Lahti 2016 - Preparation Kit for Delegates

LAHTI 2016 Through Clean Environment to Social Responsibility National Session of EYP Finland

Preparation Kit for Delegates Lahti, Finland 8th - 11th January 2016

European Youth Parliament Finland – EYP-Finland ry | Melkonkatu 24 | 00210 Helsinki | www.eypfinland.org | info@eypfinland.org

Letter from the President Dear participants of Lahti 2016, I hope you are all enjoying your pre-Christmas time and looking forward to the well deserved holidays!

With plenty of holiday cheer, I am happy to present our gift to you – the Academic Preparation Kit of Lahti 2016, prepared to you by the Chairs’ Team of the session. This Academic Preparation Kit consists of a great variety of topics that currently are discussed in the European scene - some of them are old classics (such as the AGRI topic on CAP) and some have their roots in further down in history but have become all the more relevant recently, highlighted by the events of past years if not even months (such as the AFCO topic on EU Turkey relations). Like a Christmas feast full of treats, there is something to suit all tastes – whether it is the start-up culture or green consumer choices you are interested in.

The topics all circulate around and connect to the session theme “Through Clean Environment to Social Responsibility”. The path towards a common, more sustainable future, in all aspects of the phrase, will take will power and action in all levels of society; whether it is discussing these in a parliament, lobbying for them, working in firms or NGOs towards reaching those goals or simply acting as private persons – or as we do in EYP – discussing them, as both action and that dialogue are vital for finding and deciding on common goals, and eventually forming an action plan how to get there. This is how each of these topics once entered the public agenda.

With these words I know invite you all to join this journey: pick a topic you feel drawn to or curious about, start finding out more about it - and add your contribution to this beautiful puzzle. We look forward to hear your thoughts in Lahti.

See you in Lahti in January!

With anticipation,

Oona Kiiskinen President of Lahti 2016 – National Session of EYP Finland

European Youth Parliament Finland – EYP-Finland ry | Melkonkatu 24 | 00210 Helsinki | www.eypfinland.org | info@eypfinland.org

European Youth Parliament (EYP)

The European Youth Parliament represents a non-partisan and independent educational project, which is tailored specifically to the needs of the young European citizens. European Youth Parliament Finland, established in 2001, is the National Committee of the EYP in Finland.

The EYP encourages independent thinking and initiative in young people and facilitates the learning of crucial social and professional skills. Since its inauguration, many tens of thousands of young people have taken part in Regional, National and International Sessions, formed friendships and made international contacts across and beyond borders. The EYP has thus mad a vital contribution towards uniting Europe.

Today the EYP is one of the largest European platforms for political debate, intercultural encounters, political educational work and the exchange of ideas among young people in Europe. The EYP consists of a network of 41 European associations in which thousands of young people are active in a voluntary capacity.

The EYP is a programme of the Schwarzkopf Foundation.

European Union (EU) The European Union is an economic and political union of 28 Member States. The EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992 upon the foundations of the European Communities.

The EU has developed a single market through a standardised system of laws, which apply in all Member States, and ensures the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital, including the abolition of passport controls within the Schengen area. It enacts legislation in justice and home affairs, and maintains common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Eighteen Member States have adopted a common currency, the euro.

With a view to its relations with the wider world, the EU has developed a limited role in foreign and defence policy through the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Permanent diplomatic missions have been established around the world and the EU is represented at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the G8 and the G-20.

The EU operates through a hybrid system of supranationalism and intergovernmentalism. In certain areas decisions are taken by independent institutions, while in others, they are made through negotiation between Member States.

The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community formed by six countries in the 1950s. Since the, it has grown in size through enlargement, and in power through the addition of policy areas to its remit. The last amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU came into force in 2009 and was the Lisbon Treaty.

The Institutions of the European Union The European Council is responsible for defining the general political direction and priorities of the EU. It comprises the heads of state of government of EU Member States, along with its President (currently Donald Tusk from Poland) and the President of the Commission.

The Council of the European Union (commonly referred to as the Council of Ministers) is the institution in the legislature of the EU representing the governments of Member States, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The exact membership depends on the topic: for instance, when discussing agricultural policy the Council is formed by the 28 national ministers whose portfolio includes this policy area.

The European Parliament is directly elected parliamentary institution of the EU. Together with the Council, it forms the bicameral legislative branch of the EU. The Parliament is composed of 751 MEPs. The current President is Martin Schultz from Germany.

The European Commission is the executive body of the EU. It is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union’s treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union. The Commission operates as a cabinet government, with 28 Commissioners. The current President is Jean-Claude Juncker from Luxembourg.

Other important institutions of the EU include the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Central Bank. The EU also has several agencies and other institutions.

European Youth Parliament Finland – EYP-Finland ry | Melkonkatu 24 | 00210 Helsinki | www.eypfinland.org | info@eypfinland.org

Committee Topics of Lahti 2016 – the National Session of EYP Finland

1. Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) From stalemate to cooperation: the accession negotiations between Turkey and the EU repeatedly stalling since their initiation in 1999, what should the future of EU - Turkey relations look like?

Chairperson: Saramaria Kalkku (FI), sara.kalkku@eypfinland.org

2. Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) Conflict management mastered: With numerous states engaging in military activities in the territory of Syria, what measures should the EU take to support stability in the region?

Chairperson: Sara Hoxhaj (FI), sarahoxhaj98@gmail.com

3. Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) Harvesting a better Europe: With recent reforms aiming to make agriculture in the EU more competitive and sustainable, how should the EU support farmers in the light of increasing global competition?

Chairperson: Rebecca Kiiski (FI), rebecca.kiiski@gmail.com

4. Committee on Employment and Social Affairs I (EMPL I) Europe in search of jobs: How can the EU foster a stronger start up culture to support a new wave of entrepreneurship and stimulate economic growth in Europe?

Chairperson: Robin Bucher (FI), robin_ib@hotmail.com

5. Committee on Employment and Social Affairs I (EMPL II) Staggering youth unemployment rates in stagnating European economies: What should be done to support European youngsters gaining a foothold in an increasingly competitive labour market?

Chairperson: Tom Wolfskämpf (DE), tom.wolfskaempf@eyp.de

6. Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Renewable materials and green consumer choices: How can the consumers be encouraged to shift towards more sustainable choices both in their private and professional lives?

Chairperson: Tommy Mallen (IE), mallen.tommy@gmail.com

7. Committee on International Trade (INTA) Value versus values: How can the EU ensure that materials and products imported to Europe are in line with European values and sustainability standards?

Chairperson: Teresa Artjoki (FI), teresa.artjoki@eypfinland.org

8. Committee on Industry, Research and Energy I (ITRE I) Home made energy: What role should decentralised energy production play in order to contribute to sustainable, reliable and affordable energy supplies in the future?

Chairperson: Tuusa Eriksson (FI), tuusa.eriksson@eypfinland.org

9. Committee on Industry, Research and Energy II (ITRE II) Moving towards a single European energy market: What further steps should the EU take to improve Member States’ access to affordable and secure energy supplies?

Chairperson: Juuli Salonen (FI), juuli.salonen@gmail.com

10. Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Renewable energy in transport: Keeping the balance between cost-effectiveness and environmental impact, how should the EU increase the share of renewable resources in transport to reach its 10% target?

Chairperson: Linda Turpeinen (FI), lindaturpeinen@yahoo.com

European Youth Parliament Finland – EYP-Finland ry | Melkonkatu 24 | 00210 Helsinki | www.eypfinland.org | info@eypfinland.org

Position Paper As soon as you have got a clear picture of the core points related to your Committee Topic and have formed your personal opinion on it, you can start writing your Position Paper.

The purpose of the Position Paper is to generate support on an issue. It describes a personal position on a topic and the rationale behind it. The Position Paper is based on facts that provide a solid foundation for your argument and should be adequately presented by: •

Examining the strengths and weaknesses of your position.

•

Evaluating possible solutions and suggesting courses of action.

A good Position Paper is usually from half to one page long, and can be structured as follows:

Introduction It should clearly identify the issue and state the author’s position. It should be written in a way that catches the reader’s attention.

Body It may contain several paragraphs; each of them presenting an idea or main concept that clarifies a portion of the position statement and is supported by evidence or facts. Evidence should lead, through inductive reasoning, to the main concept or idea presented in the paragraph. The body may begin with some background information and should incorporate a discussion on both sides of the issue.

Conclusion It should summarise the main concepts and ideas and reinforce, without repeating, the introduction or body of the paper. It could include suggested courses of action and possible solutions.

You can find the template for writing your Position Paper with the e-mail you have received the Preparation Kit. Once you have written your Position Paper, please save… … the file (.pdf) should be renamed as follows: PP_Committee_Name_Surname (e.g., PP_AFCO_John_Doe) … and send it to your chairs’ e-mail by Sunday, January 3rd, 2016.

Good luck with your work!

European Youth Parliament Finland – EYP-Finland ry | Melkonkatu 24 | 00210 Helsinki | www.eypfinland.org | info@eypfinland.org

1. Committee on Constitutional Affairs From stalemate to cooperation: the accession negotiations between Turkey and the EU repeatedly stalling since their initiation in 1999, what should the future of EU - Turkey relations look like?

Chairperson: Saramaria Kalkku (FI) At a Glance/Executive Summary The on-off accession talks between the EU and Turkey have been crawling slowly forward for several decades.

After the migration crisis broke out and the functioning of European borders, asylum processes and welfare systems were questioned, a new common ground was found. In a meeting held in Brussels on November 29th 2015, the negotiations were restarted and the legal accession criteria is in the limelight again.

Problem Background Despite being a member of several notable international organisations (e.g. the Council of Europe, OECD and OSCE) and after half a century of negotiations, Turkey is not a member of the EU. The negotiations proceeded steadily for the first decade of 21st century, however Turkey turned out not being an exemplary candidate.

The EU-Turkey relations deteriorated and negotiations were frozen after the violent handling of the protests in Taksim Square in 2013. After the immigrant crisis broke out in 2014, Turkey became the main transit zone for Syrian refugees reaching Europe. Turkey itself is hosting 2.2 million Syrians, which is why the EU promised to provide humanitarian assistance and financial support of 3 billion euros for Turkey. For the common aim to protect the distressed people and keep the borders functionable, the EU has opened a new door for possible Turkish membership.

Legal criteria/Accession requirements Turkey barely fulfils the 35 Chapters of community acquis, which constitutes the core of the EU law and European thinking. Recently Chapter 17 on economic and monetary policy was opened, which brought the amount of opened chapters to 15.

