this form of stimulus to get their economies back on track, with great success.
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V. Key Conflicts The ECB however was very slow on this mainly because of Germany and its Bundesbank which long opposed QE, fearing the ECB would outstretch its mandate. Additionally, QE is considered as a lastresort effort in the toolbox of the ECB, and not without criticism regarding how far it will take the Euro into deflation, and at what point it might turn toxic. On the second we can note that the Euro zone’s periphery – Ireland, Portugal, Greece, Spain- has made a tremendous effort reforming its obsolete governments. Even France and Italy are, slowly and reluctantly, joining in. However, the effects on the local population is often severe in the short-term, and results can be slow to show. With respect to the recent Greek elections, the continuation of this policy path shows increased difficulty. On the third little has been done, as this overlaps with a debate about increased integration, which is opposed by countries such as Germany on the fears of the higher burden and risk they would have to shoulder potentially. When Europe will finally manage to kickstart its economic growth it will also have to handle the ever growing competitiveness disparity on a regional level. Southern Europe is still trailing behind because of its unappealing unit labour costs and productivity. Companies in north- west Europe will benefit from a widening competitive advantage over their southern European counterparts as growth returns. Moreover, Europe’s competitiveness will decline over the next years compared to Asia and The United States. How then, can the EU remain an attractive region to invest in?
VI. Key Stakeholders European Council: European leaders are not keen to give away too much sovereign power to Brussels yet they fear the backlash of introducing harsh measures at home. Besides the politics, the Commission only has 1% of the EU GDP to spend and has no real income of its own making its task vastly complicated. The Commission works via Directorates-Generalor DG under the supervision of a European Commissioner and a Director-General. The following departments play a key role in this topic: Competition (COMP), Economic and Financial Affairs (ECFIN), Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (FISMA), Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW), Research and Innovation (RTD), Trade (TRADE)
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VI. Key Stakeholders (cont.) European Central Bank (ECB): Whilst fiscal policy (the right to set and collect taxes) largely remains with MS, monetary policy of the Eurozone countries is managed by the European Central Bank. It is responsible for assuring price-stability by setting interest rates and controlling monetary supply. Council of Ministers, European Council and Member States: Have a strong influence on the European internal position by having rights to suggest, adopt, amend and implement a wide range of policies which are targeting the reduction of economic and social disparities through exclusive and shared competences of the EU, especially coordination of economic, employment and social policies, and the internal market. Governments of MS - key players in the process of reduction of disparities with potential reforms in education and vocational training. Employers - depend on the decision-making of governments and central banks in terms of supply of money and discount rate which controls the level of inflation, but also employment; reduced interest rates have a positive relationship with employment growth rate due to increase in investments. Corporate Europe and foreign investors complain about the amount of red tape in the EU. They wish a more simple and harmonious single market and expect the EU and its Member States to make the labour market more flexible and reduce the administrative burden. Trade Unions are in general more inclined to the political left. They represent the workers and consider job security as equally or more important than economic growth. On a national level they will object internal devaluation and lobby for less austerity, wealth taxation and full continuation of public services in order to avoid a “social bloodbath”. Joseph Stiglitz, a nobel prize winning economist, calls the austerity measures “a disaster”. He argues that while the electorate is asking and voting for change - pointing to the French electing the Parti Socialiste and more recently the rise to power of Syriza - citizen still have to undergo austerity measures whether they like it or not as their governments are being forced to follow the European neo-liberal path. Stating that austerity is working is “akin to a medieval barber saying that a bloodletting is working, because the patient has not died yet” according to Pr. Dr. Stiglitz.
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VII. Measures In Place The European Union’s (EU) policies for combating social inequalities involve “hard law” instruments – such as directives, regulations, or decisions; and “soft law” measures – such as the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) or various Community Programmes, which provide a framework and funding for national strategy development and policy coordination between the Member States (MS). All EU institutions – the Parliament, the Council of the EU, the Commission, as well as the Social Partners – participate in this process. The passing decade has emphasised the fight against poverty and exclusion, particularly within the Lisbon Strategy and its economic, social and environmental pillars. It set the challenge of making Europe “the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion” and included modernization of the European Social Model, investing in people, and combating social exclusion.
The Social Policy Agenda and the Social Agenda formed part of the integrated EU approach towards the Lisbon goals, confirmed by the renewed Lisbon Strategy and continued in the “Europe 2020” Strategy. The Social Inclusion Process was established to significantly eradicate poverty by 2010. The first objectives were designed: to facilitate participation in employment and access to resources, rights, goods and services; to prevent risks of exclusion; to help the most vulnerable; and to mobilise all relevant bodies. Employment was highlighted as the best defence against social exclusion and as such the European Employment Strategy (EES) was closely linked to the Social Inclusion Process. The Commission and the Council pursue common European immigration policy, including the need to bring unemployed and economically inactive third country nationals legally residing in the EU into employment, with a particular focus on women. Financial instruments available to MS and their regions, such as the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, and the Cohesion Fund, comprise a significant effort towards strengthening the economic and social cohesion of the enlarged EU. For example, over the period 2007-2013 the European Social Fund will distribute about €75 billion to EU MS and regions.
