wrocławrsc2018
regional session of eyp poland
academicpreparationkit
table of contents Words from the President
4
The Guide to the European Union
6
Topic Overviews ENVI | Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
16 18
FEMM | Women's Rights and Gender Equality
26
CULT | Culture and Education AFCO | Constitutional Affairs
34
ECON | Economic and Monetary Affairs
50
DROI | Human Rights
58
42
Europejski Parlament Młodzieży EYP Poland ul. Nowogrodzka 31 00-511 Warszawa
Wrocław 2018 Regional Selection Conference
wrocławrsc
regional session of eyp poland
of EYP Poland 02–05 March 2018 wroclaw@eyppoland.com www.facebook.com/RSCsEYPPoland/
info@eyppoland.com www.eyppoland.com www.facebook.com/eyppoland KRS: 0000255473 NIP: 542-303-91-01 REGON: 200079231 Booklet designed by Mateusz Więsyk.
words from the President
Dear participants of the Wroclaw
 Regional Selection Conference of EYP Poland, I am more than thrilled to be the president of this session, which focuses on the impact that technology has on our society and on the human behaviour. In the days spent at the session, we will act attentively and work towards finding solutions that improve the bigger picture, that manage to make a change positively on the long term on specific European problems or on engines towards improvement of our society through the beneficial use of technology. The Regional Session offers you the opportunity to discuss over 6 topics including problems on cyberbullying, democratic participation, e-learning opportunities, cryptocurrencies, pollution and tackling the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The regional session in Wroclaw is a learning place in which you will have a chance to have your say, while working within a group. It will aim towards a collective tenancy of all the output resulted, and will pay great focus on cooperation and support. The environment that you have been granted to work in is a place in which you can steer the next actions of the European Union as a team of young aspiring citizens, that are open minded and understand the urging necessity of finding a balance in using the technology with more engrossment. It is your chance to develop personally, as the European Youth Parliament enables you to do just that. My goal as the president of the session is that every participant leaves with more knowledge and hunger for change in their communities. Myself and all the officials will make sure to offer continuous support along the way, in order to provide you the best experience during our days spent together. We want you to come inspired and eager to use your ideas and imagination towards a better future and we will provide you with a space in which speaking up and expressing your opinion is highly appreciated. I want to offer to all of you the experience that I love and appreciate, the experience of participating in 
 a European Youth Parliament session, where we will all give a piece of our mind and soul to create a mosaic of ideas. The entire Officials Team is already working together, linking thoughts and proposing activities to make sure that we offer you an event that will boost your personality and knowledge. Therefore, I am looking forward that all of us, as an exemplary collective, come together and aim towards improving tomorrow’s Europe. Sincerely,
Razvan Lacatusu President of Wroclaw Regional Selection Conference of the European Youth Parliament Poland 4 | words from the president
words from the president | 5
the European Union in brief At the core of the European Union (EU) are the Member States — the 28 countries that belong to the Union — and their citizens. The unique feature of the EU is that, although these are all sovereign, independent countries, they have pooled some of their ‘sovereignty’ in order to gain strength and
a guide to the European Union
the benefits of size. Pooling sovereignty means, in practice, that the Member States delegate some of their decision-making powers to the shared institutions they have created, so that decisions on specific matters of joint interest can be made democratically at European level. The EU thus sits between the fully federal system found in the United States and the loose, intergovernmental cooperation system seen in the United Nations.
a guide to the European Union | 7
the European Council
the Council of Ministers
ROLE: Defines political direction and priorities.
ROLE: Deciding on policies and adopting legislation
MEMBERS: Heads of State or government from each Member State, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission.
MEMBERS: One minister from each Member State
The European Council brings together the EU’s top political leaders, i.e. Prime Ministers and Presidents along with its President and the President of the Commission. They meet at least four times a year to give the EU as a whole general political direction and priorities. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy also takes part in the meetings. What the European Council does As a summit meeting of the Heads of State or Government of all the EU countries, the European Council represents the highest level of political cooperation between the Member States. At their meetings, the leaders decide by consensus on the overall direction and priorities of the Union, and provide the necessary impetus for its development. The European Council does not adopt legislation. At the end of each meeting it issues ‘conclusions’, which reflect the main messages resulting from the discussions and take stock of the decisions taken, also as regards their follow-up. The conclusions identify major issues to be dealt with by the Council, i.e. the meetings of ministers. They may also invite the European Commission to come forward with proposals addressing a particular challenge or opportunity facing the Union. European Council meetings as a rule take place at least twice every six months. Additional (extraordinary or informal) meetings may be called to address urgent issues in need of decisions at the highest level, for example in economic affairs or foreign policy.
8 | a guide to the European Union
In the Council, ministers of EU Member States meet to discuss EU matters, take decisions and pass laws.The ministers who attend these meetings have the authority to commit their government to the actions agreed in the Council meetings. The Council is an essential EU decision-maker. Its work is carried out in Council meetings that are attended by one minister from each of the EU’s national governments. The purpose of these gatherings is to: discuss, agree, amend and, finally, adopt legislation; coordinate the Member States’ policies; or define the EU’s foreign policy. Which ministers attend which Council meeting depends on the subjects on the agenda — this is known as the ‘configuration’ of the Council. If, for example, the Council is to discuss environmental issues, the meeting will be attended by the environment minister from each EU Member State and is known as the ‘Environment Council’; likewise, for the ‘Economic and Financial Affairs Council’ or the ‘Competitiveness Council’, and so on. The Presidency of the Council rotates between the Member States every six months. It is not the same as the President of the European Council. The responsibility of the government holding the Presidency is to organise and chair the different Council meetings. By way of exception, the Foreign Affairs Council is chaired by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who carries out foreign policy on behalf of the Council. In the interest of continuity of Council business, the six-monthly Presidencies work together closely in groups of three. These threePresidency teams (‘trios’) draw up a joint programme of Council work over an 18-month period.
a guide to the European Union | 9
by the Member States and Parliament to run the institution and take its decisions. Secondly, the term ‘Commission’ refers to the institution itself and to its staff. Informally, the Members of the Commission are known as ‘Commissioners’. They have all held political positions and many have been government ministers, but as members of the Commission they are committed to acting in the interests of the Union as a whole and not taking instructions from national governments. The Commission has several Vice-Presidents, one of whom is also the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and thus has a foot in both the Council and the Commission camps. The Commission remains politically answerable to Parliament, which has the power to dismiss it by adopting a motion of censure. The Commission attends all the sessions of Parliament, where it must clarify and justify its policies. It also replies regularly to written and oral questions posed by Members of Parliament.
What the Commission does
the European Commission ROLE: Executive arm of the EU that proposes laws, policies agreements and promotes the Union. MEMBERS: College of Commissioners, one from each Member State.The Commission is the politically independent institution that represents and upholds the interests of the EU as a whole. In many areas it is the driving force within the EU’s institutional system: it proposes legislation, policies and programmes of action and is responsible for implementing the decisions of the European Parliament and the Council. It also represents the Union to the outside world with the exception of the common foreign and security policy.
The European Commission has four main roles: 1. to propose legislation to Parliament and the Council; 2. to manage and implement EU policies and the budget; 3. to enforce European law (jointly with the Court of Justice); 4. to represent the Union around the world.
What is the Commission? The term ‘Commission’ is used in two senses. Firstly, it refers to the ‘Members of the Commission’— i.e. the team of men and women appointed
10 | a guide to the European Union
a guide to the European Union | 11
the European Parliament ROLE: Directly elected legislative arm of the EU. MEMBERS: 751 Members of the European Parliament. The Parliament has three main roles. 1.
