Resolution Booklet 28 NSC

28TH

NATIONAL SELECTION CONFERENCE

THESSALONIKI, 13 – 15 DECEMBER 2013

EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT GREECE

Resolution Booklet

28th National Selection Conference

European Youth Parliament Greece

13 – 15 December 2013

___________________

European Youth Parliament Greece

Thessaloniki, 13th

– 15th

December 2013

[email protected] www.eypgreece.org

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Sunday, December 16th 2012 9:00 Arrivals 9:15 – 10:00 Opening Ceremony of the General Assembly 10:00 - 10:45 Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality 10:45 - 11:30 Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Cultural and Educational Affairs 11:30 – 11:45 Coffee Break 11:45 – 12:30 Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs II 12:30 – 13:15 Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Climate Change 13:15 – 14:00 Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs 14:00 - 15:00 Lunch 15:00 - 15:45 Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Foreign Affairs 15:45 - 16:30 Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Development

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16:30 - 17:15 Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Security and Defense 17:15 - 17:30 Coffee Break 17:30 – 18:15 Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs I 18:15 - 19:00 Motion for Resolution by the Committee on Human Rights 19:00 – 19:30 Closing Ceremony 19:30 End of the session

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NATIONAL SELECTION CONFERENCE THESSALONIKI, 13 – 15 DECEMBER 2013


MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON GENDER EQUALITY

Sexism: a farfetched issue or a serious problem? What actions should the EU take in order to eradicate sexism in society and ensure equal rights for men and

women?

Submitted by: Artemis Arampatzi, Erato Fesatidou, Nefeli Gkremou, Sofia Klima, Theodora Lepenioti, Sofia Malakaki, Stella Michailidou, Nektaria Ntokoutsi, Stamatia Parousi, Melpomeni Soumelidou, Aspasia Tentzeri, Georgia Tsekou, Despina Dimitrakopoulou (GR), Meropi Karakioulaki (GR)

The European Youth Parliament,

A. Deeply disturbed by the remaining stereotypes and prejudice towards both genders and their roles in society, further promoted by media and advertising,

B. Fully alarmed by the present inequalities in the workplaces concerning maternity and paternity leaves, retirement age and employment quotas,

C. Deeply disturbed by the cases of employees not willing to hire women because of their family situation,

D. Disappointed by the fact that despite having the same qualifications and working in the same positions for equal hours, men frequently receive higher salaries than women,

E. Aware of the importance of family and educational institutions in forming of people's perception of the position of each gender in society,

F. Taking into consideration the low percentages of women's participation in politics and decision-making processes, due to prejudice and increased responsibility in their homes and family;

G. Observing that in many countries only men are obliged to attend military service;

1. Calls upon all Member States to legaly ensure that:

a. the same chances of employment and equal payment are given to both men and women with the same qualifications, working position and hours;

b. the retirement age is the same for both genders;

c. parents on paternity/maternity leave are paid at least one third of their previous salary;

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2. Aims to eliminate gender stereotypes by:

a. paying special attention to the issue of gender inequality in schools and educational institutions;

b. supporting voluntary programs and NGOs who’s aims are to eliminate gender inequality;

c. ensuring that advertisments do not present biased opinion on men or women, yet bearing in mind the freedom of expression and human rights granted in the EU;

3. Expresses its hope that European citizens will elect their representatives judging from their political views and programs, rather than their gender;

4. Recommends the introduction of optional participation of both women and men in the army on a paid basis.

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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON CULTURE AND EDUCATION

On the question of: The other languages of Europe: with eleven Member States not having ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

(ECRML), how can the European Union (EU) further contribute to the cultural protection of linguistic diversity whilst ensuring cultural integration within

Member States?

