Academic Preparation Kit – Lempäälä 2016

Preparation Kit for Delegates Lempäälä 2016 – Regional Session of EYP Finland 21st – 23rd October 2016

Letter from the president Dear Delegates of Lempäälä 2016, This Academic Preparation Kit shall help you to prepare for the experience you are about to be making in Lempäälä in a few weeks. The kit has been compiled by your chairpersons who have invested many hours in writing extracts that introduce you to your topics and give you an overview of it. Those overviews cover various aspects of the topic, such as the development of it, its actors, its conflicts, current legislation, as well as possible further developments and statistics. Furthermore, they include some links at the very end that you are very much encouraged to have a further look in.

Although, those overviews already cover many aspects they are not final. There is much more to discover within those topics and the more you know, the more you are able to discuss with all the other participants in Lempäälä. With this said, engage in your topics, be curious and find out more! Also, have a look into the overviews of topics that are not your committee’s. At the end of the session we will be discussing all of them together.

Now I wish you a good read and should you have questions then do not hesitate to contact your chairpersons. We cannot wait to welcome you all in Lempäälä!

Yours,

David Plahl President of the Session

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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.

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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.

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Committee topics Lempäälä – Regional Session of EYP Finland 2016 Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) Chairpersons: Kerstin Reisinger (AT) & Valtteri Valtanen (FI) Brexit as a wake-up call – what steps should the Member States take to improve the EU’s constitutional framework and thereby make it ready for the future?

Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) Chairpersons: Tamina Huber (AT) & Vilma Kallio (FI) In light of the Finnish 2017 presidency of the Arctic Council, how can the EU contribute to a fair distribution and sustainable exploitation of the Arctic’s resources together with other actors in the region, while keeping the EU’s needs in mind?

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) Chairpersons: Susanna Carta (IT) & Aino Röyskö (FI) The European Blue Card has been unsuccessful in attracting the intended volume of high skilled labour. Also in light of the current European migration crisis, how can the EU and its Member States reshape their frameworks for legal migration to fill labour shortages and convince migrated high skilled workers to stay?

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Chairpersons: Molly McKeagney (IE) & Nina Schmid (DE) With half of the world’s population already living in urban areas and them accounting for a significant share in global greenhouse gas emissions, how can the EU help its cities contribute to a successful realisation of the COP21’s Paris Agreement?

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Chairpersons: Ece Çakir (TR) & Oona Huttunen (FI) Towards a European Energy Union: How can the EU and its Member States balance the strategy’s renewable energy goals and the current energy demand of Europe resulting in projects such as Nord Stream 2?

Committee on International Trade (INTA) Chairpersons: Mina Radončić (RS) & Nea Tuovinen (FI) India, as part of the BRICS states is one of the key emerging economies, but the EU has not concluded any trade agreement with it yet. Which trade relations should the EU develop with India, while also keeping in mind its human rights, democracy and rule of law situation?

Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) Chairpersons: Marlene Karstensen (NO) & Jalmari Männistö (FI) The Baltic countries feel threatened by Russia and the wars in Ukraine and Syria are still ongoing. How should the EU and the NATO work together in the future to safeguard the EU’s and its Member States’ security?

Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Chairpersons: Aïcha Bouchelaghem (CH) & Wout Sartorius (NL) Tourism fosters economic growth and creates workplaces in areas all over Europe, but is also dependent on unpredictable factors, such as political developments. How should Member States work together to exploit the full potential of tourism?

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Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) Written by Kerstin Reisinger (AT) & Valtteri Valtanen (FI)

Committee Topic “Brexit as a wake-up call – what steps should the Member States take to improve the EU’s constitutional framework and thereby make it ready for the future?”

Executive Summary The United Kingdom (UK) is on its way to exit the European Union, the refugee crisis and the EU's economic struggle contributing to the result of the Brexit referendum. With continentwide Euroscepticism and nationalist movements on the rise, the UK’s departure threatens to be the first of many such exits. Moreover, the EU now seems to be incapable of facing this problem efficiently, bound by its constitution and disagreements between the Member States.

Main Problem Brexit being the first example in history, countries leaving the EU could significantly weaken the Union and, in extreme scenarios, even cause it to collapse. A chaotic disintegration of the EU could potentially lead to a number of negative effects for the continent. Abolishment of the Schengen area and the single market would restrain the free movement of people, goods and capital. Along with political uncertainty, this could lead to an economic shock, declining interest of international investors and escalating economic stagnation. Brexit has shown that the economic shock would also directly affect the individual Member States, and resulting political power vacuums might lead to conflict. The EU now has to decide how to prevent these crises, either through further integration and unification or by giving legislative power back to the national governments. More integration would result in a quicker legislative procedure which would make the EU more flexible in tackling future challenges in a way that benefits the population. Alternatively, with less integration, the Member States would have more individual power, only having to answer to national law.

The objective for both approaches is faster decision-making but the European population remains divided about the matter.

Actors & Interests • The EU: The most obvious actor in this matter is the European Union itself. It was founded to maintain peace amongst the Member States, ensure security for its citizens and to form an internal single market with a common currency, the Euro. It is made up of several institutions that all have different tasks, they can for example be involved in the legislative process or supervise the finances of the Union. One of these institutions is the European Parliament. Its members, called Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), are elected by the population of the EU. Currently, there are Pro-European as well as Eurosceptic MEPs who have conflicting interests.

• Eurosceptics: Eurosceptic parties and the people that support them are against the power that the EU holds and want to give power back to national governments. They do not agree with the way the EU has handled recent crises, such as the economic crisis or the refugee crisis, and therefore want to give power back to national governments, and in some cases exit the European Union. Examples for Eurosceptic

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parties are UKIP in the UK, AFD in Germany, Front National in France, FPÖ in Austria and The Finns in Finland.

Pro-Europeans: Pro-European parties and their supporters are in favour of an ever closer Union, they stand for more integration and want to give the EU more exclusive competences. Extreme Pro-Europeans, called Federalists, want to have a united foreign policy, a fiscal union, an integrated defence policy and a deeper political Union, some even calling for the creation of the United States of Europe.

Current Legislation & Policies There are two types of legislation in the EU: Primary and Secondary. Primary legislation refers to the treaties that all Member States have agreed upon. They include the fundamental rules of the EU, and also the basis on which all Secondary legislation is made.

Normally, Secondary legislation is made by what is called the “Ordinary Legislative Procedure” or “codecision”. The Commission drafts a proposal for a law which then has to be approved by the European Parliament as well as the Council (the governments of the EU Member States) before it can be implemented by the Commission. These laws include Regulations, Directives, Decisions, Recommendations and Opinions. Regulations are binding and must be applied across the entire EU. Directives describe goals that the EU wants to achieve, however it is up to every Member State how they want to individually reach these goals. Decisions address a specific country or company and are binding only to those it addresses. Recommendations and Opinions are not binding and only express the views of the EU institutions.

When EU law and national law contradict each other, the former is superior to the latter.

This is called ‘Precedence of European law’. Because of that, Member States are not allowed to apply national rules that contradict EU laws. Each Member State’s authorities must implement EU legislation into their national law and enforce it correctly.

But when can the EU even make a law about something? The EU needs to have the competence to legislate in a certain area. There are three types of competences1: Exclusive competences, where only the EU can act, shared competences, where the Member States can only act if the EU has chosen not to and supportive competences, where the EU cannot adopt legally binding legislation.

Perspectives Pro-European actors see further integration as a solution that stabilises the continent politically and economically. They believe that a more closely united Europe would be stronger and more capable of handling both global and internal challenges. There are differing opinions on the scale of the integration, from only minor changes up to federalism.

To remain united is a perspective almost unanimously shared by the heads of the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Council, which is composed of the primary leaders of the Member States.

However, an increasingly large part of Europeans think that the EU should give up some of its power and return it to national governments. Like the British who voted to leave the EU,

The competences of the EU are defined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), articles 2-6.

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these people believe that individual Member States are better equipped to deal with their problems on their own rather than as a member of a multinational Union. Some of them just want the EU to have less authority, while others wish to see the Union reverted to a simple trade union or completely gone.

Keeping in mind the challenges Europe is facing, which approach would be more beneficial for the continent? If either of these approaches would gain the upper hand, would it alienate the opposing side and lead to an even more radical polarisation of the European population? Would it be more important to find common ground, perhaps a compromise between the actors? Or maybe even something completely beyond the two viewpoints?

