Academic Preparation Kit

Academic Preparation KitMatosinhos 2016 - Inter-Regional Forum

European Youth Parliament Portugal

APPEJ - Associação Portuguesa do Parlamento Europeu dos Jovens / European Youth Parliament

Portugal Rua Dona Antónia Augusta de Sousa, no 63, 4460-665 Custóias, Matosinhos, Portugal

www.pejportugal.com · geral@pejportugal.com

Table of Contents

Disclaimer

The EU Explained

Committee Topics

ECON

ENVI I

ENVI II

INTA

JURI

LIBE

Partners

Contacts

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DisclaimerThis Academic Preparation Kit was compiled for the Inter-Re-gional Forum of the Europe-an Youth Parliament Portugal, which will take place in the city of Matosinhos, from the 13th to the 15th of May, 2016.

TOPIC OVERVIEWSThe Topic Overviews are writ-ten by the Committee Chair-persons and serve as back-ground material. They aim to identify the importance of the issue at hand, as well as the principal matters within it, the interconnections amongst the main actors in those matters and the actions already taken by them, while offering a short look at their possible future de-velopment.They are written with the in-tention of providing stimulat-ing, yet neutral, introductions. It must be noted that the con-tent of the Overviews does not reflect the positions of the As-sociação Portuguesa do Par-lamento Europeu dos Jovens (APPEJ)/ European Youth Par-

liament Portugal (EYP PT), who strongly encourages indepen-dent thinking, and are the sole responsibility of their authors. Likewise, while the Inter-Re-gional Forum will be held under the patronage of various public entities, no claim is made that their views are in any way rep-resented by the contents of this preparation kit.

KEYWORDSThe non-exhaustive list of key-words intends to facilitate the search for information, may that be documents, news items or articles, through different types of search engines, news websites or encyclopaedias.

LINKSAs regards the suggestions of research links, the list is by no means exhaustive. Also, sever-al of the websites may contain relevant information other than the one cited herewith. Sever-al links have been made avail-able through footnotes. Please

note that the EYP PT is not re-sponsible for the contents of the various websites; the texts, images and/or audio or video clips re ect the opinions of their authors, only. We recommend that you print this preparation kit, together with all the re-search you will conduct on your own and bring all those materi-als with you to the forum.Wishing you a good read and successful preparation,

Alexios NompilakisPRESIDENT of MATOSINHOS 2016

Bruno Ribeiro and Michael Machado

HEAD-ORGANISERS of MATOSINHOS 2016

Ana NunesPRESIDENT of EYP PT

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It is my greatest pleasure to welcome you digitally to the session and a whole brand new world! I can hardly wait till I meet you in person in beautiful Matosinhos and get to know you better. However, before we find ourselves there and in order to make the most out of this experience when the time comes, there are some preparatory stages of vital importance. The first one of them is the very Academic Preparation Kit you are looking at right now.

This is a collective work put together by the chairs’ team of this forum, the people who will be responsible for guid-ing you as smoothly as possi-ble through all the stages of the event. But what is this Kit and what does it contain? As you might know by now, each one of you will be allocated to a particular committee. And each committee will have to deal with a specific topic. So, in simple words, this document is your navigation through your committee topic.

Europe is undoubtedly facing

History these days and im-portant happenings are taking place even as I am typing these lines. Many heated issues are at stake. And the question aris-ing is how we, the people, are going to deal with them. What is possible and what is not? What is the most appropriate and viable solution to now-adays’ problems? The forum came under the general theme of “Opposing currents in so-ciety: a whirlpool of change”. That was partly due to the fact that we wanted to demon-strate that there have always been and there will always be several different angles from which one can look at a chal-lenging question. The key to this situation is to combine all these different approach-es and come up with the best possible solution.

It goes without saying that every committee topic is highly complicated and de-serves your full attention. It is also natural that some of you might already have an opinion on them. Nevertheless, this Preparation Kit will provide you with accurate and up-to-

date information which still remains as neutral as possi-ble in order for you to decide how to make the best use of it. In other words, it is the start-ing point so that you can dive deeper into the topic and have a more rounded and complete understanding of it. It will also allow you - and even encour-age you - to go on with further research from your side. This way you can (re-)formulate your own opinion and estab-lish it with viable and valid ar-gumentations.

What I ask you to do is to to-tally emerge yourself into your own topic and become a minor expert on it! This way you will be able to fully participate and contribute fruitfully during the Committee Work discussions. When it comes to all the oth-er topics, I would still ask you to carefully read them through and familiarise yourselves with the main concepts and ideas behind them. If you actually do this, you will be able to equal-ly and substantially partake in the General Assembly where all the topic resolutions will be debated and voted upon.

Each Topic Overview consists of the main body of text which includes the following sections: Topic Relevance, Main Con-flicts, Legislative Background and some Key Questions in the end. On top of that, there are also three complementary, yet very juicy sections which can provide you with the outline of the topic and help you move on. These are the Key Terms, Main Stakeholders and Links for further research.

I hereby welcome you to start reading, clicking, print-ing and exploring whatever those overviews might have to offer you. Please, feel free to see them with some hesi-tation and through a prism of criticism! However, trust me that they can at least serve you as the ideal starting point - wherever that journey may lead! Enjoy!

On behalf of the Chairs’ Team,

Alexios NompilakisPresident, Matosinhos 2016

from the PresidentForeword

The European Union (EU) is a unique economic and political partnership be-tween 28 European countries which, together, cover much of the continent.The EU was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. The first steps were to foster economic coop-eration: the idea being that countries who trade with one another become economically interdependent and so more likely to avoid conflict. The result was the European Economic Commu-nity (EEC), created in 1958, and initially increasing economic cooperation be-tween six countries: Belgium, Germa-ny, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Since then, a large single market has been created and contin-ues to develop toward its full potential.

From economic to political union

What began as a purely economic union has evolved into an organisa-tion spanning policy areas, from devel-opment aid to environment. A name change from the EEC to the European Union (EU) in 1993 reflected this.The EU is based on the rule of law: ev-erything that it does is founded on treaties, voluntarily and democratically agreed by all the Member States. These binding agreements set out the EU’s goals in its many areas of activity.

Mobility, growth, stability, single currency

The EU has delivered half a century of peace, stability and prosperity, helped raise living standards and launched a single European currency, the euro.Thanks to the abolition of border con-trols between EU countries, people can travel freely throughout most of the continent. And it is become much eas-ier to live and work abroad in Europe.The single or ‘internal’ market is the EU’s main economic engine, enabling most goods, services, money and peo-ple to move freely. Another key objec-tive is to develop this huge resource to ensure that Europeans can draw the maximum benefit from it.

Human rights and equality

One of the EU’s main goals is to promote human rights both internally and around the world. Human dignity, freedom, de-mocracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights: these are the core values of the EU. Since the 2009 signing of the Treaty of Lisbon, the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights brings all these rights together in a single doc-ument. The EU’s institutions are legally bound to uphold them, as are EU gov-ernments whenever they apply EU law.

Transparent and democratic institutions

As it continues to grow, the EU re-

mains focused on making its gov-erning institutions more transpar-ent and democratic. More powers are being given to the directly elect-ed European Parliament, while na-tional parliaments are being given a greater role, working alongside the Eu-ropean institutions. In turn, European citizens have an ever-increasing num-ber of channels for taking part in the political process.

The institutional structure of the EU cannot be compared to that of any other international organisation (e.g., the North Atlantic Treaty Or-ganization or the United Nations). It is neither a centralised unity like a nation state, nor does it imitate a relatively loose structure, such as the Commonwealth of Nations or a confed-eration like the United States of Ameri-ca – it is an organisation sui generis. The structure is unique and continuously developed. The Treaty of Lisbon marks the last big step in this process.

A. MAIN INSTITUTIONS

1. Within the institutional triangle

European Commission

The European Commission (EC) is the ‘executive’ power of the EU. One Com-missioner is appointed by each Mem-

ber State (with one, currently Jean Claude Juncker, being the President of the EC). The Commissioners are ap-pointed by their respective Member States, approved by the European Par-liament and put in charge of specific issues (e.g., Carlos Moedas, the Portu-guese Commissioner, is responsible for Research, Science and Innovation).The EC monitors the Member State’s and the Union’s adherence to the acquis communautaire (the ensemble of all EU legislation), represents the Union in its foreign relations (especially through one of its Vice-presidents, Federica Mogherini, who is also the High Repre-sentative of the Union for Foreign Af-fairs and Security Policy) and has the exclusive Right of Initiative1.

Additionally, the term ‘Commission’ is also used to refer to the full administra-tive body about 23,000 staff members working in various Directorates-General (DGs) or services, each responsible for a particular policy area and headed by a Director-General, who reports direct-ly to the President. The DGs draft laws, but their proposals become official only once the College of Commissioners adopts them during its weekly meeting.

1. The Right of Initiative is the right to pro-pose laws. In the EU, the EC has the right to propose Regulations and Directives to the European Parliament and to the Council of the European Union).