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VII. Measures In Place The “Europe 2020” Strategy purports to implement several flagship initiatives for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth that should help fight socio-economic inequalities. The Maastricht Treaty established the EMU and its criteria for entering. Each Member State wanting to join the single currency must fulfil certain economic and legal criteria, as set up in Article 121 of the Treaty of Maastricht. These so-called convergence criteria are price stability, government finances, exchange rates, and long-term interest rates. They are often referred to as the Maastricht criteria, and state that the annual government deficit relative to GDP may not exceed 3 per cent, and that a country may not have a debt higher than 60 per cent of its GDP.
The Stability and Growth Pact (SGP)/European Fiscal Compact was introduced at the same time as the single currency and contains a set of rules and regulations that aim to guarantee budgetary discipline. It was created to ensure the stability of the Economic and Monetary Union and coordinate fiscal policies within the Member States of the European Union. Its aim is increased supervision of national budgets and the possibility to issue sanctions against countries that do not comply with the convergence criteria, most notably those on government deficit and debt. The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) is a European Union agency created in 2012 that provides funding for struggling economies in the Eurozone and banks in difficulty, with a maximum lending capacity of €500 bn. It can lend funds directly to governments or buy their bonds, as well as supporting banks by providing funds in return for a shareholding. The Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund are fiscal transfer-mechanisms of sorts; a third of the EU budget is reallocated to regions that are lesser developed, and gain monetary support from the funds make structural investments.
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VIII. Further Research http://www.iisd.org/topic/sustainable-development http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/6976/economics/economic-downturn-definition/ http://www.dw.com/en/eurobonds-a-cure-or-a-curse/a-15548559 http://www.debatingeurope.eu/focus/infobox-arguments-for-and-against-fiscal-union/ http://www.progressiveeconomy.eu/sites/default/files/papers/Matteo%20Laruffa%20The%20Europea n%20economic%20governance.pdf http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2015/08/03/rising-inequality-in-the-eurozone-underlines-the-needfor-a-fiscal-union/ http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-end-of-fiscal-sovereignty-in-europe http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/30/greek-debt-troika-analysis-says-significantconcessions-still-needed http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2013-01-07/why-austerity-works-and-fiscal-stimulus-doesn-t http://www.economist.com/node/18332880 https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2015/html/sp150522.en.html http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1036 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics#Youth_unemployment_trends http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/europe-2020-in-a-nutshell/flagship-initiatives/index_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/euro/adoption/who_can_join/index_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/economic_governance/sgp/index_en.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19870747 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/GDP_at_regional_level#Cohesion_policy http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Europe_2020_indicators__executive_summary#Main_tables
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COMMITTEE ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY PREPARED BY KATHARINA FRANKE (DE) TUA MALMBERG (SE)
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WHILST SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN WORKING TOWARDS GENDER PARITY IN EUROPE, NOTABLE INEQUALITIES STILL REMAIN, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARDS TO THE WORKPLACE AND PERSONAL SECURITY. HOW SHOULD THE EU LOOK TO ACHIEVE THE PRIORITIES OF THE STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT FOR GENDER EQUALITY 2016-19?
I. Key Terms Gender: the “state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones)” Video and Overview: Gender Roles in Society https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QthMrCqspww Gender disparity: differences in status, power and prestige women and men in groups, collectives and societies. Definition: http://www.encyclo.co.uk/define/Gender%20inequality Gender pay gap: calculated over a lifetime, as well as per hour, women earn less than men. Video and Overview: What are the causes? http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/gender-paygap/causes/index_en.htm
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ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
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I. Key Terms Gender mainstreaming: the (re)organisation, improvement, development and evaluation of policy processes, incorporating a gender equality perspective in all policies at all levels and at all stages, by actors normally involved in policy-making. Explanation: http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/equality/03themes/gender-mainstreaming/index_en.asp) Gender quota: the aim to hire a person of a specific gender to a certain position, or setting a minimum percentage of a gender that need to be hired/elected in a recruitment process. Article and explanation: http://www.quotaproject.org/aboutQuotas.cfm Gender stereotypes: generalisations about the roles of each gender. They often unconsciously influence our way of thinking and our decision making. Can be both personal, and societal. Graphic, Video and explanation: https://storify.com/kae_boykin/history-of-gender-sterotypes-inchildren-s-adverst Gender-based violence: physical or mental violence against a person based on their gender. Violence against women includes physical/sexual violence, violence during childhood, psychological violence, stalking and sexual harassment. Video and Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPYg_O-FE0k II. Explanation and Relevance of the Topic Seeking to favour equality in Europe, the European Commission has identified five main priorities for the Member State’s strategic engagement in the process of achieving gender parity; equality in decision-making; dignity, integrity and ending gender-based violence; and promoting gender equality beyond the EU. With gender parity shaping a multitude of issues facing European women, or rather, Europeans who do not identify themselves as men, society is defined by inequality.
