Bullseye No. 54 "Let me be! Youth Entrepreneurship in Higher Education"

BullsEye Dec’13 / 52nd year / No. 54 / ISSN 2033-7809

The newsmagazine of European Democrat Students

EDS

Entrepreneurship in Higher Education

EDITORIAL

Henry Hill, Editor-in-chief

Andrey Novakov, EDS Vice Chairman

CONTENT

Welcome to the second issue of the 2013/14 EDS Bureaux. I hope that wherever you are reading this, whether at an EDS event or at home in one of the many countries in which we work, this editorial finds you well.

This issue tackles some interesting themes. First, there is analysis of two very important elections for the European centre-right. The right suffered a major setback in the Czech Republic, for reasons we have covered in a previous issue, and an article in this magazine takes us through what happened in the election. We also look at Angela Merkel’s pyrrhic victory in Germany – taking the CDU/CSU to one of its strongest ever showings, but forcing the other centre-right parties out of the parliament and leaving herself no option but to select a left-wing coalition partner.

Was she over-ambitious to go for an all-Black government in a country which has only produced one overall majority in modern times? Is this a grand triumph which may, in the long run, haunt the CDU? And more practically, what options did this leave for a future German government? That is the question we tackle.

Our theme section returns to the topic of youth entrepreneurship, education and job-hunting.

We have a second article on MOOCs (massive open online courses), an case for the value of internships, and an introduction to a new Ukrainian student-led programme that aims to combine the advantages of both into one simple-to-use system.

Elsewhere we take a look at the growing problems amongst the Eastern Partnership countries, and the alleged unfairness of the current EU system for processing immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees.

As ever, I will end my editorial with a call to you, the reader. We here at BullsEye are always looking for the views of young Europeans, both on the great issues of the day and on their specific areas of expertise. A magazine like this is only as strong as its contributors and whilst we have a very good team, it could always be stronger still.

BE is a great opportunity to see your work in a print magazine and gain valuable writing experience – and perhaps even change some minds too. If you have an argument you’d like to make to the world or an interesting report to share, please get in touch.

Dear readers and supporters of EDS, The year of 2013 is coming to an end and we arrive to you with a brand new issue of Bulls eye. December has always been the month to take stock and assess the work that has been done during the year. There is no better place for it than the Greek capital Athens. I am sure that this Council meeting of EDS will be a milestone for our organization, especially on the eve of the elections for European Parliament, which will be held in 2014. The time has come to evaluate all the achievements during the year, but also to take into account those objectives that we could not achieve for various reasons. One of the bases for future policies in the sphere of higher education and research is already happening and it’s a fact. High Education and Research Program took a lot of time, efforts and resources, but the outcome is in place and we are the only student organisation that has developed such a strategy for long-term development. Moreover, all contained measures and items are not worked of one, two or three people, but of a wide range of members and participants of the EDS from across the continent.

In the current issue of Bulls eye you’ll have the chance to be informed about the whole range of political, economic, educational and social process, going around Europe and abroad.

Elections, protest, budgets frameworks and tough political decisions are just small part of the contents of the last issue of our magazine for 2013. Objective journalism and youthful zeal for justice are the leading motivators for all who are involved in this issue. EDS never shied aside from current events happening around the world. Moreover, we have always been harbingers of positive change and innovators in the proposals for change in social processes.

But besides the time to look back and see what has been done, now is the time to look ahead and draw plans for our future development, assimilate priorities and to focus on our important issues. I believe that the new 2014 will bring much success to EDS and we’ll again show that European Democrat Students, Student organisation of the European People’s Party is the youth vanguard of Europe and carier of creative ideas and innovative approaches.

I wish you a pleasant read in this politically hot winter!

Current Affairs 04 Spy Games 05 Ukraine is Europe

Elections 06 Elections, Elections, Elections 07 Germany’s Possible Governments

Reports 08 Vilnius: Eastern Troubles 09 Immigration 10 What is democracy?

Interview 11 Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva

Theme 13 Moocs as tools of life-long learning 14 Ukrainian ‘SKILLS ACADEMY’ 16 The Value of Internships

Obituary 17 Wilfried Martens:

The man who changed European politics forever

Council of Europe 18 A voice for over 820 million people

Bureau 20 Bureau

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ISSN: Print: 2033-7809, Online: 2033-7817 Editor-in-chief: Henry Hill, Editorial team: Silvie Rohr, Stefanie Mayrhofer, Elisabeta Ungureanu, Henry Hill, David Vaculik, Annette Thoresen, Contributions: Anette Thoresen, Andrey Novakov, Anna Masna, Beniamin Babadzhanian, Dimitar Keranov, David Vaculik, Elina Foinska, Florian Weinberger, Georg Georgiev, Ivan Burazin, Silvie Rohr, Stefanie Mayerhofer, Photos: Balázs Szecsődi, European Commission archives, KAS archives, private archives, Shutterstock, Design: Creacion.si, Publisher: European Democrat Students, B-1000 Brussels, Rue du Commerce 10, Tel: +32 2 2854-150, Fax: +32 2 2854-141, Email: eds@epp.eu, Website: edsnet.eu Articles and opinions published in this magazine are not nessessarily reflecting the position of EDS, EDS Bureau or the Editorial team.

The newsmagazine of European Democrat Students

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Publication supported by: European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe

CHAIRMAN’S LETTER

Dear friends of EDS,

welcome to Athens! This is the spot of our second Council Meeting of the EDS working year. And the problems students are facing here are manifold: reforms have brought up administrative staff at university preventing students from taking their exams. This results in a loss of time and leads to a lot of frustration among these students who want to pursue their goals in life. These students try to qualify themselves to gain knowledge so that they can eventually enter the labour market and can have a decent job.

Oh, wait a second- isn’t Greece the country with the highest unemployment among young people in the European Union? It is!

And the rocketing-high numbers are even more a motive for EDS to be here and get involved. It depends on us, the political student and youth organizations, to develop together solutions that benefit the young unemployed. While the lack in employment opportunities cannot be neglected, we must acknowledge, that throughout Europe, our generation often does not believe in itself: despite seeing good business opportunities, only 40% of young people in the EU assume to possess the necessary requirements to run a business successfully.

And this is where we as EDS come in: we must encourage our peers! We are a generation with a skills level that generations before us have not seen. We do have excellent universities in Europe, and the amount of students enrolled in fulltime classes has risen over the last decades. All this knowledge gathered does not translate into a belief in oneself. We must strengthen that tie, we must continue to create opportunities and point them out. One way to do so is through entrepreneurship. We focus on entrepreneurship in higher education: how can cooperation between higher education institutions and the private sector spill over into nascent businesses? And how must we change to see the opportunities materialize? Is it just a lack of funding or rather the fear of failure that has grown to be a burden too difficult to overcome?

Young Europeans are twice as afraid of failure as their peer from Latin America.

We in EDS believe that everyone deserves a fair chance to be the master of his own fate, and that we must encourage young people to insist on them- and resist obstacles that just call for to rely on the state. We believe in students, their ability to accomplish, and success in Europe!

And never underestimate the power of accomplishments! Let’s achieve together the best for our generation. It’s our task to shape it!

But for now: enjoy the read of our new issue of BullsEye to stay tuned about the policies we discuss!