1. WHAT IS THE EU?

2. HOW DOES THE EU WORK?

The EU Explained5

European Parliament

The European Parliament (EP) is the first part of the EU’s legislative branch and consists of 751 Members of Parliament (commonly, MEPs), who are elected for five-year mandates by all EU citizens (over 18 years old, in Austria over 16). The first direct EP election was held in 1979; the latest in May 2014.The EP is divided into seven large frac-tions plus several independent MEPs. The biggest three fractions are the Eu-ropean People‘s Party pooling Christian Democrats (EPP), followed by the Party of European Socialists (PES) and by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats Party (ALDE). It works either in a big plenary or in its 20 different Committees, each responsible for specific issue areas. The EP shares its legislative competences with the Council of the European Union.

Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers)

Also known as ‘the Council’, the Coun-cil of the EU is structured in issue-spe-cific groups (councils), comprising the respective Ministers of the Member States (e.g., the Council for Justice and Home Affairs, with all Ministers of the Interior/Home Affairs). The presiden-cy of the Council changes every six months and the ‘president’ in office supplies the different councils with a Chairperson, with the exception of the council on Foreign Affairs, which is pre-sided to by the High Representative.

The issue areas are mirrored in those of the EP (e.g., environment, educa-tion, economy, budget), with whom the Council shares its legislative competenc-es. Additionally, the Council also has ex-ecutive powers. The current presidency (July–December 2015) is held by Luxem-bourg; the following one (January–June 2016) will be held by the Netherlands.

2. Outside the institutional triangle

European Council

The European Council (no standard ab-breviation is used) is an EU institution comprising the heads of state or heads of government of the Member States, along with the council’s own President (Donald Tusk) and the Presdent ofthe European Commission (JeanClaude Juncker). The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Se-curity Policy takes part in its meetings. The European Council was established as an informal body in 1975; it became an official EU institution in 2009, when the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force.While the European Council has no formal legislative power, it is charged under the Treaty of Lisbon with defining “the gene- ral political directions and priorities” of the Union. It is thus the Union’s strategic (and crisis-solving) body, acting as the collec-tive presidency of the EU.

European Central Bank

The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank for the euro and admin-

isters the monetary policy of the euro area, which consists of 19 EU member states and is one of the largest currency areas in the world. It is one of the world’s most important central banks. The bank was established by the Treaty of Am-sterdam in 1998, and is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Since 2011 (and until 2019) the President of the ECB has been Mario Draghi, former governor of the Bank of Italy. The owners and share-holders of the European Central Bank are the central banks of the 28 Member States of the EU.

Court of Justice of the European Union

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is an EU institution that en-compasses the whole judiciary. Seated in Luxembourg, it consists of two major courts and a number of specialised courts.The institution was originally established in 1952 as the Court of Justice of the Eu-ropean Coal and Steel Communities (as of 1958 the Court of Justice of the European Communities (CJEC)). In 2009, with the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the court changed to its current name.Its mission is to ensure that “the law is observed (…) in the interpretation and application” of the Treaties. The Court reviews the legality of the acts of any EU institution, ensures that the Member States comply with obligations under the Treaties and interprets EU law at the request of the national courts.It consists of two major courts: i) the European Court of Justice (created in

1952), the highest court in the EU legal system; ii) the General Court (created in 1988; formerly the Court of First In-stance).

European Court of Auditors

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) was created in 1975 and formally esta- blished in 1977 in Luxembourg to au-dit the accounts of EU institutions. The Court is composed of one member from each Member State and its current pres-ident is Vítor Manuel da Silva Caldeira.Despite its name, the Court has no judi-cial functions. It is, rather, a profession-al external investigatory audit agency, whose primary role is to check if the budget of the EU has been implement-ed correctly, in that EU funds have been spent legally and with sound manage-ment.

3. Not an EU body!

Council of Europe

The Council of Europe (CoE) is an in-ternational organisation promoting coope- ration amongst all countries of Europe in the areas of legal stan-dards, human rights, democratic de-velopment, the rule of law and cultur-al cooperation. It was founded in 1949, has 47 Member States with over 800 million citizens, and is an entirely se-parate body from the EU. The CoE can-not make binding laws.Its best known bodies are the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which

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enforces the European Convention on Human Rights, and the European Phar-macopoeia Commission, which sets the quality standards for pharmaceutical products in Europe. The Council of Eu-rope’s work has resulted in standards, charters and conventions to facilitate cooperation between European coun-tries.Its statutory institutions are the Com-mittee of Ministers (comprising the for-eign ministers of each of its 47 Member States), the Parliamentary Assembly (composed of MPs from the parliament of each Member State) and the Secre-tary General.

B. WHAT CAN THE EU DO?

1. Exclusive competences – as per Ar-ticle 2 (1) and Article 3 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) In these areas, only the EU may legislate and adopt legally binding acts. Excep-tions are possible if the EU empowers Member States to act or with regard to the implementation of Union acts.

• The customs union, including an internal free trade area with common customs tariffs (Art. 31 TFEU). • The monetary policy of the EU for the Member States whose currency is the euro, overseen by the European Central Bank and with certain precepts formu-la- ted in the Stability and Growth Pact (Art. 129 (3) and (4), Arts. 132, 138, 219 TFEU).

• Competition rules controlling state aid from national governments and the actions of companies necessary for the functioning of the internal market.

• A common international trade policy, e.g., a common position in international trade negotiations (Art. 207 TFEU).

• The conclusion of certain international agreements (Art. 3 (2) TFEU).

• Common commercial policy.

• The conservation of marine biological resources (part of the Common Fisher-ies Policy, Art. 38 (1) TFEU).

2. Shared EU competences – as per Art. 2 (2) and Art. 4 TFEU

These are policy areas on which the Member States have agreed to act indi-vidually if the EU has not exercised (or planned to exercise) its competence. If a policy area is neither exclusive nor falls under supportive actions, it is a shared competence. Some examples are:

• Internal market; • Economic, social and territorial cohe-sion; • Agriculture and fishing (except the conservation of marine biological re-sources); • Social policy;

• Transport;

• Environment, pollution and energy;

• Consumer protection;

• Area of Freedom, Security and Justice.

3. Supporting, coordinating or comple-mentary competences – as per Art. 2 (5), Art. 6 TFEU

The EU can financially support the ac-tions of the Member states that have agreed to coordinate their domestic policies through the EU. However, it does not entail harmonisation of regu-lations. These areas include: • Education, vocational training, youth and sport; • Tourism;• Administrative cooperation; • Civil protection;• Protection and improvement of hu-man health; • Industry; • Culture.

C. LEGAL ACTS OF THE EU

While the EU can issue several types of legal acts, not all are fully binding for its Member States. These acts are named according to their legal strength and are divided into: • Regulations – have to be strictly ad-hered to in all Member States and leave no room for adjustments during the im-plementation process;

• Directives – provide a framework and give a certain policy direction, leav-ing the states with more flexibility and room for adjustments;

• Decisions – always address certain reci- pients and are only valid for those specific countries/people/institutions;

• Recommendations – without legal force, but negotiated and voted on ac-cording to the appropriate procedure, they are not binding for the Member States;

• Opinions – similar to recommenda-tions in that they have no legal force, but not voted on, simply emitted.

The European legislative procedure runs considerably longer than those of most Member States. In brief: the EC (which has the exclusive Right to Initiative), the Council and the EP decide if the propos-al becomes a legal act after having dis-cussed relevant details. General policy guidelines and statements, especially from the EP, are formulated in Resolu-tions. They can entail instructions for fu-ture procedures, as well as regulations, which are formally valid in the Member States. Legal acts passed by the EP and the Council enter into force once the national governments have transposed them into national law. The combined legal heritage of the EU, including all le-gal acts, contracts and treaties is known as the acquis communautaire.

w

The EU Explained7

GENERAL LINKS

To learn more about the EU, its institutions and in-struments, please visit their respective websites, be-low.

1. European Union

http://europa.eu/index_en.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book:European_Union

2. EU-Institutions

http://eu2012.dk/en/EU-and-the-Presidency/About-EU/EU-Background/EU-Institutions

3. European Neighbourhood Policy

http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/index_en.htm

4. Enlargement

http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/index_en.htm

5. Common Foreign and Security Policy

http://europa.eu/pol/cfsp/index_en.htm

http://europa.eu/agencies/regulatory_agencies_bodies/security_agencies/index_en.htm

6. Lisbon Treaty

http://europa.eu/lisbon_treaty/index_en.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6901353.stm

http://www.robert-schuman.eu/doc/divers/lis-bonne/en/10fiches.pdf

7. Treaty on European Union (TEU)

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2008:115:0013:0045:EN:PDF

3. FURTHER RESEARCH

8. Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2008:115:0047:0199:en:PDF

9. TFEU with explanations

http://en.euabc.com/upload/books/lisbon-trea-ty-3edition.pdf

10. Europe 2020

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:2020:FIN:EN:PDF

11. Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf

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ECONFrom San Francisco to New York, from Porto to

Berlin: Gentrification has been taking its toll on

disadvantaged residents in several cities around

the world, causing socio-economic suffocation

on low-income households. What steps could

the EU take to relieve the population affected by

this phenomenon? Is regulating the housing market

prices the way to go?