Economy, trade and investments Turkey has a lively economy. According to World Bank, Turkey’s GDP growth was 2,9% in 2014 compared to that of the EU’s, 1,4% in the same year. EU-Turkey trade is also highly integrated.1 The EU is Turkey's number one trading partner in imports and exports while Turkey is 7th in the EU's import and 5th in export markets.2 Almost half of Turkey's exports and direct investments each year end up in the EU. Turkey also receives plenty of European investments, in total 3/4 of foreign direct investments (FDI) in Turkey come from the EU. In addition, the EU and Turkey have joined a Customs Union, which mainly covers industrial and processed agricultural goods. Through it Turkey is participating in the single markets on goods.3

World Bank: Data on Turkey and the EU (accessed on Nov 18th 2015) http://databank.worldbank.org/data/reports.aspx?source=2&country=TUR&series=&period= 2 European Commission: EU-Turkey trade http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/turkey/ 3 Delegation of the EU to Turkey (accessed on Nov 18th 2015) http://avrupa.info.tr/en/eu-trade-and-economy/bilateral-trade-investments.html 1

Political disunity Even after Turkey meets the accession criteria, all the 28 Member States would need to unanimously agree at the ballot box on integrating Turkey to the Union. Cyprus has been part of the opposition. Turkey has been occupying the northern part of Cyprus, since 1974 and has not accepted its independence. The majority of the EU public opinion on Turkish membership is negative but becomes fifty-fifty when asked if Turkey would meet the accession criteria.4 The official stance of the biggest EU country Germany has also changed recently.

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has said Turkey could join the EU sooner after helping with the migrant crisis.

Cultural differences: history, language, religion Geographically Turkey is part of three continents: Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Most Turks are Muslims, which has raised concerns in predominantly Christian Europe. Turkish language is part of Turkic languages when most European languages belong to Indo-European language family. However, Europe has always been divided language-wise. Additionally, Turkish history classes are filled with stories of the Ottoman empire. With its 77 million population, Turkey would become the second largest Member State and be a major player in the EU institutions.

Rule of law and European values European societies identify themselves as corruption-free and brace the freedom of expression and the media. However, tens of Turkish journalists and editors have been fired, arrested and prosecuted for criticizing the government. Turkey has also been discriminating minorities such as LGBTI persons. Gay teachers are being fired, police beats up gay rights activists and the Turkish army defines homosexuality as a “disorder.”

Further effort to ensure gender equality and the rights of women in Turkey is needed to meet the European standards.

Perspectives As there are still many Member States doubtful of the Turkish accession to the Union, a variation of options have been thrown in the air. Privileged Partnership would mean a general communication and cooperation deal without using the membership. In turn, a Common Economic Area would mean solely deeper economic cooperation than what the now in effect EEA Agreement and Customs Union would provide. Turkey claims it will not agree on anything else than full membership.

The Council of the EU (the Council) has in a recent conclusion declared that enlargement remains a key policy of the EU. The aim is to contribute to development of peace, democracy, security and prosperity in Europe and in neighbouring areas. According to the Council, credible enlargement process is vital for maintaining the momentum of reforms and public support for enlargement both in Turkey and in the EU. Questions ● How closely should Turkey be integrated to the EU: should it be a full member or associated one with a firm distance to the European decision-making? ● Could Turkey fulfil the remaining accession requirements and integrate smoothly to a culturally different area?

Public opinion on the EU enlargement, p. 7 http://www.bridgingeurope.net/uploads/8/1/7/1/8171506/working_paper_on_eu_public_opinion_on_turkey_dagdeverenis_au gust.pdf 4

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What should the EU’s negotiating tactic be with Turkey? What requirements cannot be compromised despite the speeded-up process?

How could the EU further discover the pros and cons of Turkish membership?

Actors, Interests and Conflicts The EU institutions The European Commission monitors the candidates’ process in applying EU legislation and meeting other country-personalised commitments. Commission also informs the EU Council and the European Parliament about the process through regular reports, strategy papers and clarifications.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Civil society is also divided on Turkish membership. Groups like Young Friends of Turkey promote it, but Conservative Friends of Turkey, associated with the British Conservative Party, does the opposite. Some organisations are annoyed by the quick political shift towards supporting the membership at the expense of the human rights pressuring.

Private sector Multinational and domestic companies and enterprises on both sides would benefit from freer trade between the regions. Removal of trade barriers such as customs and tariffs is in the very interest of private sector actors.

The Republic of Turkey Turkey holds a candidate country status in relation to the EU. Turkey applied to join the predecessor of the Union, the European Economic Community, in 1987. Later on, in 1997, it was declared eligible to join the EU. Current Legislation & Policies The European Council: Copenhagen criteria They are the rules, which define if a country is eligible to join the EU. They include having stable institutions, guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and protection of minorities, a functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with the internal market. A potential member should also agree on the aims of the EU: the political, economic and monetary union. After fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria, the candidate should also enact legislation to bring their laws into line with the EU law (see below).

The EU Chapters The 35 Chapters are the legal entry requirements, which all candidates have to meet in order to enter the EU. They are the core of “EU rules” (aka “community acquis”), which candidate countries have to adopt, implement and enforce. Each Chapter presents an important policy field such as free movement of workers, information society and media, food safety, energy and taxation. They are negotiated separately. “Opened Chapter” is under discussion and “closed Chapter” has been completed.

Regular meetings The EU and Turkey have agreed to hold regular Summits twice a year. The focus of these meetings will be on the development of Turkey-EU relations and other international matters such as terrorism. Regular political dialogue meetings at Ministerial/High Representative/Commissioner level will also be arranged. These are added to the ongoing Association Council meetings. Moreover, the Economic Dialogue Mechanism will contribute to enhance economic relations and create a platform to bring business circles together. It will be launched in the first quarter of 2016.

The Visa Roadmap to Schengen Turkey has committed to follow the visa liberalisation steps set by the Commission. Reaching the finishing line will mean that the Turkish citizens will not need visa to enter the EU. The removal of the visa requirement is expected to take place in autumn 2016. The Commission will be presenting report on the implementation status in March.

The Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) IPA aims to financially and technically help the countries in enlargement process to better meet the accession criteria. Currently running is the IPA II programme (2014-2020), where €4,453.9 million euros were allocated for Turkey to support key sectors like democracy, sustainable economy and environment.

The EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) FRA is an independent EU body, which provides “independent, evidence-based assistance and expertise on fundamental rights to EU institutions and Member States”5. As a candidate country, Turkey is an observing member to the Agency in order to obtain the European perspective of the application of fundamental rights.

Key Words EU Chapters, Copenhagen criteria, Positive Agenda, EU membership, Accession Criteria, Candidate Country, Enlargement, Privileged Partnership, EU-Turkey Customs Union, Turkey-EU relations Links List of the EU Chapters http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/policy/conditions-membership/chapters-of-the-acquis/index_en.htm The Delegation of the EU to Turkey: The Enlargement of the EU in Big Picture http://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/resource-centre/infographics.html Council conclusions on Enlargement and Stabilisation and Association Process (16.12.2015) http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/genaff/146326.pdf EU-Turkey Conference: Chapter 17 on economic and monetary policy is opened (14.12.2015) http://www.eu2015lu.eu/en/actualites/articles-actualite/2015/12/14-cig-ue-turquie/index.html http://www.eu2015lu.eu/en/actualites/articles-actualite/2015/12/14-cig-ue-turquie/index.html European Council: Turkey talks reopened (29.11.2015) http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-summit/2015/11/29/ http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-summit/2015/11/29/ EU-Turkey meeting statement (29.11.2015) http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2015/11/29-eu-turkey-meeting-statement/ http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2015/11/29-eu-turkey-meeting-statement/ The Commission: Current status of Turkey in the Enlargement Policy + Interactive Timeline of the previous steps of the negotiations http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/countries/detailed-country-information/turkey/index_en.htm The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) http://fra.europa.eu/en/about-fra/introducing-fra 5

The Commission: 3 steps to join the EU http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/policy/steps-towards-joining/index_en.htm Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance: How Turkey is supported http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/instruments/funding-by-country/turkey/index_en.htm EurActiv: Ambassador of Cyprus to the EU on Turkish membership (8.12.2015) http://www.euractiv.com/sections/global-europe/cyprus-ambassador-if-turkey-serious-it-should-recognisecyprus-320219 Euronews: Turkey 'won't beg for EU membership', as tables turn http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/countries/detailed-country-information/turkey/index_en.htm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-yP9TCxhvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9KtO0djOts BBC News: Can Turkey stop the migration flow? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlVCJ7kSSZI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlVCJ7kSSZI Statistics

European Youth Parliament Finland – EYP-Finland ry | Melkonkatu 24 | 00210 Helsinki | www.eypfinland.org | info@eypfinland.org

2. Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) Conflict management mastered: With numerous states engaging in military activities in the territory of Syria, what measures should the EU take to support stability in the region?

Chairperson: Sara Hoxhaj (FI)

At a Glance/Executive Summary The ongoing clashes between the Syrian army and the associated forces1 across Syria have caused unprecedented instability in the already complicated Middle East and has shown no sign of abating, becoming one of the world’s largest humanitarian disasters in history. In the summer of 2015, Europe experienced the highest influx of asylum seekers since the Second World War, most of whom were from Syria, the world's top source of refugees at the moment.

People keep losing their lives in attempt to reach safe haven in Europe. The European Union, as the leading donor, has continuously demonstrated its willingness and commitment to do what it can to alleviate the humanitarian consequences.

Problem The ongoing conflict in Syria and the suffering of the Syrian people has been going on for quite some time now and is showing no signs of relief. The scale of the tragedy has escalated out of hand with over 250,000 people killed, 7.6 million displaced inside the country and over 4 million fleeing into neighbouring and European countries. As the crisis and the magnitude of humanitarian needs intensifies, there is an increasingly urgent need to find a lasting solution that will bring an end to the suffering.

The European Union and its Member States is the leading contributor of humanitarian aid to the region, even though the amount donated by each of its’ 28 Member States has varied greatly. They have collectively mobilised an international response with more than 4.4 billion euros at their disposal. The European Commission is supporting third party humanitarian programmes, mostly inside Syria, which provide millions of people with life-saving assistance, including food and safe drinking water, basic non-food items, shelter, emergency medical treatments and protection.

The self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), which has emerged as a key actor in the unfolding of events, is one of the the wealthiest jihadist groups in the world. It has expanded its own assets, worth over $2 billion, not only in the Middle East, but also in many Member States. Centralised around the self-declared capital of Raqqa, a Syrian town. IS said it carried out the Paris attacks that killed 130 people and injured more than 368, leading to tightened border control in France and the neighbouring countries.