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With best regards from the entire bureau,

Eva Majewski, Chairwoman

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

Dimitar Keranov

Spy Games in Germany

We have all heard the spy stories, about very normal looking and totally unsuspicious people are in fact high-class Soviet spies, determined to crush the capitalist enemy from the inside. This used to be a good plot for the James Bond movies from the 60s on. Well, at least until end of 2012, when we discovered that two Russian spies have been arrested in Germany, and they have been spying for more than 20 years.

Some would say it’s no big deal, that such stuff happens, and of course it does.

But what is interesting is that this case gave the public a real insight into how such ‘spy games’ really work – and at some point you come to the conclusion that the James Bond movies weren’t such fiction after all. Only this time there was no Sean Connery to stop them on time.

Andreas and Heidrun Anschlag (Anschlag means Attack in German, nice code name) were stealing NATO and EU political and military secrets for two decades. They were preparing to flee Germany, but were successfully intercepted before they could do so.

Even Marie, the daughter of `Heidrun` and `Andreas` (their fake German names), was kept in the dark all these years and couldn’t believe her eyes when German commando raided their house in the small village of Michelbach, Hessen. In fact, later investigations showed that the pair was part of a top-secret Russian programme aimed at sending perfectly prepared and schooled spies behind enemy lines. They would have perfect command of the local language and all necessary background, passports, et al.

The couple answered to the SVR, a successor organization to the KGB. The so called `illegals` were believed to be the most dangerous weapon of the Soviets in the Cold War

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Era. However, Germany and the West had believed that Russia had abandoned such tactics in modern times, especially since Russia and Germany are strategic economic partners. This case proves this statement to be wrong. The `illegals` are here. And they are working against the EU and NATO – against us all.

The spies are believed to have come to Germany in 1988 using falsified Austrian passports. German authorities believe that they finished special training with the KGB in Moscow somewhere in 1984, when they were called Alexandr and Olga. The safest way for them to infiltrate was to pose as a married couple.

Nothing is known about their previous lives in the USSR, despite numerous attempts to shed some light into this matter. So much is however known – they needed a `legend` in order to start their new existence: Alexandr, for example, was born in 1959 in Buenos Aires, where his Czech parents had flown. Olga was born in Lima, Peru in 1965. Both seemed legitimate.

In 1988 the couple moved to Bonn, which was perfect for their tasks: all the federal ministries and the Russian embassy were situated there. German Federal Criminal Agency found maps, with numerous marks in Bonn, later proved to have been drop-off

points for materials and correspondence with the KGB/SVR. Andreas spent lots of his free time on participating in various think-tanks and other organizations, where he had the task to search for `allies`. As we know, think tanks give direct contact to many high-class officials, politicians, military personnel and so on. Andreas had to find their weaknesses, so then he could extort and `turn` them.

Heidrun, on the other hand, for the most partstayed home and communicated through a radio system and a closed YouTube channel.

This is how she got instructions on meetings with her vital `link`: Dutch diplomat Raymond Poeteray. His wekaness was gambling, so at some point he was `turned` by the SVR. Raymond Valentino Poeteray obtained several hundred pages of classified, partly secret documents from different Dutch embassies and received more than £60,000 in return.

Thanks to Andreas and Heidrun’s work, the SVR got crucial information on many EU and NATO projects, including Kosovo, Afghanistan, rocket placement and so on. The damage made is enormous. For their `good work`, the couple received £83,000 a year.

This certainly a huge scandal and will place even more strain on German-Russian relations. This case is the first in history where Russian spies are facing criminal charges in the European Union. The process is still pending, but if found guilty, they could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison for espionage.

It is vital to draw the right lesson from all this and see what can we learn. As Edward Lucas, editor of the Economist wrote in his book, European institutions are open and vulnerable. So long as the EU gives different scholarships, work placements, and so on to Russian students, Russian intelligence is systematically preparing people for those posts.

He gives as an example the case of a Russian `student`, that got to be assistant of a British deputy, responsible in part for United Kingdom security. The threat is real. These people are among us.

Last summer Thomas de Maizière, Germany’s then interior minister, wrote an intelligence report where he stated that “countries like Russia and China are actively operating espionage in the areas of the economy, science and research”.

For Russia the Cold War isn’t over. Europeans should become more cautious and informed and not underestimate such things – because this doesn’t only happen in movies, but is part of our reality. Your very neighbour could be a spy. You never know.

PS. Try not to get paranoid, though.

CURRENT AFFAIRS Elina Foinska, Anna Masna

Ukraine is Europe

The 28-29 November 2013 saw a significant and decisive summit of Eastern Partnership in Vilnius. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians protested on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kiev, whilst thousands more stood in the central squares of Ukraine’s major cities and a wave of sympathy demonstrations by the Ukrainian diaspora all over the world. Millions tuned into the summit, trying to interpret every single word and emotion from European leaders and Victor Yanukovich…

But the decision had already been taken, and Yanikovich paid no heed to the real choice and will of his own nation, nor to the laws of Ukraine. Can he be honestly referred to as the President of the independent Ukrainian nation? No. The scenario of disaster in Vilnius was consciously planned by the ruling coalition, and in it the future of our whole nation is destroyed. The opportunity to live in a European country, with its reliable norms, the rule of law, and open society, has been squandered. All the promises and efforts related to the Euro integration programme appear in vain. We hoped for a wonder, but none came.

Sixty per cent of the population of Ukraine

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supports the European integration of their country. This fact has been shown to the whole world by massive demonstrations against their government’s illegal decision, in order to protect their freedom, starting from 21 November 2013. So it was not in vain! This is a sign of a conscious, adult civil society in Ukraine, ready to fight for their rights and for their future. The protest, christened ‘Euromaidan’, has been organised by civil society and is not related to any political party. The phenomenon of peaceful demonstration in Ukraine goes on, and we are ready for radical change. The diaspora across the world raised its voice – this is the conscious choice of a united nation that wants to live in a European country that pos-

sesses a future.

The government of Ukraine, headed by Yanukovich, are against the choice of its citizens.

It is not acknowledging or respecting their rights and human dignity, nor does it value democracy. It is a historical mistake, and a betrayal by the government and Yanukovich of the people they are meant to serve - a mistake which will not be forgiven or forgotten by their country.

We are proud and happy that Georgia and Moldova have both taken decisive steps into their own European futures. We call upon the EU to support and protect the citizens of Ukraine, for the vengeance of Yanukovich and his government shall doubtless be cruel indeed.

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ELECTIONS

Silvie Rohr, Stefanie Mayrhofer, David Vaculik

Elections, Elections, Elections The year 2013 was one of the most important election seasons in recent memory. Between Eurobonds and the fiscal pact many EU member states elected new national governments.

At the beginning of the year Italy started with a fiasco. The centre-left coalition of Pier Luigi Bersani got a majority in the chamber of deputies. The problem was that none of the parties or potential coalitions was able to get a majority in the senate as well. The result was that the uncertain conditions in the senate complicated the building of a new government. Later on, in September, Norway went to the polls. One of the most exciting

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moments came when the conservative challenger, Erna Solberg, triumphed over the current leftist Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg to become the new Prime Minister of Norway.

This was a proud moment for the European conservative family.

Many Europeans also followed the elections to the German Bundestag. Would Angela Merkel be re-elected, perhaps with Germany’s second-ever post-war overall majority govern-

ment? Or would we have to say goodbye to the world’s most powerful woman? Taking nearly 42 per cent of the vote the Union of the CDU and CSU became by far the largest individual force in parliament – an overwhelming victory!