Key Words Explained in the texts above: • Brexit referendum • Competences • Disintegration of the EU • Integration - more or less?

• Legislative process Definitions ‘Multi-speed’ Europe: A proposed method of integration where a group of EU countries share and pursue an objective, with the rest of EU following their example at a later time.

Statistics

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/euroscepticism-on-the-rise-acrosseurope-as-analysis-finds-increasing-opposition-to-the-eu-in-france-a7069766.html

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Links • EU competences: http://ec.europa.eu/citizensinitiative/public/competences/faq?lg=en#q1 • EU law: https://europa.eu/european-union/law_en • European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on reuniting Europe: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-3042_en.htm • Multi-speed Europe: http://eurlex.europa.eu/summary/glossary/multispeed_europe.html • Precedence of European law: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=URISERV%3Al14548 • President of the European Council Donald Tusk on European unity: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-reactions-tusk-idUSKCN0ZA0XN • President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz on closer integration: http://www.politico.eu/article/martin-schulz-hits-back-at-uk-over-eu-armytheresa-may-brexit/ • Pro-European Federalists: http://www.federalists.eu/policies/ • Pros and cons of the EU: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32793642 • Regulations, Directives and more: https://europa.eu/european-union/law/legalacts_en • Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU): http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A12012E%2FTXT • UK’s ‘Vote Leave’ Campaign, an example of Eurosceptic views: http://www.voteleavetakecontrol.org/campaign.html • Vice-President of the European Parliament David Sassoli on integration: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sassoli/brexit-shouldinspire_b_10660228.html Further Research • Video: Brexit, briefly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3_I2rfApYk • Video: Why Brexit happened and what to do https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcwuBo4PvE0

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next:

Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET)

Written by Tamina Huber (AT) & Vilma Kallio (FI) Committee Topic “In light of the Finnish 2017 presidency of the Arctic Council, how can the EU contribute to a fair distribution and sustainable exploitation of the Arctic’s resources together with the other actors in the region, while keeping the EU’s needs in mind?”

Executive Summary The future development of the Arctic poses many challenges, but also a lot of opportunities.

Whilst the Arctic ice melts at an alarming rate, milder temperatures help access ores and minerals, grand fish stocks and new shipping routes, all of which were previously inaccessible. However, it has to be kept in mind that most of the resources lie in a legal grey zone, extraction of minerals is difficult and deep sea drilling poses huge risks for the Arctic's fragile ecosystem.

Main Problem “The race to the North” has begun and economic, environmental and political chances and challenges have arisen. Through longer Arctic summers new shipping routes are accessible, particularly the Northern Sea Route is worth mentioning, it has even been called “The Suez of the North” by some. On this route the transport way between Shanghai and Europe could be decreased tremendously. Through increased accessibility, scientific research is intensified by interested nations. As there is a constant need of new sources for fossil fuels, the occurrences below the Arctic seabed become increasingly popular.

However, exploitation of valuable minerals proves very difficult due to extreme weather conditions and hostile surroundings. Especially worrying are the dangers of deep-seadrilling, as mishaps easily lead to long time damage in the fragile ecosystem. Even a small leak of pollutants can cause the highly complex regional food chain to collapse. The polar region is especially endangered as toxic substances are degraded only at a very slow pace.

Furthermore, the drilling process produces CO2 emissions.

The Arctic does not really belong to any state, Arctic countries have the right to expand their state territory by so called Exclusive Economic Zones. As countries strive to obtain as much of the Arctic as possible, there is a lot of room for dispute.

Arctic Indigenous Peoples are worried about the preservation of their traditions and livelihoods, as, in spite of international efforts and special status in Arctic Council, their rights have not yet been fully implemented in domestic legislation at the national level.

Actors & Interests ● The Arctic Council includes the Arctic Countries as well as six organisation representing Arctic indigenous people and non-Arctic Observer states, is an intergovernmental forum which promotes cooperation and interaction between the Arctic states and indigenous communities concerning the issues of environmental protection and sustainable development in the Arctic. The Arctic Council cannot execute or enforce its guidelines or recommendations as its actions are based on the responsibility of each individual state ● The Arctic Countries Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and USA, that all have interests concerning environment, energy and transport.

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Besides the Arctic Countries also non-Arctic states, such as China, have expressed great interest in natural resources of the Arctic. Cooperation is crucial as countries are more and more dependent on each other’s help e.g. in research. ● The EU is pursuing the status of an Arctic Council observer, a request, which has been denied twice, 2009 by a dispute with Canada over a sealskin ban and in 2015 because of diplomatic tensions with Russia. The EU’s competences in the Arctic are limited to joined competences with the three Member States, which are part of the Arctic Council (Sweden, Finland, Denmark), and the trade relations with Norway and Iceland. These two countries are not part of EU but members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). As EFTA States they are part of the European Economic Area (EEA) and therefore, have the same legislations concerning the single market as well as equal rights and obligations as actors in EEA. ● Arctic Indigenous Peoples have populated the Arctic for thousands of years. There are over 40 ethnics groups with different values and traditions. People living in the Arctic are concerned about land use, industrialization, social change, environmental problems such as climate change and pollution, which put their livelihoods and culture in danger. The lack of real self-determination and minor impact of international law defending their rights as indigenous peoples in national legislations still complicates their possibilities to affect shaping the future of the region they live in.

Current Legislation & Policies ● The EU Arctic Policy formulated in 2016 emphasises the importance of knowledge on climate change in the Arctic as well as acting responsibility in order to ensure sustainable development and engagement in Arctic cooperation. ● International Maritime Organization (IMO) is an agency specialized by the United Nations. Its responsibility is to create frameworks for the shipping industry to ensure the safety and security of shipping and prevention of marine pollutions from ships.

All EU Member States are members of IMO. ● The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) defines the rights and the responsibilities of the countries concerning the use of oceans and marine resources including a 12-mile territorial sea limit and the EEZ. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a marine area of a state in a range of 200 nautical miles (370,4 km) from shore.

Within their own EEZ, countries have the exclusive rights to the sea bottom and the exploitation of natural resources, which lie below. The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) is the commission, which processes a country's request to extend its EEZ. The country’s request, backed up with scientific data is reviewed by the CLCS in regards of the UNCLOS. ● European Energy Union works to ensure that Europe’s energy supply is affordable, sustainable and secured, while taking into consideration the concerns of climate change. It includes policy framework for energy and climate, as well as energy security strategy and works forward integrated energy market.

Perspectives Countries prioritize their own interests and needs, however, at the same time cooperation on research, rescue operations and environmental issues, and maintaining good terms with each other are needed to secure those interests. Values and interests need to be considered

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as it is crucial to find the balance between the exploitation of resources and the conservation of the Arctic’s vulnerable ecosystems. How can the EU support the people living in the Arctic regions and ensure the preservation of their livelihoods? Are the current frameworks enough to tackle the environmental issues? How can the EU contribute to fair distribution of land and what challenges could arise through that? How can the Arctic benefit the EU, especially in the completion of the European Energy Union?

Key Words ● Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 nautical miles in which all resources are under a nation's control. ● Minerals: Minerals found in the Arctic include iron, ore, gold, phosphate, copper, nickel, oil and natural gas. ● Northern Sea Route: is a shipping route running along the Russian Arctic coast. ● Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) is the commission which processes a country's request to extend its EEZ. Definitions ● Continental Shelf: is the underwater prolongation of a continent.

Statistics

The Arctic Ice Extent is, due to the seasons, the biggest in March and the smallest in September. You can see that both in March and September the Ice Extent has decreased in the last 16 years.2 2015 the average temperature of the Arctic has risen from over 1° compared to 1880-1899 average. 3 22% of the world's oil and natural gas resources might be located in the arctic.4

Earth Observatory of NASA http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/sea_ice.php Study of Enviromental Arctic Change Program http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/arctic-zone/detect/globaltemps.shtml 4 From Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations of the United States Senate - Strategic Importance of the Arctic in US policy (2009).