FEMM
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
II. Explanation and Relevance of the Topic Workplace and Labour Market Gender-segregation in the labour market has immense impact on women’s pay, pensions, and lifelong earnings, increasing their risk of poverty. While women are overrepresented in care-related fields such as health, education and the service sector, men dominate sectors like construction, transport, industry and agriculture. Men are also more likely to work in higher-level jobs than women .
Societal Norms and Structures Gender stereotypes influence young people in their study and career choices and at the same time keep employers from hiring women for certain positions Additionally, as a result of unequal sharing of family responsibilities and a lack of sufficient childcare support, women often feel the need to give up their careers or work in part time jobs, limiting their access to information and society.
Personal Security One in three women will suffer from gender-based violence or abuse in their lifetime. Often, violence happens within close relationships, establishing the notion of domestic violence being a private rather than societal problem. Although, gender-based violence occurs in all aspects of private and public life, affects especially women of all ages and all social classes.
IIi. Key Questions Dignity and integrity: how can the EU work towards equality between all those who identify as women, men, and other genders in a society that historically has been shaped by structural gender disparity? What role can the EU play in furthering the development of women, leading them to take as big a place in the information based society of today as their male counterparts? What measures can be taken by the EU to further equality in decision-making, on both international and national levels?
FEMM
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
IIi. Key Questions How can it be ensured that recruitment related decisions made by companies and institutions are not influenced by prejudice and gender stereotypes? What can the EU do to achieve an equal distribution of family responsibilities and a better compatibility of work and family? What action can be taken to combat gender-based violence on a European level, with regards to both victims and predators?
IV. Key Facts & Figures Around the world, only 22 percent of all national parliamentarians are female. Women represent only 21% of board members of the biggest listed companies in Europe; On average, women are paid 16% less than men per hour of work; Employed women are four times more likely to be working part-time than employed men;
65.8% of women with young children are working, compared to 89.1% of men; In 2015, the proportion of women aged 30-34 that had attained tertiary education was measured as exceeding that for men by 9.3 p.p.; Explanatory graphic: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/File:Women_in_the_EU28.jpg
One third of all women in Europe have experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15 In certain nations the number of women who have been exposed to sexual abuse is as high as 70% Statistics on how many men experience the same form of violence is rarely measured, but in a UK report 69 000 of rape victims in England and Wales were female, and 9 000 were male. Only about a third of women who are physically or sexually abused by their partners contact the authorities.
FEMM
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
V. Key Conflicts There are many different stances held by different parties as to how the issue of gender inequality should be tackled. A positive view on gender equality and the achievement thereof is held by the European institutions, as seen by the many directives and systems put in place to further gender parity. However, there is a significant conflict regarding the view upon gender inequality being a problem within society. Babatunde Osotimehine, the head of the United Nations Population Fund, argues that men “must learn what gender equality means and stop trying to control women's lives if future development goals are to have any real traction.” However, there is little to no consensus among Member States where tackling the issue is concerned, as well as a lively public debate. Quotas, for example, are a widely debated topic across the continent on both international and national levels. Some argue that quotas are the most effective way to obtain a fair representation of women on boards, correcting an existing discrimination against women. Yet critics suspect discrimination against men applying for the same position and doubt a positive effect of quotas on the long run. This view on quotas can be seen as a reflection of the gender disparity debate between and within Member States. Where women’s rights are furthered, it is often stated that men’s rights are being restricted. This being said, Europe is heading towards gender equality, and gender disparity is a fact. Women have lesser access to information and lower wages than men, and are exposed to gender-based violence with higher frequency. Systems promoting the empowerment of women are continuously put in place, such as in the European Commission's Network to Promote Women in Decision-Making in Politics and the Economy. Women are being pushed forward, and the EU is continuously seeking for fair ways to promote gender parity across the continent. Despite the effort put in, there is a long way to go before achieving it fully. Should Europe move faster, and how can this be enabled? Should Europe move slower, or even stagnate? What measures can be taken to achieve the priorities of the Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-19, in a manner that suits not only the EU, but all Member States?
FEMM
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
VI. Key Stakeholders As a multi-level governance framework, the EU plays a crucial role in enabling a concern for gender equality in Member State policies, gender norms and culture, reaching from an international to a national, regional and local level. Furthermore, as the largest umbrella organisation of women’s associations in the EU, the European Women’s Lobby is working to promote women’s rights and equality between women and men. As the sole legislative power of the EU, the European Commission can draft and adopt legislation in collaboration with the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. Where women’s rights and gender equality are concerned, the EU holds shared and supporting competences with the Member States. This means that all legislation drafted either needs to be established alongside Member States, or established by the Member States themselves. As the main beneficiary of an increase in available competences, the labour market is in need of gender equality and reforms enabling and putting the female labour force to work, in order to evolve into the future. As the main beneficiaries of a gender-equal labour market, women possess a fundamental interest in the development of gender-equality. Additionally, as the main beneficiaries of the current system, men are a key actor in the evolvement of the situation as they majorly possess the positions of power with the ability to affect change. Moreover, the European Institute for Gender Equality holds a significant stake with regards to the issue, through its work with promoting gender equality and gender mainstreaming in all EU policies. Where gender disparity is concerned, national authorities in the Member States play a significant role. In addition to European legislation, national authorities can act to implement further policy and law regarding the issue of gender disparity. National crime-prevention institutions play a significant role in the prevention of gender-based violence where key stakeholders include both victims and perpetrators.