Yet with both the other centre-right parties (FDP and AfD) narrowly missing out on entering the Parliament, Merkel is not able to form a government of the Right.

In Austria, everything remained as it was. The Social Democrats won and the grand coalition is set to continue. Beyond that, it remains frightening that the right-populist and anti-European ‘Freedom Party’ became the third force on the national council. The Czech Republic also voted, and it was a bad election for the centre-right, a full report of which can be found elsewhere on the following pages.

ELECTIONS Silvie Rohr

Germany’s Possible Governments

The German federal election was held on 22 September, and before the night was over the first speculation began. The previous coalition of the conservatives (CDU/CSU) and liberals (FDP) was not returned – with 4.8 per cent of the vote, the FDP did not qualify for the subsequent Parliament. The Union won 41.5 per cent, one of its best ever results, but they just missed out on the absolute majority they had aimed for. With a Union minority government out of the question, that left just three possible coalitions.

OPTION ONE: RED/RED/GREEN (SPD, LEFT, GREENS) The ejection of the FDP produced a razor-thin majority for the united left – the Social Democrats, the Left and the Greens – in Parliament.

Mathematically, it would have been possible that Peer Steinbrück became Chancellor.

Since this coalition also holds a majority in the Bundesrat, they would have been able to govern with a left majority in both houses.

During the election the SPD tried to rule out a pan-left front. Steinbrück said during the campaign that “Red-Red-Green won’t be the federal government in 2013, neither with me nor with Sigmar Gabriel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Absolutely not.” The Left party’s radical positions on foreign missions, Hartz IV, and Europe – a former chairman demanded withdrawal from the Euro – render it unsuitable to govern Germany.

OPTION TWO: BLACK/GREEN (UNION AND GREENS) For me, this seems the most unlikely variant – the Greens are in many policy areas

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too remote from the Union and in some, especially tax, from reality itself. Yet many Germans find the theory of a Black/Green coalition a sympathetic idea. There are areas of common ground: both parties stand for equal wages for full-time and temporary workers (the Greens want a legal minimum wage of €8.50, the Union want to leave the bargaining parties to negotiate limits). Even their policies on reforming health insurance and schools show evidence of similarities.

But there are also significant differences, particularly on topics such as child care subsidies, retention, gay marriage, and most importantly tax increases, which mean that such a coalition would not last long. Further, the Greens know that many of their voters would be repelled by an alliance with the Union and it would do long-term harm to their prospects. In my view, any such coalition would see fresh elections after two years.

OPTION THREE: BLACK/RED (UNION AND SPD) A long back-and-forth: a Black/Green coalition was, due to irreconcilable differences in tax policy, out of the question. After the result both parties were able to agree on

coalition negotiations within approximately three hours. The SPD party convention gave the go-ahead for coalition negotiations with the Union and adopted ten essential requirements, the first of which is the imposition of a legal minimum wage (tax increases have been kicked out – what a surprise).

Yet the real winner of any ‘grand coalition’ is Angela Merkel. Everyone knows that the reason for the spectacular victory of the Union is Angela Merkel herself. The CDU didn’t really campaign on a particular policy programme, but on the personality of the Chancellor. Besides which, a grand coalition means a stable majority at the federal and state level. It would have 504 of the 631 parliamentary seats (Union: 311, SPD: 193).

It is not the desired policy change for the SDP, but that is to my eyes the smallest evil – for without involvement in government the SPD would have been threatened with an internal shift in power. Yet the grand coalition is also not the best for result for the Union. It makes a hard-left R/R/G coalition more likely in 2017 because the Union’s potential allies on the centre-right (both the long-established FDP and the new, conservative AfD) may not be in the next parliament – and the Federal Republic has only had one overall majority, ever. Both of these came within a few per cent of a per cent of qualifying in 2013, and Merkel may yet regret her bold attempt to capture the entire centre-right vote.

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REPORTS Óscar Sánchez Benítez

Vilnius: Eastern Troubles When the third Eastern Partnership (EaP) Summit takes place in Vilnius on the 28-29 November, the landscape will be very different to that of four years ago when the EaP was launched in Prague.

As we approach the summit, it seems that only one of the six Eastern Partners, Moldova – is still a country completely committed to its European future and to European values.

Under the leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM), Moldova has been throughout these years the model pupil. With Prime Ministers Vlad Filat, first, and now Iurie Leancă, Moldova has achieved enormous advances in virtually all fields: democracy, institutional integrity, the rule of law, economic and social stability, and other areas. Moldova truly deserves the initialing of its Association Agreement, which is expected to occur in Vilnius, as well as the visa-free policy suggested by the European Council.

However, regarding the other five countries, things are either less clear or simply going in a wrong direction.

There are no updates on Belarus and Azerbaijan. Belarus remains a ruthless dictatorship attached to Russia, while Azerbaijan seems to have never felt itself to be part of the European sphere. Probably few in the European sphere have felt that way about Azerbaijan, either, but economic and energy interests are so important on both sides that it is seen as better not to waste the opportunity of Azerbaijan’s participation in the Eastern Partnership.

In the case of the other three – Armenia, Ukraine and Georgia – prospects have de-

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teriorated.

Armenia surprised the EU in September when it decided to join the Russian Customs Union. As it has been repeatedly stated by officials and politicians in Brussels, that step disqualifies it from signing an Association Agreement with Europe.

If it was a genuine change of heart, a consequence of Russian pressure, or if Armenia really believed that it would be able to have a piece of both pies, is still not clear. What does seem clear is that it will likely take some time before Yerevan is able to reconcile with Brussels.

The situation in Ukraine is well known. While some goals have been achieved and the country has lately given signs of wanting to be in Europe (probably more because of Yanukovich’s fear of Russia than anything else), the problem of selective justice, and in particular the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, remains a deal breaker.

The witch hunt against Tymoshenko and her entourage has been harsh, shameless and against the most basic principles of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.

A lot of hope is put, though, in the efforts

of the two European Parliament mediators.

Pat Cox and Aleksander Kwaśniewski have been working hard in the last months to achieve a satisfactory solution and some say that one might be approaching. If a fair outcome is reached on the Tymoshenko issue, I am sure the European perspective of Ukraine will be boosted in a way that would make backwards slide unlikely.

The last country and the one to which the EU has to be more attentive right now is Georgia. Since the Rose Revolution, which will see its ten-year anniversary celebrated a few days before the Vilnius Summit, President Mikheil Saakashvili and his United National Movement have set in motion an effort of intense democratization and modernization of what used to be a failed state dominated by Russia.

Saakashvili has been courageous and has achieved a lot despite the constant menacing from Russia which reached its climax with the occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008.

Ironically, representing the consolidation of democracy, the changing of power has ousted the UNM from power, replaced by a controversial billionaire who is succeeding in using his fortune to buy consciences. The new Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says he has no plans to change course regarding Europe but there are disturbing signs that he could turn out to be a Georgian version of Yanukovich. Since he took power, UNM figures are being prosecuted, including a former Prime Minister and UNM Secretary General, and Ivanishvili has even suggested that Saakashvili might not be safe after his presidential immunity expires.