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Links • Website of the Arctic Council: http://www.arctic-council.org/index.php/en/about-us • Website of European Union External Action Service about Arctic Policy: https://eeas.europa.eu/topics/eu-arctic-policy_en • Q&A from European Commission about Integrated EU policy for the Arctic: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-16-1540_en.htm • Arctic Policies Database: http://arcticportal.org/arctic-governance/arctic-policiesdatabase • International Maritime Organization: http://www.imo.org/en/Pages/Default.aspx • United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: http://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overview_conv ention.htm http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-16-1540_en.htm • Interesting Article about environmental implications of Arctic’s Minerals Exploitation

by Science Time: http://science.time.com/2012/07/20/its-not-just-spills-theclimate-risks-of-arctic-drilling/ http://science.time.com/2012/07/20/its-not-just-spills-the-climate-risks-of-arcticdrilling/ • Interesting Article about the European Union in the Arctic by World Policy Blog: http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2015/06/24/european-union-arctic • About Arctic Indigenous Peoples: http://www.arcticcentre.org/EN/communications/arcticregion/Arctic-IndigenousPeoples • https://accelfellowship.wordpress.com/the-arctic-the-role-of-indigenous-peoples/ • European Energy Union: http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/energy-union-andclimate_en https://eeas.europa.eu/topics/eu-arctic-policy_en • European Economic Area: http://www.efta.int/eea

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Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) Written by Susanna Carta (IT) & Aino Röyskö (FI)

Committee Topic “The European Blue Card has been unsuccessful in attracting the intended volume of high skilled labour. Also in light of the current European migration crisis, how can the EU and its Member States reshape their framework for legal migration to fill labour shortages and convince migrated high skilled workers to stay?”

Executive Summary Europe’s population is declining and aging and new technological changes have created demand for new skills, therefore a new problem has surfaced: There is now a lack of skilled workers in the EU. The number is only going to increase unless something is done. Measures have been already taken, like the EU Blue Card Directive, but attitudes towards migration still remain negative and prompt measures need to be taken to attract skilled workers and restore competitiveness.

Main Problem After the 2008 financial and economic crisis, unemployment rates across the EU have substantially increased while the number of job vacancies has decreased. Thus, the labour market is less tight than it was prior to 2008. Currently, there is no evidence of overall quantitative labour market shortages in the EU-28 labour market. However, there are specific shortages that occur across Member States, as companies struggle to find workers that match the desired requirements and workers struggle to find a job compatible with their specific skills. One common strategy used by employers and Member States in order to counter skill shortages and mismatches is to set up ‘mobility scheme’ programmes that aim to promote high-skilled immigration.

In recent years, the number of migrants to the EU has raised consistently, and in 2009 the European Commission has adopted the Blue Card Scheme as a part of its Agenda on Immigration in order to find a long-term solution to the immigration crisis, and at the same time to tackle the labour and skill shortages by investing in the economic contribution of third-country nationals.

Nevertheless, the Blue Card has failed to attract immigrants to most EU countries due to restrictive requirements and the disparity between Member States in terms of rules, conditions and procedures.

Currently, only 31% of high-educated migrants choose EU destinations instead of other OECD5 countries. Therefore, further skill shortages, especially in the Information and Communication Technique (ICT) and health sectors, will continue to increase due to structural changes in the Member States’ economies.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 22 European Union Member States are members.

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Actors & Interests • Employers: It has been reported6 that employers do not employ high-skilled migrants at their full potential due to xenophobia and racism, resulting in third-country workers underperforming in jobs that require a lower level of skill than provided by their education.

• European Union: The European Commission considers the promotion of legal immigration as a priority. Through the adoption of the European Blue Card, the European Commission aims to provide structural and financial support to Member States in their action to promote the integration of third-country nationals. The Blue Card was adopted in order to create a legal framework that can be applied by Member States to streamline their immigration policies.

• Member States: Integration policies are a national competence. Thus, mobility schemes that aim to attract migrants are created on a national level, becoming ‘parallels’ to the European Blue Card. the presence of different sets of rules that apply to the same category of people can be problematic for the efficiency of the Blue Card.

• Third Countries: The concern of third countries is that the Blue Card might support ‘brain drain’ that developing countries are experiencing, as the common policy could contribute to draw the limited supply of human capital away from the country of origin.

Current Legislation & Policies There are currently four Directives in place to regulate EU migration: • The Seasonal Workers Directive allows seasonal workers from outside the EU to work in the hosting Member State for 5-9 months in seasonal jobs (typically agriculture, tourism or horticulture) and also ensures that they are treated equally.

• The Intra-Corporate Transferees Directive allows multinational corporations to transfer their workers from non-EU countries to facilities within EU Member States and makes the process of issuing work permits for them faster and easier.

• The Researchers Directive makes it easier for nationals coming from non-EU countries to carry out a research project, enter and reside in the EU for a period of more than 3 months.

• The Blue Card Directive is an EU-wide work permit allowing highly skilled non-EU citizens to live and work in any country within the European Union (excluding Denmark, the United Kingdom and Ireland). In order to accumulate a Blue Card, the applicant must have a work contract with a salary of at least 1.5 times the average annual salary in the Member State.

Shortage Occupation Lists Currently there is no binding EU legislation considering shortage occupation lists, but there are three types of shortage occupation lists that exist in the Member States: ● Member States that identify shortages but do not link their shortage occupation lists to labour migration policy (e.g. SE & NL)

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crèpeau (page 11) A/HRC/29/36 6

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● Member States which develop shortage occupation lists for purposes other than labour migration, but which make use of the lists in order to develop aspects of their labour migration policy (BE & FI) ● Member States that develop shortage occupation lists explicitly as instruments for determining the admission of third-country nationals (e.g. UK, LU, DE) NGO’s, EU institutions, etc.

• The European Commission is an executive body of the EU and also sets the migration policy of the EU. • The Directorate-General Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME) works under the Commission and has e.g. migration in its portfolio.

• The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) works closely with EU institutions and provides information and forecasts labour market trends within the Member States Perspectives On June 7th 2016, the European Commission has presented an Action Plan to reform the Blue Card Scheme, as the past framework was unsuccessful in attracting applicants and it was conceived as a burden to employers because of the existence of parallel rules and restrictive admission requirements.

The new admission conditions are more flexible, therefore more likely to be fulfilled by applicants. The proposal also suggests the removal of other parallel schemes so that the Blue Card framework becomes the only regulation across all Member States.

The Action Plan could improve considerably the efficiency of the scheme, but there are other factors that could influence a foreign worker in the decision to apply or not to the scheme, such as the likeliness of being treated differently by employers due to xenophobia.

How can the European Union further improve its strategy to promote the integration of highly skilled migrants across Member States? What can the EU do in order to make sure that employers do not discriminate third-country applicants on the basis of racism and xenophobia? What else can be done in order to diminish future skills shortages and enhance economic growth in the EU-28 labour market?

Key Words ● Blue Card: EU Directive allowing highly skilled workers to obtain a visa easier ● Labour supply and demand: the amount of jobs and job seekers on the market ● Skills mismatch: job seekers not finding jobs due to them having different skills than searched for by employers ● Work-based immigration: migrating to another country to work Definitions ● Labour market tightness is the ratio of job vacancies to job seekers. In a tight labour market, there is a high number of job vacancies and the job seekers have a high chance to find one. ● Cyclical labour shortages will always exist due to the cyclical nature of the economy, however:

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● Structural labour shortages can create skilled labour shortages even when unemployment is high. Due to structural change and technological development demand for certain skills increases. ● A shortage occupation list is a list of occupations for which there are not enough resident workers to fill vacancies put together by different Member States.