FEMM
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
VII. Measures In Place In helping people get better jobs and ensuring fairer job related opportunities, the European Social Fund is the EU’s financial instrument for support, and for ensuring fairer job opportunities for all EU citizens. Following the Strategy for Equality between Women and Men 2010-2015, the European Commission published the Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019. This strategy is regarded as common policy for all Member States. In December 2013, the EU established the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme 2014-2020 and includes financial support for organisations that work to achieve gender equality. Many Member States have taken various measures to tackle the issue of a gender-segregated labour market, yet there is no consensus among Member States which is the most effective approach. Some Member States such as Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands have imposed gender quotas for boards, forcing companies to have a certain percentage of women in senior positions. Furthermore, several Member States launched initiatives like a girls day/boys day, encouraging youngsters to get to know jobs that are nontraditional for their gender. In relation to the gender equality aforementioned strategy, the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. EU-wide there are several Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) that try to raise awareness about violence against women and providing victims with psychological help and legal assistance. Yet victims often do not know about the existing possibilities to get advice and support. The EU also protects women from genderbased violence through legal frameworks, and practical measures such as co-funding projects run by NGOs - for example, the policy document drafted by the European Institute for Gender Equality called Strategic Framework on Violence Against Women and the organisation Women Against Violence Europe.
FEMM
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
VIII. Further Research Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council Employment and Social Policy issues Monday 7 March in Brussels (LEX building): http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/epsco/2016/03/epsco-background-en_pdf/ Eurostat: Poverty and Social Exclusion http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/Europe_2020_indicators_-_poverty_and_social_exclusion UN Women: Violence Against Women http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures Facts about International Gender Inequality http://www.makers.com/blog/21-facts-you-never-knew-about-international-gender-inequality European Commission: Gender Equality http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/documents/160111_strategic_engagement_en.pdf European Commission: 2014 Annual Report http://ec.europa.eu/justice/genderequality/files/annual_reports/150304_annual_report_2014_web_en.pdf European Commission: Gender Pay Gap http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/gender-pay-gap/causes/index_en.htm Eurostat: Gender Statistics http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Gender_statistics FRA: Violence Against Women http://fra.europa.eu/en/press-release/2014/violence-against-women-every-day-and-everywhere Eurostat: Violence Against Women http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures The Guardian: Rape and Statistics http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/11/malefemale-rape-statistics-graphic European Commission: Gender-based Violence http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/gender-violence/index_en.htm European Commission: Statistics Indicators http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/tools/statistics-indicators/index_en.htm Article: Development Goals http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/mar/11/gender-equality-womens-rightsdevelopment-goals-csw Article: The spread of gender quotas for company boards http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/03/economist-explains-14
FEMM
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
VIII. Further Research j List of pros and cons about gender quota for boards http://www.newstatesman.com/business/2012/09/quotas-women-boards-all-pros-and-cons-one-place Video: Gender quotas: Bad for businesses or a “necessary evil”? http://www.euractiv.com/section/social-europe-jobs/news/gender-quotas-bad-for-business-or-anecessary-evil/ Homepage: #HeForShe http://www.heforshe.org/en European Commission: Women’s Network http://www.afaemme.org/european-commissions-network-promote-women-decision-makingpolitics-and-economy Video and explanation of the European Social Fund http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=325 Five priorities of the Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019 http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/ Overview to Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme 2014-2020 http://ec.europa.eu/justice/grants1/programmes-2014-2020/rec/index_en.htm Istanbul Convention: Gender Parity https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent? documentId=090000168046031c Strategic Framework on Violence Against Women http://eige.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/mh0215481enn.pdf Women Against Violence Europe http://www.wave-network.org/
JURI
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
COMMITTEE ON LEGAL AFFAIRS PREPARED BY ANAMARIA TODOR (RO) EDVIN CEMAN (LU)
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THE CURRENT REFUGEE CRISIS PUTS INTO QUESTION THE EU’S ADHERENCE TO HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS, AS WELL AS ITS ABILITY TO ADAPT ITS BORDER AND INTEGRATION POLICIES TO CHANGING REALITIES. WHAT CHANGES RELATING TO THE COMMON EUROPEAN ASYLUM SYSTEM SHOULD THE EU UNDERTAKE TO BETTER DISTRIBUTE, PROTECT AND INTEGRATE ASYLUM SEEKERS WHILST RESPECTING THE VIEWS OF MEMBER STATES?
I. Key Terms Migrant: defined as "one who moves, either temporarily or permanently, from one place, area or country of residence to another". There are many social and economic reasons why people move country, both positive and negative. Refugee: a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or natural disaster.The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees describes a refugee as “a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unstable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it." http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49da0e466.html Asylum seeker: someone who has applied for asylum and is waiting for approval from the country’s government to receive the refugee status.