I believe the success of the Eastern Partnership is under pressure. The European Commission, individual member states, political parties and politicians must be aware of it and act accordingly. They must work with those who stay committed to the European futures of their countries and engage with governments or leaders who remain either hesitant or more concerned about clinging to power. Famous for its soft power, the EU has enough incentives to offer to reach a good solution.

The EPP and its associations, including EDS, have always been first in line battling for the integration of the Eastern Partners, much more than has any other political family, and I am convinced it will continue to be like this in the years to come.

This article was written before the EaP summit in Vilnius.

REPORTS

Immigration Anette Thoresen

Agadez. The name itself is unknown to most Europeans. But it is a necessary pit stop – and for some a long, dreadful break – in the midst of the Sahara desert. An estimated fifteen thousand Africans pass through Agadez every month. Some are forced into drug trafficking and prostitution to earn enough money to pay off corrupt officers and bus drivers, others simply pass through. After a dive day journey through the desert, they arrive at the shores of Tunisia and Algeria and jump in old, broken, and dangerous boats headed for ‘fortress Europe’.

Some make it across. Many receive a watery grave. Such was the case last much when over 250 Africans drowned off the Italian island of Lampedusa whilst trying to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing. The accident sent shivers down European spines, and set immigration and the Dublin agreement on the agenda.

At the moment, immigrants are pouring into Europe. Most come from various African countries, but the war in Syria has bolstered their numbers as well. The majority cross by boat into Italy, Malta and Spain, but the number crossing the river into Greece is climbing. The majority are people in dire need of help, having escaped war and atrocity, whilst others are just trying their luck with a new start. The major impact of these immigrants is felt in and around

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the Mediterranean.

The Dublin agreement states that the first country an asylum seeker claims asylum in is the country responsible for processing the application. In reality this means that if an asylum seeker first claims asylum in Italy but then moves to the Netherlands, the Dutch will simply ship them back to Italy without considering the application. This puts an enormous strain on Mediterranean, both their immigration policies and their economies. Essentially, it is a very favourable agreement for the Northern member states, as the vast bulk of asylum seekers make landfall in the south.

However, there are many flaws with this agreement. The enormous number of immigrants takes a real toll on the southern economy through housing, border controls, processing

the applications, and so on. It has also been reported that customs officers simply close their eyes to many immigrants in order to save their country the strain, since many of the immigrants are heading further north in any event.

Furthermore, European countries demand stricter border controls and a reduction in illegal crossings, which sees skyrocketing costs and demands for customs. Europe is also dependent on Turkey for keeping the borders clean. Meanwhile the northern member states watch safely from a distance. While many immigrants are seeking to head north, the Dublin agreement keeps them out at the expense of the south, barring a few instances of minors in accordance with the European Court of Human Rights.

Europe must share the cost of immigration. It is our common challenge to help those in need and urge integration and cooperation amongst our member states. The first issue that must be dealt with is the actual borders and border crossings. Europe must cooperate more closely with Turkey in keeping the border safe.

The Mediterranean must be regularly patrolled and over a greater area than today, in order to avoid such catastrophe’s as that of last month.

We must remember that claiming asylum is not a crime and tragedies must be avoided at all costs. Second, all states must contribute financially towards the costs of immigration, including investments for coast guards, border controls, processing and housing, rather than leaving the burden to the Mediterranean states.

However, there is a logistical problem. The Dublin agreement ensures that an application is not processed twice or even thrice by different countries, and it eliminates the possibility of asylum-shopping. Europe depends on the agreement to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy.

Denmark has established a 48 hour processing time for ‘Dubliners’, and the other Scandinavian nations are considering doing the same. This means that asylum seekers who fall under the Dublin agreement will be sent to the entry nation within 48 hours of claiming asylum in a second country. If we could get this introduced in the majority of the member states we would save time and money in processing, and let the original entry country be in charge. This would also make the situation easier for the asylum seekers, as they would be forced to wait in one country just to be returned to the first.

The current situation is intolerable for many European countries, and closer cooperation amongst the member states and our neighbours is necessary. We must all share the financial burden, the challenge of integration, and the responsibility to help those in dire need.

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REPORTS Elisabeta Ungureanu

What is democracy?

Plato was a convinced anti-democrat, a sign of the right to an opinion. Socrates’ trial proved to be a paradox for Athenian democracy, yet he was acquitted in 2012 after more than two millennia.

First, let’s see how democracy worked in ancient Greece, and what its levers were. We cannot talk about Athenian democracy without mentioning the ecclesia, the assembly at which people used to take part by rotation and which convened ten times a year. The ecclesia was the concrete interpretation of the sovereignty of the people. Another component of Athenian democracy was the Boule, also known as the ‘Council of the 500’, which was designated by lot. Nobody was allowed to serve in the Boule for more than two years, making it an equitable sample of the Athenian people.

The idea of Athenian democracy is well summarised by a dialogue from Euripides’ play, ‘The Supplicants’: “A herald came to Theseus and asked: “Where’s your tyrant?” Theseus said: “Athens does not defer to a single man, Athens is free. Here the people are king. Every individual, in turn, runs the country for a year and wealth does not enjoy precedence: the rich and the poor have the same rights.” However, it is worth remembering that women and slaves were not considered citizens, and so were excluded from these rights.

Although near-forgotten for centuries, the idea of democracy has always resided in people’s minds: the tantalising idea of equal political rights for all. Yet it was long dormant – the term ‘democracy’ was almost completely forgotten during the middle ages until it was revived with the French Revolution and the revolutions of 1848, which supplemented democracy with the new idea of nationhood. After an absence

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of a millennium and a half, democracy was revived in the fires of France. Yet, fearing that chaos would stem from a literal government of the masses they introduced a new, modern, moderating influence – the idea of representative democracy.

In 1836, the year Tocqueville’s Democracy in America first appeared, his admirer John Stuart Mill asserted that high wages and literacy are two elements of democratisation. Three daces later James Bryce believed that social progress toward democracy surpassed political progress, an ominous development as there was nothing worse than a democratic society without democratic institutions. Gradually, the convergence of social preparedness for democracy and democratic institutions created modern popular democracies.

It is clear that democracy is not an easily manageable concept. Tocqueville, known to history for his visionary outlook rather than his utopian view of American democracy, concluded that “the main concepts that people form about governing are not so arbitrary. They emerge in every era from the social status and the spirit rather receives than creates them”.

Modern political sociology is otherwise closely related to the notion of democracy. In the core concepts of classical elite theorists such as Vilfredo Pareto, Gaetano Mosca and Robert Michels we find the assertion that democracy, in the narrow sense of people’s governance, is impossible: any governance is ruled by an elite or a number of competing elites. Thereby, the democratic aspiration in its classical form is doomed. Raymond Aron expressed as succinctly as can be this conclusion: there is governance for the people and not the people’s governance, an idea which was also carried forward by Joseph Schumpeter in his Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy (1942).

He defines democracy in its study as “a political method [...] to reach policy decisions and therefore, cannot be a goal in itself “. He quickly concluded that the classical ideal of people’s governance is not only impossible, but also undesirable because of ignorance, irrationality and proven apathy of the people.

In the modern world, democracy was often seen as a threat to individual liberties, thus giving birth to the concept of tyranny of the

majority or the tyranny of the public opinion.

Modern democracy is the expression of the intimate connexion between democratisation and politicisation. Athens’ limited number of politicians allowed their active participation in politics (the same formula cannot be applied to modern democracy, where direct democracy is impractical, although the referendum may be the impossible become possible, the expression of the people’s sovereignty). The size of democracy in the modern society is given by the choice of some representatives able to express the will of the people, hence the generalization of the idea of “political man”.