Furthermore, an IS-linked group said it downed a Russian passenger plane in October. Russian leaders, hinted at a collaboration with Western forces to tackle Islamic State, even though the conflict over President Assad’s reign is still ongoing. Russians are reported to be mounting an enormous military mission to take control of the terror group’s stronghold of Raqqa. The Russian jets have already pounded terrorist targets and blew up a

Associated forces: an organised, armed group that has entered the fight alongside al Qaeda and is cooperating with al Qaeda in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners.

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command centre, potentially killing dozens of fighters. With France and The United Kingdom conducting their own bombing operations other European countries are following their lead.

Perspectives The EU’s objective is to bring an end to the conflict and enable the Syrian people to live in peace within their own country. The international community is united around two complementary and interlinked tracks: a political one that aims to bring an end to the civil war by addressing all the root causes of the conflict and establish an inclusive political transition process that will restore peace to the country. As well as a security agenda to focus on the fight against the regional and global threat of the Islamic State.

The EU actively contributes to the UN initiatives, UN-led efforts and the work of the UN Special Envoy2. The EU emphasizes the need to accelerate the work of the entire international community, as well as increase their diplomatic output to fully support the UN’s political track. They underline the urgency for the political opposition and associated armed groups to unite behind a common approach in order to present an alternative to the Syrian people.

The EU strongly condemns the indiscriminate attacks, killings, sexual violence, abuse of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law by terrorist groups, against civilians.

The recent Russian military attacks that go beyond IS and other UN-designated terrorist groups are of deep concern, and are to be addressed immediately. The Paris attacks have alerted the EU and its Member States and direct measures to prevent any similar attacks by any terrorist group have been put into action. The national and international military forces are more active than ever to secure the safety of civilians.

The civilians and Member States are divided between those who believe that there cannot be a lasting peace in Syria under the current leadership of President Assad, and that until the legitimate government is selected, it is our duty to unite and provide a safe home for them. While Russia and others3 fully support Assad and his leadership in Syria. The United States, rather softer on their stance, does not call for Assad's immediate exit, but does take out any chance or coalition with Syria and its allies.

Actors, Interests and Conflicts The European Union’s (EU) objective is to bring an end to the conflict and enable the Syrian people to live in peace in their own country. Europe is the leading donor to the international response to the crisis, The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department is coordinating the humanitarian response.

The United Nations (UN) have mainly dealt with the Arab-Israeli conflict, Syrian occupation of Lebanon and the Syrian Civil War. They have called for an immediate end to violence, release of political prisoners impartial investigations to end impunity ensure accountability and bring perpetrators to justice and preparations for the victims.

Special Envoy Forces are troops appointed by the United Nations to deal with a set of specific issues, such as Armed Conflicts in Syria and Middle East, HIV/AIDS in Africa, or even issues in a specific country.

3 Turkey is a key supporter of the Syrian opposition and has faced the burden of hosting almost two million refugees; Saudi Arabia strongly fights President Assad’s ruling, providing military and financial assistance to several rebel groups in Syria; Iran is believed to be spending billions of dollars a year against the rebels.

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The Islamic State (IS) is believed to be “the wealthiest jihadist group in the world”, owning assets, mostly oil, natural gas, phosphate, cement and sulfur, worth over $2 billion. IS aims at creating a pan-national state, uniting all the territories of the world inhabited by Muslims, under their extremist Islamic views. In Syria alone, about 205,000 people have been killed, and half of the country's population, around 4 million, have fled as refugees to other countries in the Middle East and Europe.

Gulf states, notably Saudi Arabia, which has emerged as a key regional actor of developments across the Middle East. They are deploying serious diplomatic, political, military and financial assistance to several rebel groups, including those with Islamist ideologies, and has called for a no-fly zone to be imposed to protect civilians from bombardment by Syrian government forces.

Russia is one of Syria's most important international backers as the survival of the regime is critical to maintaining Russia's interests in the country. President Vladimir Putin has said only a political solution can end the conflict, even though he launched in September 2015 airstrikes against the rebels (supported by The United States of America), with IS terrorist being the claimed targets.

NGO and Charity organizations are providing critical help for the wave of migrants arriving in Europe, who are hungry, exhausted and often ill. Few large NGOs working in various countries are: Doctors of the world, based in France with its front lines in Germany, Doctors without borders working in Greece, currently concentrating its resources in Germany as well, UN High Commission for Refugees, The Spanish Red Cross setting up fundraising campaigns, Save the Children, and many more.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – the United Nations agency mandated to protect and resolve refugee problems worldwide with the primary purpose of safeguarding the rights and wellbeing of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country Current Legislation & Policies The European Union and its Member States have collectively mobilised an international response with more than 4.4 billion euros at their disposal.

The European Commission is supporting humanitarian programmes, mostly inside Syria, which provide millions of people with life-saving assistance including food and safe drinking water, basic non-food items, shelter, emergency medical treatments and protection.

The International Humanitarian Law (IHL) which calls for the protection of civilians, especially children and women, and condemns all indiscriminate attacks on civilians by all parties of the conflict.

EU’s official refugee and immigration policy says that asylum is granted to people fleeing persecution or serious harm in their own country, and therefore in need of international protection. Asylum is a fundamental right; granting it is an international obligation. Member States have shared responsibilities to welcome asylum seekers in a dignified manner, ensuring that they are treated fairly and that their cases are examined by fair, uniform standards.

Key Words Syria, Islamic State, European Union, Migrant, Refugee, Asylum Seeker, Migration, Legal and illegal refugee, Middle East, Paris Attack, Jihadist group, Russia.

Asylum seeker is a person who, from fear of persecution, has left their home country and is seeking asylum in another, waiting for a decision from the authorities on his or her claim. Under EU rules, an asylum seeker has the right to food, first aid and shelter in a reception centre. They should get an individual assessment of their needs.

A refugee, on the other hand, has already received a positive decision from the authorities on his or her asylum claim.

An illegal migrant is a person who comes to the EU without a proper visa or a permit or who overstays after the expiry of their visa.

The term migrant refers to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum or applying for citizenship or a work permit. This includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who are economic migrants.

Conflict is a serious disagreement or argument between two people, ideologies or even nations.

Crisis is a time of intense difficulty or danger one is facing. During this difficult time one must make a decision that decides the unfolding of events in the long term.

War is a state of armed conflict between different countries or groups within a country.

Links Europe’s Migrant crisis : http://www.cfr.org/migration/europes-migration-crisis/p32874?cid=ppc-Googlegrant-europe_migration_crisis_backgrounder-091415&gclid=CjwKEAiAvauyBRDwuYf3qNyXmW4SJACX9fXHlzye8LrLX6A6E8k5h2y9AV8qNTwmp9MJWVxZiFh0BoCnkPw_wcB What is the difference between an asylum seeker and refugee: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-difference-between-asylum-seekers-refugees-andeconomic-migrants-10460431.html The Dublin Regulation of the European Parliament and of the council http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:180:0031:0059:EN:PDF Factsheet on Syria and EU http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/syria_en.pdf Syrian crisis sum up http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911 All the latest http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/syria_en.pdf Syria and EU: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2015/10/12-fac-conclusions-syria/ Impact of each country: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-23849587

Statistics

European Youth Parliament Finland – EYP-Finland ry | Melkonkatu 24 | 00210 Helsinki | www.eypfinland.org | info@eypfinland.org

3. Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) Harvesting a better Europe: With recent reforms aiming to make agriculture in the EU more competitive and sustainable, how should the EU support farmers in the light of increasing global competition?

Chairperson: Rebecca Kiiski (FI) Executive Summary The United Nations has estimated that food production needs to increase by 70% by 2050 to be able to sustain the world’s population. Simultaneously, Europe’s agricultural sector is facing much hard criticism. At the centre of Europe’s agriculture lies the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). With heavy subsidies, trade barriers and ‘dumping’1, the CAP is being accused of distorting the global agricultural market. With huge expenses and power, its role in global competition is being questioned.

Problem With a population of 500 million, the European Union (EU) works to ensure its citizens with food security. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), launched in 1962, connects the EU to European farmers, aiming to provide them with a good standard of living and to provide Europe with a stable and secure supply of food. Now, 60 years later, the CAP faces new challenges: a rapidly growing population, climate change, the sustainable management of natural resources and keeping European rural areas alive. The agricultural sector provides 7% of all jobs in the EU whilst generating 6% of the EU’s GDP. However, it also accounts for almost 40% of the EU’s annual budget, making it the largest European expenditure.

European farmers receive financial support in the form of direct payments to help them get a basic income.

The CAP enables farmers, who often earn less than the European average, to develop and take care of their farms. On average, these payments provide up to half of a farmer’s’ income. Since the 2013 reforms, these direct payments are paid per hectare with an additional ‘greening’2 plan, emphasising environmental protection in farming. However, due to being paid per hectare, 80% of these subsidies are allocated to large farms and agri-businesses, making it harder for small farms to compete. Disparities are also seen between Member States. For example, direct payments to new Member States are gradually increased, leading to smaller initial subsidies in these countries.

The impact of the CAP on agricultural trade is probably the most questioned area of the CAP. The CAP is often criticized for distorting the global agricultural market by encouraging exports and discouraging imports with trade barriers, such as import tariffs and quotas. These actions are often blamed for altering market prices, Selling agricultural products on foreign markets, such as the developing countries, at a lower price compared to local products is called ‘dumping’.

2 The ‘greening’ of subsidies in the 2013 reforms requires farmers to meet certain environmental requirements to receive full subsidies.

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hence simultaneously affecting the products’ competitiveness. Furthermore, the CAP goes against the rules of demand and supply. Strong subsidising and market intervention lead to huge amounts of surplus that are later either destroyed or ‘dumped’ on other markets. These effects are seen especially in developing countries, where European products are often ‘dumped’ at a lower price compared to local products. The CAP also has a strong impact on imported goods due to trade barriers. Import quotas restrict the amount of imported goods, whilst tariffs are used to increase the price of imported goods on the European market, consequently weakening their competitiveness. However, agreements exist with certain non-Member States to allow imported goods without levies. The EU also remains as the world’s biggest importer of agricultural products from developing countries.