Submitted by: Dimitrios Aslanidis, Paraskevi Chatzigaki, Nina-Maria Fanaropoulou, Dimitra Filiou, Stiliani Kontou, Stamatia Lesna, Nikoleta-Simela Mavromati, Anastasia Nakou, Iro Papaevaggelatou, Elena Rakitzi, Spiridoula Sakka, Dimitrios Tsiardas, Alexandra Tsitsilianou, Panaghiotis P. Kalaïdhopoulos (Chairperson, GR), Julia Pustovoitova (Vice-President, UA)

The European Youth Parliament

A. Taking into consideration that, although 60 out of 90 European languages are regional or minority languages with more than 100,000,000 speakers across the continent, the opportunities for preserving and studying them remain limited for:

i. the minorities or regional populations in question,

ii. the general public, which prefer more widely used foreign languages,

B. Observing that the use of a state’s official language(s) often significantly suppresses the preservation and the development of regional or minority languages,

C. Noting with regret the Member States’ domestic political unwillingness to harmonise with the provisions of the ECRML, which is mainly due to:

i. bad bilateral relations between neighbouring countries,

ii. the non-binding nature of the ECRML,

iii. the dominant attitude of powerful states upon the use of their language(s),

D. Fully alarmed by the conviction that a language used by increasingly fewer people and restricted in a limited geographic area is expected to become extinct soon,

E. Emphasising the negligence of regional and/or minority languages in the fields of trade and trans-border communications, as well as in manifestations of cultural and social life,

F. Noting with deep regret the undesirable amount of immigrants who are assimilated into in their receiving countries at the expense of their cultural, and thus linguistic heritage;

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1. Calls upon EU Member States’ governments to safeguard regional and minority languages by means of:

a. establishing lessons of minimally one regional or minority language as early as in basic education and pre-educational curricula;

b. integrating individuals of national minorities with respect to their origin, identity and heritage;

2. Recommends the further promotion of media multilingualism, especially in areas where the circumstances are able to sustain it;

3. Trusts EU Member States to approach the issues of regional and minority languages in local and regional level through a set of actions, in the framework of which:

a. both school and family be financially and morally supported upon preserving and further developing the regional or minority linguistic diversity,

b. special attention and care be given to those minority languages without a territorial basis (e.g., the Romani language) and the respective minorities,

c. relations and communication between the diaspora and the country of origin of a certain minority be enhanced over Europe through exchanges, visits and multi-party projects;

4. Supports the gradual, partial or complete, re-organisation of a broad range of public services, cultural projects and economic activities on the basis of the functional integration of regional or minority languages;

5. Invites the EU decision-making institutions to grant protected regional and minority languages a semi-official language status, along with demanding that all Member States be obliged to adopt the ECRML as common EU law.

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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS II

(AFCO II)

Subsidiarity versus sustainability: Due to the nature of the EU’s environmental policy as shared competence, Member States enjoy a high degree of autonomy in the implementation of EU directives regarding environmental protection. In the

face of the transnational effects of issues surrounding climate change and pollution, should the EU’s legislative powers be strengthened in this field and, if

so, to which degree?

Submitted by: Dimitrios Akrivoussis, Theano Anagnostou, Rafaela Mavroudi, Eleftheria Ntoulia, Eirini Papadopoulou, Marianna Papageorgopoulou, Evangelia Raikidou, Leukothea Rizopoulou, Athanasia Tsiavea, Egzon Gashi (Chairperson, *KS), Eleftheria-Irida Karasmanoglou (Chairperson, GR)


A. Aware of the environmental issues, such as pollution and climate change, being caused by human activity worldwide, and Europe being a highly industrialised continent with 11% of the world’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions,

B. Disappointed by inefficient attempts of the European Union (EU) to incorporate a united European-wide legislative system for environmental protection throughout:

i. the Kyoto Protocol,

ii. European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) I and ECCP II,

iii. the 7th Environmental Action Programme (EAP),

C. Taking into account the need of developing Member States with financial difficulties to achieve the same environmental standards as developed countries,

D. Noting with regret the lack of awareness programmes on environmental issues and the respective legislative policies within the National education curricula;

1. Requests common EU funds to be distributed throughout different Environmental

programmes to developing Member States in order to meet the minimum standards and support the coherence between developed and developing Member States;

2. Encourages Member States to offer opportunities to organise educational events aimed at raising public awareness regarding environmental issues, in order to inform

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citizens about the EU legislation and promote the already existing ECCP I, ECCP II and 7th EAP;

3. Urges the European Commission to add an Environmental criterion to the EU Accession Criteria in order to avoid further distresses of environmental standards, in case of national policies of candidate countries not meeting the set standards;

4. Calls upon the European Commission to establish obligatory Environmental standards without interfering with the autonomy of Member States’ choice of methods used to reach the minimum standards in question.