After the collapse of the Communist countries, many have seen this as a triumph of democracy. Given the times in which we live, we can see rather preservation and a conservation of modern democracy than a commitment to re-establishing a classical one, which today is impossible. Following Raymond Aron’s idea, I think our democracy is what he beautifully called governance ‘for the people’. Aneurin Bevan said about representative democracy: “A representative is one that will act in a given situation, in a very similar way to those they represent. The choice is only part of the representation. It becomes complete only if the elected representative speaks with the authentic accent of those who elected him”.

Francis Fukuyama, an official of the U.S. State Department, speaks of capitalist democracy in “The End of History and the Last Man”. Fukuyama’s arguments converge towards legitimizing the liberal democracy and the free market as complete and definitive expressions of political representation. He said that democracy is the final and highest stage of human economic development and political institutions – a perspective clearly designed as an alternative to the Marxist. In the same paper, Fukuyama points out that democracy is a concept, before being a fact, hence its ambiguous nature, especially given the long history of democracy – nothing could be truer.

A common conception of democracy is that of governance exercised by representatives elected by universal suffrage. Good. But what happens when the “chosen people” are elected by a minority of 40 % of the population? With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Parliament has become a powerful colegislator and plays a determining role in shaping European policies. A vote in the European elections is every citizen’s chance to influence the shape of the Parliament and the decisions it takes over its five year mandate. Therefore, we, as students and voters, we can make a difference by actively attending the 2014 European Parliament elections!

INTERVEW more people die, more people suffer and more time passes before the crisis is over. This is why I am a vocal advocate for more access.

Andrey Novakov and Georg Georgiev

Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva WHAT ARE THE WORST HUMANITARIAN CRISES IN THE WORLD TODAY? Syria is the conflict with the largest impact in terms of destruction and human suffering. In the last year alone, the number of people affected by this crisis – killed, injured, displaced, struggling to get food and water - has grown four times. But in that same period the number of refugees has grown eight times. Children are the most affected in this crisis – over a million of them are now refugees. And the situation is getting worse the longer this crisis lasts, most recently with the grim news of the return of polio and the rise of other communicable diseases. I am afraid the impact of this crisis will be with us for years to come.

Another terrible conflict is happening in the Central African Republic, made worse by the months and months of the lack of international attention.

In this land-locked country of 4.6 million people, almost 100% of the population is affected by the impact of conflict: killings, threats, maraud-

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ing, the plundering of hospitals and homes, the recruitment of child soldiers… people are so scared they’ve run away from their homes and are hiding in the jungle, while doctors and humanitarian workers are struggling to reach those who need help. Hopefully, this terrible situation will change before the conflict spills beyond the country’s borders and destabilises the region: Europe has been working hard to reach the needy with humanitarian aid, but also to draw international attention to this crisis. As a result of our efforts, the UN and African Union are now working with us on a solution.

What turns Syria and the Central African Republic into such severe crises is the difficulty to access the victims – a problem we see in most serious conflicts of recent years, including Sudan and South Sudan, the Libya crisis of 2010 and the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. If humanitarians cannot reach the people who need their help, due to insecurity or bureaucratic hurdles, or direct restrictions –

WHAT IS THE EU DOING TO RESPOND TO THE CRISIS IN SYRIA? The European Union is an active and generous donor of humanitarian aid to the victims of crises caused by conflicts and disasters.

Humanitarian assistance from the European Commission – more than a billion euros a year – reaches more than 120 million people around the world with direct, life-saving support. In addition to our financial aid, we invest our political capital in advocacy and cooperation with the UN, other donors, international NGOs and humanitarian organisations such as the Red Cross family.

Since its beginning, the crisis in Syria has been at the top of our agenda. The European Union is the world’s largest contributor. The Commission and the Member States are giving more than two billion euros in assistance which is reaching the victims inside Syria, the refugees in the region (Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey) and their host communities. Our humanitarian aid is bringing much-needed relief in this horrible conflict which is affecting more than nine million people today – making Syria the largest humanitarian crisis of recent decades.

We are also actively coordinating with others in the humanitarian community: donors and relief organisations who work on the ground, to make sure our aid is going where it is most needed. And we are in active negotiations on the challenges we face: above all, access, which is very restricted in parts of Syria, where humanitarian workers cannot deliver assistance.

Obviously, a lot can be done better: otherwise, we wouldn’t be in this situation today where a formerly middle-income country like Syria is in ruins and 40% of its population need external aid to survive. The world should have acted earlier in this crisis, using all channels, most notably the Security Council, to put an end to the violence and bring the warring parties to the negotiating table. This should be a lesson to all.

WHAT IS THE LATEST DATE ON REFUGEES IN EUROPE, WHAT IS THEIR NUMBER AND WHERE DO THEY COME FROM? On a global scale, the number of refugees is at a 14-year high, mainly because of the crisis in Syria which has created 2,2 million new refuges – a number which rises inexorably. According to UNHCR – the UN refugee agency – there are 45 million displaced people in the world today. Of them, there are 15.4 million refugees and 28.8 million internally displaced people.

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INTERVEW The majority of refugees flee from one poor country to another: like the Somali refugees forced by war and hunger to seek shelter in Yemen.

In the European Union 221,590 asylum requests have been made in 2013. Four countries receive the highest number of asylum applications: Germany, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom. So far this year, EU Member States have granted protection to 51,400 asylum seekers, and the countries which have given asylum to the highest number of refugees are Sweden and Germany (each of whom took in more than 10,000 new refugees this year alone), Italy (also close to 10,000 refugees) and France (5000 refugees this year).

The refugees who received asylum protection come mostly from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and Eritrea.

DO YOU CONSIDER THE REFUGEE WAVE TO BE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES FACED BY THE EU THIS YEAR? Conflicts and disasters are creating more and more displacement, including the new phenomenon of “climate refugees” which is likely to grow with the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters.

The growing number of displaced people is a challenge for the EU, not only because it brings more refugees across our borders, but also because it creates more instability in vulnerable regions: instability that can eventually affect us in Europe. This problem predates the current refugee crisis from Syria and will remain with us in the years to come.

We in Europe have a responsibility to assist refugees. Let’s not forget that 63 years ago the UN refugee agency UNCHR, was created precisely for Europeans to help the hundreds of thousands of refugees whom the Second World War displaced on our continent. So we have a moral obligation to help those who flee for their lives. And we do help them: last year alone, EU Member States granted asylum to more than 100,000 people. But equally importantly, we try to help refugees where they are, before they end up in Europe. This is more efficient and also prevents more people from taking dangerous journeys and falling in the hands of traffickers. In 2012, we gave over €380 million to help ten million refugees around the world.

HOW DO THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION AND FRONTEX COLLABORATE IN THEIR COMMON WORK WITH REFUGEES? FRONTEX is one of the EU’s agencies and works very closely with the European Commission. Its primary responsibility is to coordinate

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cooperation between Member States in managing the EU’s external borders (joint border operations and pilot projects) and to maintain a centralised record of technical equipment that Member States are ready to place at the disposal of other Member States. FRONTEX monitors the neighbouring region constantly and makes regular risk assessments. A number of border surveillance operations coordinated by Frontex have been launched and will remain in operation. These operations have a special focus on routes in the central Mediterranean (Operation Hermes). One of the main objectives is the prevention of tragic events and these operations serve to rescue those in distress. Alongside FRONTEX, the Commission helps Member States with financial assistance and operational support.