Perspectives The CAP provides farmers with financial support and gives them a chance to develop in their field. With the amount of farmers in Europe constantly decreasing, this support seems even more vital. Through the rural development programmes as well as new ‘greening’ requirements, the CAP also helps support rural areas, the environment and biodiversity. With the possibility of market intervention, price volatility can be avoided in the European agricultural market, ensuring food prices stay affordable for consumers. Most importantly, the CAP aims to provide Europe with food security.

However, aspects of the CAP such as trade barriers, production quotas and subsidies are also blamed for converting the global agricultural market and competitiveness. In particular its role in developing countries and poverty is often questioned. Although providing European farmers with a basic income, large disparities exist between subsidies that farmers and Member States receive. Alarmingly, the agricultural field is also often perceived as an unattractive career, with the farmer population rapidly aging. Although the 2013 reforms adopted the ‘greening’ subsidies, environmentalists are still voicing their concerns on intensive farming and the ineffectiveness of the CAP to face the environmental problems and climate change concerning agriculture.

With 40% of the annual budget, does the CAP achieve its aims?

With large competitors, such as China and India, rising in the agricultural trade, what should Europe’s direction be? What gives one a competitive advantage in agriculture? What effects does subsidising have on farmers and trade? What role should the CAP play in the future?

Actors, Interests and Conflicts

•

The European Union (EU): The EU is the main moderator of European agriculture through the CAP. The agricultural sector is a shared competence of the EU, meaning the EU and Member States share power in this field. As EU legislation comes above national law, the CAP holds a lot of control. Changes to the CAP, such as the 2013 reforms, are initiated by the European Commission.

•

European farmers: Provide Europe with a stable supply of food, receive financial aid from EU in the form of direct payments.

•

Global competitors: Global competitors compete with the EU in the European and global agricultural markets.

Current Legislation & Policies

•

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): The CAP can be divided into three areas: farmers’ income support, market support and rural development. It is financed at a European level through the EU’s annual budget. o

Income support: 70% of the CAP budget is allocated to financial aid called direct payments to farmers.

o

Market support: 10% of the CAP budget is used for market support. This includes issues related to trade and actions to protect the European market from price volatility, such as the internal intervention price3.

o

Rural development: The CAP’s rural development programme aims to improve rural areas’ competitiveness, innovation and environmental protection. The programme is implemented at national or regional level and part-financed by Member States, accounting for 20% of the CAP’s annual budget.

o

The CAP faced a major reform in 2013, which included the following decisions: §

subsidising land per hectare instead of production

§

a 300,000€ cap on subsidies one farm can receive

§

‘greening’ requirements to be eligible for full subsidies

§

a Small Farmers Scheme offering additional financial support to smaller farms

§

additional direct payments to young farmers during their first years in the profession.

Key Words The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), European farmers, food security, agricultural subsidies, trade barriers, global agricultural trade.

Links The European Commission’s introduction to the agricultural sector of the EU: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/cap-overview/2014_en.pdf The CAP FAQ by the European Commission: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-631_en.htm CAP reform - an explanation of the main elements: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-621_en.htm If the price of certain products falls below a set internal intervention price, the EU will buy goods off the market to raise the price.

3

BBC News explanation to the 2013 reforms of the CAP: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11216061 France 24 news video discussing the CAP: “Greener and Fairer?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B87OBJr_SDc Arguments for and against the CAP: http://www.debatingeurope.eu/focus/arguments-for-and-against-the-common-agriculturalpolicy/#.VmlANWR94y5 Statistics

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4

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/cap-overview/2014_en.pdf

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4. Committee on Employment and Social Affairs I (EMPL I) Europe in search of jobs: How can the EU foster a stronger start up culture to support a new wave of entrepreneurship and stimulate economic growth in Europe?

Chairperson: Robin Bucher (FI) Executive Summary In 2012, 99.8% of all enterprises in the EU were small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), employing two thirds of all non-financial business workforce.1 Yet, in October 2015, the unemployment rates in the EU were laying at 10.7%, meaning that 1 in every 10 EU citizens were unemployed.2 In an economy like the EU where SMEs are the main source of employment and economic growth, this is a huge problem. However, entrepreneurship creates new companies, opens up new and various markets, and nurtures skills, but most importantly it generates jobs. If employment and economic growth is wanted, securing future entrepreneurship is crucial.

Problem At the moment, successful entrepreneurship is considered something distant and complicated to achieve, resulting in few people wanting to engage with it. It is the fear of taking a risk and failing that is preventing EU citizens from taking on what seems like an impossible goal, this goal being entrepreneurship in any form. One of the many reasons the fear exists is the fear of failing to successfully start up a company that can generate enough money to pay back debts taken from for example banks. Education not providing right foundations for entrepreneurship is partly to blame, such as not providing information on how to properly start up an enterprise in terms of laws and legal policies. Also, the education in the EU in general tends to not favour entrepreneurial jobs and start-up culture as much as vocational jobs or jobs within the service provider industry.

Thus, not only is there a lack of education on practical aspects of starting up a company but the balance between education in entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial jobs is badly out of balance.

Alongside this, long and burdensome legal procedures are hindering the potential entrepreneurs from starting up an enterprise as they feel like it is too much effort for nothing. The question remains, are these legal procedures securing good quality enterprises or are they simply hindering a potential increase in entrepreneurship?

Moreover, finding finance for the entrepreneurship is proving to be difficult as taking loans for starting companies is becoming increasingly harder, due to the economic situations in the EU at the moment. The fear of not succeeding with the entrepreneurship and not being able to pay back the debt, quite understandably “Access to Finance for SMEs: creating growth and jobs in Europe.”

ESBA, 2012. http://www.esba-europe.org/pdf/SubSubSection-160.pdf 2 “Euro area unemployment rate at 10.7%.” Eurostat, 1 Dec 2015. http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/7091248/301122015-AP-EN.pdf/772e30b0-2308-45ab-a712-6b3039b632bb 1

results in suspicion towards the process of starting up companies. The suspicion then results in the EU citizens not wanting to enter the start-up process of creating a company. Also, due to economic reasons, getting loans from banks is difficult. Because of of the economic crisis in 2008, banks are very suspicious regarding loans for starting up businesses. The money flow has slowed down after 2008 as banks are afraid of lending money. The decrease in money spending has resulted in it becoming more difficult to get loans for starting up own businesses, resulting in a decreased level of entrepreneurship.

However, can or should these factors be altered? Some might argue that the legal process as it is right now is critical as it ensures legal companies that are competitive in at least a certain industry. Some might also argue that although loans from banks are difficult to get at the moment, the most secure way way of accessing finance is through banks and loans given by those banks.

Perspectives Due to the recent exponential growth of the digital economy using SMEs for the most, there seems to lay a possibility to nurture entrepreneurship online. However, with little regulation on the web and ambiguity of consumers’ rights online, the difficulty of regulating the digital economy where many start-ups emerge arises.

In relation to this, crowdfunding has become a significant factor of financing projects in the forms of companies trying to promote their goods or service, thus securing investments outside of the normal financial services routes. This has provided potential entrepreneurs with an alternative way of securing investment in their companies, as it has proved to be very simple to access and use this instrument of finance. Thus the digital economy could pay a significant part in the supporting of entrepreneurship and fostering economic growth.

Regarding opening doors to new budding entrepreneurs, education regarding entrepreneurship is becoming more common in EU member states however how effective is it if other problems, such as legal complications, are not eliminated or reduced? The Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan aims to increase education in the EU regarding entrepreneurship and starting up your own company, as well as trying to make legal systems more entrepreneurially friendly in terms of legal approvement of an enterprise. However, the question remains whether or not this is enough to stimulate entrepreneurship and economic growth. Should there be more EU involvement with for example the digital economy and crowdfunding that can be found there.

Actors, Interests and Conflicts

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The European Commission: The European Commission wants to encourage people to become entrepreneurs and to start up own companies, becoming self-employed. However, the Commission also wants it to be easier to become a successful entrepreneur, meaning that they want to make the process of starting up an own enterprise easier. Seeing as they are the legislative body of the EU, they can propose potential policies and legislations regarding entrepreneurship and SMEs.

•

EU citizens: EU citizens are the ones who supply the EU with entrepreneurship; they are the source of it. Labour is wanted and needed and part of it could be supplied using entrepreneurship as long as they are encouraged to start up their own companies. Essentially they are the main factor determining whether or not there will be entrepreneurship. This relates to the interests of the European commission, as they also want entrepreneurship due to its impact on unemployment.

•

EU Member States: The EU Member states, much like the EU citizens and the Commission, want decreased levels of unemployment in order to strengthen their economies. They can, through for example national educational systems, educate especially youth about entrepreneurship and starting up own enterprises. Thus, the EU Member States hold a significant power regarding the spreading of knowledge regarding entrepreneurship that the EU does not have to the same extent. This could potentially fulfil what the European commission wants and thus their interests relate to each other.

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Business Development Companies/Agencies): These are organisations, usually governmental agencies or quangos3, that set out to develop especially smaller companies and their early stage growth.

Seeing as they are companies dealing with business like this they need and therefore want small companies and companies starting up business as it injects more money into the economy and provides more jobs for people, hence providing healthy competition for enterprises already established.

As these companies set out to develop smaller companies, they share the interests of for example the EU commission however, their motives behind it may differ.

•

Think Tanks: These organisations analyse economic issues and report with an economic strategy suggesting what can be done to solve the economic issue. These work with such groups as the Commission, Member States’ governments, or other think tanks to improve and come up with plans that could potentially solve problems like unemployment in the EU etc. However, these think tanks can also be privately funded, meaning that they take donations from private parties. This means that they can be biased towards wants and needs of their donors.4

Current Legislation & Policies

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Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan: The action plan aims to fuel entrepreneurial mind-sets in the EU by using education as a tool for both students and teachers in the EU Member States. The education relates to teaching about business failure and recognising it and thus trying to reduce the stigma of failure, facilitating business transfers rather than building up an own company, and reviewing social security schemes for entrepreneurs and thus giving the entrepreneurs a feeling of security. The action plan also tries to adapt the entrepreneurs to growth and competitiveness by providing for example support for women and ethnic minorities, and support to develop inter-enterprise relations. Creating a more entrepreneurial friendly legal procedure and improving the flow of finance is also on the agenda for the action plan.

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Regulation (EU) No 346/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European social entrepreneurship funds: The regulation attempts to set a common framework for qualification of social entrepreneurial funds to entrepreneurs starting up a company. It also states that investors increasingly want to solve social problems caused by the economic crisis, compared to earning financial return and that this is something that needs to be taken into consideration when funds for entrepreneurs are given. It recognises the fact that these funds are drivers for entrepreneurs to pursue social change caused by the economic crisis in 2008.