It shares with the Council the power to legislate — to pass laws. The fact that it is a directly elected body helps guarantee the democratic legitimacy of European law.
2. It exercises democratic supervision over all EU institutions, and in particular the Commission. It has the power to approve or reject the nomination of the President of the Commission and Commissioners, and the right to censor the Commission as a whole. 3. It shares authority with the Council over the EU budget and can therefore influence EU spending. At the end of the budget procedure, it adopts or rejects the budget in its entirety.
12 | a guide to the European Union
a guide to the European Union | 13
Law-making in the European Union Does the EU pass laws? Not exactly! The sources of EU law can be divided into two groups: the primary source of Union law and secondary source of Union law, with the primary law ranking above the secondary. Therefore, secondary law can only be effective as long as it is consistent with the primary law. The differentiation between primary and secondary law is especially important in the process of law-making: While secondary law is enacted by the EU institutions, the enactment or amendment of primary law is solely within competence of the Member States. Primary sources of EU law include all founding treaties of the European Union, all later EU treaties (i.e. Treaty of Maastricht and the latest Treaty of Lisbon), as well as all accession treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. The EU has the following secondary legal options to legislate: Regulations, Directives, Decisions, Recommendations and Opinions: Regulations have to be strictly adhered to in all Member States and leave no room for adjustments during the implementation process. Directives provide a framework and give a certain policy direction, leaving the states with more flexibility and room for adjustments. Decisions always address certain recipients and are only valid for those specific countries/people/institutions. Recommendations and Opinions are not formally valid. The European legislative procedure lasts a bit longer than on a national level. The EC has the exclusive Right to Initiative, the Council and the EP decide if the proposal becomes a legal act after having discussed relevant details. General policy guidelines and statements, especially from the EP, are formulated in Resolutions. They can entail instructions for future procedures as well as regulations, which are formally valid in the Member States. Legal acts passed by the EP and the Council only enter into force after the respective national governments have introduced and implemented it within their national laws.
14 | a guide to the European Union
Mixed competences by policy area. What decisions are taken? The treaties list the policy areas in which the EU can take decisions. In some policy areas, the EU has exclusive competence, which means that decisions are taken at EU level by the Member States meeting in the Council and the European Parliament. These policy areas cover customs, competition rules, monetary policy for the Euro Area and the conservation of fish and trade. In other policy areas, there is shared competence between the Union and the Member States. This means that if legislation is passed at EU level, then these laws have priority. However, if no legislation is adopted at EU level, then the individual Member States may legislate at national level. Shared competence applies in many policy areas, such as the internal market, agriculture, the environment, consumer protection and transport. In all other policy areas, the decisions remain with the Member States. Thus, if a policy area is not cited in a treaty, the Commission cannot propose a law in that area. However, in some fields, such as the space sector, education, culture and tourism, the Union can support Member States’ efforts. And in others, such as overseas aid and scientific research, the EU can carry out parallel activities, such as humanitarian aid programmes.
a guide to the European Union | 15
topic
 overviews
14 | a guide to the European Union
a guide to the European Union | 15
ENVI | Environment, Public Health and Food Safety A gasp of fresh air: Throughout the past century, the infrastructural development of cities has disregarded potential consequences. With rapidly growing populations, pollution and deteriorated air quality, how can the European Union accelerate the use and research of green technologies in order to ensure environmental sustainability? - written by Inez Brogowska (PL) & Alexandra Nych (UA)
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ENVI
Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
1. Key Terms Green technology is the technology whose use is intended to mitigate or reverse the effects of human activity on the environment. Air quality is degree to which the air in a particular place is pollution-free. Generally, it refers to air standards which allow the population to live under healthy conditions. Carbon footprint is the level of greenhouse gas emissions produced by a specific activity (agriculture, households, industries, etc.) which can result from any human activity. Urbanization is the process of population movement from rural areas to cities as well as a ratio between population living in urbanized areas and the total population. Environmental sustainability is the responsible interaction with the environment in order to avoid depletion or degradation of natural resources and to ensure long-term environmental quality.
2. Relevance and explanation of the problem The previous century is outstanding for its technological and digital achievements which accelerated the rapid urbanization worldwide. Particularly in Europe, this process began in 1950s and today is still gaining momentum: from 50% of population that lived in urban areas at that times, this ratio has reached 75% by 2015.1 Such global changes require a lot of resources, especially the natural ones - water, wood and minerals. That is why only well-managed urbanization is a key to a sustainable development which is our common goal nowadays. The necessity of wise consumption has been accelerating technical progress and concerns such as climate change and pollution. It has led to development of green technologies. For example, Finland produces currently approximately two-thirds of its energy from renewable resources2 and the national project suggests transforming the country into carbon-neutral by 2050.3
source: 'Attitudes of European citizens toward the environment' 2017 survey by EC According the research conducted by Eurobarometer in 2017, 94% of Europeans consider protecting the environment as important.4 Many of them believe that a lot can be done on a personal level. The same research shows that more than eight out of ten European citizens agree that they can play a role in protecting environment by separating their waste for recycling, reducing water and energy consumption, and choosing local products.
Although, climate change and global warming are currently the most important topics, among the rest of the main environmental problems, Europeans point out air pollution as an issue that is considered to be the most urgent. Around half of Europeans believe air quality has deteriorated in the last 10 years. 1 BBVA
research, European urbanization trends Environmental Performance Index 2016 3 Proposal Draft by The Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development 2
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4 Eurobarometer
468 survey 'Attitudes of European Citizens towards the environment'
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ENVI
Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
3. Key Actors
4. Key Conflicts
European Commission (EC) is the politically independent executive arm of the European Union (EU). It is the one responsible for drawing up proposals for new European legislation, and it implements the decisions. EC has a coordinating function over the Member States in order to provide the EU citizens with better living conditions for example, by improving environmental conditions.
Member States differences
Under the EC there are different stakeholders that work closely to it. An example of such an actor is the European Environment Agency (EEA). It is the EU agency providing the independent information on the environment. It helps the EU and its Member States make thorough decisions about improving the environment, integrating environmental considerations into economic policies and moving towards sustainability.
Therefore, every Member State approaches the issue of air quality conditions in a different, individual way. There is a big variation regarding renewable electricity consumption. For example, Austria comes as a leader of the use of it, while Poland ranks as one of the last countries on the list with only 8% such technology in use.8
The EU itself consists of 28 Member States. National governments hold the authority to act and legislate in areas of environment and public health. Besides EU institutions, we can highlight other important actors regarding the environment. The World Health Organization (WHO) is the authority responsible for public health within the United Nations system. It tackles air quality issues and their impact on health. In many cases non-government organization (NGO)5 also play important role in the society’s improvement. Their actions can have local, as well as international coverage. Carbon Trust6 is an example of an NGO. It was established to help the business community move towards a low carbon economy. The organisation has a wide range of its investments targeted at small and large companies. For example, it helps big companies create climate change strategies and provides small businesses with free energy.
The EU has 3 categories of competences7: exclusive, shared and supporting. It can influence the Member States only within limits of these competences. Environmental issues are part of shared competences which means that the Member States can act where the EU has chosen not to.