JURI
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
I. Key Terms Non-refoulement: binding international law that protects refugees from being sent back to a place where their fundamental human rights and freedom would be put at risk. Hotspots: the formation of registration centres in EU Member States meant to identify and relocate refugees. Human smuggling: the corrupt and illegal transportation of people across international borders. http://www.oecd.org/corruption/Corruption-and-the-smuggling-of-refugees.pdf II. Explanation and Relevance of the Topic The arrival of refugees in Europe has been a real challenge, both socially and economically.Just in 2015, over 850.000 have arrived in Italy and Greece, bringing the EU-total to 1.3 million. The dangers of their journey and the hardships encountered upon arrival make the refugees extremely vulnerable and in need of immediate basic humanitarian assistance. The unbearable conditions in home and neighbor countries leave refugees with no choice but to resort to human traffickers to get them to EU border-countries, and from there to more stable and prosperous ones, such as Germany or Sweden. Until now, the response of EU countries to the crisis has been deeply flawed; refugee resettlement quotas remain low and unfulfilled, a consensus on how to reform EU asylum policies remains elusive, and Member States (MS) are facing a backlash from national electorates on this issue. The question then becomes: how can we manage the flow of refugees humanely? Many EU countries are reluctant to given people access to their asylum system, yet the Human Rights Charter, to which all Member States subscribed to, says People should not have to risk their lives and go through perilous journeys in order to reach a place of safety, and that they should be offered safe passage and legitimate conditions to seek refuge. Essentially, humanitarian aid is a legal right to Syrian families, and other refugees. However, only a strong political and legal approach in Syria, and within the international community can solve the current crisis. Ultimately, in this time of crisis, refugee protection needs a system of collective action at a European level. Human rights and compassion should be the heart of the international response, EU states having a legal and moral obligation to humanely host and respect the rights and dignity of anyone arriving at their borders.
JURI
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
IIi. Key Questions How can EU Member States take collective action in solving the refugee crisis? How can we catalyze efforts by EU countries with the best resources available to settle refugees in a long term and sustainable way? How can we utilize funding in order to enable Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and state governments to ensure the rights of asylum seekers? Given the inadequacies of current EU Dublin Regulation and its refugee processing system, how can we clearly assign responsibility for refugees at the point of entry country? What are the existing legal and policy frameworks concerning the protection and resettlement of refugees? Who is making money from refugees, and what are we doing about them?
IV. Key Facts & Figures Number of Syrian refugees (Correct at time of publication) : total: over 4.3 million coming to Europe : over 1 million ( 500.000 Germany, 250.000 Sweden) total of approved asylum-seekers: 292,540 died trying to cross the Mediterranean : over 3.500 being relocated from Greece & Italy : 160.000 EU-wide registered in neighbouring countries: 5 million ( 2.6 mio. in Turkey, 1.4 mio. in Lebanon, 1 mio. in Iraq, Jordan & Egypt) Main migrant routes: the Western Mediterranean route; the circular route from Albania to Greece; the Western Balkan route; the Eastern Borders route
JURI
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
IV. Key Facts & Figures (cont.) Economic impact of escapees undefinable increase in social sector spending, estimated at 700 million euros. increase in aggregate demand on the market, with approximately 500,000 more people demanding products short term decrease in unemployment numbers refugees being prefered to local work force because of their low wage demands long-term amelioration of economy greater expansion of workforce
V. Key Conflicts Since 2011, the stream of migrations from the Middle East and Northern Africa has put significant pressure the European Union and its Member States. Today, it is especially the number of refugees coming from war-torn Syria that is putting into question concepts such as the free movement of people (Schengen), and is showing the difference between values and practice in EU politics . The problem starts with how refugees travel through third-countries such as Turkey, and then make their journey over the seas and eventually arrive in countries such as Greece. Refugees have to be checked, registered, and potentially relocated in a timely manner . Unfortunately, at 7000 people arriving a day, the requirements for proper checks, registrations and relocations prove impossible to live up to for affected countries. The ‘Dublin III Regulation’ designates the first point of entry (country) for refugees as the one responsible process the asylum claims, and also keep a record of all asylum seekers. Regrettably then, Greece’s economic situation f.ex. and the extend of this crisis do not allow it to implement Dublin III. Due to a lack of financial and human resources, added to the infrastructural problems, the states of the first point of entry are incapable to stem the refugee crisis. This then is what prompted debate over reforming the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) to include burden-sharing, potentially have a central authority deciding on asylum applicants and relocation, and increased financial aid to border-countries such as Greece or Italy. However, the EU is slow to respond: many Member States are opposing reform for national political reasons, relocation programs have grossly failed; of the 160.000 that should be relocated from Greece since November 2015, only 273 actually were sent to a third-country. States like Macedonia or Hungary have closed their borders, which puts further pressure on countries like Greece. Previously the authorities could let the asylum seekers pass to reduce the mass in the entry country, but increasingly we are seeing a humanitarian catastrophe developing at our doorsteps, and within the Union itself.