ENVI I“Climate change has the characteristics of a

collective action problem at the global scale (...).

It is virtually certain that global mean sea level

rise will continue for many centuries beyond 2010,

with the amount of rise dependending on future

emissions”.

IPCC ‘s (International Panel on Climate Change)

Report 2014

Considering the low adherence to the Kyoto

Protocol and the divergence in Copenhagen in

2009, how can the EU ensure the fulfillment of the

Paris Agreement 2015 and accomplish its goals?

“In the mature developed economies, the waste

of food is really down to poor marketing practices

and consumer behaviour.”

(Dr Tim Fox commenting on a report

by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers)

With half of all the food produced in the world

being wasted, 1.2 to 2 billion tonnes per year,

how can the EU minimise or even eliminate this

phenomenon within its borders?

ENVI II

Committee Topics9

In light of the recent refugee crisis and Schengen

agreement violations, how can the EU effectively

control its external borders in order to reduce

illegal immigration whilst protecting its Member

States and complying to international human

rights regulations?

LIBEWith the Cotonou Partnership Agreement

between the EU and the countries of the African,

Caribbean and Pacific group of states (ACP)

expiring in 2020 and the European Development

Fund having received significant criticism, how

should the EU proceed with a fair implementation

of the current ‘Agenda for Change’ and what

steps should it take towards new mutually

profitable agreements beyond 2020?

INTA“The war on drugs”: While several States maintain

a neutral to negative stance towards legalisation,

Portugal’s drug decriminalisation law seems to

be successful. If the EU was to adopt a holistic

approach on the matter, what direction and

measures should it take?

JURI

Chaired by Christopher Godina (SE) Chaired by Cristiano Matos (PT) Chaired by Inês de Oliveira (PT)

Chaired by Arabella Šarkic (BA) Chaired by Pedro Oliveira (PT) Chaired by Afonso Loureiro (PT)

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Topic RelevanceThe wide-ranging effects of gentrification, both positive and negative, on the Euro-pean population has sparked a conflict between the so called “gentrifies” and the low-income residents. Since, gentrification often results in the original disadvantaged residents being forced to move away from their neighbourhood, often to other run-down areas1. The main causes of the forced removal of less wealthy residents are the rent and cost of living increases which gen-trification eventually creates. However, gentrification also has a variety of positive effects on the neighbourhood, for example: lowered crime rates and improved local in-frastructure2.

ECONFrom San Francisco to New York, from

Porto to Berlin: Gentrification has been

taking its toll on disadvantaged residents

in several cities around the world, causing

socio-economic suffocation on low-

income households. What steps could

the EU take to relieve the population

affected by this phenomenon? Is regulating

the housing market prices the way to go?

Furthermore, gentrifications widely affects characteristic of the neighbourhood, name-ly the social-ethnic composition, household incomes, health etc. As a result, the char-acter of the neighbourhood completely changes, much to the dismay of the local populace. The effects on the local popu-lace do not end there, the displacement of the original population excludes them from the benefits of the gentrification, thus it is seen as a largely negative phenomenon by the original residents3. This may well lead to further social exclusion. The causes of the displacements are often attributed to high rent, property taxes, too expansive local services or a combination of them4. With that being said, the causes can not always be clear as the gentrification can be a long process with several “waves” of gentrifiers.

Moreover, the causes of gentrification are mainly credited to the lack of housing in the inner cities for young white-collar workers without children. The so called “gentrifiers” are often more affluent young people that do not have children and they work at white-collar jobs in the city center5. These factors often mean that they prioritise proximity to their work and the accessibility to the pleasures of inner-city life, compared to the good schools districts and playgrounds normally found in the

cities’ suburbs. The added benefit of low living cost is just another plus that attracts the early gentrifiers. Furthermore, it is the influence that boheme communities or artists have since they often serve as a way to popularise the neighbourhood for the actual gentrifiers. Thus they are a kind of a pre-gentrifier or the first wave of gentrifiers. Then so, the gentrifiers tend to bring much needed capital to invest in the run-down or

There is mainly a conflict between the dis-placed population and the gentrifiers. The conflict rises from what the original res-idents see as exploitation of their neigh-bourhood for the cheap prices that it offers. Namely, the original residents tend to say they cannot claim the benefits of the gen-trification and are just forced to move to another rundown neighborhood or possi-bly become homeless7. Another claim from the remaining original residents is that the neighbourhood has lost its soul and char-acter. Itt has been shown that the outlook of the neighbourhood is changed and that some of the residents might feel like they do not belong there8. They believe there

Main Conflits

Chaired by Christopher Godina (SE)

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Main Conflits

1 http://www.citylab.com/housing/2015/11/the-closest-look-yet-at-gentrification-and-displacement/413356/

2 http://money.howstuffworks.com/gentrification2.htm

3 http://web.williams.edu/Economics/ArtsEcon/library/pdfs/WhyIsGentrificationAProbREFORM.pdf

4 http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/09/economist-explains-5

5 https://www.elca.org/JLE/Articles/1135

6 http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/12/news/economy/gentrification-may-help-poor-people/

7 http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/31/sleeping-rough-in-seattle-homeless-crisis-exposes-dark-side-of-affluent-microsoft-city

8 http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/jan/28/hackney-creatives-priced-out-london-studios-artists-gentrification

9 http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/europes-cities-gentrification-or-ghettoization/?_r=0

should be some kind of regulation to pro-tect the neighbourhood from general gen-trification.On the other hand, the gentrifiers and other real estate developers argue that it is perfectly fine according to rules of the free market and therefore gentrification should run its course, it is simply a result of a crowded housing market. They also like to point at the already mentioned positive aspects of gentrification which brings to neighbourhood it affects. Therefore, they argue that gentrification brings more posi-tive than negative effects on the whole and the causes of it is simply the natural way of how the market functions.

The process of gentrification has had a sig-nificant effect on European cities such as London. Where previous artistic areas such as Soho and previous working class areas like Islington are subject to gentrification because of the crowded housing market and the fact that municipality housing is being sold to private investors. Another ex-ample is Berlin, where there is a recurring trend of demolishing large apartment com-plex built by the GDR in central Berlin and replacing them with new modern houses or residences9.

Legislative BackgroundArticle 34 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union recognises the right of access to housing and to hous-ing assistance. Further reaffirmed by the European Social Charter Article 31 by the Council of Europe.

The Europe 2020 goals stipulates at least 20 million fewer people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The European Semester economic coor-dination system giving country-specific recommendations to Member States con-cerning economic policy. These recom-mendations will also contribute to the Eu-rope 2020 goals.

The Investment Plan for Europe aims to promote investment in infrastructure and innovation projects of key importance to European sectors.

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Key QuestionsWhat measures are appropriate to combat the displacement of population that gentrification can cause ?

Is there a way to find balance between both sides’ concerns?

What measures can alleviate the housing shortage in the market?

Should there be a focus on stopping gentrification or helping the ones badly affected by it?

Could building brand new neighbourhoods solve the underlying problems of gentrification?

ECON

The ORIGINAL RESIDENTS of the gentrified area whom can often be badly affected by the consequences.

The GENTRIFIERS are often in need of cheap housing in the inner city which is hard to get, therefore gentrification is vital for them as a way to secure housing.

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS can find major financial gains in gentrification and have economic interest in the actual gentrifica-tion.

The EUROPEAN COMMISSION and in par-ticular the DIRECTORATE-GENERALS for Employment, Social Security and Inclusion (EMPL), Economic and Financial Affairs (EC-FIN) and Competition (COMP), whom are all in some way responsible for one if not sev-eral key issues of gentrification.

The EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK (EIB) invests in and provides financial assistance or advice to sustainable investment projects

Main Stakeholderswhich contribute to the EU policy goals.

The EUROPEAN FUND FOR STRATEGIC IN-VESTMENTS (EFSI) is one of the main pillars of the Investment plans for Europe and an investment fund designed to take on high risk projects that will help the investment plan’s goals

The EUROPEAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND (ERDF) is designed to reduce eco-nomic, environmental and social problems in urban areas, with a special focus on sus-tainable urban development.

Key Questions

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LINKS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/gen-trification(Main webpage of the guardian, concerning the topic of

gentrification)

http://www.sustainablecitiescollective.com/big-city/245126/berlin-barcelo-na-and-struggle-against-gentrification (The effects of gentrification on the cities of Barcelona and

Berlin)

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/healthtopics/gentrification.htm (Gentrification effect on the local populace’s health)

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/funding/erdf/ (Document on the regional policy of the EU)

http://jpi-urbaneurope.eu/project-gentri-fication-2-0/ (Video on gentrification)

Key TermsGENTRIFICATION: The transformation of neighbourhood from low value to high value property

GENTRIFIERS: High income residents that move into low income neighbourhood, thus increasing the property values.

