Resolution Booklet RS Gothenburg

Resolution Booklet

GOTHENBURG 22nd-23rd November 2014

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Contents Page

General Assembly Programme Page 3

Procedure of General Assembly Page 4 – 5

Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) Page 6 – 7

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) Page 8 – 9

Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) Page 10 – 11

Committee on Human Rights (DROI) Page 12 – 13

Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) Page 14 – 15

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Page 16 – 17

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Page 18 - 19

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General Assembly Programme 09.30 – 10.00 OPENING CEREMONY 10.00 – 10.40 Debate 1: Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) 10.40 – 11.20 Debate 2: Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

(EMPL) 11.20 – 11.40 COFFEE BREAK 11.40 – 12.20 Debate 3: Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) 12.20 – 13.00 Debate 4: Committee on Human Rights (DROI) 13.00 – 13.40 LUNCH 13.40 – 14.20 Debate 5: Committee on Women's Rights and Gender

Equality (FEMM) 14.20 – 15.00 Debate 6: Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

(ITRE) 15.00 – 15.40 Debate 7: Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home

Affairs (LIBE) 16.00 – 17.00 CLOSING CEREMONY

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Procedure for the General Assembly General rules The wish to speak is indicated by raising the Committee placard. The board decides which committee to recognise first and the authority of the board on this matter is absolute. Procedure and time settings 1. Reading of the operative clauses 2. Defence Speech: 3 minutes to defend the motion for the resolution; 3. Attack Speech: 3 minutes to attack the motion for the resolution; 4. Response to the Attack Speech: 1 minute to responses to the attack speech; 5. Open Debate on the Motion for a Resolution: 6. Summation Speech: 3 minutes to summarise the Open Debate on the Motion; 7. Voting procedure; 8. Announcement of the voting results by the Board. Points of Personal Privilege These are requests for a Delegate to repeat a point that was inaudible. Failure to understand the language being spoken does not make for a Point of Personal Privilege. Direct Responses Once per Debate, each Committee may use the ‘Direct Response’ sign once. Should a Committee member raise the Committee Placard and the ‘Direct Response’ sign during the Open Debate, he/she will immediately be recognised by the Board and given the floor as soon as the point being made is concluded. A Direct Response can only be used to refer to and discuss the point made directly beforehand. If two or more Direct Responses are requested at once, the Board will decide which Committee to recognise. In this case, the second Direct Response shall only be held if it can be referred to the first Direct Response, so on and so forth. Points of Order The Chairperson can raise these if a Delegate feels the Board have not properly followed Parliamentary procedure. Ultimately, the authority of the Board is absolute. Defence Speech One member of the Proposing Committee delivers the Defence Speech from the podium. It is used to explain the rationale of the overall lines of the Resolution and to convince the Plenary that the Resolution is worthy of being adopted. This speech can last a maximum of three minutes.

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Attack Speeches One member of a Committee other than that proposing the Resolution at hand delivers an Attack Speech from the podium. It reflects an individual opinion and is used to point out the flaws of the approach taken by the Proposing Committee and should propose alternative solutions. Oftentimes, an Attack Speech is concluded with an appeal to the Plenary not to adopt the Resolution in their present form. This speech can last a maximum of three minutes. The Board may decide to allow a second Attack Speech if the maximum speaking time has not been fully used by the first speaker. Response to the Attack Speeches The Proposing Committee responds to the points raised by the Attack Speeches. They may do so for 1 minute. Summation Speech One or two members of the Proposing Committee deliver the Summation Speech from the podium; the microphone can only be passed once. It is used to summarise the Debate, respond to main, selected criticism and to once more explain why the chosen approach is the most sensible. It typically concludes with an appeal to vote in favour of the Resolution. This speech can last a maximum of three minutes.

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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY

THE COMMITTEE ON SECURITY AND DEFENCE (SEDE)

East versus West: With increased Russian activity on its borders and

NATO's fear for the safety of its members, tensions between Russia and Western countries are at their highest since the Cold War. How should

European states respond to Russia’s growing threat on post-Soviet states and what role should the EU play in striving to uphold a

diplomatic resolve to the situation?