Varying air quality standards between Member States force the national governments to decide whether to proceed with the necessary human, technical and economic investments in order to develop sustainable urban planning. European citizens’ attitude There are differences across the Member States not only in environmental policies, but in their citizens’ attitude towards the issue as well. Respondents declare environment to be “very important” for them, ranging from 87% of such answers in Sweden and Cyprus, to only 40% in Poland and Croatia.9 On the national level, around two-thirds of respondents believe that their national government is not doing enough to fully protect the environment. They agree that more positive changes should be introduced by big companies, industries and the EU.10 Development of green technologies Technology has affected the society and its different areas in many ways and helped develop more advanced global and national economies. The main problem regarding green technologies’ development is definitely the cost of research. Developers must have strong financial standing in order to finance projects which include new technological standards. The costs of production makes green technologies still not so common despite awareness of their applicability.11
7 European
Commission, Division of competences within the European Union, Statista, “Austria No. 1 for Renewable Electricity Generation in the EU”, 9, 10 European Commission, 2017, Attitudes of European citizens towards the environment, 11 Procedia, 2015, Global competitiveness in the EU through green innovation technologies and knowledge production 8
5 NGO, 6
Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-governmental_organization Carbon Trust, https://www.carbontrust.com/home/
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ENVI
Environment, Public Health and Food Safety The main guide for European environmental policy is currently The 7 th Environmental Action Program (EAP). The EU with the 7th EAP “Living well, within the limits of our planet” point out nine priority goals (for example, turning the Union into a resource-efficient, green and competitive low-carbon economy) that should be achieved by the year 2020. This document also determines guidelines considering which EU aims to achieve environmental sustainability in 2050. Initiatives such as Natura 2000 can be a perfect example of the cooperation among Member States’ for environmental protection and preserving biodiversity. Competitions like European Green Capital Award and European Green Leaf Award encourage cities to support green initiatives and promote urban development. Companies whose activities cause serious environmental damage are trying to set the balance. For example, Ryanair claims itself to be ‘the greenest airline’ and recently announced the 5 years plan to eliminate non-recyclable plastic.19
6. Conclusions The actual way towards improving our environmental conditions is choosing a “green” lifestyle. It is our generation who can monitor the level of air pollution, develop new strategies of using alternative power sources and create stricter environmental legislation and this is us who future generations will thank. So, are you ready to charge your solar batteries? Use of renewable electricity in the EU, source
5. Measures in place In the recent years, the EU adopted a diverse range of environmental measures12, aiming to improve environmental conditions, maintain sustainable development and high quality of life.13 EU’s environmental policies and legislation protect natural habitats,14 keep air and water clean,15 ensure proper waste disposal,16 improve knowledge about toxic chemicals17 and help businesses move toward a sustainable economy.18 In addition, apart from legislation, there are many other ways to support environmental issues. EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 The Health and Social Benefits of Nature and Biodiversity Protection 14 Nature and biodiversity laws by European Commission 15 Air quality existing legislations 16 Natural Water Retention Measures 17 European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) 18 Investing in Green Infrastructure
7. Useful Links •
Official source, European Commission Attitudes of European citizens towards the environment: Poland
•
Official source, European Commission Energy 2020 A strategy for competitive, sustainable and secure energy
• • • •
Article, Do The Green Thing “How screenwriters are ruining the planet” Article, Debating Europe “Could “green growth” fix Europe’s economy?” Video, TED “Can 100% renewable energy power the world?” Video, TED “Why humans are so bad at thinking about climate change”
12 13
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19
The Telegraph's article about Ryanair goes plastic-free
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FEMM | Human Rights and Gender Equality Hashtags for change: Regardless of the progress made in recent years, research shows that women are still underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Which steps can the Member States take to increase gender balance in such environments written by Mārtiņš Marks Gataviņš (LV) & Barbara Tumm (PL)
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FEMM
Human Rights and Gender Equality
1. Key Terms
2. Relevance and explanation of the problem
Gender refers to socially constructed roles, behaviour, and norms associated with 'masculine' and 'feminine' identities.1
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have traditionally been perceived as predominantly male fields of study. However, studies performed among middle-school and high school students show no difference in performance in mathematics, computation and problem solving between men and women (with overall result slightly favouring females). Without any scientific differences in predispositions or skill sets between genders the question arises why such a dissimilarity exists.
Sex is defined as the biological characteristics of women and men, in terms of reproductive organs, chromosomal complement and physiology. Gender bias is an unconscious inclination or prejudice towards one gender over another. Gender stratification represents the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between genders, with one gender having more power than the others, in a society. Gender mainstreaming embodies the policy-making strategy that is aimed to promote gender equality.2
Globally, women outnumber men at the level of Bachelor’s degree, with 47% of male and 53% of female graduates.4 However, the numbers change drastically when taking into consideration students pursuing graduate studies in STEM (which are necessary in order to continue a research career) with only 28% of PhD graduates being female. Consequently women account for only 29% of those employed in research and development (R&D) and female scientists and engineers for only a third of engineers in European workforce.5 Additionally, women are more likely to leave STEM industry for jobs in different industries (53% women compared to 31% of men).6 According to Catalyst research, isolation, hostile male-dominated environment and ineffective executive feedback are the main factors causing women to change or quit their jobs. The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in Europe continues to be the one in which women are under-represented at all levels. Due to a demand for ICT related skills continuously increasing the European Union (EU) is projected to have a lack of 900,000 skilled ICT workers in 2020.7 In total, there is predicted to be a shortage of 1.3 million people with technical skills. Currently there is not enough students in STEM courses to fill in these vacancies and if the gap is to be closed girls with STEM skills will be needed.
3 “Gender
differences in mathematics performance: A meta-analysis”, by Hyde, J. S., Fennema, E., Lamon S.J. (1990) eAtlas of Gender Inequality in Education 5 European Commission's research she figures 2015 6 Catalyst data on women in STEM 7 Women in digital single market (2018) 4 UNESCO
1 “Gender. 2
Fact Sheet 403” by World Health Organisation (2015) Gender Mainstreaming, UN Women (2018)
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FEMM
Human Rights and Gender Equality
3. Key Actors
4. Key Conflicts
European Commission (EC) is the executive arm of the EU, proposing legislation and implementing policy and programmes. Its Directorate-General on Employment and Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) is responsible for policy on employment, social affairs, skills, labour mobility and related EU funding programmes. Key parts of DG EMPL mission include creating “more and better jobs”, promoting skills and entrepreneurship through Europe 2020 Strategy. Another relevant EC department is the Directorate-General on Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) which contributes to such fields as jobs, growth and investment in addition to digital single market. Strategic Plan set for 2020 includes decrease in school leavers and growth in engagement in science subjects.
Though Europe is ranked second best in gender equality8 in the world, the huge differences between the Member States cause challenges when it comes to enacting policies as the newer Member States rarely prioritise them. And though there are various measures in place, the number of women researchers in STEM has not changed since 2009 (33%), as opposed to the amount of workers in technology and engineering, which has increased from 32% in 20109 to 40% in 2013.10
The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) is an autonomous agency of the European Union, established to contribute to and strengthen the promotion of gender equality, including gender mainstreaming, and to fight against discrimination based on sex. EIGE collects, analyses, processes and disseminates data on gender equality issues while in the same time operating with EU’s initiatives. The European Center for Women and Technology (ECWT) is an European nongovernmental organisation registered in Norway, partnership of more than 130 organizations and individuals representing high-level expertise in women and technology development. ECWT supports implementation of European Commission’s Digital Agenda additionally to the Europe 2020 strategy. Their key priorities include getting more girls to study ICT and STEM, attracting to as well as retaining more women in STEM industry, introducing gender sensitive legislation and fostering women’s digital entrepreneurship. Girls in Tech is a global non-profit organisation with aim to engage, empower and educate women in technology. GIT currently has over 50 chapters around the world and in a number of EU countries, one of which is located in Poland. They organise conferences, tech bootcamps, practical workshop, start-up competitions. Girls in tech also fosters mentorship programs and operates a global learning platform free for everyone to apply for.