JURI
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
V. Key Conflicts (cont.) Additionally, on different EU-Turkey summits, the EU demanded Turkey to adopt the role of a border guard to stop the flow of migrants to Europe. This is on one hand a direct infringement on the right to non-refoulement, but also questionable on the grounds of how practicable this can be. Turkey will receive a total of €6bn from the EU to ensure the financial funds needed for this. Is it ethically justifiable for the EU to pay other countries to do ‘the dirty work’, especially when only one EU MS considers Turkey as a safe country of origin? Germany and Sweden have disproportionately taken in most of the refugees; most of EU member states contribute far less than their capacities would allow for. That the United Kingdom for example pledged to take in 20,000 refugees over 5 years (4,000 a year), compared to Germany’s 105,000 in only 3 months (January-March 2015), is scarcely helping. Nevertheless, The UK insists on their migrant policy and states, like many other western european countries, that they can not take in more immigrants. Arguments for this statement are that the mass influx of immigrants will first provoke more to come and second have negative repercussions for the economy and social-cohesion. However, these arguments are disputed by many studies. The contrary can be the case if refugees are properly integrated, allowed to work instead of being tied to wait in asylum centres, and offered a perspective to build up a new life.
VI. Key Stakeholders The European Commission has been pushing forward the “Common European Asylum System” for years to bring greater cohesion to different EU legislation regarding asylum seekers and refugees. The EC is in favour of a quota system to distribute refugees and asylum seekers evenly amongst EU Member States. The Home Affairs Directorate-General of the Commission is their executive arm for this kind of legislation and in charge of the implementation of FRONTEX and EASO (European Asylum Support Office), among others. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-a airs/what-we-do/agencies/index_en.htm
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ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
VI. Key Stakeholders (cont). The Council of the European Union has co-legislative powers together with the European Parliament, and represents Heads of States and Ministers of Member States within different working groups, and has rejected pushes towards a quota system repeatedly. Their argument was based on the reluctance to overwrite national sovereignty of who they accept as refugees to the European Union. This argument addresses the idea of the proposed quota system within the original Dublin III treaty, which would have automatically allocated asylum seekers and refugees to different Member States. The issue then is one of national sovereignty versus supranational powers. With this decision, they stand in opposition to the European Parliament that voted for the adoption of the quota system. Between Member States, we have to keep in mind the different interests and political realities on the ground of those countries.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a UN agency that delivers development aid on the ground at the request of governments or the UN, as well as supporting refugees’ rights and assisting them in questions of legal matters. They have been calling for reforms of the existing EU legislation concerning asylum seekers and advocate stronger commitment towards accepting asylum seekers. The European Commission is their second biggest donor to their development aid programs. Third-Countries, such as Turkey, Libya, etc; The EU will occasionally establish partnerships with countries to prevent or weaken refugee streams leaving the country in question (Example: Turkey). This usually happens through development aid, sharing of border surveillance information and direct support for controlling borders, and repatriation treaties. Specifically, the EU has a partnership agreement with Turkey to close its borders and take back asylum seekers the EU rejects. This would lead to a drastic reduction of fugitives entering Greece and therefore also lessen the pressure on Greece and their border. Third-Countries, such as Turkey, Lebanon, and Iraq, are playing a big part in accepting refugees and ‘preventing’ them to come to Europe.
JURI
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
VII. Measures In Place Common European Asylum System (CEAS) The CEAS is a system made up of three EU Directives and two regulations. An EU Directive overrides national law, and thus facilitates creating harmonised EU laws, in this case legislation concerned with asylum seekers. Parts of this are the Dublin regulation for example. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-a airs/what-we-do/policies/asylum/index_en.htm http://www.asylumineurope.org/news/10-07-2014/italy%E2%80%99s-eu-presidency-fo- cusimplementing-ceas-solidarity-and-mutual-recognition http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-a airs/elibrary/docs/ceas-fact-sheets/ceas_factsheet_ en.pdf Dublin Regulation (specifically first point of entry) The objective of this Regulation is to identify the Member State responsible for examining an asylum application, and to prevent abuse of asylum procedures. Under the current Dublin Regulation, also often referred to as Dublin II, the responsibility of which MS has to deal with the migrant in questions remains with the migrant’s country of entry. The e ectiveness and the fairness of the system have been put into question, but have also been underlined. http://www.ecre.org/topics/areas-of-work/protection-in-europe/10-dublin-regulation.html http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/justice_freedom_security/free_movement_of_ persons_asylum_immigration/l33153_en.htm http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/? uri=CELEX:52007DC0299
Frontex Frontex facilitates cooperation between border authorities of di erent Member States. The agency was set up in 2005 to help guard borders from illegal activities. Besides its facilitator role and intelligence gathering, it has“ Rapid Border Intervention Teams”, which are armed border guards that can be send to support Member States guarding their borders. http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/justice_freedom_security/free_movement_of_ persons_asylum_immigration/l33216_en.htm http://frontex.europa.eu/about-frontex/mission-andtasks