•

Member State specific entrepreneurship programmes: Many Member States have their own entrepreneurship programs, either targeted at a specific target audience or sector of development. For example, the Finnish Child and Youth Policy Development Programme (2012-15) is a Finnish national youth programme that aims to develop social empowerment, education, employment and entrepreneur-

a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation or a quango is an organisation to which a government has devolved power.

4 http://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/economic-think-tank.asp 3

ship among youth. By setting objectives for regional and local authorities, it tries to improve opportunities for youth to be heard, influence and participate.5 Key Words •

Kickstarter - Online funding platform that uses crowdfunding to raise money for entrepreneurs with a “project”.

•

Digital Enterprises - Digital enterprises are enterprises that exist on the internet only, using it as a digital competitive advantage.6

•

SMEs - Small and medium-sized enterprises are non-subsidiary enterprises that employ a certain amount of people. The EU defines a SME as a company which employs less than 250 people and makes an annual turnover less than €50m.7

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Social Entrepreneurship Funds - These are funds provided by the EU that help finance entrepreneurs and companies trying to start up their business.

•

Investors - Are any parties that provide entrepreneurs and SMEs trying to start up their business with capital, hoping for financial returns from it.8

•

The European Single Market - Refers to EU market that does not have obstacles hindering the free movement of goods and services between all EU member states, such as tariffs.

Links http://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/support/index_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/access-to-markets/index_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/finance/investment/social_investment_funds/index_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Business_economy_-_size_class_analysis http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/sme/entrepreneurship http://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/economic-think-tank.asp http://www.cimo.fi/services/euroguidance_finland/national_strategies_in_finland Statistics •

25% of all SMEs in the EU export at all and an even smaller portion of them export beyond the EU.9

•

99.8% of all companies in the EU are SMEs (estimated to be 19.3 million in total) and they employ 65 million EU citizens.10

http://www.cimo.fi/services/euroguidance_finland/national_strategies_in_finland http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/Digital-enterprise 7 “What is an SME?” European Commission, 2 Dec 2015. http://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/business-friendly-environment/smedefinition/index_en.htm 8 http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/investor.asp 9 “Small and Medium Sized Enterprises and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.” European Commission, 2015. http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2015/april/tradoc_153348.pdf 5 6

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Studies show that 15-20% of students who participate mini-company programs, later set up their own company.11

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52% of all EU citizens are women, however of the self-employed and business starters only one third are women. Thus, women represent a large provision of entrepreneurial potential in the EU. 12

13

“The Role of SMEs in Employment Creation and Economic Growth in Selected Countries.” Katua, Ngui Thomas. International Journal of Education and Research Vol. 2 No. 12 December 2014. 461-472. http://www.ijern.com/journal/2014/December2014/39.pdf 11 “Entrepreneurship Impact Assessment Report.”RWB, April 2015. http://www.rdb.rw/fileadmin/user_upload/Documents/HCID/Entrepreneurship_Impact_Assessment_report.pdf 12 “Entrepreneurship as a main driver for economic growth.” European Commission, 9 Jan 2013. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressrelease_MEMO-13-5_en.htm 13 Source: Debating Europe http://www.debatingeurope.eu/2014/11/23/why-dont-more-europeans-want-to-beentrepreneurs/#.VnXJHGSlrGc 10

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4. Committee on Employment and Social Affairs II (EMPL II) Staggering youth unemployment rates in stagnating European economies: What should be done to support European youngsters gaining a foothold in an increasingly competitive labour market?

Chairperson: Tom Wolfskämpf (DE) Executive Summary Finding aimable jobs has never been easy, however some have an even harder time than others. Some young Europeans find themselves lost in labour markets with up to 58.4 % unemployed between 15 and 24 as figures gathered in Greece in 2013 show. Case studies in countries such as Finland and Austria have already shown that investing in improving the transition between education and employment pays off. Nevertheless, the Youth Employment Initiative1 still has leftover funds which should be used.

Problem Is the European labour market fair? Looking at the EU’s youth unemployment figures reveals, that in some regards, it could hardly be more unfair than it currently is. Some countries such as Greece and Spain, strained by austerity oriented politics and a stagnating economy, leave youths residing in them mostly unemployed. In other countries such as Germany, Austria and The Netherlands young Europeans have a much better chance of finding suitable employment or further education for them. To stop this injustice and reach equally high chances for youths to be employed, the EU has already put funds and measures such as the Youth Employment Initiative and the Youth Guarantee2 into place, but so far the desired level of equality could not be reached. Young Europeans are beginning to lose hope and even Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, said that the EU must act now to prevent a “lost generation3”. She also calls it unacceptable, that the current generation is the one “with the highest education attainment ever4” but has “paid the highest price for the crisis5” with “more than every fifth young person on the labour market [unable to] find a job6”.

Perspectives Internships can be an effective tool for trainees who want to find out whether a job in a certain employment sector interests them or not, provided the employer implements the scheme correctly. If the trainee likes the The Youth employment initiative provides a framework inside the European Social Fund, which aims to provide funds for initiatives which help to reduce youth unemployment. http://www.welcomeurope.com/eu-fonds/esf-european-social-fund-youthemployment-initiative-972+872.html#tab=onglet_details 2 European Commission definition of Youth Guarantee. http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1079 3 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-15-3500_de.htm 4 see above 5 see above 6 see above 1

field or even his specific job, there is a much higher chance for them to be taken in by the company compared to just a plain application without prior internship. Since it is generally easier to become an intern instead of an an employee when first applying, youths can use internships as a means to gain employment. However, without proper regulation or legislation in place, some employers have been known to take advantage of internships in order to exploit interns for free labour and offering little educational or practical gain for interns in return, making them less attractive for youths than they could be. Which areas of internships could be improved and how can the EU effectively use its influence in this regard to make internships lead to permanent employment?

Actors, Interests and Conflicts

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Businesses and organisations in the European Union are the main source of employment in the EU apart from public institutions. As a result, their stance on what an employable youth should look like is very important in the process of reducing youth unemployment. Finding a balance of cheap labour without the expense of providing training is in their interest.

•

Young Europeans want to be employed, ideally in a position where they can enjoy their job and also get paid for it accordingly.

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Providers of formal education, such as schools and universities and the way they conduct their education play an important role. It is in their interest to effectively manage their financial resources, as often those tend to be more limited the educational institutions would like them to be. Since funding for these institutions varies vastly between the Member States, the students of such facilities receive rather unequal levels of education. This also affects their employability.

•

The European Commission can allow the allocation of funds to parties involved with fighting youth unemployment through regulations such as EU Regulation No 1304/2013 concerning the European Social Fund (ESF)7 and the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI). It is in the Commission’s interest, that the allocated funds are used as effectively as possible and actually lead to meaningful changes in employment statistics.

Current Legislation & Policies

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The European Social Fund (ESF) was renewed in 2013, replacing the old Council Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006. The new Regulation (EU) No 1304/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council Article 3, Paragraph 1 specifies that the ESF’s funds should be used for promoting sustainable and quality employment and supporting labour mobility, promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and any discrimination, investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and lifelong learning and enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders as well as efficient public administration.

•

The Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) is part of the ESF, however it is more specific in how its funds should be used to combat youth unemployment, not just employment in general. It has a total budget of 6.4 billion euros.

EU Regulation Nro No 1304/2013 on European Social Fund. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:347:0470:0486:EN:PDF 7

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Member State specific policies also affect youth unemployment. Generally, Member States have already developed strategies to combat this problem. These range from social welfare for unemployed youths, youths with low income or youths in education to the curricula themselves, which drastically affect their employability. However, even though today’s young Europeans are highly educated, they often lack practical knowledge and even more often actual job experience, as many curricula do not include these or do not properly facilitate gaining some.

Key Words •

European Social Fund

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Youth Employment Initiative

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Youth Guarantee

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Youth Unemployment

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Generation Gap

Links http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1036 http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.1524.ZS http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-15-4102_en.htm Under the Youth Guarantee Member States should ensure that, within four months of leaving school or losing a job, young people under 25 can either find a good-quality job suited to their education, skills and experience; or acquire the education, skills and experience required to find a job in the future through an apprenticeship, traineeship or continued education. http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=30509 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-826_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1176 ESF Laws on EUR-lex http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2013.347.01.0470.01.ENG

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5. Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Renewable materials and green consumer choices: How can the consumers be encouraged to shift towards more sustainable choices both in their private and professional lives?

Chairperson: Tommy Mallen (IE)

Executive Summary The measures are in place by now. Countries, governments, local councils, international agents have all mobilised and generated sustainable energy technologies or sustainable energy policies. What remains is finding a way to make these policies and technologies appealing to the European Union (EU) citizen in their private life and also in their business life. This is called sustainability marketing; trying to get consumers to act on the good intentions they express around renewable energy.

Problem A study by the National Geographic1 found that although the number of global consumers who say they are very concerned about the environment (61%) has increased since 2012, sustainable purchasing behaviour has actually decreased. The “value-action” gap- the discrepancy between what consumers say in surveys and then actually do seems to be closing at a snail’s pace.

Essentially the problem is thus; there is no longer an issue around the actual policies and technologies but instead an issue with their lack of use. We need to find a way to motivate consumers to turn their attention to renewable energy sources when they buy their energy privately and professionally, as well as green consumer choices when they buy their goods. Even to the untrained eye, the benefits (on a global scale) of renewable energy are manifold and obvious, so why is it that on a small scale consumers lose sight of this? What’s in it for the consumer in the European renewable energy/goods market- is the EU doing anything to incentivise renewable purchasing or penalise non-renewable methods? Do consumers know about the subsidies available for private windmills, for example? Are these subsidies high enough to be effective? Clearly something is wrong and we need to pinpoint the problem in order to understand how consumers are making their choices and take action.

http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/mediacontent/file/NGS_2014_Greendex_Highlights_FINAL-cb1411689730.pdf 1

Perspectives Marketing Perspective In marketing, there are three types of value that a consumer looks for when buying a product or service. The functional, emotional and social benefits of a product. Functional benefits are in this context what using a renewable energy source or sustainable material does for the consumer- value for money, performance, quality etc. Emotional benefits deliver an intangible hit of feeling- will the product inspire or fulfil the consumer, make them feel like they are contributing to a greater good, or that they have done their share in saving the environment, as it were. Social benefits make a statement about that consumer to the world; that they are energy-conscious, eco-friendly, almost avant-garde in the greater European context. In the EU, do all of these benefits exist for renewable choices?