Statistics

Job vacancies in selected industries in selected Member States in the years 2012-20147 Links • Determining labour shortages and the need for labour migration from third countries in the EU (a rather lengthy report explaining labour shortages in detail): http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-wedo/networks/european_migration_network/reports/docs/emnstudies/emn_labour_shortages_synthesis__final.pdf • The EU Blue Card Compromise and its unclear effects on the ‘brain drain’: http://berkeleytravaux.com/the-eu-blue-card-compromise-and-its-unclear-effectson-the-brain-drain/ • European commission press release – fact sheet: Questions and Answers: An improved EU Blue Card scheme and the Action Plan on Integration: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-16-2071_it.htm http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-16-2071_it.htm • Labour market shortages in the European union – study for the EMPL committee (2015): http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2015/542202/IPOL_STU(20 15)542202_EN.pdf

Determining labour shortages and the need for labour migration from third countries in the EU - Synthesis Report for the EMN Focussed Study 2015, European Commission (page 10) http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-wedo/networks/european_migration_network/reports/docs/emnstudies/emn_labour_shortages_synthesis__final.pdf 7

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European Commission- press release: Action Plan on Integration and reforms ‘Blue Card’ scheme for high-skilled workers from outside the EU (7 June 2016): http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2015/542202/IPOL_STU(20 15)542202_EN.pdf Revision of the EU Blue Card directive http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/whatwe-do/policies/european-agenda-migration/backgroundinformation/docs/20160607/factsheet_revision_eu_blue_card_en.pdf Requirements needed to fill in order to apply for a Blue Card in the EU: http://ec.europa.eu/immigration/who-does-what/what-does-the-eu-do/comingto-the-eu_en http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2015/542202/IPOL_STU(20 15)542202_EN.pdf http://berkeleytravaux.com/the-eu-blue-card-compromise-and-its-unclear-effectson-the-brain-drain/

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Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Written by Molly McKeagney (IE) & Nina Schmid (DE)

Committee Topic “With half of the world’s population already living in urban areas and them accounting for a significant share in global greenhouse gas emissions. How can the EU help its cities to contribute to a successful realisation of the COP21’s Paris Agreement?”

Executive Summary Consuming 78% of the world’s energy and producing more than 60% of all carbon dioxide emissions, urban areas contribute significantly to climate change. To limit detrimental consequences, the COP21’s Paris Agreement set specific goals to limit global warming.

Since various difficulties can be expected during the transition, the European Union (EU) must help its cities to contribute to a successful realisation of the Paris Agreement.

Main Problem Two-thirds of Europeans live in towns and cities, this number is continually rising. As urbanisation rapidly increases it puts an ever mounting pressure on the environment; an environment which is already struggling. If the global temperature rises above 2°C it could cause significant and frequent natural disasters, increase droughts, cause polar ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise. These examples are not an exhaustive list of the potential dangers if the global temperature continues to rise.

Currently, a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from transport. This is also one of the prime causes of air pollution in cities. One of the leading producers within this area is road transport. In 2014 alone, more than 70% of all greenhouse gas emissions were produced by road transport. The lack of efficient and extensive public transport means that many people rely on cars as their primary mode of transport. Future investment in the development of greater, more eco-friendly transport systems, especially in urban areas,is required by Member States and the EU. The COP 21 Paris agreement aims to limit the increase of the global temperature. In order to achieve this, the signatories, including the EU, the United states and China, have agreed to set more ambitious targets. The role of cities and urban areas is crucial in achieving the aforementioned targets. To realise these goals there needs to be cooperation between cities, national governments and EU institutions. The COP 21 introduces greater accountability and transparency among signatories, this transparency and accountability now needs to spread between EU institutions and Member States. The need for transparency outlined in the Paris Agreement ensures that there is mutual confidence among the signatories and it helps promote effective implementation of the necessary environmental changes.

Green Economy in cities not only improves the quality of life for its inhabitants but it also produces new employment opportunities. Bristol was the 2015 winner of the European Green Capital Award. Through its initiatives it has shown a 4.7% growth in green economy.

Furthermore, it has set targets of creating 17,000 new jobs in low carbon sectors by 2030.

The European Green Capital Award, is one way in which the EU can help cities and urban areas become more sustainable. Other initiatives interconnected with the idea of Green Economy is Green Infrastructure. This is where urban and climate challenges are solved by building with nature. In reality this means providing a framework for social, economic and

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environmental health of the surroundings. This can include better food production methods, stormwater management, and green spaces.

Fuel quality and energy needs are also areas that impact upon the realisation of the COP21 Paris Agreement targets. Without investment in new fuel technologies and renewable energies, Member States will not be able to fulfill the ambitious targets set by the EU and its institutions.

Actors & Interests • The European Union: The EU and its respective bodies play a part in the development of legislation and provision of funding for targets such as the COP 21 targets. Additionally, to this, the EU tries to be a world leader in leading the way for a more sustainable world. Legislation such as Horizon 2020 or the 2030 climate and energy framework are examples of how the EU is increasing its environmental competence.

• The United Nations (UN): Plays a key role during the process to agree on a new climate change agreement such as by organising a yearly United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

• Countries: There is a gap between developed and developing countries when it comes to carbon emissions. Currently more developed countries such as EU Member States have the financial support in order to invest into renewable technologies and updating infrastructure. Rapidly developing countries such as China produces a greater amount of carbon emissions than developed countries such as Germany.

This is due to developed countries, such as Germany, having the financial resources to ensure it uses more sustainable methods of production.

• Companies/businesses: Some businesses (such as the coal industry) might face severe problems during the transition to a carbon free economy, others might fear higher energy costs and therefore a economic stagnation or even economic contraction.

• Cities: Urban areas have a greater density of people, which has resulted in an increased level of greenhouse gas and carbon emissions. Furthermore, due to industry and transport pollutants there is a greater impact upon the quality of lives of the inhabitants. Urban planning and development tries to take into consideration the needs of the citizens and economic responsibilities.

Current Legislation & Policies EU level legislation and policies: ● 2020 Climate & Energy package8: The 2020 Climate & Energy package is a binding EU legislation with three key targets: ● 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels ● 20% of EU energy from to come from renewable sources ● 20% improvement in energy efficiency

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http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/strategies/2020/index_en.

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● 2030 Climate & Energy Framework9: The 2030 Climate & Energy Framework builds up on the 2020 climate and energy package. The EU’s current target is to reduce greenhouse emissions by at least 40% by 2030. ● 2050 low carbon Economy10: The 2050 low carbon economy roadmap suggests that the EU should cut its emissions to 80% below 1990 levels. ● EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)11: This greenhouse gas emission trading scheme was launched in 2005 by the EU to fight global warming cost-effectively. EU ETS works on the “cap and trade” principle. ● European Commission’s Low Emission Mobility Strategy: Aims to increase the efficiency of the transport system, speed up the development of alternative energy supplies and move towards zero-emission vehicles. ● URBACT 2014-2020: A European exchange and learning programme that promotes sustainable urban development. Around 500 cities and regional authorities are currently involved. ● The European Green Capital Award: Recognises and rewards local efforts made to improve the environment, economy and quality of life in cities. The award is annually to a city that is leading the way in environmentally friendly urban living.

International agreements: ● COP 21 Paris Agreement: The COP 21 Paris agreement has been adopted during the Paris Climate Conference in 2015 and is the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal. The agreement comes into action when at least 55 nations with at least 55% of the global emissions have ratified the agreement. ● Kyoto Protocol: At the third UNCC in 1997 the Kyoto Protocol was signed. It was the first major international climate change agreement and includes individual targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for every signatory. These targets need to be met in two rounds: The first were to be achieved by 2013 and 2020 is the deadline of the second round.

Funding: ● European Regional Development fund: 5% (€330 million) of the fund has been allocated for the development of sustainable development in each EU Member State. ● European Structural and Investment funds (ESIF): Has a budget of €454 million for the investment and development in the jobs sector, infrastructure, and sustainable development. ● Horizon 2020: Provides funding for resource efficient transport. It promotes green vehicles, mobility and innovation in transport.

Perspectives Although the Paris Agreement is legally binding, it hasn’t got any specific penalty gradation or fiscal pressure to discourage contravention. How can the EU ensure and control that every country will meet their goals? While thinking about this question, one also has to keep

http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/strategies/2030/index_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/strategies/2030/index_en.htm 11 http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/ets/index_en.htm 9

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in mind that the opinions and strategies of every region differ a lot: in some countries (e.g.

Germany) the answer to lower carbon emissions are renewable energies. Renewables have a lot of advantages, but they are also location and e.g. sun or wind dependant. How can the EU secure the energy supply of every region (especially major cities)? Urbanisation is constantly increasing, which makes this task more and more difficult. Another problem of a growing urbanization is the simultaneous increase of the pollution. What can the EU do against it? Are the COP21 goals realistic? Why should the COP21 targets be reached? Can every region of the EU reach their goals? What actions should be taken to improve urban transport?