Submitted by: JULIA BUSINGE (HVITFELDTSKA), AMANDA GUSTAFSSON (KATEDRALSKOLAN SKARA), EDVARD LANGERT (MUNKEBÄCKSGYMNASIET), JOSEF LIND (RISBERGSKA GYMNASIET) EMMA JOHANSSON WALTER (IHGR), NAJA MARGRETHE MULDTOFTE YSSING (DENMARK), NATASA ZARIC (SIGRID RUDEBECKS GYMNASIUM), SILJA TUOVINEN (CHAIRPERSON, FI)

The European Youth Parliament,

A. Fully alarmed by the violations of national sovereignty executed by the Russian Federation in Ukrainian territories,

B. Deeply regretting the violations of national sovereignty executed by the Russian Federation in Ukrainian territories as violation of international law principles1,

C. Deeply disturbed by the constant military activity taking place near EU borders, in international airspace and waters,

D. Deeply concerned by the negative effects that the economic restrictions may have for trade and diplomatic relationships between the EU and Russia,

E. Taking note of the continued investments of the Russian Federation in military supplies, even throughout periods of declared peace,

F. Keeping in mind that the use of military force is contradictory to the peace-keeping objectives of the EU;

1 The international law principle in this case defines the principle of non-intervention in national affairs and non-use of force between Nations. 2 A smart power approach is defined as the combination of soft and hard power strategies.

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1. Endorses the EU’s self-set obligation to respect national sovereignty and human

rights, enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;

2. Supports the adoption of a smart power2 approach to EU foreign policy consisting of:

a) Diplomatic negotiations as primary methods to resolve conflicts;

b) Hard power3 measures to resolve conflicts should a diplomatic deadlock arise;

3. Calls upon Russia to immediately remove Russian military forces from Ukrainian grounds;

4. Calls for a swift and diplomatic resolution of the current conflict between Russia and the EU so as to preserve common economic interests between the Russian Federation and the EU;

5. Recommends Member States not to undermine the importance of their national security and defence programmes.

2 A smart power approach is defined as the combination of soft and hard power strategies. 3 Hard power is an often aggressive political strategy that uses military and economic means to influence the behavior or interests of other political bodies.

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THE COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS (EMPL)

In the context of the economic crisis, many graduates from Southern

and Eastern Europe are moving to the more stable labour market of Northern countries, leading to an unequal distribution of educational qualifications, large holes in different employment sectors, as well as the results of brain-drain. What measures can the EU adopt in order to

tackle this issue without restricting labour market mobility?

Submitted by: SOFIA DYRENDAHL (KATEDRALSKOLAN SKARA), CAROLINA ERNST (HVITFELDTSKA), EMMY GRÜNEBERGER (SANNARPSGYMNASIET), ABDIRAHMAN HASSAN (ANGEREDSGYMNASIET), ANN-SOFIE KOUTSIS OLSEN (DENMARK), MAJA LANDIN (BÄCKÄNGSGYMNASIET), VIKTORIA WNUK (GÖTEBORGS HÖGRE SAMSKOLA), TUNA DÖKMECI (CHAIRPERSON TR), EMIL JUSLIN (CHAIRPERSON SE)


A. Deeply regretting that 7.5 million people between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed, and not enrolled in education or training programmes (NEET4s),

B. Realising that the EU lost 153 billion Euro in 2011 through direct costs and lost income caused by young people considered NEETs,

C. Alarmed by the current brain-drain phenomenon in Europe increasing economic gaps between the Member States,

D. Deeply concerned about the skills mismatch between current educational strategies and labour demands in Member States,

E. Viewing with appreciation how Austria has succeeded to implement an effective vocational education, and training system (VET) tackling youth unemployment;

4 NEET: A terminology used to describe a young person who is not in Education, Employment or Training.

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1. Encourages explicit cooperation between Member States with low and high

unemployment rates;

2. Recommends Member States with higher unemployment rates to provide financial incentives for high educated professionals to stay;

3. Requests the European Commission to use the European Social Funds in order to incentivise labour mobility towards countries in recession;

4. Invites Member States to reform and create VET programmes, based on the Austrian model;

5. Suggests Member States to further encourage internships and alternative programmes between the private and education sector;

6. Calls for the reduction of costs related to VET programmes through grant mechanisms such as scholarships.

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THE COMMITTEE ON CULTURE AND EDUCATION (CULT)

Member States have committed to promoting and protecting minority

languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. With languages becoming increasingly important due to globalisation, how should Member States protect minority languages

whilst also promoting mobility through different lingua francas?