It is argued that the main barriers for green consumption are lack of awareness, negative perceptions of green technologies’ performance, distrust in government and business’ green claims, high prices and low availability of sustainable choices. To increase sales of environmentally sensitive products, the EU in conjunction with green companies must remove these barriers.

Global Perspective EU Environment commissioner Janez Potočnik in 2010 suggested that taxation schemes and changing prices were more efficient to change consumer habits and move towards a resource efficient society.

The United Nations Environment Programme noted that government messages making people feel guilty about their lifestyles and purchasing habits are having only limited success. Therefore, the UN thinks that sustainable lifestyles need to be made fashionable and "cool", while explaining to people the real personal benefits of living in harmony with the planet.

Actors, Interests and Conflicts

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The EU: environmental policy is a shared competence of the EU, meaning that the EU and Member States have an equal share of power in this field. Changes of financial or other support to marketing schemes can therefore come from either body. In the same sense, a marketing campaign [m1] can stem from either the EU itself (for example, the Renewable Energy Directive2) or from a Member State.

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Green technology and product producers: the entities from whom a European consumer directly sources their green products, and the entities whose marketing strategies are most clearly affecting the consumer.

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Consumers: the average citizen of the EU, or the average business in the EU, subject to all of the marketing schemes that the EU has to offer.

The European Commission page for the Renewable Energy Directive: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/renewableenergy/renewable-energy-directive 2

Current Legislation & Policies EU leaders launched the first EU Sustainable Development Strategy3 based on a proposal from the European Commission in 2001, with the strategy being divided into two parts. The first proposed objectives and policy measures to tackle a number of key unsustainable trends while the second part called for a new approach to policy-making that ensures the EU's economic, social and environmental policies mutually reinforce each other. The Strategy concerned itself with seven different areas: Climate change and clean energy; sustainable transport; sustainable consumption and production; conservation and management of natural resources; public health; social inclusion; and global poverty and sustainable development challenges.

The Renewable Energy Directive establishes an overall policy for the production and promotion of energy from renewable sources in the EU. It requires the EU to fulfil at least 20% of its total energy needs with renewables by 2020 – to be achieved through the attainment of individual national targets. All EU countries must also ensure that at least 10% of their transport fuels come from renewable sources by 20204].

DIRECTIVE 2012/27/EU recognises that the EU is facing “unprecedented challenges” resulting from increased dependence on energy imports and scarce energy resources, and the need to limit climate change and overcome the economic crisis5.

The European Commission’s 2030 ENERGY STRATEGY: EU countries have agreed on a new 2030 Framework for climate and energy, including EU-wide targets and policy objectives for the period between 2020 and 2030.

These targets aim to help the EU achieve a more competitive, secure and sustainable energy system and to meet its long-term 2050 greenhouse gas reductions target. Their targets are a 40% cut in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels, at least a 27% share of renewable energy consumption and at least 27% energy savings compared with the business-as-usual scenario6.

Key Words Sustainable

marketing,

consumer

behaviour,

value-action

gap,

incentives/penalisation,

The European Commission page for information on EU Sustainable Development Strategy: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/ 4 https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-directive 5 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1446505912766&uri=CELEX:32012L0027 6 http://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/energy-strategy/2030-energy-strategy 3

media

Links Global concerns about sustainability: http://www.euractiv.com/consumers/changing-consumer-behaviour-sust-linksdossier514301#group_summary A discussion of consumer policy in Europe: http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/archive/docs/kuneva_consumer_blueprint_en.pdf A discussion of using guilt as a marketing tool for consumers: http://www.euractiv.com/sustainability/guilt-card-green-taxes-hailed-force-sustainable-consumption-news494868 An interesting read on sustainability marketing (NOTE: quite a biased view towards the current approach): http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/behavioural-insights/2015/mar/09/problemsustainability-marketing-not-enough-me A few thoughts on needing and using the trust of consumers: http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/trust-marketing-mainstream-sustainable-consumption

European Youth Parliament Finland – EYP-Finland ry | Melkonkatu 24 | 00210 Helsinki | www.eypfinland.org | info@eypfinland.org

7. Committee on International Trade (INTA) Value versus values: How can the EU ensure that materials and products imported to Europe are in line with European values and sustainability standards?

Chairperson: Teresa Artjoki (FI) Executive Summary As the world’s second largest importer of goods, the purchases of European customers largely affects what is being produced for the world market. Yet, the environmental and labour safety standards required for goods produced within the EU do not apply for goods imported from outside of it. In the move towards a more sustainable economy, Europe has yet to fully address the environmental and social impact of the products consumed by its citizens.

Problem One of the most distinct features of the European Union, a free market, is the free movement of goods and services it allows within its borders. As such, the EU constitutes a common entity in international trade; this means that it regulates the standards of all products imported to the EU by non-EU countries together. Despite this, the presence of social and environmental unsustainability persists due to multiple reasons. Firstly, producing in an unsustainable fashion is remarkably cheaper, and the high consumer demand for cheaper products gives no incentive to invest in environmental friendly production or to improve labour safety.

In addition, due to cheaper production costs an increasing amount of European producers outsource their production to low-cost countries, such as China or Bangladesh. Conversely, the sustainability of the whole supply chain can remain vague; raw materials are extracted under alarming conditions (i.e. Conflict minerals), exported, and later on in the supply chain produced into the goods we buy. Similarly, factories producing goods for European companies can further outsource their production, increasing the level of uncertainty of the environmental and social impact of the goods. Corporate Social Responsibility, a concept describing the responsibility of companies to ensure the lack of harmful impacts of their products, remains to be implemented by an administrative body. Meanwhile, the effect of irresponsible production plants can be massive on whole societies. On top of heavy environmental impacts, unregulated working conditions can cause a threat to the safety of the local workers and even result in human rights violations. A lack of standards in minimum wage combined with a great number of factory workers inhibits the human capital of a country from developing further.

Countries exporting mainly agricultural products into the EU also face arising problems in developing their economies. This usually being the case for less economically developed countries, a high dependence on agricultural exports creates little possibility to invest in a more diverse manufacturing industry. With rising world food prices, countries such as Mozambique or Ethiopia are faced with having to produce increasingly more for less money to keep revenues at a bare minimum. This consequently brings forth environmental catastrophes as soil gets used up, resulting in deforestation, yet even more soil is needed for further income. This vicious circle leads to an ever increasing environmental burden and lack of development of the local economies, driven by a blind Western consumer demand for cheaper products.

Perspectives With the complexity of arising issues in mind, the EU has already taken some actions to battle hindrances to sustainable trade. The European Commission (EC) has proposed a new Trade and Investment Strategy1 for the EU, stressing bilateral free trade agreements as the main tool to advance its aims of sustainability. Particularly, the Strategy aims to set ambitious goals for the great exporter China, and deepen relationships with countries committed to the local sustainable development goals of the African Union. A key aspect of the EU Trade Policy in negotiating these bilateral agreements is an effective enforcement of sustainable development goals: this is meant to happen through provisions by trading partners as part of the Trade and Sustainable Development chapter of agreements.

However, bilateral trade agreements are by nature inclusive of either one country or a particular region inevitably resulting in a dilemma. Giving rise to additional bureaucratic burden stands against the fundamental WTO principles of free trade agreement of which the EU is a signatory member. Despite slow progress, the EU and other WTO members launched a Green Goods Initiative2 in 2014, aiming at eliminating tariffs on ‘green goods’. Under the ‘Generalized Scheme of Preferences’, the EU also now allows exporters from developing countries to pay lower tariffs on their products to increase revenues on the domestic economy. Yet, the current action does not directly address the sustainable production of regular manufactured goods, which remain the most highly imported product in the EU.

With annual imports worth of 1.7 trillion euros, it is clear that corporations of all sizes play a huge role in determining the human consequences of international trade. When establishing economic ties with foreign countries, European companies are simultaneously investing in their local economy. Thus when opening new markets, information on social and environmental standards should be made available to all entities involved.

However, the EC’s proposal on Non-Financial reporting3 was greatly weakened by the European Parliament when debated upon in 2013. Corporate Social Responsibility still remains largely business-driven, with EuroEuropean Commission website laying out the details of the Trade and Investment Strategy, http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=1274.

2 European Commission website on the details of the Green Goods Initiative, http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=1116.

3 European Commission website on the details of Non-Financial Reporting, http://ec.europa.eu/finance/companyreporting/non-financial_reporting/index_en.htm.

1

Commerce largely arguing that the the interpretation of social responsibility should not impose administrative burdens on corporations. In other words, Corporate Social Responsibility can be overruled by plain economic interests both in and outside of Europe.

Actors, Interests and Conflicts

•

European Commission (EC): As the EU’s executive body, the EC has the right to initiate new policies regarding trade. The trade agreements of the EU are negotiated by the EC, lead by Commissioner on Trade Cecilia Malmström.

•

European Parliament (EP): The EP, as the legislative body of the EU, has to approve of plans proposed by the EC. For instance, the original draft on Non-Financial Reporting by the EC was greatly weakened by the EP.

•

European Companies: European companies with outsourced production outside of the EU face a Corporate Social Responsibility for the sustainability of their products. Yet, the economic interests to do so may sometimes be limited.

•

Foreign Producers: Foreign producers produce according to the price demands of the increasingly competitive market, and the allowance of environmental and labour standards within the country.

•

European Consumers: By consuming products produced outside of the EU every single day, the money of European consumers goes into financing potentially unsustainable products. European consumers also generally are attracted by lower prices which generally hint at lower production standards, though consumer awareness is an increasingly growing trend.

Current Legislation & Policies

•

Trade and Investment Strategy for the EU: Strategy drafted by the European Commission in cooperation with the Member States in tackling a more effective and transparent approach to trade, greatly putting emphasis in bilateral trade agreements.

•

Chapter on Trade and Sustainable Development: EU bilateral policies require inter alia commitments to the implementation in law and in practice of provisions promoting socially and environmentally sustainable production.

•

Generalized Scheme of Preferences: Practice by which developing countries can import to the EU paying lower tariffs, providing greater market opportunities and an opportunity for economic growth

•

Individual bilateral trade agreements are the agreements which the EU takes with individual countries. The demands of the agreements can be negotiated individually.

Key Words •

Social responsibility, in the context of international trade, refers to the impact of the production of goods on the local community. This includes adhering to human rights and having a positive impact on development of the local economy.

•

Corporate Social Responsibility is a self-monitored mechanism by which companies should ensure that their products adhere to respective environmental and social standards.

•

Green goods are defined as products which either are produced in an environmentally sustainable fashion, and/or which have an environmentally positive impact when used (ie. solar panels).