Key Words Air quality, COP21 Paris agreement, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, urban areas and development Definitions ● Greenhouse gases (GHG): The massive use of fossil fuels, such as hydrocarbons (coal, gas and oil), deforestation, and intensive livestock and crop farming produce large quantities of greenhouse gas emissions, which accumulate in the atmosphere.

These emissions speed up global warming. ● Green economy is an economy that focuses on having low carbon, is resource efficient, prevents loss of biodiversity and is socially inclusive. It can be both publically and privately funded. ● Green Infrastructure: An integrated approach to land use, where there is a network of natural and semi-natural features. These features can be green spaces, rivers, lakes; they intersperse and connect towns, villages and cities.

Statistics 75% of Europeans live in cities http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/Greenhouse_gas_emission_statistics Urban areas consume about 78% of the world’s energy and produce more than 60% of all carbon dioxide http://unhabitat.org/urban-themes/climate-change/ Links • Official homepage of COP21: http://www.cop21paris.org/

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Summary of the Paris Agreement from the perspective of the European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/negotiations/paris/index_en. htm

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COP21 and the importance of city action against global warming http://www.wri.org/blog/2015/12/cop21-highlights-importance-city-actionsclimate-fight 21

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European Strategy for low-emission http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport/index_en.htm

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The EU action area “cities” and climate change: http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/paris_protocol/cities/index_e n.htm

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Explanation about Smart Cities from the European https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/about-smart-cities

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mobility

Commission

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Written by Ece Çakir (TR) & Oona Huttunen (FI)

Committee Topic “Towards a European Energy Union: How can the EU and its Member States balance the strategy’s renewable energy goals and the current energy demand of Europe resulting in projects such as Nord Stream 2?”

Executive Summary The EU’ energy policy concentrates on securing a diverse and secure supply of energy to Europe. With a high demand of energy, imported energy plays a vital role with projects, such as the Nord Stream pipeline providing Europe with imported natural gas. The EU is consequently failing to achieve the goals of greenhouse gas emission reduction by at least 40 per cent set by the 2030 Climate and Energy Framework’s targets.

Main Problem For the past decade the production of non-renewable energy has decreased in the EU mainly due to acknowledging that raw materials are being exhausted and that the use of these limited resources is uneconomical. However, the production of renewable energy has not replaced non-renewables, such as crude oil, natural gas and solid fuels, with the same speed. This has resulted in a decrease in the total production of primary energy within the EU and the excess demand of imported energy.

Lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and boosting the share of renewables are actively discussed in the EU thus granting huge importance to these agendas. In 2007, the EU committed to the “2020 Climate and Energy package” defining the tripled target as ‘’supply, competitiveness and the environment’’. The promised target was to reduce GHG emissions by at least 20% compared to 1990. The Energy 2020 initiative for an energyefficient Europe, emphasises the essentiality of having a strategy set up for competitive, sustainable and secure energy. Confirming the insufficiency of these targets and efforts to limit the warming of the atmosphere to 2 degrees celsius, in 2014 the European Commission presented the ‘’2030 Climate and Energy Framework’’. This framework, highlights the EU’s contribution to deal with climate change, aims to boost the share of renewables and reduce GHG emissions by 43 % from the levels of 2005 by the year 2030. In the long-term, the EU has found new mediums to decide upon its future in energy by considering the ‘’Energy Roadmap 2050’’. The EU has agreed for a brighter energy-friendly Europe and has promised to reach the targets set. However, current legislation and processes taken by Member States do not encompass a huge reduction as targeted.

The production of renewable energy varies heavily across Member States. Not only are the resources to develop renewable energy different across Member States, but also the most efficient ways of production differ. Member States such as Malta and Cyprus produce mainly solar energy whereas hydropower is a significant renewable energy source for middle and northern parts of the EU. The challenge is to increase renewable energy production in each Member State while considering their abilities to increase the capacity and ways of achieving those targets.

A key factor to achieve the targets is the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), which allows companies to receive and buy emission allowances. The ETS encourages research and development on clean technology. Also such a system is hoped to push companies to shift

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from non-renewable to renewable energy sources. However, it is also said that the 43% target is burdensome and that the cost for Member States to achieve their personal renewable energy goals is too high.

The European Commission has considered to construct an energy union in order to increase energy efficiency and independency from energy imports while effectively improving coordination between Member States. Another aspect concerning the energy union is the concept of climate-friendly energy and low emissions in order to achieve the EU’s climate and energy targets. The European Energy Union also calls attention to the EU’s dependency on imported, especially Russian, natural resources and consequently the EU’s vulnerability.

According to data, Europe imports 53% of its energy from Russia at a cost of 400 billion euros a year. This makes the EU Russia’s biggest consumer. With the threat of Russia utilising energy as a political weapon, the EU’s energy supply and security is risked. Russia has in the past taken advantage of highly-Russia-dependent Member States by applying different pricing policy in different states; the current situation has resulted in Lithuania buying Russian gas for 500 dollars per trillion cubic meter (tcm) while Germany imports gas for around 400 dollars tcm.

The EU proposes an opportunity for reconnection between Member States to obtain energy without facing severe disruptions in supplying process. Pointing out the liberalisation of the EU markets and increasing the security of deliveries, Germany proposed a new pipeline to flow gas directly to the German market, doubling the import routes. Nord Stream 2 would increase Gazprom’s influence on gas prices as well as its position and leverage on the energy market. On the other hand, with the help of Nord Stream 2, all Member States would benefit from relatively low gas production costs in Russia.

Actors & Interests • The EU: The Commission has presented an ‘Energy Union’ in effort to keep the EU competitive on the global markets and to stabilize a low-carbon economy. The Commission proposes guidelines for Member States, such as the 2020 and 2030 targets, to enable them to follow environmentally friendly policies as parcel of the Energy Union.

• Member States: Each Member State has its own energy policies and priorities, which give each a challenge to reach their renewable energy targets.

• Russia: Russia is the largest importer of energy to Europe as well as part of the Nord Stream pipeline. Russian state based company Gazprom is willing to increase its flexibility in means of comfortably operating on the European market and increasing its access to the EU storage.

• Germany: In case of success in constructing the Nord Stream 2, German market’s significance as an important gas transit and trade hub will increase. Germany is also the largest producer of renewable energy within the EU. Current Legislation & Policies The European Energy Union and Climate consists of five areas, which aim to improve the state of the EU’s energy production. ● supply security: the Union stresses the importance of continuous gas and oil imports without interruptions

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● internal energy market: energy should flow through the EU without barriers. This could also have an positive effect on energy prices and achieving renewable energy goals. ● energy efficiency: efficient energy markets would reduce the EU’s energy imports and cut pollution ● emissions reduction: the Union pushes for global deals for climate change, such as the Paris agreement in 2015 ● research and innovation: encourages the research and development of new technologies by coordinating and helping to finance the private sector 2020 Climate and Energy Package and 2030 Climate and Energy Framework: These frameworks seek to address the EU’s need for a more competitive, secure and sustainable energy system in the long time interval between 2020 and 2030.

2050 Energy Roadmap: Under the headline ‘Roadmap for moving to a competitive lowcarbon economy in 2050’, the 2050 Energy Roadmap is a project founded by the the European Climate Foundation aiming for a decline of 80% in GHG emissions. This initiative is also supported by the European Commission as it has connecting aspects with the Commission’s decarbonisation objectives.

The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS): is a major factor in the framework of tackling climate change and it allows companies to receive and buy energy allowances. The ETS encourages companies to consume less non-renewable energy by offering them a chance to sell the rest of its emission allowances to others or then using those allowances later. This ‘stick and carrot’ like approach is suggested to support the use of renewable energy sources.

Perspectives The increasing dependency on imported gas and the inability to achieve renewable energy targets bring a significant challenge to the EU’s energy sector and plans of an Energy Union.

In addition, energy security presents a variety of possibilities of damaging the EU’s security objectives. On the other hand, release of energy from renewable gases accounts for 14.1% of Europe’s final energy consumption and the European Commission has proposed to boost the share of renewables to at least 27% by 2030.

What are the roles of the EU, Member States, the private sector and households in achieving the renewable energy goals? Considering countries, such as Finland and the Baltics, that import almost all of their natural gas from Russia, whereas Romania only imports around 10% of its consumption, what steps should the EU take to assure that each Member State achieves their domestic renewable energy targets? How can the Nord Stream 2 ensure environmental protection and safety? How can the EU decrease its dependency on energy imports, especially with the risk of them not being secure or not matching the European Energy Union’s targets?