DO YOU THINK THAT THE EXTERNAL BORDERS OF THE EU REQUIRE SPECIAL ATTENTION AND SUPPORT – AND WHAT IS THE COMMISSION DOING IN THIS RESPECT? The Commission works with Member States on the protection of the EU’s external borders.

While border control is primarily a national responsibility problems that can penetrate through external borders affect us all, which is why we all have a stake in their good management.

This is why the Commission has been working on initiatives to improve surveillance, especially along the Southern flanks of the EU. We have proposed the establishment of a European External Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR), which aims to considerably reduce the loss of human lives and to improve the detection, identification and tracking of small boats. This system will facilitate Search and Rescue operations in close cooperation with Rescue Coordination Centres. Preparations for the launch of EUROSUR are underway and it should launch before the end of the year. Thanks to this system the authorities of every Member State responsible for border surveillance, border guards, coast guards, police, customs officials and navies, will be able to exchange operational information and cooperate with each other. This will lead to the greater identification of routes used by criminal networks.

HOW TO ADDRESS MIGRATION AND ASYLUM CHALLENGES IN THE MEDIUM-LONG TERM? DO YOU ENVISAGE MORE SOLIDARITY AMONG MEMBER STATES ON THE MEASURES TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM? We have to increase our cooperation and dialogue with countries from where migrants originate or which serve as transit camps in order to open more channels for legal migration and

strike at the criminals who traffic vulnerable people. We have already concluded a Mobility Partnership with Morocco and we hope we can do the same with Tunisia and with other North African countries.

Member States have to do more to help refugees and asylum seekers. These people are the most vulnerable and they have already gone through terrible events. It is unacceptable that they have to risk their lives in order to receive protection.

In the longer term we also need to develop a more open approach to migration, to define a common European policy based on the rights of migrants and asylum seekers.

After recent tragedies, such as the one that happened off the shores of Lampedusa, the EU needs to demonstrate that it is able to find answers. All Member States have expressed the common will to act in order to prevent similar tragedies in the future. I am confident that the European Council will find ways to translate this determination into action.

WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN EUROPE WHO ARE ACTIVE IN POLITICS? WHAT IS THE PLACE OF THE NEW GENERATION OF YOUNG POLITICIANS IN THE EU? Our world is richer but also more fragile and more complex. We cannot address the challenges we face – inequality, climate change, extremism, with measures from yesterday.

We need new, more flexible tools and I count on young Europeans to be part of the solution.

You are the first generation to have been born and spent most of your lives in a truly global world and in a Europe that is no longer divided by wars or Iron Curtains. This is giving you a unique perspective – you know from experience how competitive and inter-connected our world is and how crucial it is that Europe stands in this world united rather than divided.

Those of you who enjoy your rights as EU citizens know better than anyone – perhaps because you’ve studied abroad on an Erasmus scholarship or because you’ve enjoyed cheaper plane tickets – how important it is to preserve and expand the benefits that the EU has for all of its citizens.

You also have better tools to make a difference - information at your fingertips, new technologies at your disposal to access and exchange ideas, to debate, to discover other perspectives, to act. I am sure this will help you generate more innovative and practical ideas to improve the world – so, use the opportunities you have, get out there, work hard, be curious and dare to dream – and to do - what needs to be done for a better future.

THEME Florian Weinberger

MOOCS AS TOOLS OF LIFE-LONG LEARNING Last issue, Silvie Rohr introduced us to the topic of MOOCs – ‘massive open online courses’. This time it is my turn to go into detail about the opportunities for life-long learning they offer, and to give a detailed report on an EDS working dinner on the topic.

Silvie predicted last time that MOOCs will lead to a revolution in the higher education system, as well as providing uncountable opportunities for everyone trying to develop further skills and more opportunities on the job market. A professor in a university lecture once said that the knowledge we were about to gain on his course had a “half-value period” – or half-life – of two years – about the time it takes to finish a graduate study programme. So the degree is never an end to someone’s education, just another milestone to pass.

Yet it is not only young academics that should be committed to the idea of MOOCs. Curiosity has played a core role in the development of mankind. An inventor is not born that way: it is their willingness to solve problems that make them who they are. MOOCs can play a crucial role in spreading knowledge of current problems across a range of issues, including society, technology, and the economy.

If you need another example of the high value of MOOCs, think about thousands of parents staying at home and taking care of their children. Why not gain a further qualification whilst caring for your child from home? MOOCs offer you the possibility to do so, but also allow interaction with students from all over the world. In 2013 a lack of time, due to the demands of balancing family and career, was seen as one of the key reasons that people dropped out of the learning process after leaving school or university. But at some point young entrepreneurs will realise that their knowledge of accounting, perhaps, or law, is out of date and needs refreshing – and MOOCs will offer them an accessible way to learn what they need.

All of these points were discussed during a work-

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ing dinner held in the European Parliament, organised by SME Europe in cooperation with EDS and YEPP. We had the pleasure to welcome Paul Rübig MEP and Mrs Pereira, who is the head of unit for Skills and Qualifications Strategies, Multilingualism Policy, DG Education and Culture at the European Commission. The speakers stressed that there is a “digital revolution” happening in education at the moment. There are more than 400 million people participating in MOOCs worldwide, developing their skills when and where they want do. Yet the share of European users is far from being commensurate to Europe’s important role in world markets. This is another indicator showing that there are other regions challenging our position, and that we are not reacting adequately to this.

Another problem still remaining is the low percentage of people finishing their courses. A reason might be that a certificate gained on a MOOC still has more or less no value at universities and on the job market. So a person taking such a

course can ask themselves the legitimate question, “What is the return on my investment?” As long as there is no standardised quality of courses and examination we can suppose that employers and universities are unlikely to change their position.

Although there are thousands of students still gaining such a certificate every day, that there could be far more shows that politicians must take a position on this issue. They have to establish a framework in which, on the one hand, people taking an online course can value the certificate they gain, and at the same time enable higher education institutions and employers to expect a certain quality level. To gain the full advantage of the huge and still-growing potential of MOOCs such frameworks must be set on a European level. The fact that there are MOOCs with more participants than the student populations of the whole higher education sectors of certain member states clearly underlines that.

High unemployment numbers should remind politicians every day that we have to upgrade and adapt the knowledge and education of many of our citizens. At the moment we still have the opportunity, as MOOCs and other online courses are still a new thing where politicians can establish frameworks before alternative models establish themselves. We should not miss this opportunity.

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THEME

UKRAINIAN ‘SKILLS ACADEMY’ Beniamin Babadzhanian

Intellectual capital is progressively taking its place as the basis of the economy in a majority of developed countries. It determines the competitiveness of the economy and plays the role of a key resource, to be exploited or wasted.

Youth is the main driving force behind the intellectual capital of any country, because youth – with its potentially new approaches to solving global problems – could provide effective answers to the challenges of our time.

Nowadays all market actors, including young people and employers, are describing a sharp deterioration in the quality of Ukrainian education. The standard educational programmes do not correspond to market needs – even graduates of the most prestigious Ukrainian universities face employment problems because their education programmes is mainly focused on theoretical knowledge at the expense of practical experience and do not correspond to what companies are looking for.

