AEGEE Europe, the European
Students' Forum welcomes the historical
outcomes of the Thessaloniki Summit
adopted
over the last weekend, by the Heads of State and Government at the European
Council and sees its relevance for
voicing the visions and ideas of young people. From
a student’s perspective, Europe has a future that is in dire need of defining.
“AEGEE, being the European
Students’ Forum, describes Europe as being a region in which fundamentally
accessible and equal rights and opportunities lay the foundation for a future of
acceptance and tolerance”, said Diana Filip, President of AEGEE Europe. With the
conclusion of the work by the Convention, and the subsequent presentation of the
draft for the Constitutional Treaty to the Council, we recognise the inclusion
of these fundamental rights as a welcome initiative, clearing the road to a
clearer and more transparent and understandable structure for its
citizens.
In regard to the
Constitutional Treaty in general, we would like to reiterate the statement of Mr
Dominique de Villepin, French Foreign Minister, in which he said it allows
Europe to become “more democratic”, and that it offers a frame for a more
transparent Union.
The Council in Thessaloniki
furthermore agreed upon a common approach to the Western Balkans. Although we
realise that immediate accession is not within question, the Council continued
discussions with these countries, recognising their right to accession in due
course. Our Organisation has included members from the Balkan region for many
years now, and sees it as an integral part of the larger Europe. We feel that by
continuing to pursue the discussions with these countries, a common cooperative
structure could contribute to an ongoing stabilising influence in the region.
During the EU-Western
Balkans Summit on 21 June, the Heads of State or Government stressed “the role
of education, culture and youth in promoting tolerance, ensuring ethnic and
religious coexistence and shaping modern democratic societies”. AEGEE firmly
believes that education, on top of the personal enlightenment, offers the
platform for ongoing cultural exchange – an element that cannot be overlooked in
the light of the upcoming enlargements, considering its link to awareness and
tolerance. We would strongly suggest any ongoing deliberations to take the role
of education into account.
“In
the future Europe, one should recognise that education is an ongoing process,
much more than the current paradigm of formal education constitutes. ”, said Ms
Filip. The role of education in the upcoming reforms should be re-evaluated,
bearing in mind that formal and informal methods are of vital importance in the
efforts to enhance cultural awareness. This goes hand in hand with our
continuous attempts to bring the youth closer to Europe and Europe closer to the
youth. On the issues, Ms Filip stated “we feel that in the discussion on the
future of Europe that the youth, and specifically the students, could, through
the representation by youth NGOs, offer a more profound contribution and
henceforth build the road toward the neighbourhood in which they will be living
in the not too distant future.”
AEGEE
would like to congratulate the Convention on reaching the conclusion of their
efforts, and their subsequent results. Also, a note of gratitude is due to the
European Commission for supporting and facilitating the involvement of students
in the Debate.
More
information about AEGEE’s contribution to the European Convention can be
found at: http://www.unidebate.org/statements.asp.
AEGEE
(Association des Etats
Généraux des Etudiants de l'Europe) is Europe's largest interdisciplinary
student associations, which promotes a unified Europe, cross-border
co-operation, communication, integration among students and strives to create an
open and tolerant society of tomorrow is a non-governmental, non-profit
organisation that operates without being linked to any political party.
A widely
spread student network of 17.000 members in more than 260 local branches,
so-called Antennae, provides the ideal platform where young people from over 40
European countries can work together, without the restrictions of national
borders.