During the European Committee of the Regions December plenary our group will discuss the European Year of Youth, the situation in Ceuta and Melilla with François Decoster, the Simone Veil pact and the energy crisis. Giuseppe Varacalli also presents his report on legal migration – attracting skills and talent to the EU.
— This overview/blog covers the European Committee of the Regions plenary of 30 November – 1 December 2022
Press review:
Telecantabria on the intervention(s) of Paula Fernandez Viana:
https://www.rtve.es/play/videos/telecantabria/telecantabria-30-11-22/6747858/
Also on EuropaPress
On RTVE Radio
TeleMia on the report of Giuseppe Varacalli:
1 December
During the closing debate on the European Year of Youth and the endorsement of the Charter for Youth and Democracy, Dan-Aria Sucuri, President of the European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) and Anne Rudisuhli, member of the Bouches-du-Rhône departmental council, intervened.
Anne Rudisuhli said: “Si nous évoquons la jeunesse européenne, c’est parce qu’il y a là un sujet fondamental dont nous devons nous saisir. Mieux comprendre notre jeunesse, ses craintes, ses aspirations pour son avenir et celui de l’Europe alors que nous sommes nous-mêmes entourés d’incertitudes, est notre devoir.
En cette année européenne de la jeunesse, nos institutions ont su se réunir pour répondre à la problématique suivante : comment offrir une vie meilleure aux citoyens et laisser un monde plus prospère et viable aux générations futures ? Comment mieux prendre en compte leurs volontés et les armer face aux menaces que les fausses informations font peser sur eux ?
L’exigence légitime de ces générations futures doit nous conduire à des décisions. Notre jeunesse ne veut plus être simple spectatrice. Nous devons lui offrir la possibilité de faire entendre sa voix.
Notre institution devrait je pense accorder une place plus importante à nos jeunes élus en les associant davantage à nos travaux. J’incite également mes collègues à créer des assemblées délibératives ou participatives, où siègeront celles et ceux qui demain, seront amenés à devenir des citoyens impliqués.
Ainsi, au sein de mon Département des BDR, guidé par la volonté de leur donner la parole, de les sensibiliser aux valeurs de la République et de les rapprocher des institutions en les impliquant dans le processus de décision, à crée le conseil départemental des jeunes : ce sont 58 jeunes titulaires et 96 suppléants, sur un principe de parité filles/garçons qui siègent pendant deux ans. Ils se réunissent 6 fois, travaillent en commission (dont une consacrée à l’Europe) et depuis 2015, 27 projets ont permis d’orienter le CD sur des sujets tels que la citoyenneté européenne et l’éveil civique scolaire la sensibilisation à la notion d’Europe, ou la mise en place des stages de citoyenneté ou d’apprentissage des droits et des devoirs pour ne citer que ces sujets liés à la citoyenneté. Je crois profondément que nous ne pourrons relever les défis qui se présentent à nous sans écouter cette jeunesse. Il est donc important d’agir. Osons créer des représentations de jeunes dans nos institutions respectives.”
Dan-Aria Sucuri said: “Youth isn’t only our future but also the present and the development of Europe since European generations are getting older and there are fewer younger people. But the younger generations are depressed, deprived in jobs and opportunities. When talking about youth, we should stress individuality as not everyone wants to study or move abroad. Let’s focus on individual skills and local development. The Year of the youth should be the “path of Europe” because we need to focus on issues like youth unemployment, as well as the efficient use of skills and human resources.
Jasna Gabric and Vincent Chauvet will participate in the debate on the energy crisis and consequences for European households. Our President François Decoster will raise the situation of Ceuta and Melilla – as a follow up from his visit there earlier this year.
30 November
Discussing extending the list of EU crimes to hate speech and hate crimes, Maite Pagazaurtundúa MEP, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament, and Jean-Luc Vanraes, CIVEX-coordinator of our group and Anne Rudisuhli, Member of the Bouches-du-Rhône Departmental Council, all intervened with Rudisuhli highlighting the case of Twitter since its sale to Elon Musk.
Maite Pagazaurtundua said: “The opinion of CoR is important to make pressure to the Council to take a unanimous decision to approve the proposal of the European Commission to extend the list of EU crimes to hate speech and hate crime”
Giuseppe Varacalli presented his report “Legal Migration – Attracting skills and talent to the EU”. Varacalli said: “Migrants play a fundamental role in our economy and society. We need legal migrants with skills and talents; we’re an old continent and need more migrants with the possibility of moving between EU member states, giving them equal rights as citizens, access to work, education,… as their participation will allow the EU to grow”
Soraya Rodriguez MEP spoke about the Simone Veil pact at our group meeting. The purpose of this declaration is to preserve, promote and strengthen the rights of all women at all levels, European, national and local, in all areas, public and private, for all generations, in all the Member States of the European Union, under the aegis of the European institutions. It is a pact between signatories to promote an upwards alignment of women’s rights in Europe at their level of responsibility. We give this pact the name of the one who symbolizes so much the strength of European women: Simone Veil.
Sign up here: https://www.simoneveilpact.eu/
At our group meeting, Sandro Gozi MEP, Secretary General of the European Democrats, discussed shaping the electoral manifesto for 2024. Gozi said that “we want an electoral manifesto with a strong territorial rooting for their political proposals, together with a strong push for transnational lists for more democracy. That process is complementary, you can’t build up a European democracy without firmly rooting it at the territorial level.”
Our President François Decoster (left) with Sandro Gozi MEP
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On Wednesday, Maite Pagazaurtundua, Renew Europe MEP, Vice-chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament, will discuss extending the list of EU crimes to hate speech and hate crimes, with interventions of our Renew Europe Cor President François Decoster and Jean-Luc Vanraes. Giuseppe Varacalli will also present his report on legal migration – Attracting skills and talent to the EU. Nicola Caputo will intervene later during the plenary in the debate on the food crisis.