When it comes to policy, gender equality is often present as a broad concept and is seldom divided into gender-specific objectives, or ones that include a gender equality perspective. The policies also often disregard gender inequality issues in areas, such as STEM, ICT, energy, waste, and others, and usually focus on issues that are immediately associated with gender inequality, e.g. childcare, the labour market, or elderly care. Furthermore, gender mainstreaming has been a widely debated issue that is argued by experts to have flaws, as studies show that gender mainstreaming has had little impact on alleviating gender inequality. The policy strategy lacks political commitment at lower levels, as reaching the policy targets usually becomes a matter of compliance rather than objective. In addition, there is often times an absence of equality bodies in Member States that are in charge of the implementation and programming of gender mainstreaming policies, as out of the 27 EU member states, only 16 have national government bodies working towards the issue, with 12 working on a regional level.11 Also there is resistance from the side of public institutions on the subject as there is a lack of recognition of inequality in the society. For example, in Hungary the government has actively propagated an anti-women stance and the only gender equality policy, the Fundamental Law of 2011, does not have any mention of any of the greater issues of gender inequality, e.g. the wage gap.12 The impacts of the financial crisis incited gender inequality to be disregarded as a top-priority issue at an institutional and social level.13
8 “More
ladies in tech: what is Europe doing to change the ratio?” by Alex Barrera (2014) “SHE figures 2012” by European Commission (2013) 10 “SHE figures 2015” by European Commission (2016) 11 “The Involvement of Men in Gender Equality Initiatives in the EU” by EIGE (2012) 12 “The Policy on Gender Equality in Hungary, Update 2013” by Directorate-General for Internal Policies (2013) 13 Relevance of gender in the policy area, EIGE (2018) 9
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FEMM
Human Rights and Gender Equality
5. Measures in place
6. Conclusions
The Treaty on the functioning of the European Union constitutes one of the primary treaties of the EU and and sets basic principles of European law. It provides that the Union will aim to eliminate inequalities and promote equality between men and women. Article 157 is focusing on work and pay equality between sexes.
All in all, the issue of gender inequality in STEM has proved to be a difficult issue to tackle, despite the continuous efforts made by the EU, Member States and civil societies. In addition, the issue has various directions to approach it from, therefore, there is bound to be a debate as to how the current situation must be improved. With women being marginalised in the STEM field and also in education, how can the EU and the Member States ensure that gender equality is tackled in areas of the gender employment gap in STEM and other fields? And what exactly are the actions the higher academic institutions, research centers and the governments should take to tackle the issue through means of gender mainstreaming or potentially a different policy framework? And how should policy makers and the policy itself address the issue and its stakeholders from now on?
2020 Horizon is the EU’s biggest Research and Innovation programme with nearly €80 billion funding for 7 years (2014-2020) in areas of research, technological development and innovation. The programme is open for everyone. It’s a flagship initiative aimed to secure global competitiveness. Horizon 2020 includes gender a dimension. Balanced teams at all levels including management structure are strongly encouraged and prioritised among other projects. Moreover when conducting research it is called for including sex and/or gender analysis. Strategic Engagement for Gender Equality 2016-2019 represents the EU’s plan of priorities and key actions to undertake before 2019. The engagement focuses on: increasing female labour-market participation; reducing the gender pay gap; promoting equality in decision-making; combating gender-based violence while protecting and supporting victims. Mind the Gap is coordinated in Norway, their key concept is inquiry-based teaching of secondary school science. They aim to fill the shortage of STEM skills by inspiring young women to stay in school and gain necessary qualifications as well as to combat high levels of drop outs. MInd the Gap introduces various VET programmes, training programmes for teachers along with career circles- peer mentoring and action learning methodology. Innovation is a Woman, a project launched in 2012 by Polish NGO- Polish Women Scientists Network involves a competition addressed to female researchers developing innovative ideas, the Network subsidies grants and presentations at international fairs to promote women in STEM fields. The organisation also created a database of female experts supporting their participation in media debates, their expertise in third sector and help for the authorities.
7. Useful Links •
Fact Sheet “Women in Science: Why an inclusive strategy is critical to closing the science, technology, engineering, and maths talent gap in Europe” by Kelly Services: http://bit.ly/2nJeupY
•
Official EU website on Horizon 2020: Promoting Gender Equality in Research and Innovation” http://bit.ly/2kX9tdw
•
TED talk “Inspiring the next generation of female engineers” by Debbie Sterling: http://bit.ly/1ggu0g5
•
Research paper “Women are underrepresented in fields where success is believed to require brilliance” http://bit.ly/2EDmROd
Gender Equality in Engineering is a project launched by University in Vienna, it aims to create Gender Equality Plans for six major external resourcing agencies in Europe. All the participating providers are located in STEM field.
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CULT | Culture and Education Swipe up for your homework: Considering the increasing importance of eLearning, how can the EU and its Member States incorporate digital technologies in educational environments to further supplement the field of learning? 
 = written by Ewa Rewers (PL) & Julia Wrońska (PL)
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CULT
Culture and Education
1. Key Terms
3. Key Actors
eLearning is a very broad term, generally defined as the use of digital technologies and online platforms in order to provide education, either in or outside of a classroom.
The field of education lies within the competences of the Member States, what means that they are the ones responsible for the content and organization of their education system. Therefore, any action in the field of eLearning requires a big political commitment from them.
Digital transformation is the change based on implementation of digital technologies, in this case, into the field of education. Digital Divide is the gap between those who have access to electronic/mobile devices, the Internet, and who possess the skills to use them, and those who do not. Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) are online platforms that allow the educators and their students to communicate, share class information, learning materials etc.
2. Relevance and explanation of the problem Throughout the past years mobile access to the Internet has significantly increased. More than 80% of young people in Europe use the Internet for social activities, but the use of technology for educational purposes lags behind.1 Technological advances in information and communication have led to the emergence of e-learning systems that can be used effectively as a teaching and learning approach. It allows teachers and learners to take education outside of a traditional classroom by, simply, connecting to the network. The future is about access, anywhere learning and collaboration, both locally and globally. Schools of the future could have a traditional group of students, as well as online only students who live across the country or even the world. Things are already starting to move this way with the emergence of massive open online courses (MOOCs2).3
The European Union (EU) plays a supporting role here - it can only aid, coordinate or complement the action of the EU countries. The main actor from the EU's side is the European Commission (EC). It's the EU's executive arm and its main roles include proposing and enforcing legislation, as well as allocating funds. In the field of eLearning particularly, the EU adopts country-specific recommendations and the Commission funds various online platforms for education and training professionals, such as EPALE, eTwinning and SchoolEducationGateway, as well as programmes aimed at helping schools, such as SELFIE. Other important stakeholders are the NGOs, independent experts and professional associations, or any organizations that can help the EU encourage the implementation of digital technologies into the field of education. Examples of such organizations are the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EDATU) and the European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN). Last but not least - European students and teachers. They have to be provided with equal access to technology as well as appropriate knowledge and skills in order for the implementation of digital technologies into the educational field to be fully successful.
1 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52018DC0022&from=ES 2
https://www.mooc-list.com
3 https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/jun/19/technology-future-education
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4. Key Conflicts
5. Measures in place
1.
Digital Education Action Plan9 was adopted by the EC in January 2018. It includes 11 initiatives aiming to support the use of technology and digital competence development in education. One of its main three priorities is making better use of digital technology for teaching and learning, setting out measures to help member states overcome challenges and meet opportunities of the digital age.