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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON CLIMATE CHANGE

On the question of “Two degrees and more: with the scientific community claiming that global warming cannot realistically be kept under the desired limits

anymore, what measures should Europe take to prepare for extreme weather phenomena and their consequences for the environment, public health and food

supplies?”

Submitted by: “Asimina Fountou, Ioanna Koutra, Aggeliki Mylopoulou, Giannis Ntinas, Maria Ouzouni, Aikaterini Papazoglou, Elisavet Sandaltzopoulou, Despina-Elisavet Stavridou, Markella-Anthi Terpou, Katerina Koukou, Chairperson (GR), Emy Mylona, Chairsperson (GR)”


A. Alarmed by the increasing frequency of extreme weather phenomena,

B. Deeply concerned by the huge impact that the rise of temperature has on public health, leading to the outbreak of diseases,

C. Noting the inefficiency of existing institutions, such as the European Environment Agency and the European Academies Science Advisory Council1, and the consequent

lack of public awareness,

D. Emphasising that agriculture constitutes 40% of the total food production and an annual income of 76 billion Euros,

1 The European Environment Agency (EEA), is an advisory agency of the European Union

which aims to ameliorate the development, adoption, implementation and evaluation of the EU's

environmental policies.

The European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), is an additional advisory body

which aims in further and more thorough research on the climate change and its consequences

1. Proposes the imposition of stricter laws and fees to industrial installations in order to reduce Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions;

2. Endorses the use of satellite mapping concerning the distribution and condition of crops which, combined with agro-meteorological models, will lead to more informed strategic decisions concerning food security;

3. Emphasises the need to provide affordable medicin and vaccinations avaiable to all, as well as the appropriate equipment;

4. Supports the provision of financial aid to the Member States in order to:

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i. further enhance the funds made available by the national governments for agricultural production;

ii. assist in the compensation of local farmers in case of natural disasters;

5. Further recommends to raise public awareness through the media and advisory organisations.

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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL

AFFAIRS

“Out with the old, in with the new”: What measures can the European Union take to facilitate the inclusion of the youth in the labour market, without merely

passing the problem to other age groups?

Submitted by: Georgia-Gabriella Fanaropoulou, Eirini Gagatsi, Antigonos Goutzomanis, Antonia Koutoulianou, Andreas Loutzidis, Christina Pateli, Lampros Raxiotis, Zoi Romosiou, Despina Serefidou, Georgios-Konstantinos Stavrou, Theodoros Tananakis, Zoi Tsaggalidou, Vasiliki Tsiovdori, Martin Ellingsten, Chairperson (NO), Ilir Kola, Chairperson (AL)


A. Fully aware of the detrimental effects that the recent economic crisis has had on the stability and functioning of the labour market,

B. Concerned by the low rates of new job opportunities, caused by:

i. Extensive bureaucracy,

ii. Unfavourable legislation and

iii. The lack of cohesion among various national labour-related policies,

C. Taking into account the skills mismatch caused by poor correspondence of the educational curricula to the labour market needs, leading to:

i. A lack of digital literacy,

ii. The insufficient teaching of foreign languages and entrepreneurship,

iii. Inapt job orientation and

iv. Lack of effective vocational training as a means to developing the practical skills of young European citizens,

D. Fully alarmed by the long-term scarring effect of unemployment on young people, resulting at:

i. A lack of motivation,

ii. Higher criminality rates and

iii. Major health problems,

E. Emphasising the importance of proper legislation in finding a balance between the employment of seniors and youngsters,

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F. Noting with concern the existing phenomenon of youth abandoning secondary education before the completion of their studies, which is mainly caused by immediate financial needs or cultural background;