Key Words As explained in the texts above: Renewable energy, non-renewable energy, climate change, energy imports, secured energy supply, dependency, internal energy market, energy sufficiency, renovation.

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Definitions ● Nord Stream 2: a planned second gas pipeline to go from Russia to Germany. ● Primary energy: a concept used in statistics to measure the whole energy production of for example a country. It can be either non-renewable or renewable energy. ● Renewable energy: a type of energy that can be generated from resources, which are naturally replenished on so-called infinite sources such as sun, wind, rain and tides. Examples include solar energy, geothermalenergy, bioenergy and hydropower. ● Non-renewable energy source: such as crude oil, natural gas, nuclear power.

Statistics: •

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EU Energy in Figures: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/PocketBook_ENERGY_201 5%20PDF%20final.pdf Renewable energy statistics: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/Renewable_energy_statistics Nord Stream II: http://www.enerdata.net/enerdatauk/press-andpublication/energy-news-001/gazprom-and-european-partners-will-build-nordstream-2-2020_34025.html

Links: • European Energy Union and Climate: http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/energy-unionand-climate_en • EU Emissions Trading System: http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/ets/index_en.htm • Imports and Secure Supplies: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/imports-andsecure-supplies • Nord Stream II: https://www.boell.de/en/2016/08/26/nord-stream-ii-shakinghands-devil • Energy consumption: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/Consumption_of_energy • Energy production and imports: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/Energy_production_and_imports

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Committee on International Trade (INTA) Written by Mina Radončić (RS) & Nea Tuovinen (FI)

Committee Topic “India, as part of the BRICS states, is one of the key emerging countries, but the EU has not concluded any trade agreement with it yet. Which trade relations should the EU develop with India, while also keeping in mind its human rights, democracy and rule of law situation?”

Executive Summary With its relations emerging back in the 1960s, the European Union and India go far back in terms of possible cooperation. Initially by signing the Joint Political Statement of 1993, they had extensively started opening a broader political dialogue, aiming to promote peace, security, development and cultural exchange. However, due to the possibility of deteriorating effects on both markets, negotiations have faced many barriers and problems regarding human right and legislative standards.

Main Problem As part of the BRICS states, India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world right now. Trade agreements between the European Union (EU) and India would be beneficial for both sides, but currently the EU has not concluded any kind of trade agreement with India.

The EU-India Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) has been proposed and negotiated in 2007, but is still far from being concluded due to differences in legislative and human right standards. Currently, the discussions focus on key issues that obstruct the formation of the trade agreement. India’s requirements appear disproportionate and often diverge from international standards and the EU requires comprehensive structural and legal reforms from India to negotiate a balanced free trade agreement, which causes unwillingness from both sides to accept each other’s requirements. The interests, goals and needs of the EU and India hardly meet without sacrifices by each side, which causes reluctance to create a trade agreement.

India is an important trade partner for the EU and a growing global economic power.

Without a trade agreement with India, the EU loses an important trading partner and the benefits of increasing trade and investment and opening new markets for goods and services. Slower economic growth or economic stagnation, less exports and the loss of a trading partner would be the worst consequences resulting if the trade agreement will not be concluded.

Actors & Interests • EU Commission – Consisting of one Commissioner from each Member States, it holds executive powers over the EU. It has the power to negotiate international trade agreements on behalf of the Member Organisations.

• India – With its main trade partner being the EU, it owns great responsibility to strive towards achieving better cooperation and trade agreements with its countries. It has turned its sustainability aims towards promoting its growth in terms of increasing export of goods. The aims of both parties are intended to be achieved and represented through a Free Trade Agreement.

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Current Legislation & Policies • 1994 Cooperation Agreement – In order to enhance and develop the various aspects of cooperation between the two parties and achieve a closer and upgraded relationship through dialogue and partnership, the Agreement mainly focused on trade and commercial cooperation, economic collaboration, industry and energy. It was the baseline set in order to open the possibility for a broader political dialogue between India and the EU. • Country Strategy Paper for India – strategic document containing all the EU funds in the fields of health, education and the implementation of the Joint Action Plan.

• Free Trade Agreement (FTA) – with negotiations on it starting in 2007, it was meant to tackle trade in service, intellectual property, foreign investment and goods. The agreement has yet to be settled, after a total of 13 rounds of negotiations at the moment.

• Joint Action Plan – Agreed on in 2005, it served the purpose of drawing attention to the full significance of the cooperation in key areas between India and the EU. It is currently effective in the fields of security (through the EU – India Declaration on International Terrorism), trade and climate change.

• Joint Statement on the 13th EU-India Summit, March 2016 – Written throughout one of the annual Summit meetings, it recalled for the need of a stronger EU-India strategic partnership, foreign policy advancement, human rights and security cooperation, as well as global prosperity.

Perspectives The main issue is determining what kind of trade agreements with India will be the most beneficial for the EU and its Member States, and how to create cooperation between nations with different legislative and human right standards.

India is a possible partner for free trade agreements (FTAs) for the EU, which has been discussed since 2007. A free trade agreement would reduce or even remove customs tariffs in bilateral trade between India and the EU. India is a possible future partner, but it is important to bear in mind the different standards in the EU and India. Barriers that have kept the agreement from being agreed on deal with different standards and requirements where mutual understanding has not been reached yet.

Another opportunity for the EU is to create a Customs Union with India, which eliminates customs duties in bilateral trade and establishes a joint customs tariff for Indian goods. A lowering of tariffs may well result in greater trade with the EU, but for India this may mean more imports than exports and not be beneficial. EU tariff rates are already quite low and therefor India’s exports to the region might not increase significantly if tariffs are cut.

The last option for the EU would be to create partnership and cooperation agreements (PCAs) with India. These agreements provide a general framework for bilateral economic relations between the EU and India without eliminating or reducing customs tariffs. Keeping the tariffs will not promote trade or help to create economic growth in the EU as efficiently as a free trade agreement or Customs Union would.

How can the EU find the most beneficial trade agreement with India that also meets with the interests of India without sacrificing the European standards? How can the EU find a solution to reduce the trade barriers with India and by doing that solve the problems met in the trade agreement negotiations?

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Key Words ● Trade Agreement = a key priority for the EU to stimulate economic growth by opening up market, investment and trade opportunities for European businesses abroad through negotiating agreements with key partners, such as India. Different kinds of agreements: customs unions, free trade agreements and partnership and cooperation agreements. ● Multinational Corporations (MNCs) = considered the main motors of economic growth, channeling physical and financial capital to countries with capital shortages. As a consequence, wealth is created, which causes benefit to the governing bodies. However, it directly affects the deterioration of national economies and products, by vastly promoting globalisation at all stakes. ● Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) = serving as main channels of activity amongst national economies, their success is rapidly decreasing for the sake of sustainability and the rise of MNCs. In order to protect its industry, governments attempt to liberate the market as much as possible for the existence and protection of SMEs. ● Intellectual Property Right (IPR) = aims to stimulate and ensure fair competition and to protect consumers by enabling them to make informed choices between various goods and services. ● Model Bilateral Investment Treaty (MBIT) = efforts to attract and safeguard foreign investment while protecting public interest made by India. The agreement was firstly put into action with the US, but later on intended to be used as a model for several European countries. ● Fair and Equitable Treatment (FET) = an effort made to give greater scope to regulatory authority of governments as opposed to broad interpretations by investment tribunals.

Definitions ● BRICS states = Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the five fastest growing emerging markets, that have potential to form a powerful economic block. ● Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) = an instrument of public international law, enabling an investor to use dispute settlement proceedings against a foreign government. ● Trade-related aspects of Intellectual Property Agreement (TRIPS) = set up by the World Trade Organisation, it acts upon minimum standards of IPR as applied to nationals and other organisation´s members.