Digitalisation vs. Digital Readiness The digital transformation in education cannot be successful if either educational facilities or educators are not prepared for it. Currently, only 20-25% of children at schools equipped digitally are taught by teachers who are confident using technology in the classroom.4 When it comes to the educational facilities, as for now, less than half of children attend schools which are highly digitally equipped and 18% of primary and secondary schools in the EU are not connected to broadband internet.5
2. Accessibility vs. Digital Divide In order to avoid creating the digital divide, the digital transformation in education has to be implemented equally across the whole Union. The disparities exist both within the countries and between different Member States. According to the last EU’s survey on ICT6 in Education, in Finland and Sweden the percentage of highly digitally equipped schools exceeded 80%, while in Italy, Romania, and Slovakia such schools were nearly non-existent.7 When it comes to the virtual learning environment (VLE), the differences were just as big: the top scoring countries were Norway and Portugal with close to 100% of students in schools with a VLE, while Hungary being at the bottom with the score of only about 10%.8
Opening up Education10 is an action plan launched by the EC intended for helping schools with digital problems such as lack of digital equipment. EPALE11 is a multilingual, open membership community for adult learning professionals (teachers, trainers, researchers, academics, policymakers etc.) across Europe initiated by the EC. It is set up around the sharing of content related to adult learning, including news, blog posts, resources, and events. eTwinning12 is a platform launched in 2005 as the main action of the EC’s eLearning Programme. Created for communication, collaboration and project development between teachers, principals, librarians and other staff of educational institutions within the Member States.SchoolEducationGateway13 is a platform for professionals working in the field of school education, available in 23 European languages. It informs about European policies and actions for schools. SELFIE (Self-reflection on Effective Learning by Fostering Innovation through Educational Technologies)14 is an online, easy-to-use, self-reflection tool for schools in the EU, developed by the EC. It aims at helping schools to assess their progress in using technology to support teachers and students.
9
https://ec.europa.eu/education/sites/education/files/factsheet-digital-education-action-plan.pdf
10 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-859_en.htm 4, 5 http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/strategic-framework/education-technology_en 6 Information
and Communication Technology 7, 8 http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/image/document/2018-3/poland_country_profile
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11 https://ec.europa.eu/epale/en/about 12 https://www.etwinning.net/en/pub/about.htm 13 https://www.schooleducationgateway.eu/en/pub/about.htm 14 https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcomporg/selfie-tool
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6. Conclusions With rising popularity and usage of digital technologies, there is an enormous potential to make use of them in the field of education. The adoption of new technologies can help improve learning outcomes, enhance equality and improve efficiency. However, there are still some downsides that have to be overcome. Some of the most important issues are the disparities between Member States, lack of infrastructure and the lack of appropriate skills among educators. How can we prepare Europe’s education for going digital?
7. Useful Links •
Official source, European Commission Opening up education through new technologies
• • • • •
Article, talent lms “20 facts about eLearning” Article, eLearning Industry, “9 Benefits Of eLearning For Students” Video, YouTube, "What Is E-Learning?" Video, YouTube, "Types of eLearning" Video, TED, “Blending technology and classroom learning”
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AFCO | Constitutional Affairs “Share if you agree": Social media nowadays plays a great role in shaping the political views of European citizens. Past elections have shown low turnouts and how the online posture of one's candidate can steer the voting decisions. How can the Member States use technology and the platforms it offers to enhance democratic participation and endorse thorough voting? - written by Frances Speekenbrink (NL) & Antoni Tomkowiak (PL)
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1. Key Terms Fake news consists of intentional misinformation spread via online social platforms, broadcast news media or traditional print. Online platforms play an important role in speeding up the spread of such communications, enabling a global reach without much effort from the author. Freedom of opinion and expression encompasses the right to hold opinions without interference and the right to freedom of expression; including the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds through any form of media of choice.1 Thorough voting represents voting decisions that are not based on emotions and/or superficial and past opinions. Every point has been regarded and considered by the individual, before the actual voting.
2. Relevance and explanation of the problem Over the past few years, many different elections have taken place in the European Union (EU) aura, as well as internationally. These events show one evident phenomenon: low turnouts. A recent study, conducted by Eurobarometer, shows that 50% of the European citizens still think their voice doesn’t count in the European Union.2 Additionally, trust in the EU, National Governments and National Parliaments has decreased since spring 2017.3
The uprise of social media over the past few years, has had an undeniable influence on the engagement of citizens with politics and their political views. A study conducted in Germany, Italy and Britain during the 2014 European Parliament elections found that citizens who were less interested in news and politics became more politically engaged online after coming across news and political information on social media.4 This shows that social media is a powerful tool in informing citizens about politics. On the one hand, this can have negative consequences. Social media might make it easier to spread false information and manipulate voters. Most of the things we see on social media tend to be curated by individuals, which restricts the visualisation of the general standpoint on nearly all issues . This might lead to a less open attitude towards other views and perspectives. With social media, we tend to read and quickly digest ideas and views, mixing them with those from the news media. This leads to a misinterpretation of news and a belief in incorrect information. On the other hand, social media can be used as a tool to positively influence the public. One thing that helps increase the likelihood of voting, is consuming news and political information, a study has shown.5 Increased access to news on social media can, thus, encourage citizens to vote. Moreover, these encounters with political content on social media are likely to reduce the gap in online engagement between citizens with high and low interest in politics, potentially broadening the range of voices that make themselves heard.6
4 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/09/30/more-and-more-people-get-their-news-via-social1 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/142549.pdf 2 3
First Results (EN), pag. 18 First Results (EN)
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media-is-that-good-or-bad/?utm_term=.e72bac510ffb 5 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/09/21/does-arguing-about-politics-turn-young-peopleoff-politics-surprisingly-no-heres-how-we-know/?utm_term=.b4a8ed787c1d 6 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461444815616223?journalCode=nmsa
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3. Key Actors
4. Key Conflicts
The European Commission (EC) is discussing with different stakeholders, in order to design solutions to address the spread of fake news. The aim is to define the actors' responsibilities, while respecting the freedom of expression, media pluralism, and the right of citizens to diverse and reliable information.7 Furthermore, the DirectorateGeneral for Communication is responsible for keeping the EC abreast of political developments and trends in the public opinion and the media.
Social media facilitates the spread of fake news. Conducting certain controls, in order to distinguish real news from opinions might, thus, look beneficial. However, these kinds of solutions raise concerns about censorship, which are further generated in result of radical steps taken by some national governments (e.g. Poland12) who have openly decreased media pluralism and are therefore imposing on citizens’ rights to diverse and reliable information. Additionally, the freedom of expression and the freedom to hold opinions without interference should be taken into high consideration whilst combating the phenomenon of fake news.