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Today’s Ukrainian employers need highly qualified employees that should have basic psychological capacities: openmindedness, communicative, stress-resistant, highly motivated toward self-development and ambitious. Subjects such as time management, social responsibility, personal financial literacy, negotiating skills and so on aren’t taught in Ukrainian universities. That’s why today’s young Ukrainians are sorely lacking vital skills.

The solution for these problems could be online education. It is highly accessible and mobile, since it needs only an internet connexion and the desire to study. Such programmes have become the coming trend in the sphere of education.

The majority of young people are very tal-

ented but implementation of their talent depends on many factors: first a person need to recognise their gifts; second a person has to find the right ‘niche’ for their talent in society, and third they must have the opportunities and resources to make the most of what they have.

The Ukrainian Students’ Association (USA) decided to help Ukrainian youth and show the educated and ambitious young person that self-realisation depends primarily on the individual. Yet whilst the avid person will also have the advantage in reaching the goal, if they meet someone to help them on their way they may reach it that much faster.

We organised social research and from the results identified the most relevant

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skills that young people need. We then proposed to our virtual students such courses of study as: “How to identify your dream job”, “Effective employment”, “Public speaking”, “Time management” and “Networking”, all integrated towards the goal of “finding a job”.

On 21 October 2013 the USA launched a new project: ‘Skills Academy’, the online platform for self-education and career building. This is a unique project for Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries in the field of online studying that provides, free of charge, the opportunity for young Ukrainians to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge for future employment.

As Mr Stanislav Kutsenko, the Chairman of USA, says: “‘Skills Academy’ com-

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bines the best achievements of popular international education resource Coursera and professional social network LinkedIn. The project will help Ukrainian students to solve the problem of employment after graduation.”

The project was initiated and implemented by a partnership between the government, business and the public, and was realised by the USA in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the business ‘MTS Ukraine’, one of our leading employers.

The mission of the project is to create a society based on knowledge. The main goal is to provide young Ukrainians with practical skills (so-called ‘soft skills’) that will help them to build a successful career,

create a strong family, and develop as a person. The uniqueness of the programme lies in the fact that, besides providing for participants the online studying facility, we help them to find a job in private- and public-sector companies and organisations.

First Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, Mr Serhiy Gluschenko, described our ‘Skills Academy’ as a real tool to help solve the problem of finding young people their first job, and that the Ministry will try to implement it.

On 12 October, on the eve of International Students’ Day, the Ukrainian Students’ Association organised a youth forum and presented the full version of the Skills Academy online portal, which can be found at www.skillsacademy.com.ua.

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THEME Ivan Burazin

The Value of Internships Internships emerged as an important part of higher education in the Middle Ages, when it was common practise to learn under the direct supervision of a master craftsman. The system was a bit different to those we have today, since the apprentices (as they were known) would be obligated to continue work for a certain period once they were considered fully trained.

Today, internships are important to three groups: universities, students, and industry.

They represent a major link between the theoretical knowledge gained in the classrooms and the problem-solving of the real world, and make it possible to apply theory to practical work which results in further personal development. Moreover, the interaction students get with the professionals in their field is one of the most important things for those who have high aspirations for their career and who plan to specialise in some specific area of their studies, and students who have served an internship have a much stronger chance of finding work in their field after graduation.

Very often, the private sector makes technological advancements faster than the universities. It is very important that the students get in touch with all those improvements in their field. The contacts obtained during the internships open a variety of opportunities for the students when they join the labour market.

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There are many instances in which students who have done an internship continue to work for the employer when the internship ends, especially if the company is doing well. If the intern shows potential and skills which can be useful to the company, it is likely that the individual will get a chance to continue working for the employer post-graduation.

Since the company spends time and resources on an intern, they are looking to get something back from their investment, just like in any aspect of business. Even if the intern does not get the job at the company where they had done their internship, the intern will gain an understanding of the working logic and behaviour of the business, which will in future help them in the development of their own career.

The aim of this article is not to broach a new topic on cooperation between universities and the private sector, but rather to reflect on the value of it from the point of view of universities and industry. Universities must cooperate

more with the private sector for the good of the whole market. Even if such cooperation is based on internship programmes, it opens a variety of opportunities for universities ranging from improving their communication to the possibility of future research funding, as well as helping to develop teaching programmes in line with the skills employers are after. In turn, the companies that are willing to cooperate gain an inside track on opportunities to hire the sort of highly-qualified and specialised workers they need.

If we follow this logic, the possibilities of diploma inflation would be reduced to a minimal level, since knowledge produces solutions. More highly-educated individuals with knowledge based both on theory and real life experience, and with good ideas about the market, will produce solutions not problems.

The internship is a very valuable and important phenomenon for those with a more entrepreneurial spirit, as well. Introducing yourself to a working environment and learning about managing a business is one of the most important things to do if you intend to establish a business of your own after your studies. Of course a good business idea, coupled with a strong will and a proper education, are the most important parts, but all three can be improved and developed during an internship. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, Tom Adams, Andrea Jung and Ursula Burn are just some of today’s most successful entrepreneurs who have done internships and claim that it was one of the most useful things in their career.

Today, one of the biggest and most doubtful questions is whether internships should be a part of formal education or not, and whether they should be done during higher education and be recognised as working experience or done by students without obligations or formal experience. There are strong arguments for and against both courses of action, and both are valuable and could bring about improvements in the higher education sector.

Of course, there is always a “coffee maker” problem when we talk are talking about interns. Most of us have heard at least one story when someone on an internship was doing nothing but boring and unproductive tasks such as making coffee for the rest of the employees, and that represents a big problem. On the other hand, not all companies are the same, and as I’ve already said in this article some of them will know the value of an intern who will one day be joining the labour market – and perhaps even a future competitor, if their experience with the company was poor.

OBITUARY

EDS

Wilfried Martens: The man who changed European politics forever

The death of Wilfried Martens, long-time president of the European People’s Party and former Prime Minister of Belgium, marked the end of an important era in the recent history of Europe.

We could see in his passing the closure of an entire chapter in the history of the EPP. He was one of its founding members in 1976, and in 1990 he was elected as leader – a position he would hold for 23 years. During that time, Martens managed to turn the EPP into the largest political group in the European Parliament.

Joseph Daul, the present president, said: “Wilfried Martens worked with boundless energy for the promotion of Christian democratic values in Europe. It must be said that without it the European People’s Party will never be the same. We will be eternally grateful for his leadership and the role he played in the development of modern Europe.”

President of the European Parliament Martin

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Schulz also paid tribute to Martens, whom he saw as an incredible political leader and one of the figures who played a crucial role in the reunification of the European continent. Jose-Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, emphasised the enormous contribution Martens made to EU enlargement and the integration of European nations: “His personal contribution to the integration of Eastern and Central Europe is of paramount importance. With his actions he followed the path of the founders of the European Union Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer and Alcide de Gasperi.”

Besides his merit on the European political scene, Martens contributed a lot to his own homeland, Belgium. He was Prime Minister between 1979 and 1992, and according

to the BBC led his coalition through a programme of austerity which brought sustainability and growth.

