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- Ελληνικά
Subject: "Youth Expectations from the EU: the vision for a European future"
It is a great pleasure to be with you today and with the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Ms Athena Michaelidou, for today's interactive debate, which is the first of a series of interactive debates that we are organizing with the Ministry of Education, in the context of the anniversary events on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Cyprus' accession to the EU. Today's debate concerns a topical issue, not only for our country but also for our wider family, the European Union (EU).
Our topic today is the expectations of our young people from the EU and the vision for a European future. So we are here more to listen to you. Because the future of the EU is you. The vision for the future of the EU is yours, simply because our young people, the young people of Cyprus, of the Netherlands, of Malta, of each of the 27 Member States, are the future of our common home, the EU. I remember the excitement of our journey towards EU membership, made possible through perseverance and hard work, despite political obstacles, on 1 May 2004.
We are celebrating 20 years of membership this year and this is one of the reasons that brings us together with you today. We have come of age as a member state, and as a mature member state we will take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the second time in 2026, representing as Cyprus all 27 member states as honest brokers, promoting the interests of the Union and all member states.
So we are here to talk, to hear from you, the future active citizens, the future leaders, who will be called upon to take the reins for an even better Europe, which can stand united in the face of challenges and offer a better quality of life for all its citizens. For the European Union as you envision it. A Union that leaves no piece of land and no citizen behind. Because the fundamental principles of the Union are equality, the rule of law, democracy and respect for human rights. As the great pioneer of the European Union, Robert Schumann, proclaimed: 'Europe will not be created by a single project, nor on the basis of a single project. It will be built through tangible achievements, which will first create real solidarity."
It is also our duty to hand down to future generations, to each and every one of you, a Union better than the one we have received. Because the EU is our common home and we must take care of it, strengthen it and protect it.
The idea of founding the Union was born out of the ashes of the two world wars, with the aim of establishing lasting peace, solidarity and cooperation between the countries of Europe. Gradually, and with the accession of more and more countries, the goal of European integration was developed, i.e. the economic, political, social, industrial and cultural union of all the participating states.
All this is neither abstract ideas, nor political vacuities. They translate into concrete policies, ranging from the establishment of the single market, the Common Agricultural Policy, environmental and green growth policy, regional policy, gender equality policy, the EU's common foreign and security policy, as well as immigration and asylum policy.
In today's fluid and complex geopolitical context where the Union is called upon to respond to multiple challenges, as in the case of the coronavirus pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the flare-up of the crisis in the Middle East, our task is to evolve and strengthen it to make it more resilient, more competitive, geopolitically autonomous and closer to its citizens.
In Brussels, at the heart of Europe, where the Union's main institutions are based and where decisions on its policies and future are taken by all Member States, there are now frequent debates on how the Union can best meet the expectations of its citizens and improve their lives.
So today I would like you to convey to me what your vision of the Europe of the future is and what your expectations are as active and beneficial citizens in European society. And I, in turn, promise to take them to Brussels.
Brussels is often criticised, sometimes rightly, sometimes not. We must always remember that Brussels is us. Member States sit in the decision-making chairs and the positions of governments can and should be determined and guided by active citizens. By voting.
You young people can have a role and a say in what happens in Brussels and leave your mark on the direction you want the EU to take. The European Commission has even set up a Citizen's engagement platform, where all citizens of the Union can participate and discuss EU policies, and citizens' comments are taken into account in the Union's policy-making process.
The EU has always promoted actions for young people. The dear Minister of Education has already mentioned various EU programmes which give you young people the opportunity to come into contact and exchange experiences with your peers from other EU countries.
The opportunities offered by the EU cover a very wide range of areas. Some examples are:
(a) The European Solidarity Corps, which helps young people to get involved in activities that benefit communities by volunteering and participating in local solidarity projects in the fields of education, environment and nature protection, migration and culture. Young people can form groups of at least 5 people (18 to 30 years old) and can apply for financial support of €630 per month to cover project management and implementation costs.