To develop a strategy for the tackling of fake news, the High-Level Group on fake news and online disinformation8 has been set up. It comprises representatives of civil society; social media; online platforms; news media organisations and academia, whose aim is to support the EC in designing its policy in the field of fake news and online disinformation. The media hugely influence the circulation of news and political information. As described, this may facilitate the spreading of fake news. A Eurobarometer survey, conducted in 2016, shows that 44% of the citizens do not agree that their national media provide reliable information. In addition, only 32% of the citizens consider social media specifically to provide reliable information.9 The High-Level Group on Media Freedom and Pluralism10 was created with the aim of drawing up a report for the Commission with recommendations for the respect, protection, support and promotion of pluralism and freedom of the media in Europe. The citizens’ political views and voting decisions define the political agenda and main stakeholders in today’s society. They have the right to diverse and reliable information, in addition to the right to freedom of expression and the right to impart information and ideas of all kinds through any media.11
The online discussion platforms draw citizens towards democratic participation and increase voting turnouts.13 However, past reactions from fellow members during such dialogues play a strong role on one’s willingness be further engaged in the direction taken by the political systems. In 2016, already 53% of the citizens followed political debates on social media and 75% of the citizens had seen or experienced abuse, hate speech and threats against people active on social media, of whom 48% consequently hesitated to engage in such debates.14 Although ensuring thorough voting is a very important matter, not all actors have the same values as the EU. Especially IT companies, who usually have a dominant position on the market, tend to have different interests. Moreover, social platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, make it exceptionally hard15 for scientists to conduct research on how social media influences citizens’ political decisions. Consequently, Member States lack tools to get in-depth knowledge on connections between politics and social media. Social media platforms, the main source of information for many young European citizens, are programmed in a way that leads to users being shown only particular news, putting them in ‘’news bubbles’’16. These so-called ‘Echo chambers’17 isolate individuals from varied opinions and information by filtering content based on users activity Such algorithms show us what we wish to see, but not necessarily what we need to see. This situation creates a paradox: tools made to allow the flow of diverse opinions, make people’s perspectives narrower.
12 https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21685201-new-law-lets-government-purge-public-broadcaster7 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/fake-news
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/commission-appoints-members-high-level-expert-groupfake-news-and-online-disinformation 9 http://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/index.cfm/ResultDoc/download/DocumentKy/75538 10 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/high-level-group-media-freedom-and-pluralism 11 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/142549.pdf 8
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polandu2019s-new-government-dislikes 13 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/us/politics/social-networks-affect-voter-turnout-study-finds.html 14 http://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/index.cfm/ResultDoc/download/DocumentKy/75538 15 https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/22/social-media-election-facebook-filter-bubbles 16 News bubble: a situation where the algorithms of social media, news, search engines or other internet platforms filter out and, thus, hide parts of content, based on users’ activity. 17 https://cs181journalism2015.weebly.com/the-echo-chamber-effect.html
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5. Measures in place
6. Conclusions
Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights18 and Article 10 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms19 enshrine the right to freedom of expression as well as the right of freedom and pluralism of the media of EU citizens.
For many years, political engagement has been decreasing, issue clearly visible in low turnouts during recent elections. Studies have shown an evident influence of social media platforms on the political engagement and views of citizens and proved social media platforms to be an important source for political information. Social media may, thus, facilitate the spread of false information, consequently manipulating voters. Different measures have been taken to combat the spread of fake news, such as the setting up of the High-Level Group on fake news and online disinformation. Combined, these measures aim to support the EC in shaping new policies regarding this issue.
Different stakeholders concerned by fake news are invited to share their views in a specially organised public consultation,20 which will gather opinions on what actions could be taken at EU level to give citizens effective tools to identify fake news, improve trust online, and manage the information they receive.”21 Currently, other than data protection and EU consumer law, there is no up-to-date and functional framework for the use of social media for political reasons. However, the EC has included the initiative to ‘’analyse the current situation and legal framework with regard to fake news and to verify the possibility of legislative intervention to limit the spreading of fake content’’ in its 2018 Work Programme.22 The work of the High-Level Expert Group as well as the results of the public consultation will contribute to the development of an EU-level strategy on how to tackle the spreading of fake news.
However, new technologies provide unprecedented possibilities to raise turnouts at elections and promote thorough voting. Therefore, it is in the greatest interest of all Member States to ensure a positive role of social media on society, as a way to ensure better civic participation in democratic processes and restore European citizens’ trust in both national and European institutions.
7. Useful Links The EC’s attitude towards social media and networks, innovation and policy https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/policies/social-media-and-networksinnovation-and-policy The Report of the High Level Group on Media Freedom and Pluralism h t t p s : / / e c . e u r o p a . e u / d i g i t a l - s i n g l e - m a r k e t / s i t e s / d i g i t a l - a g e n d a / fi l e s / HLG%20Final%20Report.pdf TED Talk about News Bubbles https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles/transcript The EC discusses media freedom and pluralism http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-3690_en.htm
18 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2010:083:0389:0403:en:PDF
https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/rms/0900001680063765 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/public-consultation-fake-news-and-online-disinformation 21 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-4481_en.htm 22 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/news/european-commission-adopts-2018-work-programme-2017-oct-24_en 19 20
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ECON | Economic and Monetary Affairs Buy, sell, launder: Innovation in digital technologies has led to a rapid growth for cryptocurrencies over the past year. Acknowledging the involvement of virtual assets in money laundering and cyber attacks, to what extent should the European Union legislate currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum? - written by Sorana Gheorghiade (RO) & Marcin Mochnacki (PL)
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1. Key Terms A cryptocurrency is a digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank. In essence they are limited entries in a database no one can change without fulfilling specific conditions. The blockchain is a digital ledger in which transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency are recorded chronologically and publicly. Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) embodies a database that is consensually shared and synchronized across multiple sites, institutions or geographies. It allows transactions to have public "witnesses," thereby making a cyberattack more difficult. Digital currency exchange (DCE) defines exchanging legal tender for electronic currency, or exchanging one electronic currency for another. A digital currency exchanger charges a commission for this type of transaction. Virtual money laundering is the process of creating the appearance that large amounts of money obtained from criminal activity, such as illegal cryptocurrency transfers, originated from a legitimate source.
2. Relevance and explanation of the problem In the past year the financial world observed a soaring of cryptocurrencies both in diversification, with more than 1300 decentralized currencies present, and their worth. Last year their market capitalization reached approximately $830bn at the peak and fell by about a third compared to January 2018. The two leading digital currencies are Bitcoin and Ethereum. One of the main factors that makes cryptocurrencies so popular is the fact that they are based on the Distributed Ledger Technology which enables trading and money flow without any higher authority making them decentralized. That cuts down the fees that would normally be acquitted by the middleman. The other attractive characteristic is the near anonymity. Neither the seller nor the customer does exactly have to know the name of the person sitting on the other side of the screen. What are the opportunities and risks of this arrangement?
Anonymity may be an advantage in some context, but it can also be abused by criminals. Fraudsters, drug dealers, cybercriminals, terrorists, corrupted officials and many more can use Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies to launder the illicit money that were earned illegally. That affects the citizens of the European Union (EU) to a great extent as criminal activity is not being foiled but it rather expands with no visible consequences.
3. Key Actors The European Central Bank (ECB) decides upon the monetary policy of the Member States with the Euro as their currency. The ECB president, Mario Draghi said that the cryptocurrencies are not a threat for central banks and that regulating virtual currencies would be outside of ECB’s powers. Despite having a neutral position regarding Bitcoin and other digital currencies the ECB did not allow Estonia to issue Estcoin - a national cryptocurrency. The European Banking Authority (EBA) is a regulatory body of the EU. The EBA warns about the risks related to the use of Virtual Currencies and discourages their buying, holding and selling by authorities. It further would appreciate bringing VCs under the scope of EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive.2 Central banks in the Member States have different policies. The northern countries such as Sweden or Estonia are not eager to constrict cryptocurrencies. On contrary, countries such as Spain, Germany and United Kingdom are advocates of regulating them.3
1A
cybercriminal is an individual who commits cyber crimes, where he/she makes use of the computer either as a tool or as a target or as both. 2 https://www.eba.europa.eu/documents/10180/1547217/EBA+Opinion+on+the+Commission 3 https://blogs.thomsonreuters.com/answerson/world-cryptocurrencies-country/
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Among the organisations created by the European Commision (EC) are the Expert Group on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing and the Committee on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. These give opinions regarding financial crimes and assist the EC with creating new policies. Besides the EC is proposing to establish a new body, the European Cybersecurity Agency,4 which would be focused on the cybercrime issues and is also ready to increase penalties for crimes related to cryptocurrencies. The agency for cooperation among law enforcement in the EU, Europol, stands in one line with other bodies described above when it comes to attitude towards cryptocurrencies. The users of cryptocurrency could be divided into two parts: those who use the Bitcoin or Ethereum to profit - buying, selling, mining it, hosting virtual currencies platforms, etc. and those who utilize them to do illicit transactions e.g. launder money or finance terrorism. The ones that the regulations are intended to affect, are the latter.