URBAN DEVELOPMENT: social, cultural, economic and physical development of cities, as well as the underlying causes of these processes.10

LOW-INCOME NEIGHBOURHOOD: when at least 40% of the area’s residents are below the poverty line

10 http://www.sv.uio.no/iss/english/research/subjects/urban-development/

h t t p : //w w w. h o u s i n g e u ro p e . e u / r e -source-468/the-state-of-housing-in-the-eu-2015 (Report on the state of housing in the EU)

h t t p : // w w w . c i t y l a b . c o m / h o u s -ing/2015/09/the-complicated-link-be-tween-gentr i f icat ion-and-displace-ment/404161/ (Report on the relationship between displacement and gen-

trification)

14

Topic RelevanceThe Earth’s climate has changed throughout history. Just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era — and of human civilization. In this vast universe we know of no other place so hospitable to life and its infinite variety. However, due to human development during the last few years, environmental concerns are getting drastically serious, especially in terms of climate, rising sea level and pollution.

It’s nearly impossible to overstate the threat of climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions are rising more rapidly than predicted and consequently the world is warming more quickly. Global warming will have catastrophic effects such as accelerating sea level rise, droughts, floods, storms and heat waves. These will impact some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, disrupting food production, and threatening vitally important species, habitats and ecosystems.1

All things considered, climate change poses a clear and present danger and it threatens every species on earth, increasing the

ENVI I“Climate change has the characteristics

of a collective action problem at the

global scale (...). It is virtually certain that

global mean sea level rise will continue

for many centuries beyond 2010, with

the amount of rise depending on future

emissions”.

IPCC ‘s (International Panel on Climate Change)

Report 2014

Considering the low adherence to the

Kyoto Protocol and the divergence

in Copenhagen in 2009, how can the

EU ensure the fulfillment of the Paris

Agreement 2015 and accomplish its

goals?

number of extreme weather events that require international action. The time for leadership and meaningful initiatives is now.

Since the first big environment confer-ence in 1978, the World Climate Conference (WCC), many countries have been discuss-ing environmental issues throughout the years, but it appears that they do not always come to total agreement. In the meantime, statistics keep showing that the climate is-sues keep getting worse.Tackling problems that have a global scale always requires two perspectives: one from the developing countries and another one from the developed ones. Usually, it re-quires a big financial investment to imple-ment renewable green energies. Can we make that technology easy for developing countries to acquire? How do we make sure that the countries have the strongest in-stitutions and the best information to deal with climate change?

The Kyoto Protocol obligated industri-alised countries that ratified to cut in 5%

Main Conflits

Chaired by Cristiano Matos (PT)

Main Conflits

15

1 http://www.wri.org/our-work/topics/climate

2 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/apr/21/countries-responsible-climate-change

3 http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/items/6036.php

4 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/nov/26/kyoto-protocol-carbon-emissions

5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfNgsKrPKsg#t=52

6 http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21576388-failure-reform-europes-carbon-market-will-reverberate-round-world-ets

7 http://www.wri.org/blog/2015/12/paris-agreement-turning-point-climate-solution

their greenhouse gas emissions. Despite that, there was no obligation on develop-ing countries to trim their emissions, since it was thought that the most developed countries, which had already been pollut-ing the atmosphere for years, should take the first step. This led to a major discussion and as a result, the US refused to sign the Protocol under the statement that taking on an emissions-reduction burden would influence their competitiveness in the glob-al markets against China, which under the Kyoto accord didn’t have to reduce its emis-sions.Increasing emissions of greenhouse gas-es due to human activities worldwide have led to a substantial increase in atmospher-ic concentrations of long-lived and other greenhouse gases. Every country around the world emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, meaning the root cause of climate change is truly global in scope. Some countries produce far more green-house gases than others, and several fac-tors—such as economic activity, population, income level, land use, and climatic condi-tions—can influence a country’s emissions levels. Tracking greenhouse gas emissions worldwide provides a global context for un-derstanding the countries’2 roles in climate change.

Legislative Background

The UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE (UNFCCC) is a framework for international cooperation to combat climate change by limiting average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change, and coping with impacts that were, by then, inevitable. Preventing “dangerous” human interference with the climate system is the ultimate aim of the UNFCCC3.

The KYOTO PROTOCOL is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which commits its Parties by setting internationally binding emission reduction targets4.

EUROPEAN CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAMME aims to drive forward EU efforts to meet the targets set by the Kyoto protocol. The programme has sought to engage the full range of stakeholders in the process of developing a strategy. It has also promoted the issue of horizontal integration of environmental policy across the Directorates General of the Commission.

The EUROPEAN TRADING SYSTEM (ETS) is

the cornerstone of the EU strategy to tackle the climate change head on5. The first - and still by far the biggest - international system for trading greenhouse gas emission allowances, the EU ETS covers more than 11,000 power stations and industrial plants in 31 countries, as well as airlines. It controls the CO2 emissions by establishing boundaries and attributing prices to CO2 units that can be bought/sold by the companies, therefore creating a trading system6.

16

Key QuestionsHow has technological evolution through the ages affected CO2 emissions? Could a tech breakthrough revert this situation?

Since companies are one of the real key stakeholders in climate change, what kind of actions should the EU take to make them well aware of this ongrowing issue?

Should the European Union provide benefits to companies that respect environmental directives or establish more limits in order to achieve its goals?

ENVI IThe PARIS AGREEMENT (COP21) is built on the foundation7 of national climate plans from 187 countries and is a reflection of the remarkable momentum from cities, companies, civil society groups and others that complement the global will to act that has grown over the years since the first international conference on climate change in 1992. The Paris Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the agreement aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change. To reach these ambitious goals, appropriate financial flows, a new technology framework and an enhanced building capacity framework will be put in place, thus supporting action by developing countries and the most vulnerable countries, in line with their own national objectives. The Agreement also provides for enhanced transparency of action and support through a more robust transparency framework8.

The COPENHAGEN ACCORD was the first time that major world economies gathered to pledge specific actions that they would

undertake to diminish greenhouse gas emissions. However, the conference reached an impasse between the two countries with the most influence - China and the US. This resulted in a non-binding final agreement with tepid endorsement.

How can the EU influence the environmental behaviour of non-member-states such as China and the US (the world’s largest GHG emitters)?

What other measures can be taken to achieve sustainability without affecting the world’s economy?

Key Terms

GLOBAL WARMING: a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and its oceans, a change that is believed to be permanently changing the Earth’s climate.8

GREENHOUSE EFFECT: The process through which heat from the Earth is radiated outward and absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This process prevents heat from disappearing into space and keeps Earth warm enough to sustain life.

Main Stakeholders

17

DEFORESTATION: clearing Earth’s forests on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land. It comes in many forms, including fires, clear-cutting for agriculture, ranching and development, unsustainable logging for timber, and degradation due to climate change.

GREENHOUSE GASES: Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, as for example carbon dioxide, methane, ozone and fluorocarbons.

CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2): The main greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas and oil), solid waste, trees and wood products, and also as a result of certain chemical reactions (e.g., manufacture of cement). Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere (or “sequestered”) when it is absorbed by plants as part of the biological carbon cycle.

The DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR CLIMATE ACTION (DG CLIMA) leads the European Commission’s efforts to fight climate change at EU and international level. It formulates and implements cost-effective policies for the EU to meet its climate targets for 2020, 2030 and beyond, focusing mainly on the Ozone layer and on GHG emissions.

Some NGOs such as Climate Action Network (CAN), Climate Action Network Europe (CAN-E) and Greenpeace’s International Campaign to Save the Climate are also fiercely acting and/or campaigning on climate issues.

The INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE (IPCC) is the international body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide policymakers with assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.

All INDIVIDUALS, CORPORATIONS and LEGAL ENTITIES are stakeholders. They all have a (proportionally different) share of responsibility and by taking smaller or bigger steps, they can all potentially contribute to save energy and money while helping to protect the environment.

LINKS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/gh-gemissions/global.html(Article “Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data”)

http://infographics.pbl.nl/website/global-co2-2015/(Article “Are Global CO2 emissions still rising?”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo-hooVxNHu4(Video “Post Paris round up with Jos Delbeke”)

h t t p : // w w w. n y t i m e s . c o m / i n t e r a c-tive/2015/11/28/science/what-is-climate-change.html?_r=0(Article “Short answers to hard questions about climate

change”)

http://unfccc. int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php(Official Article “The Paris Agreement”)

18

Topic RelevanceAccording to the FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANISATION1 (FAO), in the entire world, one third of the annual food production ends up in the trash which corresponds to 1.3 BILLION TONNES OF FOOD which would be enough to feed four times the 868 million starving people (12% of the world population). Furthermore, food wastage not only represents a social issue but also a severe ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC THREAT. This situation can be even more aggravated because, according to the United Nations (UN) predictions there could

ENVI II“In the mature developed economies,

the waste of food is really down to poor

marketing practices and consumer

behaviour.”

(Dr Tim Fox commenting on a report

by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers)

With half of all the food produced in the

world being wasted, 1.2 to 2 billion tonnes

per year, how can the EU minimise or

even eliminate this phenomenon within

its borders?

be about an extra 3 billion people to feed by the end of the century. Just in the EUROPEAN UNION (EU) alone, about 100 MILLION TONNES2 of food are wasted every year, and much of this food is still suitable for human consumption. This happens mainly due to the LACK OF AWARENESS. Thus the effects food waste has on the ENVIRONMENT and on the ECONOMY3 are not frequently known, namely the amount of resources such as water or land that are used to produce food that is not going to be consumed after all; as well as the misunderstanding created by some PRODUCTS’ LABELLING, leading people to think that the food is no longer good for consumption after the indicated date on the label, but which generally represents the day the product has its best quality.As was already said above, food waste is not only a missed opportunity to feed the hungry, but it also leads to massive economic and environmental problems. When people throw food in the garbage, the decomposing food emits GREENHOUSE GASES (GHG), namely carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane, which contributes to the increase of global average temperatures, and it also conduces to overexploitation of the natural resources used to produce the ingredients, like water.