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VII. Measures In Place Temporary Protection (EU Directive) Temporary protection is an exceptional measure to provide displaced persons from non- EU countries and unable to return to their country of origin, with immediate and tem- porary protection. It applies in particular when there is a risk that the standard asylum system is struggling to cope with demand stemming from a mass in ux that risks having a negative impact on the processing of claims. So far, this policy has never been implemented. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-a airs/what-we-do/policies/asylum/temporary-protection/ index_en.htm
Viii. Further Research http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/asylum/identification-ofapplicants/index_en.htm http://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/asylum-crisis-europe-designed-dysfunction http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/asylum/index_en.htm http://www.politico.eu/article/why-eu-refugee-relocation-policy-has-been-a-flop-frontex-easo-med/ http://bruegel.org/2015/10/how-will-refugees-affect-european-economies/ https://www.oecd.org/migration/How-will-the-refugee-surge-affect-the-European-economy.pdf http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2013/jan/04/refugees-campinnovation-creativity https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/levant/2015-10-20/help-refugees-help-themselves http://www.economist.com/news/business/21679791-businesses-could-benefit-and-refugeesintegrate-faster-if-newcomers-europe-were-able
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
SEDE
LUXEMBOURG 2016
COMMITTEE ON SECURITY & DEFENCE PREPARED BY ÂLI OKUMUŞOĞLU (TR) WILLIAM HEINZ (LU)
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THE NOVEMBER 2015 ATTACKS ON PARIS HAVE LED TO RENEWED CALLS FOR GREATER SECURITY MEASURES TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN PROTECTING CITIZENS. HOWEVER, THIS HAS LED TO ETHNIC MINORITIES EXPERIENCING INCREASED LEVELS OF POLICE DISCRIMINATION AND RACIAL PROFILING ACROSS EUROPE. HOW CAN THE EU ENSURE ITS MEMBER STATES AFTER SUFFICIENT PROTECTION FROM TERRORIST THREATS WITHOUT INFRINGING ON THE CIVIL LIBERTIES OF THE INDIVIDUAL?
I. Key Terms Xenophobia: Dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries. Islamophobia: Dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force. New Right: Often used in an American context - a group of people who believe that government should be separated from a country's economy and that traditional morals are very important Racial profiling: Discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin. Civil Liberties: the state of being subject only to laws established for the good of the community, especially with regard to freedom of action and speech. Schengen Area: territory, which takes in several EU countries, where the free movement of persons is guaranteed Intelligence-Sharing: "the ability to exchange intelligence, information, data, or knowledge among Federal, state, local or private-sector entities as appropriate." Also involves intergovernmental bilateral or multilateral agreements and is meant to facilitate the use of actionable intelligence to a broader range of decision-makers.
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ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
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II. Explanation and Relevance of the Topic The European Union was founded on the fundamental values of respect for human dignity and human rights, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law. However, it was also founded to bring and provide peace and security to its members. However, the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Belgium have laid bare cracks about how we should respond to terrorist threats. The attacks have shown how split the EU has become; the rise of the ‘new right’, and how far-reaching mass-surveillance and police-powers should be have raises questions about how to translate ‘European ideals into policy.
The weakness lies in the anticipation of attacks and the prevention of attacks. For that, you would need more and deeper cooperation between services.” - Josef Janning, Head of Berlin Office of the European Council on Foreign Relations “
This quote recorded by Mr. Janning following the Paris attacks illustrates this. Currently, there are multiple intelligence agencies across the 28 Member States, yet they have “different degrees of willingness to share data.”. This lack of consistent data-sharing has become a main concern and call for reform. Some even call for an European Intelligence Agency that would pool data and make sure nothing is lost when suspects cross borders. The Berne Group, Europol and the European Union Military Staff are the three EU institutions in charge of ‘facilitating intelligence sharing between Member States.’ The issue here however is that these institutions’ effectiveness is limited whenever there is a lack of trust between countries with regard to sharing information. The attacks on Paris have also brought into question the EU’s gun control enforcements and policies along with a decision being made to review the Schengen border codes.
The Charlie Hebdo killers bought their weapons from an arms dealer in Brussels [...] and then apparently brought them into France themselves.” - The Guardian “
A rise in police control have led to increase racial profiling and police discrimination in which the involvement of law enforcement has become a question of public safety and concern. Incidents involving police violence towards ethnic minority individuals around Europe have also been a contributing factor to this. Europe is facing a continued threat to its values, and the security of its citizens. It is the EU’s responsibility to eliminate such threats, but at what cost? How far can we go before the fundamental rights and freedoms of us citizens are undermined by our own actions?
SEDE
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
IIi. Key Questions In what ways does the need for security interfere with civil liberties? How can law enforcement take precautions against terrorist threats and investigate on previous attacks without discriminating on individuals and/or racial profiling? Can a middle ground be reached, or are privacy and security incompatible? If no middle ground can be reached, which of both has the highest priority?
IV. Key Facts & Figures (cont.) There are three main European Intelligence Sharing Institutions: the Berne Group, Europol and the European Union Military Staff (http://www.jamesigoewalsh.com/jcms.pdf) The EU granted asylum to 292,540 refugees in 2015 1.1 million people cross borders within the EU to get to their jobs. There are currently 4-5 million unregistered guns within Eastern Europe left over from wars.