Submitted by: JOHANNA ANDERSSON (RISBERGSKA GYMNASIET), MATILDA ANDERSSON (SANNARPSGYMNASIET), ELENOR BERGGREN (KATEDRALSKOLAN SKARA), CELINE GRAM HANSEN (DENMARK), KLARA LUNDQVIST (SIGRID RUDEBECKS GYMNASIUM), JONATHAN WENNERLUND (BÄCKÄNGSGYMNASIET), EITHAR REIDA (ANGEREDSGYMNASIET) ISABELLA LEANDERSSON (CHAIRPERSON, SE), ORIOL ROCHE (CHAIRPERSON, ES)


A. Concerned that not all EU citizens speak or have the possibility to learn any of the European Commission’s core languages namely English, German and French,

B. Affirming that minority cultures might be threatened by the increased use of a lingua franca5,

C. Having considered that not all Member States have the resources to teach a lingua franca,

D. Recognising that native speakers of minority languages often only use the aforementioned in a private context,

E. Fully believing that too few people in Europe today are multilingual;

5 A lingua franca is a common language that is used among people who speak various different languages.

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1. Encourages the European Commission to keep issue official documents in all official

working languages of the EU;

2. Recommends that Member States’ school curricula cover both teaching in a lingua franca and potential minority languages;

3. Requests the European Commission to financially support Member States for promoting education in and of a lingua franca;

4. Calls upon Member States to further integrate minority languages into public life6;

5. Strongly suggests Member States to facilitate communication between schools in the EU;

6. Encourages the European Commission to promote the ERASMUS programmes in countries with a large number of minority languages.

6 Integration in public life could entitle the usage of minority languages on traffic signs, providing minority language speakers dependent on social services with interpreters and offering higher education (at university level) in minority languages.

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THE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS (DROI)

The rapid advance of ISIS in northern Iraq has brought with it one of the most severe refugee crises in modern times. With tens of thousands

attempting the escape into Europe and many more stuck in overcrowded camps in the region, what action should the EU take to

help those displaced?

Submitted by: CAJSA ANDREASSON BOVIN (MUNKEBÄCKSGYMNASIET), SIRI BLOMBERG (IHGR), KENNETH MULDBAK (DENMARK), ELLIOTT SYRÉN (GÖTEBORGS HÖGRE SAMSKOLA), ALICIA ELLY SOPHIE HÄLLSTRÖM (INGRID SEGERSTEDT GYMNASIUM), JOHANNA RASMUSSON (SANNARPSGYMNASIET), ABDIKADAR OMAR (ANGEREDSGYMNASIET) DÉSIRÉE HERMANN (CHAIRPERSON, SE), JUAN ESTHEIMAN AMAYA CAMPOSECO (CHAIRPERSON, ES)


A. Emphasising the apparent ineffective implementation of asylum laws by Member States,

B. Regretting the lack of humanitarian aid provided by Member States for those in need,

C. Concerned by the uneven distribution of asylum seekers between Member States, such as Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom and France, receiving more than others,

D. Disturbed by the fact that Member States hesitate to accept refugees due to:

a. The domestic economic situation in Member States,

b. Nationalistic political uprisings and xenophobia in Member States,

c. Linguistic and educational barriers between refugees and citizens;

E. Conscious about the lack of security and depraved health conditions in the Iraqi and Syrian refugee camps,

F. Bearing in mind the disruption of working life and educational activities for those affected by the conflicts,

G. Having examined the fact that only educated and wealthy people have the opportunity to flee war,

H. Deeply convinced that the lack of legal channels for refugees to enter Europe causes human trafficking,

I. Noting with regret the difficulty of humanitarian organisations to reach areas affected in Iraq and Syria,

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J. Appreciating that the European Union is one of the largest providers of humanitarian aid;

1. Calls upon Member States to implement an EU-wide customised quota system in accordance with each Member States’ GDP which implies:

a) A minimum refugee intake,

b) A minimum level of humanitarian aid provision;

2. Request the imposition of economic sanctions by the European Commission on those Member States which do not follow EU asylum policy and do not take in the minimum of refugees;

3. Request transparency within the public agencies of Member States regarding asylum applications within their countries;

4. Instructs the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO)7 to coordinate the distribution of refugees between Member States, based on the following criteria:

a) Family unification of refugees,

b) Professional profile of refugees,

c) The current number of refugees in a Member State;

5. Supports the presence of European Union peace-keeping missions together with humanitarian aid forces in order to preserve security around Iraqi and Syrian camps;

6. Invites non-governmental organisations to create provisional education centres inside the camps, in order to provide:

a) A basic knowledge of first aid,

b) Elementary education;

7. Urges the European Commission to establish more legal ways of travel into Europe by providing humanitarian visas for the most vulnerable groups in the most affected zones;

8. Asks for the European Commission to fund the establishment of minimum health and hygiene standards in all refugee camps in the affected regions;

9. Encourages Member States to initiate more active measures in order to facilitate integration of refugees through the means of:

a) Language education,

b) Cultural integration centres.