The amount of food that is being annually wasted represents a deeply concerning issue. What are the causes? Food is wasted mainly due to the LACK OF CONSUMER’S AWARENESS, most people are not aware of the impact food waste can produce on our environment and they do not realise that 30% of the annual food production is wasted. Furthermore, CONFUSING LABELS indicating the date on products in a way which may lead to a misunderstanding from the consumers’ side, since many of them believe that the date-end of the products means that they cannot be consumed. Moreover, REJECTION OF FOOD due to its AESTHETICS and/or SAFETY CONCERNS is often referred as one of the major causes of food loss and waste. Usually, farmers do not have the possibility to sell everything they produce because frequently the food cosmetic specifications are too exigent and tight to follow, despite the food being good for consumption. Yet another aspect to consider is the ECONOMIC one in combination with the GLOBAL MARKET. Namely, in the past years the Common Agricultural Policy4 (CAP) had brought EU farmers to the point of being subsidised to (over-)produce goods that there was no market to be absorbed from5. On top of

Main Conflits

Chaired by Inês de Oliveira (PT)

Main Conflits

19

1 http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e.pdf

2 http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/food_waste/index_en.htm

3 http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/196220/icode/

4 http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/policy-perspectives/policy-briefs/05_en.pd

5 http://www.ecpa.eu/information-page/agriculture-today/common-agricultural-policy-cap

6 http://www.sustainabletable.org/491/food-economics

7 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P7-TA-2012-0014+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN

8 http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/food_waste/eu_actions/member_states/docs/20141107_tor_draft_en.pdf

that, industrial agriculture has fed a culture of over-consumption, particularly in the United States, where large quantities of food are tossed in the trash while, at the same time, part of the population remains starving and another part is in the throes of an obesity epidemic.6

Legislative BackgroundA FRENCH LAW has forbidden food waste in the supermarkets. Instead of throwing food that it is in perfect condition for human consumption, the supermarkets will have to donate all this food to charities and food banks. Besides of redistributing this food and avoiding the possibility of wasting precious resources, it is also a contribution to stop hunger in France. This law has provided solutions both in the economic, environmental and ethical aspects.

In order to reduce food waste in the EU, the European Commission will:- elaborate a common EU methodology to measure food waste consistently in co-operation with Member States and stakeholders- create a new platform involving both Member States and actors in the food chain in order to help define measures needed to achieve the food waste Sustainable Devel-opment Goals (SDG), facilitate inter-sector co-operation, and share best practices and results achieved

- take measures to clarify EU legislation re-lated to waste, food and feed, as well as fa-cilitate food donation and the use of former foodstuffs and by-products from the food chain for feed production, without compro-mising food and feed safety- examine ways to improve the use of date marking by actors in the food chain and its understanding by consumers, in particular “best before” labelling.

Before that, the EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT had already thoroughly defined strategies for a more efficient food chain in the EU7 by- Addressing all the stakeholders in the food chain and devising guidelines for and sup-port ways of improving the efficiency of the food supply chain sector by sector;- Raising awareness of the ongoing work in both the High Level Forum for a Better Functioning Food Supply Chain and the Eu-ropean Sustainable Consumption and Pro-duction Roundtable.- Pointing out the necessity to involve all participants in the food supply chain and to target the various causes of waste sector by sector; therefore, it called on the Com-mission to make an analysis of the whole food chain in order to identify in which food sectors food waste is occurring most, and which solutions can be used to prevent food waste;- Requesting to the Member States to en-courage and support initiatives geared to stimulating sustainable small- and medi-um-scale production that is linked to local

20

Key QuestionsHow can the food waste be reduced without compromising the human and animal health?

What can be done about the cosmetics patterns which deny healthy food from being in the market?

What can be done to increase consumer awareness about the consequences of food waste?

How can the labelling be changed in order to avoid healthy food ending up in the garbage?

How important is it to support local products, businesses and farmers in order to decrease GHG emissions?

ENVI II

All stakeholders in the food chain:PRODUCERS AND PROCESSORS which have the responsibility for the excessive production of goods and packaging of all the ingredients.

Main Stakeholders

and regional markets and consumption.Then the Commission established a dedi-cated Working Group8 (WG), with experts from Member States, to facilitate sharing of learning and best practice. The group helps the Commission and Member States to re-move, wherever possible, any regulatory barriers or grey zones, existing either at EU or national level, which lead to food waste.

The WG will support progress in areas such as:- Awareness, information and education campaigns- Research to strengthen the evidence base (consumer, scientific, etc...)- Simplifying and promoting better use of date marking- Facilitation of food redistribution- Guidance to ensure the highest value use of wasted food (“food use hierarchy”)- Technological and social innovation.

SUPPLIERS AND RETAILERS who discard a considerable amount of food not considered good enough to be sold.

CONSUMERS who buy food in larger quantities than what it is needed and that end up in the trashcan.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANISATION of the United Nations (FAO), an international organisation focused in eliminating hunger and food insecurity as well as promoting several programmes to reduce poverty and increase the sustainability of natural resources.

EUROPEAN FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY9 is an EU agency whose work focuses on responding to the scientific request of the EUROPEAN COMMISSION on this area, for the public interest’s pursuit.

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS (NGOs) have a defining role in raising awareness, as well as demanding better food standards in countries.

8 http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/food_waste/eu_actions/member_states/docs/20141107_tor_draft_en.pdf

9 http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/about/howwework

Key Questions

21

LINKS FOR FURTHER RESEARCHKey Terms

FOOD WASTAGE: any food lost by deterioration or discard, it includes food loss and food waste as well; FOOD LOSS: a decrease in mass (dry matter quantity) or nutritional value (quality) of food that was originally intended for human consumption. These are mainly caused by inefficiencies in the food supply chains, such as poor infrastructure and logistics, lack of technology, insufficient skills, knowledge and management capacity of supply chain actors and lack of access to markets;

FOOD WASTE: food appropriate for human consumption being discarded, whether or not after it is kept beyond its expiry date or left to spoil;

h t t p s : // w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m /watch?v=IoCVrkcaH6Qh t t p s : // w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m /watch?v=Md3ddmtja6s (Food waste explanation )

http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3342e/i3342e.pdf(Food waste impacts)

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/20111121IPR31961/Urgent-call-to-reduce-food-waste-in-the-EU(How to reduce food waste)

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/food.htm (Sustainable food)

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF FOOD WASTE: food that is produceδ but not eaten guzzles up a volume of water equivalent to the annual flow of Russia’s Volga River and is responsible for adding 3.3 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases to the planet’s atmosphere;

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF FOOD WASTE: food waste has a massive impact on economics. FAO estimates that food waste has a cost of $750 billion per year.

Topic RelevanceWith a contribution of 50 billion Euros a year in 2012, the EU with its member states represents the first donor of Official development assistance (ODA)1 in the world. On the one side funds are accumulated from assistance programmes from individual governments and common assistance budgets and on the other side there is the contribution of the European development fund2 (EDF), which is the oldest EU instrument in this policy area. The EDF is outside the EU budget, managed by the European Commission (EC) and focuses

INTAWith the Cotonou Partnership

Agreement between the EU and the

countries of the African, Caribbean

and Pacific group of states (ACP)

expiring in 2020 and the European

Development Fund having received

significant criticism, how should the

EU proceed with a fair implementation

of the current ‘Agenda for Change’ and

what steps should it take towards new

mutually profitable agreements beyond

2020?

Criticism directed towards the past and future implementation of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement includes the anticipating risks of INSTITUTIONAL

INERTIA - that is the continuation or repetition of previous practices from Lome IV5, to the current and the future framework after 2020. The EU budget that is designated to foreign aid efforts and the European Development Fund, which are both influenced by the European Commission and respective donors (National governments), have to justify their donations to all European taxpayers. This results in a CONTROL OF RESOURCES layed out to the ACP countries. In contrast to “budgetised” aid, the European Parliament is not required to approve EDF spending; this is done by the Committee of member states’ representatives which give voluntary contributions. According to their financial contribution, they have proportional voting weights, and the largest ones usually direct the general strategies and decisive influence on final foreign policy objective. (See Figure 1)What raises even more attention is the fact that differing FINANCIAL RULES are listed for each EDF, inclusively when comparing to the ones approved by the Council for EU budget , which makes joint control over them more complex.Furthermore, the CPA is made up of a series of declarations and legal provisions, focusing firstly on “objectives,” then on “development strategies” and finally

Main Conflits

on overseas territories, third countries that are usually former colonies with which they have historical ties, namely the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) group of countries. They are signatories of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CAP) until February 2020; a joint cooperation of ACP-EC with the central objective of poverty reduction and ultimately its eradication, sustainable development and progressive integration of the ACP countries into the world economy3. Member States are obliged to cooperate and contribute to achieve developmental objectives. Therefore, the process of integration and implementation of partnership goals and funds is crucial and often criticised by the European Court of Auditors and the European Parliament, with hopes of welcoming progressive changes.The new policy shift that was introduced in 2011, known as Agenda for Change4 is aimed at concentrating aid money in the 48 least-developed countries (LDCs) in a more strategic, targeted and results-oriented way. Another proposal from the EU Commission is a new target date for budgetisation in 2021, after the expiry of Cotonou Agreement.