4. Key Conflicts
Cryptocurrencies pose a number of challenges to national and international regulatory bodies for a variety of reasons, many of which are inherent to their issuance and means of operation. Since there are no norms regarding the use of cryptocurrencies in international trade, it is important that countries and international institutions expose their opinions and thoughts on the matter so that this new approach to international payment can be used by people and companies. Moreover, banks and other financial institutions remain concerned about Bitcoin’s early associations with money laundering and online crime. Unlike traditional currencies, these are not issued or regulated by a central bank or government, as none of them are part of a central bank or government.
Debates have emerged to whether Bitcoin or Ethereum are anonymous enough when it comes to the ability to trace transactions. From a governmental point of view, law enforcement fights back, also not without initiating another conflict, inter alia deciding to which extent should cryptocurrencies be regulated without deanonymizing online activity and profiles, following the General Data Protection Regulation of the EU. Each financial institution which would be part of this system would serve as a node within the private permissioned blockchain network. There are few calls, however, for shutting down Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, as there is general agreement that such a move would impede legal uses of the technology while allowing the illegal uses to flourish.
On the one hand, the fluctuating value of cryptocurrencies will not cease to cause trouble to both investors and the governments willing to regulate those markets. Financial stability is a label barely ever used in the context of manipulated assets and continuous volatile crypto trading. While anonymity is only making the legislative job harder, people are more and more drawn into the trading chain, manipulating supply and demand in total absence of a secure network, that would minimise the occurrence of fraud and illegal activity.
On the other hand, with the ever-changing numbers, drug dealers are using cryptocurrency ATMs to stash the proceeds of crime, embracing currencies like Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum as a way of banking drug money without getting caught. This series of investment movements on the e-market is highly speculative and unregulated, degenerating into largely unsupervised transactions interfering with the creation of new value for the market. What is more, Bitcoin has been particularly labeled as a vehicle to commit fraud and other crimes. Banks have declared their reluctance in getting involved in such transactions while this market stays volatile and unregulated.
4 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2017/615633/EPRS_BRI(2017)615633_EN.pdf
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5. Measures in place
6. Conclusions
The 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (4AMLD) uses Anti-Money Laundering (AML) techniques to stop people converting illegally obtained funds, to appear as though they have been earned legally. AML mechanisms can be legal or technical in nature. Regulators frequently apply AML techniques to bitcoin exchanges. According to this directive, six regulatory options were examined. Wallets, exchanges and stakeholders have been further consulted, with regard to improving the detection of suspicious virtual currency transactions. The option retained consists of a combination of means, namely bringing virtual currency exchange platforms and custodial wallet providers under the scope of the Directive, while allowing more time to consider options as regards a system of voluntary self-identification of virtual currency users. Another common law enforcement tactic is anomaly detection. Even though not all anomalies are indicators of illicit activity, transactions that are both anomalous and suspicious automatically become reportable.
What is the future of Bitcoin? This is literally the million dollars question. Its highly fluctuating prices attract investors who want to profit in a short period of time. In turn, its decentralization and anonymity draw attention to cybercriminals who are able to utilize to launder illicit money or execute finance terrorism.
What impact will this have on cryptocurrency? The ultimate legislation requires obliged entities to be aware of their customers’ details, as well as certain other persons who are not always their customers (e.g. beneficial owners), and to assess their associated money laundering and terrorist financing risks. The purpose is to raise the credibility of cryptocurrency customers and bystanders and secure the transaction based on the details and fraud potential of the executant. As far as terrorist financing is concerned, relevant virtual currencies market players have been interviewed, resulting in pressuring entities to collect, process and record personal data, and sometimes to share such data with public authorities or with private entities within the same group. The European Central bank’s plan on securing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is to prevent them from free riding on primary institutions and decentralised financial stability. Becoming aware of the increasing size and border-breaking interconnectedness of these currencies, experiments show that DLT-based systems are very expensive to run, slower and much less efficient to operate than conventional payment and settlement systems.
The European Union bodies, after recognising the threat that cryptocurrencies pose to financial stability, have been preparing to regulate them. The EC, ECB, EBA and Europol are consistent with the opinion that cryptocurrencies should not be left unregulated. Others are willing to leave cryptocurrencies more room for innovation. Can the EU find a middle ground between those two sides. If yes, how?
7. Useful Links What is Bitcoin - A simple explanation for beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTxmR0n6sCc What does the EU have to say? https://ukcryptocurrency.com/regulation/eu-regulation/ Cryptocurrencies from A to Z: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/29/cryptocurrencies-bitcoinblockchain-what-they-really-mean-for-our-future Resolving cryptocurrency conflicts: https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/ikim-views/2018/01/16/resolvingcryptocurrency-conflicts-there-must-be-research-and-discourse-on-how-toembrace-blockchain/ Dictionary of Crypto-Terms: https://openledger.info/the-cryptocurrency-dictionary/ When Europe's New Bitcoin Rules Will Come Into Effect: http://fortune.com/2017/12/04/eu-bitcoin-anti-money-laundering-uk/
Crime priority payment fraud: https://www.europol.europa.eu/iocta/2017/CYBER-DEPENDENT_CRIME.html
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DROI | Human Rights A keyboard away: With the vast presence of cyberbullying in the online environment, what actions should the European Union and its citizens take to reduce its popularity and severe consequences? written by Natalia van Dijk (NL) & Anna Rejman (PL)
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Human Rights
1. Key Terms Bullying is defined as hurting or frightening someone, often over a period of time, and leading in many cases to negative involuntary actions. To bully someone through social media, text or other online means, is called cyberbullying or e-bullying. There exist 6 types of e-bullying: cyberstalking, impersonating, flaming, degrading, breach of privacy and harassment.1
Also, according to Amnesty International’s report, almost a quarter of women have experienced abuse or harassment online.4 In most situations victims refuse to report it to the appropriate services, whereas them doing so is not as effective as desired.5 Following the above facts, it is noticeable that the issue of cyberbullying is greatly disregarded in our European society which is unfortunate and alarming, considering the ever-growing impact of technology in our day-to-day activities and mental health.
Cyberbullies take advantage of the anonymity the Internet provides, which provides them with protection from being called out, allowing them to be unaccounted for what they did. The General Data Protection Regulation2 is a legislation implemented by the EU to ensure protection of personal data. This regulation makes it easier for people to stay anonymous on the Internet, as their personal data cannot be shared with others. Bystanders are people who use the Internet without being a bully or bullied - they are not directly linked to the problem. However, they are connected to either the bully or the people who are being bullied. They include friends, parents and teachers.