7 ECHO is the European Commission's department for overseas humanitarian aid and for civil protection.

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THE COMMITTEE ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY (FEMM)

With slow progress in achieving gender parity across Europe, women

are still under-represented in both public positions and the private sector. To what extent should European countries take more radical action in order to unlock the full potential of Europe’s female labour

force?

Submitted by: JULIA ALSTERBERG (GÖTEBORGS HÖGRE SAMSKOLA), SOPHIE DAVIDSSON (MUNKEBÄCKSGYMNASIET), FRIDA ERIKSSON (BÄCKÄNGSGYMNASIET), JOSEFIN GUSTAFSSON (RISBERGSKA GYMNASIET), ISABELLE BEAUNEZ LUNDQVIST (IHGR) JANIS FIFKA (CHAIRPERSON, DE), MAYA MOSS (CHAIRPERSON, SE)


A. Recognising that companies may view hiring women as being a risk due to possible family obligations such as pregnancy and maternity leave,

B. Having studied that under current circumstances it will potentially take 70 years to make equal payment reality,

C. Bearing in mind that in 2012 83% of women reached upper secondary school, with 77.6% of men reaching the same standard of education,

D. Noting with regret that only 2.8% of company CEOs and 17.8% of board members are women,

E. Desiring the possible growth of GDP if more women are introduced to the labour market and the current gender pay gap of 16% is reduced,

F. Concerned that joint taxation8 limits the freedom and opportunities of married individuals, making it unprofitable for partners with lower salaries to work;

8 Joint taxation, or income splitting, is a taxation policy by which a married couple’s taxes are balanced, i.e. the individual who earns more pays relatively lower taxes, and the individual who earns less pays relatively higher taxes.

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1. Urges the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)9 to establish a gender

equality certificate awarded to companies that actively promote and practice equal hire and equal salary of the genders;

2. Calls on the European Commission to propose a split of parental leave such that each parent receives at least 20% of the overall leave time;

3. Welcomes the introduction of an optional, temporary quota in Member State companies, as a short-term mechanism of introducing more women into the labour market;

4. Requests that the EIGE strengthens its cooperation with the European Commission and the European Parliament by:

a) Annual meetings between the EIGE and the European Commission representatives to facilitate the EIGE’s advisory role;

b) Increasing funding for EIGE activities such as collection of statistics and execution of campaigns;

c) Inviting the EIGE to develop national activities in an attempt to increase visibility and influence upon Member States companies;

5. Encourages Member States to implement split taxes for married couples to enable partners to independently run their finances.

9 The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) is an independent EU body, working to strengthen the promotion of gender equality in Europe, and is governed by a Management Board of national representatives and a Commission representative.

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THE COMMITTEE ON INDUSTRY, RESEARCH AND ENERGY (ITRE)

Creating a greener future: Following the failure of many EU Member States to meet the targets for renewable energy set out in 2001 and

2003, and building upon the European Commissions’ proposed 2030 climate and energy framework, how should the EU proceed to reduce its

reliance upon fossil fuels?

Submitted by: ISSAK SÖDERQVIST (SIGRID RUDEBECKS GYMNASIUM), HUGO ERNSTSSON (INGRID SEGERSTEDT GYMNASIUM), SANDRA HOLM (KATEDRALSKOLAN SKARA), ALICIA JAKOBSSON (MUNKEBÄCKSGYMNASIET), NATALIE MÖRTL (BÄCKÄNGSGYMNASIET), VILMA ODENGARD (IHGR), LEONARD BAGIU (CHAIRPERSON, SE), LISA LATUSSEK (CHAIRPERSON, DE)


A. Considers Member States’ positive tendency10 in reducing energy consumption,

B. Having examined that the reached energy reduction of Member States does not fulfill the needed criteria to reach the 2030 climate and energy targets11,