Chaired by Arabella Sarkic (BA)

22

FIGURE 1

outlining an “approach to development.” This contributes to another issue - the EU institutions having LACK OF FOCUS, while ACP countries focus only on funds outlined by the CPA. The CPA encompasses three key development objectives according to which the EDF approves funds to individual projects with flexible time frames that may OVERLAP AND OVERBURDEN THE PROCESS of overseeing and evaluating the outcomes.

Legislative BackgroundLOMÉ CONVENTIONS (Lomé I - Lomé IV bis) have been the first concrete and extensive EU development policy and strategy plans that served as basis for Cotonou Agreement. (See table 3)

THE ACP-EU PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT, was signed in Cotonou on the 23rd June 2000 and concluded for a 20-year period (from 2000 to 2020). It is regarded as the most comprehensive framework for foreign development policy between the EU and

developing countries. It has been revised in 2005 and 2010 and a suggested third revision is possible this year before its 2020 expiry.

As amended by the Lisbon Treaty, the Title III of the TREATY ON THE FUNCTIONING OF THE EU (TFEU) gives legal framework for development policy, and in the specific article 208 regulates the shared and individual competences between EU and Member states.

The EU CODE OF CONDUCT is introduced to clarify that the community policy of the EU in

1 http://www.wri.org/our-work/topics/climate

2 http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/node/1079

3 CPA Article 19

4 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/130243.pdf

5 http://www.loc.gov/law/help/foreign-aid/eu.php

23

general is intended to be complementary to the individual policies pursued by Member States.

BRUSSELS, 19.10.2010 “The future of EU budget support to third countries” (GREEN PAPER From Commission to the Council, The European Parliament, The European Economic and Social Committee and The Committee of the regions)Analysis of EU budget support based on experiences of the last 10 years and views from stakeholders.6

BRUSSELS, 10.11.2010 “Increasing the impact of EU development policy” (GREEN PAPER EU development policy in support of inclusive growth and sustainable development)- Analysis and debate on EU efforts to speed up the progress towards the MDGs and embrace new opportunities.

On the 14TH MAY 2012 the EU Council adopted the Agenda for change. It was a new overseas aid policy that aimed at targeting funds on the 48 least-developed countries from sub-Saharan Africa. The plan puts emphasis on improving governance and social protection in target countries, while also giving assistance to drive growth in sectors such as agriculture and expand energy access.

LOMÉ CONVENTIONS (Lomé I - Lomé IV bis) have been the first concrete and extensive EU development policy and strategy plans that served as basis for Cotonou Agreement. (See table 3)THE ACP-EU PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT, was signed in Cotonou on the 23rd June 2000 and concluded for a 20-year period (from 2000 to 2020). It is regarded as the most comprehensive framework for foreign development policy between the EU and developing countries. It has been revised in 2005 and 2010 and a suggested third revision is possible this year before its 2020 expiry.

As amended by the Lisbon Treaty, the Title III of the TREATY ON THE FUNCTIONING OF THE EU (TFEU) gives legal framework for development policy, and in the specific article 208 regulates the shared and individual competences between EU and Member states.

The EU CODE OF CONDUCT is introduced to clarify that the community policy of the EU in general is intended to be complementary to the individual policies pursued by Member States.

BRUSSELS, 19.10.2010 “The future of EU budget support to third countries” (GREEN PAPER From Commission to the Council, The European Parliament, The European Economic and Social Committee and The Committee of the regions)Analysis of EU budget support based on experiences of the last 10 years and views from stakeholders.6

BRUSSELS, 10.11.2010 “Increasing the impact of EU development policy” (GREEN PAPER EU development policy in support of inclusive growth and sustainable development)- Analysis and debate on EU efforts to speed up the progress towards the MDGs and embrace new opportunities.

On the 14TH MAY 2012 the EU Council adopted the Agenda for change. It was a new overseas aid policy that aimed at targeting funds on the 48 least-developed countries from sub-Saharan Africa. The plan puts emphasis on improving governance and social protection in target countries, while also giving assistance to drive growth in sectors such as agriculture and expand energy access.

24

In a 2013 RESOLUTION7, the European Parliament, based on papers which concluded how better donor coordination could save millions per year in overhead costs associated with processes such as monitoring, coordination and implementation, formulated a series of recommendations.

Since 1973 the European Commission has been giving proposals for budgetisation of the EDF, never reaching unanimity among Member States, not renewing it in its Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2014-20 and postponing them to the period after the Cotonou Agreement expires in 2020.

Key TermsBUDGET SUPPORT: part of an overall country cooperation package. It involves policy dialogue, financial transfers, performance assessment and capacity-building, based on partnership and mutual accountability.

BUDGETISATION: The possible inclusion of the EDF in the EU budget.

25

22

INTAMain StakeholdersACP COUNTRIESThe African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) is an organisation created in 1975. It compromises 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific states, with all of them, except Cuba, signatories to the Cotonou Agreement, which binds them to the European Union (See Figure 28). The ACP SECRETARIAT, headed by the Executive Secretary-General, is responsible for administrative management and it assists the Group’s decision-making and advisory organs.

FIGURE 2: THE AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC

(ACP) GROUP OF STATES

FIGURE 3: IMPACT ON GDP OF DONOR COUNTRIES,

2020

to monitor programmes and implementation of its instruments. To accomplish objectives of foreign policy aid it must engage all relevant stakeholders and assign tasks to evaluate its performance to external authorities.

EU NATIONAL GOVERNMENTSBesides being obliged by the aforementioned Treaties and Code of Conduct to contribute to development aid efforts, National governments expect a positive impact on the output at the end of the respective funding programmes. While the effects are small, the gains from the rise in trade and decline in trade costs are expected to compensate for deteriorations of current account balances and rise in income tax. If aid is managed properly, a 20 % return on investment is foreseen to have a positive net effect on growth, as seen in Figure 3 9.

EU COMMISSION The Commission, assisted by the Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT), is obliged

7 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/EPRS/EPRS-IDA-542140-European-Development-Fund-FINAL.pdf

8 http://www.kaleidoscot.com/europe-may-impose-sanctions-states-discriminating-lgbti-2487

9 http://one.org.s3.amazonaws.com/pdfs/The_effects_of_EU_aid_on_receiving_and_sending_countries_Report.pdf

10 http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_421_fact_eu28hl_en.pdf

11 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9736621/Foreign-aid-through-EU-wastes-British-taxpayer-cash-says-watchdog.html eu.php

26

27LINKS FOR FURTHER RESEARCHhttp://www.euract iv.com/section/develop-ment-policy/linksdossier/agenda-for-change-eu-s-helping-hand-gets-an-overhaul/#ea-accordion-background(ARTICLE: “Agenda for Change: EU’s helping hand gets an

overhaul”)

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/130243.pdf(RESOLUTION: The Council of the European Union conclu-

sion: “Increasing the Impact of EU Development Policy: an

Agenda for Change”)

https://europa.eu/eyd2015/en/content/eu-devel-opment-aid(ARTICLE: European year for Development)

https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/2015-annual-report-web_en.pdf(Official report: “2015 annual report on the European Union’s

development and external assistance policies and their im-

plementation in 2014”)

h t t p : // w w w. e u r a c t i v . c o m /s e c t i o n / d e v e l -opment-pol icy/news/development-f inanc-ing-schemes-a-success-find-eu-auditors/>(ARTICLE: “Development financing schemes a success, find

EU auditors”)

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/node/1365(Official article: “EU Communication on the Agenda for

Change”)

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/regions/afri-can-caribbean-and-pacific-acp-region/main-pro-grammes-eu-development-assistance-african_en>(Official article: “ACP - Main funding programmes”)

http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/sierra_leone/eu_sierra_leone/political_relations/partnership_framework/acp_eu_agreement/index_en.htm>(Official article: “The ACP-EU partnership agreement”)

https://www.ciaonet.org/attachments/2259/up-loads(Research paper: “Improving the governance of European

foreign aid” )

EU TAXPAYERS A survey by the Eurobarometer “Citizen views ahead of the European Year for Development”, conducted on 28,000 Europeans, showed how a large majority support the EU’s priority to increase development aid. They see volunteering as the most effective way of helping (75%), followed by Official foreign aid (66%) and then organisations that assist (63%)10. (See Figure 4) Studies in the UK community revealed how around 16 per cent of the UK’s foreign aid budget is directed towards helping poor countries and question EU’s decision making and critisises over-ambitious projects.11

FIGURE 4: CITIZEN VIEWS AHEAD OF THE EUROPEAN

YEAR FOR DEVELOPMENT

THE EUROPEAN COURT OF AUDITORS – body that performs audits and evaluations of the Commission’s implementation of budget support and that has been fundamental, along with recommendations of the European Parliament, in helping the Commission to improve its approach to budget support.