•

Tariffs are taxes paid by importers to the government of the country they are importing to by quantity imported. Tariffs are an example of a barrier of trade, which are measures taken by countries to limit the import and exports of goods.

•

Free Trade refers to a concept of trade where all countries are able to trade with each others with no barriers of trade, such as quotas, subsidies, tariffs, or diplomatic pressure. The World Trade Organization is the biggest promoter of world-wide free trade.

•

Free Trade Agreements are agreements between groups of countries to reduce trade barriers between them. The degree of trade barriers may vary, and trade barriers may still persist on some products.

•

Bilateral Agreements are free trade agreements made only between two countries.

•

Non-Financial Reporting by companies are reports on the social and environmental standards upheld in the production of their goods.

Links

EU Trade and Investment Policy http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/new-trade-strategy/

Environment and Trade and External Relations http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/trade_en.htm

Trade and development http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/development/

Trade Agreements http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/agreements/

Article on Corporate Social Responsibility: Making Sure European Companies Do Not Undermine Development – Fair Politics http://www.fairpolitics.eu/onderwerpen/corporate

Trade and Development in a Nutshell http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/development/

EuroCommerce on Corporate Social Responsibility http://www.eurocommerce.eu/policy-areas/corporate-social-responsibility.aspx

Statistics

EU share in the world market for imports (2013) http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/File:Shares_in_the_world_market_for_imports,_2013_(%25_share_of_world_imports)_YB 16.png

Main EU imports (2009 and 2014) http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/File:Main_imports,_EU28,_2009_and_2014_(%25_share_of_extra_EU-28_imports)_YB16.png

Main trading partners for imports into EU (2014) http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/File:Main_trading_partners_for_imports,_EU28,_2014_(%25_share_of_extra_EU-28_imports)_YB16.png

European Youth Parliament Finland – EYP-Finland ry | Melkonkatu 24 | 00210 Helsinki | www.eypfinland.org | info@eypfinland.org

8. Committee on Industry, Research and Energy I (ITRE I) Home made energy: What role should decentralised energy production play in order to contribute to sustainable reliable and affordable energy supplies in the future?

Chairperson: Tuusa Eriksson (FI) Executive Summary The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the desire to use more renewable energy sources, and the goal of improving energy efficiency and affordability are driving changes to energy policy in the EU. One of the best proposals for achieving these goals is shifting from a system of large-scale, centralised power generation, to a system in which production capacity is more decentralised, consisting of small plants producing power close to its point of use.

Problem Energy underpins important sectors of the economy, such as agriculture and industry. However, currently 50% of the output of the energy sector comes from burning fossil fuels in big, centralised power plants. Fossil fuels are problematic, as they are neither sustainable nor environmentally friendly. At the same time, the EU is importing 53% of its energy, mostly originating from fossil fuels. This dependence on imported energy is hindering the EU’s competitiveness due to its enormous costs and leaving its citizens vulnerable to disruptions in energy supply. Steps must be taken in order to increase the use of alternative energy sources, such as renewable energy sources (RES), which have a less detrimental impact on the environment and do not need to be imported from outside of Europe.

In addition, Europe's aging energy infrastructure, in particular the lack of energy storage, poses challenges.

Without storage, balancing daily and seasonal fluctuations in energy demand with production is difficult. The inability to store a part of produced energy during low-consumption hours and feed it back into the system during peak hours results in wasted energy. This combined with poorly integrated energy markets (particularly across borders) and uncoordinated national energy policies often means that EU consumers do not benefit from increased choice or lower energy prices. Member States possess differing energy mixes, which has resulted in varying incentivisation schemes to encourage the use of RES and diverse tax policies concerning the use of fossil fuels across countries.

Perspectives One of the suggested solutions for combatting energy sustainability, reliability and affordability problems is to increase decentralisation of energy production. A key component of decentralised energy production (DEP) is distributed generation (DG). DG refers to energy being generated in small-scale plants, the primary energy source of which is often renewable. In addition to the environmental benefits associated with the use of RES such as solar or wind power, distributed generation improves energy efficiency by reducing the amount of energy that is lost in transmission, a common phenomenon in centralised energy systems where power has to travel a long way from producer to consumer. Another way DG improves energy efficiency is by enabling the use of waste heat. A further advantage of decentralised energy production is to do with demand response1, which allows levels of energy production to be matched with levels of demand from consumers more accurately, for example through the use of smart grids or smart meters.

However, it is important to keep in mind the complexity of the problem: for each advantage that decentralisation offers, there is also a disadvantage. For example in terms of environmental effects, the construction of many small decentralised plants is more inefficient in terms of energy and fixed costs compared to one centralised power plant. A further hindrance is the high capital investment requirements of DG. This discourages for example small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which represent 30 % of Europe’s overall energy consumption, from shifting towards DG.

Additionally, challenges to implementing decentralised energy production can be found in the infrastructure of the European energy system. There is inadequate grid interconnection and cooperation between Member States. Interconnection levels remain below the target of 10 %, set by the Commission already in 2002. European energy grids need to be updated, so that new generation capacity is built and used where it is appropriate. Easy access to energy grids also remains a problem, as grid owners are often simultaneously energy producers and therefore reluctant to allow others access to grids. This has discouraged investments into renewable energy.

Furthermore, decentralisation of energy is not the only possible way to address for example the environmental effects of our current energy use. Alternative solutions may be found for instance in encouraging Member States to cut overall energy consumption or through the use of nuclear power. Considering these other alternatives, to what extent should decentralisation be pursued and how can it be achieved?

Demand response does not necessarily save energy, but shifts energy loads around in time. It is defined as “Changes in electric usage by end-use customers from their normal consumption patterns in response to changes in the price of electricity over time, or to incentive payments designed to induce lower electricity use at times of high wholesale market prices or when system reliability is jeopardized�.

1

Actors, Interests and Conflicts

•

Member States: Energy is a shared competence of the EU, meaning that both the EU and its Member States can adopt legally binding acts in this area. However, EU level decisions should not affect Member States’ rights to choose between different energy supply sources. This has resulted in very differing policy across Member States.

•

The European Union (EU): EU level competences include ensuring security of energy supply, the completion of the internal market, the promotion of interconnected energy networks, energy efficiency and the development of new and renewable forms of energy. The EU Commission can additionally propose policy that sets legally binding targets for Member States, as is the case with for example the 2020 Energy and Climate Framework.

•

European Consumers: European consumers have an active role in DG as possible producers of their own energy through for example solar panels. How can consumers be incentivised to utilise DG?

Current Legislation & Policies

•

2030 Energy and Climate Framework: The Commission has set new targets for 2030: 40% cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, 27 % share for renewable energy and 27 % improvement in energy efficiency

•

Energy Union Package: The Energy Union Package proposed by the Commission outlines building better energy infrastructure and interconnectedness as one of its main aims. Specifically, under this policy, the Commission will support the implementation of major infrastructure projects and create a dedicated Energy Infrastructure Forum to discuss these projects with Member States.

•

The Third Energy Package: This package of EU policy consists of directives 2009/73/EC, 2009/72/EC and regulations 714/2009/EC, 715/2009/EC. It aims to separate energy generation from transmission, and therefore as soon as it is integrated into Member States’ legislation and enforced, legal and economic barriers of grid access will be significantly diminished. The package also promotes crossborder cooperation.

•

National Incentive Schemes for DEP: Member States use different strategies to encourage the use of RES and incentivise DEP. Policy options include investment incentives, tax incentives, feed-in tariffs2, renewable obligation regimes3 and carbon taxing.

A policy mechanism designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies by providing them a fee above the retail rate of electricity.

3 Producers, suppliers or consumers of electricity have a legal obligation to produce, supply or consume a certain share or amount of renewable electricity or they may be fined.

2

Key Words decentralised energy production, sustainability, energy security, distributed generation, renewable energy sources, energy infrastructure Links

European Parliament Assessment of the Status Quo of Decentralised Energy Systems http://www.europarl.europa.eu/document/activities/cont/201106/20110629ATT22897/20110629ATT22897EN. pdf

EU Commission brochure “European Union Explained: Energy” https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/energy.pdf

Independent research and consultancy company review “Challenges and Opportunities in the Energy Sector” http://www.ce.nl/art/uploads/file/Presentaties/2015/20150309_Challenges-opportunities-energysector_BKA.pdf

Key Advantages of Distributed Energy Resources https://ec.europa.eu/research/energy/print.cfm?file=/comm/research/energy/nn/nn_rt/nn_rt_dg/article_115 9_en.htm

EURELECTIC Article about differing national policies of Member States regarding energy http://www.eurelectric.org/media/81664/2013%2006%20FoE%20%20what%20EU%20Governments%20must%20do%20to%20get%20the%20internal%20energy%20market% 20right.pdf

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9. Committee on Industry, Research and Energy II (ITRE II) Moving towards a single European energy market: What further steps should the EU take to improve Member States’ access to affordable and secure energy supplies?

Chairperson: Juuli Salonen (FI) Executive Summary The EU currently imports over half of its energy at a cost of 350 billion € per year. Rising global demand and scarcity of fuels is directly seen in high energy prices for the consumers. The usage of fossil fuels in addition contributes to global warming. By better co-operation between the EU Member States the European single energy market could be fully integrating and through which the EU could degrease its dependence on energy imports as well as offer more secure and affordable energy to consumers.

Problem Energy has been at the heart of the European projects since the foundation of the EU and still remains so now more than ever. Energy binds Members States together beyond national borders. Currently within Europe the total net import of energy is more than half of the energy produced domestically. Our energy markets remain fragmented and thus European companies pay much more for energy than their international competitors. At the same time, we are wasting far too much energy. Climate change is placing our planet’s future at the risk.

Furthermore, we are losing our competitive edge in key energy technologies. Without further investments in energy infrastructure, renewable energy and closer co-operation between the Member States, the EU would fall behind even more.

EU is heavily dependent on imported energy, particularly for crude oil (more than 90%) and natural gas (66%).

Total import sum is more than 1 billion € per day. Many Member States are also heavily reliant on a single supplier. This dependence leaves them vulnerable to supply disruptions, whether caused by political or commercial disputes or infrastructure failure. One example of this was the gas dispute between Russia and transitcountry Ukraine, that left many EU countries with severe energy shortage.

Perspectives Energy should flow freely across the EU - without any technical or regulatory barriers. Only then can energy providers freely compete and provide the best energy prices, and can Europe fully achieve its renewable energy potential.