C. Deeply concerned about Member States’ failure to commit to the 2030 climate and energy targets, with Sweden and Italy currently being the only two Member States expected to reach the set goals,

D. Taking into account that the construction of oil and gas pipeline infrastructures represent high economic and environmental costs,

E. Alarmed by Member States’ high dependency on imported fossil fuels,

F. Noting with regret that the adoption of renewable energy resources and green technologies has been a slow process;

10 Latest statistics from Eurostat (2012) show a reduction of about 2% from 2011 to 2012. 11 Relevant targets set by the European Commission to be reached in 2030:

• At least a 40% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 1990; at least 27% of the EU’s energetic supplies being renewable energies;

• An energy efficiency increase of at least 27%, to be reviewed by 2020, with the objective of reaching an EU level of 30% for 2030.

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10. Calls upon the European Investment Bank to invest in further research on renewable energies such as, but not limited to:

a) Garbage combustion,

b) Nuclear fusion,

c) Photovoltaic energy;

11. Requests the European Commission to provide incentives for the investment on renewable resources, based on the German Renewable Energy Act12 guidelines;

12. Suggests Member States to compensate private actors for the investment costs of setting up energy production based on renewable energy sources;

13. Further requests Member States to subsidise Smart Grids13;

14. Urges the European Commission to encourage companies to provide consumers with detailed reports of their energy supplies;

15. Further suggests Member States to implement mandatory environmental education in their school agendas.

12 The German Renewable Energy Act introduces a series of innovative measures such as mandatory renewable energy quotas. 13 A Smart Grid makes it possible for private households, aiming to produce their own energy, to feed-in a surplus on produced energy into the public energy market and thus create a profit.

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THE COMMITTEE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS (LIBE)

With the rise in popularity of extreme right parties and xenophobia as a

political movement in several Member States, how should the EU respond to these parties whilst continuing to promote freedom of

speech and democracy?

Submitted by: JOHN BACKSUND (SIGRID RUDEBECKS GYMNASIUM), LEYLA BECKERMAN (HVITFELDSKA), KATARINA BERGROTH (GÖTEBORGS HÖGRE SAMSKOLA), FILIP LORENTZON (RISBERGSKA GYMNASIET), WILMA SÖRMAN IVARZON (SANNARPSGYMNASIET), MELINA ANNELI MURIC PAKKANEN (INGRID SEGERSTEDT GYMNASIUM), VERIKO DEVIDZE (CHAIRPERSON, GE), ANN-SOPHIE VANDOMMELE (CHAIRPERSON, BE)


A. Fully alarmed by the rise of the extreme right parties, across Europe during the European Parliament Elections in May 2014,

B. Noting with regret the increase of Euroscepticism in several Member States in recent years,

C. Having reviewed a decrease of cooperation between Member States as a consequence of growing Euroscepticism14,

D. Convinced of a common lack of knowledge about and insufficient academic research on the growth of extreme right parties,

E. Bearing in mind that newly elected extreme right parties are barely distinguishable from less extreme parties, taking methods of political communication into account,

F. Observing that newly elected extreme right parties are gaining common legitimacy,

G. Keeping in mind the fundamental values15 of the European Union,

H. Emphasising the absence of a legal basis to eradicate prohibit right-wing parties from the European legislation process;

14 Euroscepticism is the act of criticism towards the effectiveness of the EU as well as expressing a serious opposition to the process of political integration on the European level. 15 The fundamental values of the European Union include, but are not limited to democracy, respect and protection of minorities, freedom of speech, human rights and the rule of law.

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1. Requests media sources and political parties to engage in debates about extreme right political beliefs and make these publically accessible;

2. Further requests the Member States to set a focus on political debate about extreme right political parties and make these publically accessible;

3. Strongly values moderate European parties to more actively debate policy about immigration and integration;

4. Encourages educational institutions throughout the European Union to focus academic debates and their curricula on extreme right political beliefs, in order to develop multiple viewpoints;

5. Requests the European Commission to establish the position of a Fundamental Rights Officer, observing the correct implementation of EU treaties;

6. Instructs the Fundamental Rights Officer to impose sanctions on Member States which are not following the EU treaties;

7. Calls upon the European Commission to set up further guidelines fighting against political violence in Member States;

8. Recommends Member States to further set up educational projects for their citizens to educate themselves about the role and function of the European Union.

The 4th Western Regional Session of EYP Sweden is supported by

Documents

Resolution Booklet RS Gothenburg