V. Key Conflicts Security vs. Privacy - It has become clear that a security problem exists in Europe with regard to terrorism. But in order to achieve greater security, some argue that privacy-concerns need to make way. Specifically, we are talking about different aspects of greater human and national security, such as increased tracking of passenger records of incoming and outgoing flights, an increase of surveillance on internet communication to control gun trafficking, terrorist communications, but with some also calling for analysing general communication to spot patterns of radicalisation. How far can we go in order to achieve a higher level of security, and how effective can these measures actually be? The threats of terrorism vs. police powers - An Asymmetrical conflict - Police forces around Europe have taken numerous precautions such as increased border controls and surveillance along with an increase in raids in order to prevent potential terrorist threats. Yet there is a blurred line between racial profiling leading to discrimination and preventing a possible threat of terrorism.
SEDE
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
V. Key Conflicts (cont.) EU Values: After the recent attacks, security has become the highest priority for the Member States, setting EU values such as privacy and freedom of movement (ex. Schengen agreement) at odds with the calls for more security. What kinds of security are we talking about, what forms and extend would they take on, and at what costs to core-values would they come? Some argue that the freedom of expression and religious freedoms should not be understood as absolute, as either can incite violence or create extremist cells implicitly or explicitly. Are these fears grounded in fact or fear? VI. Key Stakeholders The influx of refugees into Europe has led to an increase in Islamophobia, racial profiling and police discrimination based on the increase of terrorism within Europe.
Intelligence institutions: Berne Group:” An intelligence sharing forum between the intelligence services of the 28 states of the European Union (EU), Norway and Switzerland, named after the city of Bern. It is an institution based on voluntary exchange of information, experience and views as well as discussing problems” Europol: EU’s law enforcement agency which aims to “achieve a safer Europe for the benefit of all EU citizens” Military Leaders of the EU: “To provide early warning, situation assessment, strategic planning, Communications and Information Systems, concept development, training & education, and support of partnerships.” European Commission: The executive institution of the European Union that holds the power to propose legislations to further readings in European Parliament and Council of European Union. Council of the European Union: The Council of the EU represents the member states' governments. Also known informally as the EU Council, it is where national ministers from each EU country meet to adopt laws and coordinate policies. European Parliament: “The only elected parliamentary institution of the European Union. Along with the European Commission, the European Parliament has legislative power but not the ability to formally propose legislation. This institution also controls budgetary actions for the European Union. Members of the European Parliament are elected every five years.”
SEDE
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
VII. Measures In Place EU ministers have put forward a proposal to establish a shared Passenger Name Record (PNR) between all airlines which fly into and from European countries in order to have a shared information database. The proposed EU PNR directive would oblige airlines to hand EU countries their passengers' data in order to help the authorities to fight terrorism and serious crime. It would require more systematic collection, use and retention of PNR data on air passengers, and would therefore have an impact on the rights to privacy and data protection. “
The EU Commission has published a report on “Communication to the European Parliament, the European Council and Council’ titled ‘Back to Schengen - A Roadmap’ in which they discuss the actions “ needed in three areas to bring the Schengen system of border management back to normality” along with a discussion of how to “Ensure the protection of external borders”. The document ends with a timeline on how to bring the system back to ‘normality’.
Anti-Discrimination laws & review “European non-discrimination law, as constituted by the EU non-discrimination directives, and Article 14 of and Protocol 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights, prohibits discrimination across a range of contexts and a range of grounds. This Handbook examines European non-discrimination law stemming from these two sources as complementary systems, drawing on them interchangeably to the extent that they overlap, while highlighting differences where these exist. In 2011, the European Network of legal experts in the non-discrimination field published a review on European Anti-discrimination Law, containing analysis on results and consequences. On the 18th November the European Commission publishes proposals to strengthen control of firearms, which includes measures on deactivated firearms, life-saving weapons and the acquisition and modification of firearms.
SEDE
ACADEMIC PREPARATION KIT
LUXEMBOURG 2016
VIII. Further Reading http://www.jamesigoewalsh.com/jcms.pdf http://www.wort.lu/en/luxembourg/illegal-weapons-trade-buying-kalachnikovs-online-fromluxembourg-is-child-s-play-56eab8931bea9dff8fa749e0 http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/01/14/charlie_hebdo_guns_belgian_arms_dealer_confess es_to_selling_arms_to_amedy.html http://www.rferl.org/content/antimigrant-voices-boost-standing-as-migrant-crisis-dragson/27316781.html http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-541_en.htm http://time.com/how-europes-terrorists-get-their-guns/ http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/20150123BKG12902/EU-Passenger-Name-Record(PNR)-proposal-an-overview http://www.ibtimes.com/charlie-hebdo-massacre-illegal-gun-trafficking-brings-millions-weapons-eu1779070 https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/page/about-europol-17 http://www.eeas.europa.eu/csdp/structures-instruments-agencies/eu-military-staff/ http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/home/ http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/European-Parliament.html
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