In February 2015 the European Commission has adopted its strategy for a European Energy Union. Energy is used to heat and to cool buildings and homes, transport goods, and power the economy. But with ageing infrastructure, insufficiently integrated markets, and uncoordinated policies, our consumers, households and businesses do not reap the full benefits of increased choice and lower energy prices.

One of the biggest aims of the single energy market is to assure affordable energy for all EU citizens. Another very important principle is to gain greater security of energy supply. The EU needs constantly look for new external energy sources. However, building new electricity and gas connections across national borders would degrease the level of dependency of external energy providers.

Furthermore, the single energy market aims to open up the competition in energy production and supply.

Opening national energy markets would allow more actors to compete for clients within the EU, leading to stabilisation of prices due to added competition. This would, however, require for a greater harmonisation of the market rules in the energy sector. In 2007 the EU took a step towards establishing a single electricity market by creating 7 regional electricity markets.

Actors, Interests and Conflicts

•

The EU: The European Commission can propose EU-wide legislation on energy. In its energy strategy the EU aims to ensure reliable and sustainable provision of energy and affordable prices for homes, businesses, and industries.

•

The Member States: Can propose country specific legislation on energy, because it is a shared competence with the EU.

•

Households: The private house-owners suffer from high energy retail prices that result from factors including rising taxes and network costs, and the continued regulation of energy.

Current Legislation & Policies

•

2030 Energy and Climate Framework: The Aims to the completion of the internal energy market by reaching an electricity interconnections target of 15% between EU countries by 2030, and pushing forward important infrastructure projects. Additionally aims to 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 and at least 27% of renewable energy in the EU and energy efficiency at least 27%.

•

EU Energy Roadmap 2050: The EU aims to achieve 80-95% reduction in greenhouse gasses compared to 1990 levels by 2050.

•

The Energy Security Strategy by the European Commission: o

Main goals: §

Increasing energy efficiency and reaching the proposed 2030 energy and climate goals.

§

Increasing energy production in the EU and diversifying supplier countries and routes.

§

Completing the internal energy market and building missing infrastructure links.

§

Strengthening emergency and solidarity mechanisms and protecting critical infrastructure.

Key Words single energy market, Energy Union, energy infrastructure, renewable energy, energy security

Links

Single market progress report by European Commission https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/markets-and-consumers/single-market-progress-report

Commission unveils key energy infrastructure projects to integrate Europe’s energy markets and diversify sources https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/news/commission-unveils-list-195-key-energy-infrastructure-projects

EU to invest €150 million in energy infrastructure https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/news/eu-invest-€150-million-energy-infrastructure

New electricity connections between Lithuania, Poland and Sweden create "Baltic Ring" https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/news/new-electricity-connections-between-lithuania-poland-and-swedencreate-baltic-ring

Central Eastern and South Eastern European countries join forces to create an integrated gas market https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/news/central-eastern-and-south-eastern-european-countries-join-forcescreate-integrated-gas-market

VIDEO: Regional Electricity Markets – Seven Steps to a Single European Electricity Market https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApW3s5JIvlM

Electricity Regional Initiative (ERI) http://www.ceer.eu/portal/page/portal/EER_HOME/EER_ACTIVITIES/EER_INITIATIVES/ERI

Statistics

European Youth Parliament Finland – EYP-Finland ry | Melkonkatu 24 | 00210 Helsinki | www.eypfinland.org | info@eypfinland.org

10. Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Renewable energy in transport: Keeping the balance between cost-effectiveness and environmental impact, how should the EU increase the share of renewable resources in transport to reach its 10% target?

Chairperson: Linda Turpeinen (FI) Executive Summary With long withstanding problems such as negative environmental effects and dependency on petroleum products present in the European transport sector, a movement towards renewables in the near future is vital.

Achieving a sustainable and cost-effective transport sector in all Member States enables Europe to continue reaching targets in the future. Finding a balance between environmental interests and profitable renewable resources, without risking economic growth in the process, is urgent due to the impending 2020 targets.

Problem Some Member States have more potential in reaching the 2020 targets1, whether it be due to climate, resource richness, economic capacity or population initiative. Hybrid and electric cars are more popular in countries such as Belgium and Luxembourg than Finland, due to the fear that climate can influence the longevity of these alternatives, among others. Two countries will not have the same approach to the directive, as their unique geographical features make them incomparable. Even with the introduction of National Action Plans2, the response of the public depends on historical and cultural value of environmental importance, as well as the conveniency and price of transportation alternatives. Public transport sectors in each Member State vary in efficiency, capacity and scale. Accessible, convenient and cheap public transport methods not only outweigh the benefits of using private vehicles but make a huge difference in the overall emissions of the sector.

The present environmental impact of the transport sector is counterposed with the achievements already made by the legal provisions introduced in EU targets. Yet, to what extent are Member States able to modify their current market arrangements in order to achieve a cost-effective renewable resource market?

Perspectives The implementation of the directive may help to achieve the 2020-targets, but without adequate structural adaptations such as development of renewable resource technology or innovations in the field, it cannot be Calls for a European average of 10% of total energy in transport to come from renewable resources. http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/energy/renewables-15 2 2020 targets divided into country-specific targets, which vary depending on capability to introduce renewables to transport/society. (eg. Finland total gross energy consumption from renewables by 2020 is proposed 38%) https://ec.europa.eu/energy/node/71 1

seen as sustainable growth towards renewables in the long-run. Due to price regulation and subsidisation of non-renewable energy resources, Europe may currently be structurally incapable of introducing an internal energy market. The cooperation mechanisms included in the directive provide a unified Europe for renewable energy in transport, and make the 2020 target a lot more reasonable. Yet, these mechanisms rely on the presence of an internal energy market.

The imbalance in implementation of legislative measures expressed in the National Action Plans only furthers the structural divide between Member States. With the addition of the Internal Energy Market, some Member States that have more economic capacity to tackle the 2020 targets may make use of the incapabilities of other countries. Even if states introduce efficient transport agencies, unless they are competitive in regard to the price of non-renewable options, majority of consumers will continue to use their own cars.

The Renewable Energy Directive3 primarily creates incentive for Member States to improve their transport sectors. It also stresses Europe’s international competitiveness in renewable energy resources in addition to setting an example on the environmental impact transport sectors acquire

Actors, Interests and Conflicts

•

European Commission: EU’s politically independent executive branch, comprised of members appointed by Member States. The Commission is the body responsible for foreign relations and adherence to EU legislation. They issue recommendations and monitor Eurostat progress.

•

European Council: Defines EU’s general political direction by a consensus of the leaders of the 28 Member States. Responsible for the following the progress of the directive on a both EU and national level.

•

Member States: Individual governments have the responsibility of adhering to their distinctive quotas in order to fulfil the ultimate EU-wide target of 10% renewables in transport. The economic aspect of reinventing the transport sector is an area of conflict due to differing interests, seen primarily in the varying national targets and applications of RED.

•

Consumers: With majority of consumers preferring cheap and convenient alternatives, public transport and alternative fuel sources need to be made cost-effective and competitive.

•

Transport Agencies: In charge of developing and maintaining the state-owned transport network (on roads, railways, etc.) Agency set prices and scale which determine the demand for public transport.

Directive which specifies 2020 targets to renewable energy: 20% of total gross energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-directive 3

Current Legislation & Policies

•

Renewable Energy Directive (RED): Establishes a policy that requires 20% of total energy use in 2020 to come from renewable resources. Of this, 10% must come from renewable fuel options for transport. Includes cooperation mechanisms that allow for working together to reach the common target. The Renewable Energy Directive is the most significant current policy. As it is a directive, there is a common goal with room for interpretation on implementation for individual governments. It is legally binding, but does not enforce a uniform legislative policy. Even though the RED has been recognised by all Member States, some governments are taking their time putting it to action in their respective countries.

•

National Action Plans: Due to the unique renewable energy composition of Member States, plans under the 2020 targets are divided into individual directives. The plans introduce the most efficient composition of renewable resources as well as national policies that are to be implemented.

•

2030 Framework for Climate and Energy: The 2030 framework establishes interim targets, acknowledging the more long-term 2050 greenhouse gas reduction target. Specifically this means a 40% reduction in emissions from 1990 and at least a 27% renewable energy consumption.

•

Fuel Quality Directive (FQD): Parallel to the RED, the FQD specifies sustainability criteria for renewable resources as well as other fuels used for transport.

Key Words •

Renewable resources: A substance that can be either replaced, recycled or replenished before the complete supply is exhausted (e.g. inexhaustible resources include solar, hydro, turbo).

•

Biofuel sustainability criteria: Unique sustainability framework, that not only takes into account structural effects but also social influences. Energy sources that achieve greenhouse gas savings of at least 35% in comparison to fossil fuels, including all life cycle emissions. In 2017, this is due to rise to 50%. As protecting biodiversity is of primary concern, energy sources from forests or cultivated in high oxygen-enriching environments are not recognised as sustainable.

•

European Internal Energy Market: A trans-European, liberalised energy market. This would require the further removal of trade barriers in order to create a freer exchange of resources.

•

Greenhouse Gas (GHG): The significant GHGs that are produced by human activity are Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide and Fluorinated gases.

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Cooperation Mechanisms: Divided into statistical transfers, joint projects, and joint support schemes, cooperation mechanisms aim to increase incentive and opportunities of Member States.

Building upon the European internal energy market, the mechanisms try to take into account countries with relatively less cost-effective renewable resources.

Links

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Renewable energy business report 2015 by EU Business http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/energy/renewables-15

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Midterm report in facts and figures http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3930297/6613266/KS-DK-14-001-EN-N.pdf/4ec0677e-8fec4dac-a058-5f2ebd0085e4

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National Action Plans: Compare Member States’ RED policies https://ec.europa.eu/energy/node/71

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Renewable Energy Directive (Directive 2009/28/EC) https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-directive

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Cooperation Mechanisms included in the Renewable Energy Directive http://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-directive/cooperationmechanisms

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Renewable Energy Directive: Obligations, Impact, and FQD https://dglassassociates.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/european-union-renewable-energy-directive/

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TRAN research into GHGs and transport pollution http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2015/563409/IPOL_IDA(2015)563409_EN.pdf

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Alternative fuel use per Member State (through diagrams) http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/use-of-cleaner-and-alternative-fuels/use-ofcleaner-and-alternative-3

Statistics

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Diagram http://www.eea.europa.eu/media/infographics/reducing-environmental-impacts-of-transport/view

LAHTI 2016 Through Clean Environment to Social Responsibility National Session of EYP Finland

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National Partners of EYP Finland

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