2. Relevance and explanation of the problem Past European Union (EU) reports show disheartening facts, identifying that 55% of bullied children in the online environment have become depressed while 35% have reached the unconscious level of self-harm. The internet gives us wider possibilities of communication than ever before. It has a huge impact on society, especially on adolescent people, who spend more time online than the rest of the population.3 Using such an easy-to-access resource is connected to a lot of benefits such as the possibility of being anonymous whenever we want or fast and easy data searching but it is entailed with the fact that some people use it as a platform to be menacing toward others , and cyberbullying is the best example of it. The fact that teens are constantly connected to technology means they are susceptible to victimization and able to act on mean impulses toward others. Profane messages, insults or other means of cyberbullying are accessible and without visible consequence on most cases due to the lack of intervention from other individuals .
1 http://www.debatingeurope.eu/2015/03/19/should-cyberbullying-be-a-criminal-offence-in-the-eu/
#.WntDWqjiZPZ 2 https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/data-protection-eu_en 3 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Being_young_in_Europe_today_-_digital_world
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4 5
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/11/amnesty-reveals-alarming-impact-of-online-abuse-against-women/ https://mic.com/articles/114964/this-is-what-happens-when-you-report-online-harassment-to-the-police#.R6ayfcnSF
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3. Key Actors
4. Key Conflicts
The main actors which has role to ensure safety for all its citizens, including safety online, are the EU and its Member States. However, not many legal actions have been taken yet to prevent cyberbullying. The EU does have legislations about privacy and data protection,6 which can be abused by cyberbullies. Another law and right that the EU provides that is essential in this topic is the right of Freedom of Expression.7
Firstly, the line between bullying and just commenting is very vague and in many cases, it is not clear whether or not something can be counted as bullying. This makes it hard to take any measures at times, as the right of Freedom of Expression has to be counted in as well.
Internet websites and social media platforms often have regulations about preventing bullying, such as the option to report a post or block a person. Many sites offer a help centre as well, where bullied people can find help and information8. Online platforms also possess different rules for privacy protection.9 There are many Non-Governmental Organisations, like the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children(NSPCC)10, the End to Cyberbullying Organisation (ETCB)11, or Cyberbully41112 that work to halt cyberbullying and help people cope with the consequences by providing information, resources and advice. The group affected most by cyberbullying are the bullied people. Such events have a big impact on their lives and mental well-being. They often find it hard to speak up and have a great chance of developing mental disorders due to the bullying. The bystanders are an essential group, as they are the ones who can help the victims speak up and even make the bullying less frequent. Such individuals may see the bullying happening, in which case they can report another user or a post.
With trying to find cyberbullies, the right to Privacy can’t be overlooked either. It is often very difficult to prove bullying without abusing this right. If it is clear that a certain post, conversation or picture is bullying, it is not always very easy to confront the bully with this, as the action may have been done anonymously. This puts in play the existing General Data Protection Regulation and the difficulty of ensuring one’s safety while securing individuals’ privacy. A yet another common issue on the topic concerns the harmonisation of the law within the EU with Spain as the only country which included cyberbullying in its legislation and made it punishable through its criminal code. Alongside Spain, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom have dedicated juvenile courts to consider these types of cases. Cyberbullying is also not a very common topic to be discussed in schools or families and most bystanders do not possess the proper knowledge on how to react if someone they know is being cyberbullied. Victims are also usually unaware of the existing resources to request help when abused, leading to a constant struggle of overcoming the situation they are in.
8 “More
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/bullying-and-cyberbullying/what-isbullying-cyberbullying/ 2 http://www.endcyberbullying.org/ 3 http://www.cyberbully411.com/ 10
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ladies in tech: what is Europe doing to change the ratio?” by Alex Barrera (2014) “SHE figures 2012” by European Commission (2013) 10 “SHE figures 2015” by European Commission (2016) 11 “The Involvement of Men in Gender Equality Initiatives in the EU” by EIGE (2012) 12 “The Policy on Gender Equality in Hungary, Update 2013” by Directorate-General for Internal Policies (2013) 13 Relevance of gender in the policy area, EIGE (2018) 9
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Human Rights
5. Measures in place
6. Conclusions
European Framework for Safer Mobile Use by Younger Teenagers and Children13 was put into place by the EU in order to provide protection to children in the online environments when needed. Its main purposes are access control for adult content, raising awareness for parents and children on the use of the online resources and the classification of commercial content according to national standards of decency and appropriateness.
Social media has started to play a huge role in society in recent years. Therefore, the issue of cyberbullying can not be downplayed, especially that the consequences of it such as psychological problems and social isolation are a serious concern. The stakeholders and every individual must take action to reduce it, not only in terms of law enforcement but also in educating the society on the seriousness of the issue, the ways of reaching for help and on how to overcome it without grave consequences. However, at the same time, the balance between freedom of speech and adequate punishment has to be maintained.
The Safer Social Networking Principles for the EU14 was crafted by the European Commission and signed by the major social networking services providers active in Europe. It provides good practices recommendations and it outlines the principles by which Social Networking Services providers should be guided as they seek to minimise potential harm to children and young people. The CEO coalition to make the Internet a Better Place for Kids15 mentions five working areas which can drastically reduce cyberbullying in the European aura such as simple tools for users to report harmful content and contact, age-appropriate privacy settings, and a wider availability and use of parental controls. The ConRed Cyberbullying Prevention Program16 was founded as a theory-driven program of practical school lessons. The main relevant actions in educational institutions are focusing on diminishing the existence of cyberbullying and reducing the time dedicated to usage of digital devices. There are many societal campaigns against cyberbullying such as “BeatBullying17”, “Staying Safe Online: Gender and Safety on the Internet18”,” or “Cybersmile19” presenting successful and impactul work on the issue driving actions in local communities and raising awareness.
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/content/european-framework-safer-mobile-use-youngerteenagers-and-children 14 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/sites/digital-agenda/files/sn_principles.pdf 15 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/better-internet-kids-ceo-coalition-1-year 16 The ConRed Cyberbullying Prevention Program 17 https://www.beatbullying.org/ 18 http://www.medinstgenderstudies.org/staying-safe-online-gender-and-safety-on-the-internet/ 19 https://www.cybersmile.org/ 13
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Having arrived at this point, some questions are to be posed:
• • •
What encourages people to harass others on online environments?
•
What can you, as a citizen, do to tackle the problem?
How to help those who have already became victim of cyberbullying? Are today’s societal campaigns against cyberbullying effective enough and if not why?
7. Useful Links -
Article about cyberbullying by Nobullying.com, an NGO aimed to stop bullying https://nobullying.com/why-is-cyber-bullying-a-problem-and-how-to-stop-it
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Article by Euroactiv.com, an European public interest foundation https://www.euractiv.com/section/social-europe-jobs/news/cyberbullying-a-creepingphenomenon-only-punished-by-law-in-spain/
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Article by Debating Europe, a platform aimed to debate with European experts and politicians http://www.debatingeurope.eu/2015/03/19/should-cyberbullying-be-a-criminal-offence-inthe-eu/#.WnS59qjiZPY
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The Annual Bullying Report created by DitchtheLabel.org https://www.ditchthelabel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/The-Annual-BullyingSurvey-2017-1.pdf
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Article by The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/22/emotional-violence-cyberbullyingtrolling-bullying-racism-misogyny
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Information about an European campaign against cyberbullying: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-09-58_en.htm
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A news article about cyberbullying with proposed possible solutions: http://www.richmond.com/news/a-resolution-to-reduce-cyberbullying/article_87b92d20d688-59b9-a514-539ca53f7b7b.html
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An article by the NSPCC, an organisation that helps victims of cyberbullying: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/bullying-andcyberbullying/what-is-bullying-cyberbullying/
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Video by TED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSf6nij-SdA
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