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Statistics

● Statistics in trade between the EU and India. ● Collection of the most important statistics concerning trade of goods between the EU and India : http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2006/september/tradoc_113390.pdf Links • Trade agreements in a nutshell: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-andregions/agreements/index_en.htm#_europe ● The EU-India trade: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-andregions/countries/india/ ● Article about issues in the EU-India trade: http://eeas.europa.eu/factsheets/docs/eu-india_factsheet_en.pdf ● The EU-India relations: http://thewire.in/26540/many-issues-stand-in-the-way-ofindia-the-eu-agreeing-on-an-free-trade-deal-in-brussels/ ● Impacts of the free trade agreement between the EU and India: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2009/june/tradoc_143372.pdf ● Trade and investment barriers between the EU and India: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2016/june/tradoc_154665.pdf ● Analysis about the negotiation of the EU-India free trade agreement: https://www.oxfam.de/system/files/20090609_negotiationofafreetradeaggrement euindia_218kb.pdf

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Committee on Security and Defense (SEDE)

Written by Marlene Karstensen (NO) & Jalmari Männistö (FI) Committee Topic “The Baltic countries feel threatened by Russia and the wars in Ukraine and Syria are still ongoing. How should the EU and the NATO work together in the future to safeguard the EU’s and its Member States’ security?”

Executive Summary In recent years new threats have emerged within Europe, especially concerns of security that originate from the instability in the EU's immediate neighbourhood. These threats are becoming increasingly cross-border, and has led Member States to feel insecure. At the same time, a security vacuum is developing: The European countries and international powers such as NATO are less ready and less capable in dealing with crises like the armed conflict in Ukraine than previously thought, leaving an emptied strategic space that could be exploited by outside powers.

Main Problem Since the crisis in Ukraine in 2014, the relations between the West and Russia have deteriorated, marking a fundamental shift in Europe’s security architecture. The Baltics have been especially concerned about this escalation, as they are located in the middle of the struggle between Russia and the West for influence in Europe. Because of events in 2014, security has been at the top of the Baltics’ political to-do list. As members of NATO and the EU, the Baltics are protected by treaty commitments. However, the EU-NATO relationship is in a situation where it has to be noted that while most of the EU Member States are also members of NATO, Finland, Sweden, Austria and Ireland are not, due to their neutrality. This creates a situation where the EU has to take into account that a consensus about a military alliance to the union has not been realised and the EU has to act respectfully towards those Member States that try to preserve their neutrality.

There are also other threats in the EU’s neighbourhood, such as the war in Syria, the crisis in Libya, and an aggressive Russian policy of constant military presence, propaganda and an unpredictable foreign policy that especially concerns Eastern European nations. Security concerns have also arisen inside of Europe in the form of extreme groups motivated by political or religious ideologies and their increasing violence.

The change of the security climate in Europe has triggered a civic demand for security. The need for national security may fuel the temptation to fall back into isolationism if national and European leaders lose control of the situation and fail to demonstrate that “strength lies in unity”. Though not all conflicts are centred in Europe, they have many overarching effects such as a constant refugee flow and indirect economic backlashes. Whilst the EU already has taken careful steps with direct action in Syria with economic and management aid, the EU still has to be a key player in solving the Syrian and similar crises amidst global powers if the EU wants to make sure that the goals of safety and humanitarian conditions are secured in the future.

The Crisis in Ukraine is the most immediate to the EU. The crisis has many politically unclear elements and whilst the situation remains unsolved by Ukraine itself, EU has taken strong action in helping the country hold together, especially through financial aid and political

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backing and support. Although quite unclear of the whole extent it is evident that Russia plays a role in supporting the unrest, thus disturbing the peace of Ukraine and the neighbour states. Russian involvement is considered an echo of Cold-War attitudes and is creating political turmoil throughout Europe, and especially in the Baltics who have a long history of USSR occupation.

Actors & Interests • The Member States: Interests vary to great extent across Europe, with some states being very hesitant to adopt a tough stance against threatening conflicts, whilst others (such as the Baltic States) are more willing to take action. Security and Defence policy is a national matter, meaning that the EU is not responsible, and Member States have yet to adopt a common legislation.

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) : The military alliance provides security for its members, as an armed attack against any NATO member is considered an act of aggression towards all members. 22 of the 28 NATO members are also members of the EU. • Russia: Being a part of the main threat towards several European countries, Russia’s actions in Eastern Europe and Syria greatly challenges its relations with the EU. Though the EU and Russia are economically dependent on each other, a political cooperation proved difficult, as can be seen from the invasion of Ukraine and the violations of EU airspace.

• The United States: The US have been a member of NATO since 1949. The dependence of European NATO allies on the United States has increased since the Cold War, and the US is cautiously securing a stronger presence in Europe, especially at the Eastern borders.

Current Legislations & Policies • EU-NATO joint declaration: a declaration of partnership signed July 2016, stating the cooperation between EU member states and NATO in enhancing the stability in accordance with European value. The declaration defines the response to hybrid threats, investment in Europe's cybersecurity sector and maritime cooperation in response to the refugee crisis.

• NATO-EU Declaration on a European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP): the present security cooperation within the European Union. The declaration enables the EU to take a role in peacekeeping operations, conflict prevention and in the strengthening of the international security, and draws on civilian and military assets.

• NATO’s 2% metric: the members of the NATO pledged in 2014 to increase their defense spending to 2 percent of their gross domestic products by 2024. As of April 2016, only five countries (the US, Greece, Poland, Estonia and the UK) had reached these guidelines.

• Readiness Action Plan: a NATO-developed plan that ensures the Alliance is ready to respond swiftly and firmly to new security challenges. It includes assurance measures for NATO members to strengthen their defence and deter potential aggression. The assurance measures comprise of land, sea and air activities that are reinforced by exercises focused on collective defence and crisis management.

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•

The organisation for security and cooperation in Europe (OSCE): offer a forum for political negotiations and decision-making in conflict prevention and crisis management. Decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally, binding basis.

Perspectives Many of NATO’s members - such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States – still prioritise resolving the wider Eastern European security crisis through diplomatic means. This has led to a difficult balancing act: on the one hand, they aim to stay within the constraints of the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act and avoid a tense military build-up along NATO’s eastern flank. On the other hand, they seek to assure NATO’s Eastern members that any possible aggression will be credibly deterred.

The EU is mostly an economic union, and such generally do not take an active stance in the issues of national security. However, the EU is also a social union where involvement ties all member states together, and so should take clear action in defining its involvement and effort in the creation of a more secure Europe. One of these actions has been a closer cooperation with NATO, but this too is a question of difficulty: the EU cannot become too closely connected to NATO as some of the Member States do not belong to NATO, and it cannot distance itself too much as most of the Member States have their military defence defined by NATO. This tricky relationship could be in the middle of solving the European security vacuum, but how should the EU take action in doing so? Should the EU take steps towards NATO or away from it? How could the EU make tackling security solutions together easier?

Key Words As explained in the texts above: NATO, Security vacuum, Extremist groups, EU neighbourhood Definitions • Mutual Defence Clause: introduced in 2009 under Article 42 (7) of the Treaty of the European Union. It states that EU countries are obliged to assist a fellow member state that has become “a victim of armed aggression on its territory” and that this support should be consistent with potential NATO commitments.

• NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, an alliance consisting of 28 nations that have pledged to respond collectively to an attack against any other member.

• NATO-Russia Founding Act: a political commitment undertaken by NATO and Russia in 1997, aiming to build a lasting and inclusive peace in the Euro-Atlantic area on the principles of democracy and cooperative security.

• Treaty on European Union (TEU): one of the primary treaties of the EU, forming the basis of EU law by setting out general principles of the EU's purpose, the governance of its central institutions (such as the Commission, Parliament, and Council), as well as the rules on external, foreign and security policy.

Links • The official website of the European Union: http://europa.eu/europeanunion/index_en

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• • •

•

•

•

Websites of research done on European matters, interests and conflicts: http://carnegieeurope.eu and http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/ The official website of NATO: http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/index.htm Factsheet on EU-NATO relations: http://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_2016_07/20160630_1607factsheet-nato-eu-en.pdf A copy of the EU-NATO joint declaration, signed by the two parties: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/07/08-eu-natojoint-declaration/ The EU’s official agenda on security matters: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/homeaffairs/e-library/documents/basicdocuments/docs/eu_agenda_on_security_en.pdf Defence Expenditures of NATO Countries from 2008 to 2015: http://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_2016_01/20160129_16012 8-pr-2016-11-eng.pdf

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Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN)

Written by Aïcha Bouchelaghem (CH) & Wout Sartorius (NL) Committee Topic “Fostering economic growth and creating workplaces in areas all over Europe, while also being dependent on hardly foreseeable factors, such as political developments. How should Member States work together to exploit the full potential of tourism?”