Every citizen of Belgium and Europe, no matter their political views, should recognise the enormous merit of Wilfried Marten’s contributions to the preservation of the integrity of Belgium. He managed to maintain understanding between the French- and Dutch-speaking parts of his country, giving different areas increasing autonomy. As current Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said, “Belgium has lost one of its most important politicians”. We could add that Europe and the entire international community has lost one of the greatest politicians of all – those who change politics forever.

It is difficult to determine the loss to European Democrat Students after the tragic death of President Martens. The student wing of the EPP always enjoyed strong and unconditional support from the party presidency under Martens, in all initiatives, pan-European campaigns and events. One thing is certain – the heritage and the legacy he has left us, the younger generation of European politicians, will be a guiding light through the challenges of our time. His invaluable advice will serve as the basic principles in the making of any decision fateful to the Union or beyond.

The work of Wilfried Martens is timeless.

Time cannot take away his huge achievements in the complex environment of the European policy of the past decades. His efforts made centre-right political ideas the basic creed of the vast majority of active European citizens. Here then is the role of the youth – it is our responsibility and duty to maintain and preserve the legacy of Wilfried Martens, and make the European Union the best place to live for ourselves and those who follow us.

Now, more than ever, we must keep the memory of Mr Martens with us and move forward. That is what he would want – to see the young talents of his party fight headlong through the problems that European society faces, following the basic principles upon which the Union is built, and making wise decisions for its people. Thus, on the eve of crucial elections to the European Parliament, we must show what we are capable of, in order to show that there is no better alternative to the ideas of centre-right, which are the only guarantee of the achievement and implementation of beneficial reform in all the spheres of governance.

Finally, although not least, EDS offer their deepest sympathies and condolences to his family and friends. He will be missed.

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COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Andrey Novakov

A voice for over 820 million people

Can you guess which European institution is the oldest, and the largest, that defend human rights and humanity? It is the Council of Europe, founded in 1949 and headquartered in Strasbourg. In the framework of European institutions we should find the place of the Council alongside the European Council – the period gathering of European Union heads of state or government – and with the Council of the European Union, where ministers from each member state are responsible, alongside the European Parliament, for passing the EU’s laws and approving its budget.

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COUNCIL OF EUROPE

The Council of Europe is an institution apart from the European Union. It was created in 1949 by the Treaty of London, two years before the Treaty of Paris which established the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the first stage of European integration. The Council covers a different geographic area too, since it has 47 member countries – most of the continent – compared to the Union’s 28 member states.

In times of severe humanitarian, political, economic and financial crisis, and unprecedented protest around the globe, institutions such as the Council of Europe are crucial. There is no better example of an intergovernmental organisation which advocates freedom of expression and of media, freedom of assembly, equality and protection for minorities than the Council of Europe.

Perhaps you are wondering how the Council directly helps young people and helps to fight against their problems? There are various an-

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swers. For a start, the Council offers internships twice a year, lasting from eight weeks to five months, which take place in Strasbourg from March to July and from September to January. Successful applicants work on research, prepare draft reports and study expert meetings, and participate in the ongoing work of the institution. They have the opportunity, especially during specially organised introductory courses, to learn more about the structures, activities and international role of the Council of Europe, including the European Convention on Human Rights.

Unlike the European Union, which funds a significant number of programmes for work with NGOs in the field of education and culture, the Council reserves its activities in respect to education to intergovernmental work, meaning the key players in its programmes are the national governments of the countries concerned.

The European level programmes for educa-

tion and culture are managed by the Council for Cultural Cooperation as part of the CoE. It is assisted by four special committees on school education, higher education and research, culture, and heritage. Periodically, the Council of Europe holds conferences with the participation of ministers from member states to identify priority areas for development and identify concrete measures for overcoming existing problems, like mutual recognition of different levels of education.

Programmes and initiatives from the Council of Europe have a significant impact on the national education policies, and contain many opportunities for direct participation by educational institutions, teachers, and students.

There are several programmes available, provided by the Council, regarding different topics and spheres.

These include: educational investment in the future of Europe; secondary education for Europe; democratic security; social integration and education policy; education for democratic citizenship; higher education; mutual education reform; language policy for multilingual and multicultural Europe; European Centre for Modern Languages, training programmes for classroom teachers; links and exchanges between schools; European exchange programmes for students in secondary schools; and academic mobility and degree recognition.

Education for human rights and active, responsible citizenship are essential for the development of pluralistic democracy. The Council of Europe has created special programmes which help countries in democratic transition to develop new curricula and textbooks in these key areas. Many employees who are responsible for policy formulation and professionals from practice in countries with newly established democracy are trained in these new approaches.

For example, since 1996 the Council of Europe developed a special programme for Bosnia and Herzegovina to support education and human rights through annual summer schools for several primary and secondary school teachers. The organisation has completed a study, commissioned by the World Bank, on the management of the entire educational system in the country, and cooperates with other organisations to establish an affordable higher education system in Kosovo as well.

Therefore, the Council of Europe is an irreplaceable part of modern Europe, and a guarantee of added value in policies for protecting human rights and developing effective and innovation-based educational programmes and youth initiatives in Europe.

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BUREAU

EDS Bureau 2013/14 EDS has elected a new bureau for this working year during its Summer University which was held in Berlin Germany.

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Eva Majewski (27) is Chairwoman of EDS. She oversees and manages the work of the Bureau and represents EDS externally towards the EPP, all Brussels-based institutions and other third parties.

She is responsible for the strategic agenda setting, policy development, and liasing with member organizations.

Ingrid Hopp (25) is EDS Secretary General. She runs the EDS Office in Brussels, and take care of all day-to-day work. She is also dealing with the EDS communication daily, through the EDS website and Social Media channels. SecGen Hopp also represents EDS externally, both in Brussels and in Europe.

Ivan Burazin (24) ViceChairmen lives in Split, Croatia where he studies National Security at the Faculty of Forensic Sciences, and he holds a bachelor’s degree in administrative law. In the bureau he holds responsible for the entrepreneurship project together with ViceChair Chatzigeorgiou.

Teele Holmberg (31) lives in Tallinn, Estonia. Teele has graduated at the University of Tallinn with an BA in recreation and is graduating as MA at University of Tartu in Social Sciences and European Studies. She is in charge of social media and also in charge for events, a responsibility she shares together with Vice-Chair Masna.

Georgios Chatzigeorgiou (23) was born in Larnaca, Cyprus. He studied Law at Lancaster University in the UK is currently accomplishing his Barristers’ course. Within the Bureau he holds responsible for fundraising together with Vice-Chair Burazin and he is in charge of any statutory questions.

Florian Weinberger (26) lives in Vienna, Austria where he studies the graduate programme agricultural economies. Within the bureau he is responsible for educational policies and he helps Chairman Majewski with the representation of EDS towards the EPP and its working groups.

Anna Masna (30) was born in Ternopil (Ukraine). She studied at the Institute of Economics and Entrepreneurship. She is in charge of the Ad-hoc working group on Eastern Partnership

Viktor Wollstad (22) lives in Edinburgh, United Kingdom where he is currently studying towards a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in International Law. He is in charge of the coordination of the permanent working groups and he also signs responsibly for the newsletter.

Andrey Novakov (24) was born in Pazardjik, Bulgaria.

He studied at South-West University in Blagoevgrad where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Public administration. He is a constant contributor to BullsEye and he signs responsible for policy input.

Vit Vosecek (19) was born in Hradec Kralove, but now he is studying in Prague at the University of economics. He is responsible for BullsEye magazine and for membership questions.