Key QuestionsTo what extent can potential risks be better assessed and managed within a comprehensive framework to enhance the effectiveness of budget support?

What measures can be applied to adequately combine, track and report on for maximum influence, accountability and transparency of diverse aid flows (from public and private sources to external action budgets)?

How should the EU promote effective frameworks to evaluate and monitor development results achieved by donor countries?

What kind of activities can be implemented both by the donor and partner countries to contribute to a greater visibility and better communication flow that could improve mutual accountability?

What are the positive and negative implications of using both budgetary and extrabudgetary resources under the “same roof”? What practical arrangements can be made to ensure their consistency and efficient coordination?

How do the proposals of the European Court of Auditors and the European Parliament on “budgetisation” impact the collective EU foreign policy objectives? Are the extra-budgetary resources more of a reflection of donor’s national interests? Could the unification of budgets distance foreign policy objectives of individual Member States with African partners?

Chaired by Pedro Oliveira (PT)

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Topic RelevanceDRUG ABUSE is a common issue, not only in the European Union (EU), but also throughout the world. According to the World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), about 246 million people used illicit drugs in 2013, which is an estimate of 1 out of 20 people1. The use of drugs is considered a very serious problem because it can have several impacts on many areas of society, such as health, employment, and safety. So, most countries invest in domestic and international efforts to study and quantify this problem and its effects on the daily lives of its citizens. However, every country’s approach to dealing with this issue is different, with various approaches on the matter.

JURI“The war on drugs”: While several

States maintain a neutral to negative

stance towards legalisation, Portugal’s

drug decriminalisation law seems to

be successful. If the EU was to adopt a

holistic approach on the matter, what

direction and measures should it take?

Legislative BackgroundSince 1990, the European Union has developed various plans to address drugs sustainably. The EU DRUGS STRATEGIES AND ACTION PLANS do not impose any legal obligations on the Member States, they do however promote a shared model with defined priorities, objectives, actions and metrics. Using this framework of an integrated, balanced and evidence-based approach to the drugs problem, the Member States (MS) develop their own national policies and actions to achieve the goals set by the EU Drugs Strategies and the Action Plans.

The latest drugs strategy was adopted in 2012 by the Council and it provides the priorities in the combat against drugs between 2013 and 2020. The goals of this strategy are the reduction of health and social risks caused by drugs, reduction of drug demand and supply, the cooperation between the EU and international organisations on drug issues, and the monitoring and analysis of the drug situation and challenges at the EU and international level.

To achieve these goals, the EU developed the ACTION PLAN 2013-20162, where it addresses the need to ensure the quality of policy interventions, requiring for instance Member States to agree and commence the implementation of EU minimum quality standards in demand reduction. The social reintegration and recovery of all drug users is also expected to receive increased attention, as it is the ultimate goal of drug treatment services.

Most countries in the European Union consider drug use as a CRIMINAL OFFENCE, which means if people get caught using or selling drugs, they will be sent to prison and will have a criminal record. That’s the case in countries like Germany and Sweden, for example.

However, there have been made several different moves to combat drug use, such as the DECRIMINALISATION of such actions by the portuguese government in 2001. Even though it’s still prohibited to use drugs in Portugal, it is not a crime. Which means

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1 https://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr2015/World_Drug_Report_2015.pdf

2 http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/topics/pods/eu-drugs-strategy-2013-20

3 http://www.amsterdam.info/drugs/

Main ConflitsSuch legislations like the portuguese and the dutch see drug use more as a HEALTH ISSUE than a criminal offence. Although such actions are still illegal, drug users are handled more like patients than criminals, which means the users are free to choose whether or not they continue or treat their addiction.This makes several Member States maintain a negative stance towards decriminalisation. The fear of an INCREASE OF DRUG ABUSE once drugs are decriminalised are keeping many MS, like the United Kingdom and Sweden, on high alert. Because if drug users decide to continue their addiction, this can also mean an increase of the numbers of death by overdose, infectious diseases like HIV due to needle injections, mental health issues like depression and paranoia, and much more.

Key QuestionsWhat are the main concerns about the decriminalisation of the use of drugs?

What are the main obstacles towards a common policy?

What role do the stakeholders, such as treatment centers, play in this issue?

What is the link between consumption and decriminalisation?

if someone gets caught by the police using drugs, they will not be arrested. In exchange, the product used will be confiscated and the user will be asked to go to the nearest Health Clinic for rehabilitation.Moreover, the drug policy put in action in 1919 by the Dutch government made possible to residents of the Netherlands to purchase small amounts of “soft drugs”, like cannabis, at coffee shops, making soft drugs legal to consume inside the coffee shops and certain areas.3

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Key Terms

JURI

DRUG illegal substance that causes addiction, habituation, or a marked change in consciousness DRUG POLICY policies designed to affect the supply and/or demand of illicit drugs. It covers a range of actions on issues like education, treatment, drug laws, policing and border surveillance

DECRIMINALISATION AND DEPENALISATION Still prohibited behaviour, which is subjected to non-criminal regulations and sanctions. However, the harsher criminal activities (such as drug dealing) are subjected to criminal interventions, such as imprisonment

Main StakeholdersEU COMMISSION (EC): the EC has the power to propose new laws to be taken by all the Member States. It also manages EU policies and allocates the funding to each legislation. This makes the European Commission one of the most relevant factors on the current drug situation in the EU, since it can set a general approach across the Member States

EU NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS (Member states): every Member State of the European Union have different governments,making their own policies and laws. If all the Member States can come up with a consensus of a general holistic approach regarding drugs, the EC can make a proposal of a general legislation to follow. Thus, stopping the current disparity between the laws of each MS government.

REHABILITATION CENTRES - as mentioned before, there are many health issues attached to drug abuse. Rehabilitation Centres provide the necessary treatments to those health issues and improve the quality of life of drug users.

LAW ENFORCEMENT - it plays very different roles in each country. If there was a general policy approach to drugs across the EU, Law Enforcement could have the same goals and the same focus, thus stopping the current differences of police intervention in each country.

Key Terms

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LINKS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Decriminalisation vs Depenalisationh t t p s : // w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m /watch?v=9NKhpujqOXc

Measures taken by the EUhttp://eeas.europa.eu/drugs/index_en.htm

Portuguese drug policyhttp://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/DPA_Fact_Sheet_Portugal_Decrimi-nalization_Feb2015.pdf

HOLISTIC APPROACH an approach more concerned with the whole issue rather than analysis or separation into parts

LEGALISATION removal of the prohibition over a previously illicit activity. However, it does not imply the removal of all controls over such activity

REHABILITATION a process by which an individual with a drug-related problem achieves an optimal state of health, psychological functioning and social well-being

JURI

Dutch drug policyhttps://www.government.nl/topics/drugs/contents/toleration-policy-regard-ing-soft-drugs-and-coffee-shopshttp://reformdrugpol icy.com/beck-ley-main-content/new-approaches/fu-ture-directions-for-drug-policy-reform/switzerland/ - Swiss drug policy

Outcome of Portuguese and Dutch policies compared to othershttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDt-8NXLs1ws

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Topic RelevanceThe right to free movement of people is a cornerstone of the European Union. The Schengen Area without internal border control is one of the most valued achievements of EU integration. It entitles every EU citizen to travel, work and live in any EU country without special formalities. Schengen cooperation enhances this freedom by enabling citizens to cross internal borders without being subjected to border checks. The border-free Schengen Area guarantees free movement to more than 400 million EU citizens, as well as to many non-EU nationals, businessmen, tourists or other persons legally present on the EU territory.

The numbers of irregular migrants and applicants for international protection

LIBEIn light of the recent refugee crisis

and Schengen agreement violations,

how can the EU effectively control its

external borders in order to reduce illegal

immigration whilst protecting its Member

States and complying to international

human rights regulations?

arriving in the EU have increased dramatically. The number of irregular border crossings detected in 2015 (1,553,614)1 considerably exceeds the total number of irregular border crossings during the 2009-2014 period (813,044). Migrants have been entering via the three main routes where an absolute majority of all irregular EU border crossings were detected in January-November 2015: the eastern Mediterranean (716,202 detections), the Western Balkans (667,147) and the central Mediterranean (144,300). The dramatically increased number of arrivals has put the border control and asylum systems of the countries concerned under extreme pressure. Countries like Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria have already set fences near borders with the objective of reducing the number of entries of illegal migrants. By doing so they are acting against the free movement right whilst evoking security as the main reason for this action.

Since 1999 the European Council on Justice and Home Affairs has taken several steps towards strengthening cooperation in the area of migration, asylum and security. In the border management field this led to the creation of the External Border Practitioners Common Unit2 - a group composed of members of the Strategic Committee on Immigration, Frontiers and Asylum (SCIFA) and heads of national border control services. The Common Unit coordinates national projects of Ad-Hoc Centres on

Border Control. Their task is to oversee EU-wide pilot projects and common operations related to border management.Two years after the establishment of “ad-hoc” centres, the European Council decided to go a step further. With the objective of improving procedures and working methods of the Common Unit, on the 26th October 2004 the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex)3 was established by Council Regulation (EC) 2007/2004.