Executive Summary Europe is currently the number one tourist destination in the world. The tourism industry seems to have responded steadily to the European Union’s recent economic difficulties, in addition to accounting for significant revenue from transport, entertainment and shopping.

Hence, tourism represents an asset of utmost importance for the EU’s economy. Its happy thrive is, however, compromised by growing concerns affecting the tourism sector, such as political developments and the concern for sustainability.

Main Problem Europe’s position as a leading tourist destination worldwide is mirrored by the tourism sector’s position as the third most important socio-economic activity in the EU. It accounts for the employment of a significant share of the service sector’s labour force, as well as 5% of the EU’s GDP. The percentage rises in Europe’s southern regions, such as Greece, Spain and Portugal, which highlights the relevance of tourism in Member States especially affected by the recent economic crisis. Nevertheless, however promising, the tourism industry is facing the following challenges.

The competition is fierce and the supremacy of European tourism in the international tourism market is predicted to fade by 2020. Rising competitors include developing countries as well as Asian and Middle Eastern countries, where the growth of the tourist sector was about four times the amount compared to Europe from 2009 to 2010.

Demographic changes are occurring, which will definitely influence the tourist demand. Due to Europe’s aging population, there is a growing number of tourists above the age of 65 and the tourism industries need to be able to provide adequate services to fulfill the specific needs of the elderly. The same goes for tourists with reduced mobility, whose number is also on the increase.

Tourism affects and relies on a region’s environment. Tourism impacts the environment at different scales. Mass tourism can have a negative impact, for example through contributing to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Air travel is a significant polluter, which plays a considerable part in emissions and global warming. Whereas tourism affects the environment, it can also go the other way around; the tourism industry can easily be destabilised by unforeseeable hazards, as seen with the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2010 Icelandic volcano eruptions.

Political developments, such as recent terrorist attacks have also had an effect on tourism.

Tourism is currently stagnating in Europe because of terrorist attacks. This situation concerns mainly certain Member States, such as Germany, France and Belgium, whilst others, such as Spain, Ireland and Poland, have appeared to profit from it as it triggered a shift in destination preferences.

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Actors & Interests • European Institutions: The European Union does not have any legal power as tourism is a supporting competence, which means that legislative power lies on Member States. This being said, the EU still carries out actions aiming at supporting, coordinating and complementing Member States’ actions in this field.

It does not have actual power in the decision-making process, though its actions and funding are crucial in promoting the general need of a competitive, sustainable and high-quality tourism industry.

• Member States: With tourism being a supporting competence, political decisions regarding the tourism sector are a national matter. As the current state and the economic importance of the tourism sector varies from one Member State to another, so will political action.

• Tourism businesses: Businesses bear the image of European tourism, as well as important European employees. Much pressure is put on them to uphold a standard, which builds up along the increase in importance of the tourism sector.

Consequently, these businesses, a lot of which are in fact micro-, small and medium sized companies (SMEs), always require new tools and skills to adapt to the developments in the market needs. In order for them to evolve smoothly, they need a great deal of support from the higher authorities.

• Tourists: One of the most relevant concerns is the need to attract tourists to Europe. The profile of European tourism cannot be shaped without taking into account the tendencies amongst the tourists. Other stakeholders must respond accordingly to changes in tourist behaviours due to e.g. demographic developments.

Current Legislation & Policies • The Treaty of Lisbon contains the definition of the EU’s and the Member States’ respective relationship to tourism-related decision-making. The EU “shall complement the action of the Member States in the tourism sector, in particular by promoting the competitiveness of Union undertakings in that sector”.

• The «European Tourism Indicators System» is a method developed by the European Commission, which is used to measure the sustainability performance of a tourist destination.

EU Funding: Multiple EU funds are currently in place that fund sectors, such as employment, environment and innovation connected to tourism. A few examples of said funds: ● The European programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME) supports SMEs (not only in the tourism area).

An example of its action plan is the development and promotion of sustainable transnational tourism products, such as routes dedicated to specific aspects of the European cultural and industrial heritage, namely cycling trails, ecotourism and so on. ● The Cohesion Fund (CF) is aimed at promoting sustainable development and reducing social and economic disparities throughout the EU by supporting more economically vulnerable Member States.

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â—? The European Social Fund (ESF) targets the workers. It supports any type of action aimed at training workers in order to support companies which lack skilled labour, helping people coming from difficult backgrounds find employment by training them as well as promoting socially innovative practices and methodologies through establishing networks fostering mutual learning.

Response to the terrorist threat Whereas the European Commission is quite fluid when it comes to the need of enhancing the sustainability and attractiveness of the tourism industry, little is being done to tackle the threat of terrorism besides increasing security at highly visited tourist spots as well as main transport stations. After the Paris attacks of November 2015, the French government launched a smartphone application titled SAIP (System of Alert and Information of the Populations), available in both French and English, whose aim was to warn people in case of an attack. Unfortunately, during the Nice attack on the 14th of July, the application failed to issue an alert in time for people to get to safety.

Perspectives Given that European tourism is soon to be outgrown by the rest of the world, the emphasis should be put on managing to keep a steady demand by finding ways of continuously attracting tourists to the continent. The EU aims to help Member States diversify their tourism by promoting areas, such as cultural, coastal and marine, and ecotourism.

Increasing the competitiveness of tourism in the EU is also to be addressed by careful improvement of the services offered, for example by developing ICT services and helping tourism-related businesses to level up. In addition, enhancing the attractiveness of European tourism includes coming up with solutions to lure back tourists who might have been drawn away by possible threats, such as terrorism or other compromising political occurrences. It should also be beared in mind that the tourism-industry offers opportunities for entrepreneurship as well as employment - also accounting for a significant proportion of Member States’ GDP. Finally, it is relevant to approach tourism in an environmentally conscious way to fulfill Europe’s need of healthy and stable tourism in the long-term.

A successful approach of the above-mentioned concerns requires proper planning, structure and funding. The EU has been quite active in supporting Member States in this area so far though for example funding. This being said, as underlined by the European Parliament, the efficient tackling of this issue requires serious cooperation, not only among the different authorities: the EU, the Member States and regional authorities, but also between said authorities and businesses.

How can Member States identify and remain aware of which areas of tourism are worth developing? In what ways can the EU further support Member States in making the tourism industry more sustainable? What measures should be taken to minimise the cost of political and environmental instability on businesses and employees? What is the most efficient way of cooperation between European, national and regional authorities, and other stakeholders of tourism?

Key Words As explained in the texts above: Tourists, demand, global competition, diversity, sustainability, cooperation, SMEs, employment, entrepreneurship

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Definitions • Tourism: this term refers to people visiting a destination located outside their usual environment for a limited period of time, for such purposes as business, leisure or personal reasons. • SMEs: micro-, small and medium sized enterprises. In the EU, a business’s status as SME depends on its staff headcount and annual turnover: employing 250 people at the most with a turnover under 50 million euros.

Statistics

International tourist arrivals: If Europe has been the leading tourist destination for many years, it is predicted to change in the upcoming decades.

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Direct distribution of tourism in the GDP: The variation of this percentage among different Member States shows the relevance of the supporting competence.

Links • In-depth analysis of tourism and the European Union: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2015/568343/EPRS_IDA(201 5)568343_EN.pdf • Briefing on the European Union and tourism: challenges and policy responses: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/bibliotheque/briefing/2014/140749/LDM_ BRI(2014)140749_REV1_EN.pdf • “Agenda for a sustainable European tourism”: http://www.gstcouncil.org/images/library/Agenda_for_a_sustainable_and_compe titive_European_tourism.pdf • “Europe, the world’s number 1 tourist destination - a new political framework for tourism in Europe”: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52010DC0352&from=EN • “Guide on EU funding for the tourism sector (2014-2020)” on EU funding for the tourist sector, including information in regard to who can apply for funds, and how: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/toolsdatabases/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=8496&lang=en • Articles on the impact of terrorist attacks on European tourism: http://www.tourism-review.com/tourist-inflow-in-europe-stagnating-news5121 http://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/air-france-blamesattacks-and-strikes-as-bookings-decline-1.2798072

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Partners of Lempäälä 2016 – Regional Session of EYP Finland

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