Some examples are (i) the skate park in Belgium, an infrastructure for skateboarding and BMX in a space open to all, not only for sports activities, but also to be able to meet other young people with similar interests. (ii) Coastal restoration in Italy "Mare d'inverno", the aim of the project is to restore a natural coastal area near the urban centres of Trani and Barletta in southern Italy. The project aims to raise awareness of environmental protection by building cycle and pedestrian paths, cleaning up beaches and replanting native tree species.
(b) The ALMA initiative, which stands for "Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve", aims to support young people with difficulties in entering the labour market for comparative reasons (disability, lack of qualifications, long-term unemployment, migrant background) to acquire training and work experience to enable them to enter the labour market.
(c) Discover EU, which enables young people to travel by train to destinations in Europe and discover its diversity. The programme offers different routes such as. One such route starts in Lisbon, Portugal, passes through Madrid and other cities in Spain, Andorra, crosses France, with stops such as Montpellier and Strasbourg, and ends in Nuremberg, Germany. Another shorter and closer route starts in Thessaloniki, passes through Sofia in Bulgaria and ends in Romania.
(ii) The culture routes, where each sub-route deals with a different aspect of European culture, such as History, Music, Architecture, Design, Literature, Fashion, Fine Arts, Theatre, Cinema, Folk Art and even Food.
(ii) The culture routes, where each sub-route deals with a different aspect of European culture, such as History, Music, Architecture, Design, Literature, Fashion, Fine Arts, Theatre, Cinema, Folk Art and even Food. Each participant can choose which route they prefer. For example, the Fashion Route includes stops in Venice and Turin, Italy, Lyon and Lille, France. The Design route (modern design) starts in Barcelona, continues to Seville in Spain and ends in three cities in Portugal. Our Cyprus, and specifically Paphos, is among the three stops on the food (island) itinerary, along with Valletta in Malta, Cork City in Ireland and Reykjavik in Iceland.
(iii) The digital itineraries, which include stops in European cities that are pioneering the use of digital technologies in buildings, streets and the environment.
(iii) The digital itineraries, which include stops in European cities that are leading the way in the use of digital technologies in buildings, streets and the environment. In many of them, one can connect for free to WiFi in public spaces to use public transport-related applications (e.g. telling how many minutes away the next bus is, or enabling the use of electric bicycles). These are cities that have become European Capitals of Innovation or Smart Cities. Examples of routes include the route from Hamburg, Germany, to Tampere, Finland, and from Rijeka, Croatia, through Milan, Italy, to Heidelberg, Germany.
(d) Traineeships: It is also worth noting here that the European Commission is promoting proposals to ensure that young people in Europe are offered vocational training programmes which offer good pay and future employment prospects, and in which they are neither exploited nor subjected to poor working conditions.
Although most of you will probably not have reached the age of 18 by 9 June, when the elections to the European Parliament will take place, I would like to talk about the importance of these elections and the participation of young people. This is because these elections are not held to elect the representatives of the Member States in the European Parliament. Above all, they are about planning the future of Europe, and ensuring that the values, vision and concerns of its citizens ring loudly in the decision-making corridors. Participation, after all, strengthens democracy and makes it more representative.
I hope that this year's elections will continue the positive trend of the 2019 European elections, when voter turnout reached a record 50.6%, thanks in particular to the increased turnout of young people at polling stations.
In view of the need for more participatory democracy, the Government will this year submit a bill to the House of Representatives proposing to lower the minimum voting age from 18 to 17. An initiative that falls within the Government's decision to designate this year as the National Year of Youth, under which all Ministries are promoting actions in favour of young people, with the aim of enhancing their participation in public life. I would like to mention here that in 2024 four Member States (Belgium, Germany, Malta, Germany and Austria) will allow their citizens to vote from the age of 16, while in Greece the voting age is 17.
Thank you, you, your school and your teachers for the opportunity to be with you today. You are the agents of change and hope for a better future for the Union. Your vision is the vision and the future of the Union.
(EN/NZ/AF)
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