Chaired by Afonso Loureiro (PT)

1. The data for January-October 2015 (1,284,549) is available from Frontex Risk Analysis Network (FRAN) and covers the Schengen area and Schengen candidate countries. It includes only the third country nationals detected at external borders (except temporary external borders) when entering or attempting to enter illegally between the border crossing points (BCPs). For November, the data originates from Joint Operations Reporting Application (JORA) and from the Croatian Ministry of Interior (http://www.mup.hr/219696.aspx ); estimates have been used for routes where no data was yet available. 2. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=URISERV%3Al33205 - Integrated Management of External Borders 3. http://frontex.europa.eu/about-frontex/origin/

Main ConflitsEuropean countries (of entry, passage or destination) have been reacting differently to this humanitarian crisis, as can be observed through the year of 2015. The European Union came short of providing a holistic response to the crisis, failing to unite its Member States in solidarity, with some taking the matter into their own hands.4

Countries such as Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia strongly seek to minimise the number of migrants they host and defy pressures from Brussels especially when it comes to a mandatory quota system that would distribute migrants evenly across EU countries. On the contrary, eight government leaders from Scandinavia, BeNeLux, Austria and Greece are already trying to agree on a voluntary quota system to take refugees into their own countries.

This different views on the crisis create a lack of harmonisation on defence laws between Schengen members. Because of this lack of unity, some countries such as France, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Sweden5 have already been forced to take action independently and erected fences or temporarily re-established national controls over their borders, which endangered the Schengen Area.

Border control is also a target of major debate even though the reintroduction of border control is a prerogative of the Member States. The SCHENGEN BORDERS CODE6 provides Member States with the capability of temporarily reintroducing border control at the internal borders in the event that a serious threat to public policy or internal security has been established.

The reintroduction of border control at the internal borders must remain an exception and must only take effect when it is imperative. The scope and duration of such a temporary reintroduction of border control at the internal borders should be restricted to the bare minimum needed to respond to the threat in question. Reintroducing border control at the internal border should only ever be used as a measure of last resort. In order to protect and supervise the Borders there is also the intention of creating the European Border and Coast Guard – designed to meet the new challenges and political realities faced by the EU, both as regards migration and internal security. The European Border and Coast Guard7 will be composed of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the national authorities and coastguards responsible for border management. This would require interaction among national authorities which may not be what some Member States desire.

Legislative BackgroundSCHENGEN AGREEMENT is the treaty which led to the creation of Europe's borderless Schengen Area.

EUROPEAN AGENDA ON MIGRATION8 setting out the need for a comprehensive approach to migration management.

Leaders of the 28 EU Member States and Turkish prime minister Ahmed Davutoglu agreed on a DEAL that invited TURKEY to seal its borders with Greece to halt or slow migrant flows to Europe.

4. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/18/eu-leaders-struggle-to-reach-migrant-agreement-at-brussels-summit - EU Leaders struggle to reach migrant agreement at Brussels summit.5. https://euobserver.com/migration/131078 Sweden reintroduces border controls6. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=URISERV%3Al14514 - Schengen Borders Code7. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/securing-eu-borders/fact-sheets/docs/a_european_border_and_coast_guard_en.pdf - European Border and Coast Guard8. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/european-agenda-migration/index_en.htm - European Agenda on Migration

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Key QuestionsHow can the EU bring Member States together in solidarity towards a global crisis that will persist for at least some more time and prepare for possible similar events in the future?

Which potential risks can there be if the external borders are not protected and supervised?

Given the current distribution of competences, what should be the role of Member States?

Which type of measures are to be prioritised and what further actions should be taken to control the external borders?

Should an international police force be created to protect external borders?

Are the Member States sharing enough information on the illegal migrants to ensure good defence against possible terrorism in refugee camps?

How can the EU effectively patrol and manage Europe’s external borders, preventing deaths at sea, paving the way for legal transfers and combating migrant smuggling?

MIGRATION - The movement of a person or a group of persons, either across an international border, or within a State. It includes migration of refugees, displaced persons, economic migrants, and persons moving for other purposes, including family reunification.

MIGRANT SMUGGLING - “The procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit, of the illegal entry of a person into a State Party of which the person is not a national or a permanent resident”.10 Smuggled migrants are extremely vulnerable to life-threatening risks and exploitation along the travel routes. Generating huge profits for the criminals involved, migrant smuggling fuels corruption and empowers organised crime.

BORDER CONTROL - Measures adopted by a country to regulate and monitor its borders. It depicts a country’s physical demonstration of territorial sovereignty. It regulates the entry and exit of people, animals and goods across a country’s border. It also aims at

The European Commission proposed a EUROPEAN BORDER AND COAST GUARD to protect the EU’s external borders.

The SCHENGEN INFORMATION SYSTEM (SIS)9, is a governmental database used by European countries to maintain and distribute information on individuals and pieces of property of interest. The intended uses of this system are national security, border control and law enforcement.

EU SHARED COMPETENCES - the EU and EU countries are able to legislate and adopt legally binding acts. Shared competence between the EU and EU countries applies in the following areas: internal market; social policy; economic, social and territorial cohesion (regional policy); agriculture and fisheries; environment; consumer protection; transport; trans-European networks; energy; AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY AND JUSTICE; shared safety concerns in public health matters; research, technological development, space; DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION AND HUMANITARIAN AID.

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Key Terms

9. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/schengen-information-system/index_en.htm - Schengen Information System10. https://www.unodc.org/documents/treaties/UNTOC/Publications/TOC%20Convention/TOCebook-e.pdf - United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime

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THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION: One of the main institutions of the European Union, it is responsible for proposing new laws and enforcing them, as well as negotiating agreements with other countries.

The EU MEMBER STATES: Each Member State is party to the founding treaties of the union and thereby subject to the privileges and obligations of membership. They are subjected to binding laws in exchange for representation within the common legislative and judicial institutions. Member states must agree unanimously for the EU to adopt policies concerning defence and foreign affairs.

fighting terrorism, detecting the movement of criminals across the borders and preventing smuggling of illegal and hazardous materials into and out of a country.

SCHENGEN AREA11 - The Schengen area represents a territory comprising 26 European countries where the free movement of persons is guaranteed. The signatory states to the agreement have abolished all internal borders in lieu of a single European external border. In the external border common rules and procedures have been harmonised and are applied.

Key Terms (cont.)

Stakeholders

FRONTEX: Frontex' mission is to help the Member States implement EU rules on external border controls and to coordinate cooperation between Member States in external border management.

EUROPEAN POLICE OFFICE (EUROPOL): Europol is the law enforcement agency of the European Union that handles criminal intelligence and combating serious international organised crime by means of cooperation between the relevant authorities of the Member States.

[BBC Graphic Summary] Migrant Crisis: Migration to Europe explained in graphics:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911

[Video] TED Talk with António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=potB0voQzNg

[European Commission Publications] EC Publications on Migration and Home Affairs: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/e-library/multimedia/publications/index_en.htm#0801262488bfd52d/c_

Links for further research

[Article] Traynor, I. (2015). Brussels plans to strip Schengen nations of authority over borders. The Guardian:.h t t p : //w w w.t h e g u a r d i a n . co m /u k-news/2015/dec/11/brussels-plans-to-strip-schengen-nations-of-authority-over-borders-europe [Article] Pierini, M. (2015). Adjusting the EU’s counter-terrorism policy. EurActiv. Retrieved from: http://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/opinion/adjusting-the-eu-s-counter-terrorism-policy/

[Academic Paper] What is happening to Schengen Borders? Guild;Brower;Groenendjik&Carrera 2015 -https://www.ceps.eu/system/files/No%2086%20Schengenland_0.pdf

11. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/schengen/index_en.htm - Schengen Area

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Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos

Escola Secundária da Boa Nova

Conservas Ramirez

Instituto Português do Desporto e da Juventude,

I.P.

Partners

Contacts

All general queries should be addressed to the Head-

organisers of the session. Any more specific queries may be

taken up with EYP Portugal. Matters of an academic nature

will be dealt with by the Chairpersons, who will contact

their Delegates directly.

APPEJ - ASSOCIAÇÃO PORTUGUESA DO PARLAMENTO EUROPEU DOS JOVENS/EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT PORTUGAL

E-mail address: geral@pejportugal.comWebsite: www.pejportugal.com

MATOSINHOS 2016 - INTER-REGIONAL FORUM OF EYP PORTUGAL

Email address: interregionalforum@pejportugal.comOficial Facebook page: www.facebook.com/matosinhos2016

Head-organisersE-mail address: interregionalforum@pejportugal.com (reaches both)

Mobile numbers:Bruno Ribeiro: (+351) 915 132 959Michael Machado: (+351) 916 401 129

Session PresidentAlexios Nompilakis (GR)E-mail address: nobil.alex@gmail.com

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