1. Emphasises that new job opportunities and long-term employment should be

achieved by fostering competition and creating a business-friendly environment throughout regulations, such as:

a. The reduction in tax rates for goods produced within the European Union (EU),

b. Ensuring a competitive labour market,

c. Offering additional funds to conduct research and development projects;

2. Calls upon Member States to further enhance their national education curricula by:

a. Regular cooperation with EU research and development projects, such as the EU Skills Panorama, ensuring the reliability of data related to market needs,

b. Further integrating career guidance, in which students will be provided with information about the demands of the labour market,

c. Prioritising foreign language and computer science classes, in order to equip students with useful tools that can improve job mobility,

d. Further introduction of vocational training, with the purpose of providing people who do have not completed secondary education with practical skills;

3. Recommends Member States to provide tax relief to companies that have an equal allocation of employees among the different age groups, in order to facilitate the achievement of age-employability balance;

4. Suggests that Member States extend the age of compulsory school attendance, with the aim of ensuring a higher-quality skillset among young people.

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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

French weapons in Georgia, Italian combat helicopters and German communication technology in Libya: Global military conflicts evoke a booming

international trade of arms in which the EU has become the world’s biggest supplier. Which priorites should the EU and its Member States to set in order to

discourage arms trade whilst still maintaining trade relations with the Middle East and other regions of conflict?

Submitted by: Nikolaos Alexiadis, Anna-Maria-Louiza Bantana, Artemis Giasimakopoulou, Stratilatis Gkegkos, Evangelia Grammatopoulou, Iro Kofokotsiou, Sarantis Pantazis, Euthumia Totonidou, Anastasia Tsilia, Panteleimon Tsompanis, Evdoxia Zisioglou, Elisa Martinelli (Vice-President, IT), Ilias-Marios Oikonomou (Chairperson, GR).


A. Disappointed by the fact human rights are being violated in areas of conflict, despite the efforts and proclamations of the European Union (EU) Member States,

B. Fully aware of:

i. arms trade being an important part of European Gross Domestic Product, raising up to 2.5%,

ii. the European Union lacking alternative fields of trading with regions of conflict,

iii. the fact that arms trade is spending large amounts of tax-payers money, while several sectors such as health care being remain underfunded,

C. Noting with regret that the EU’s neutrality regarding Middle East and Northern African conflicts does not effectively support its own democratic principles,

D. Taking into consideration:

i. the unstable political situation in the arms recipient countries,

ii. the importance of a defence system for the countries in question,

iii. the strong interaction between European Union, allied countries such as Russia and countries in areas of conflict;

1. Requests for:

a. the enforcement of all relevant treaties, such as Arms Trade Treaty, as well as legal consequences for countries disrespecting their rules;

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b. the application of penalties for companies supplying arms to countries where human rights are or might be violated;

c. the implementation of the Common Position on Arms Export by all Member States;

2. Endorses Member States to:

a. assist regions of conflict to reach a consensus on a diplomatic level through political dialog;

b. supply arms only to countries that have a stable democratic regime or countries struggling for their independence;

3. Urges Member States to:

a. focus on alternative forms of trade, in order to maintain trade relations with countries in regions of conflict;

b. offer entrepreneurs incentives and rewards to invest in such trading projects;

4. Calls upon Member States to:

a. inform citizens on correspondent policies in order to ensure transparency and confidence between government and citizens;

b. ensure that human rights are respected by trade partners, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights;

c. implement educational programmes for young people in order to highlight the role of the European Union as a peacekeeping actor in regions of conflict.

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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON DEVELOPMENT (DEVE)

Freedom of trade versus the protection of development objectives: At a time of rapidly increasing globalisation and trade liberalisation, the EU’s external trade policy plays a key role in maintaining European competitiveness. How can the EU promote a fair integration of less developed countries into the world trading system, which benefits both Europe and its trade partners?

Submitted by: Stavros-Pericles Anagnostopoulos (GR), Nikolaos Bellos (GR), Anthi Chalou (GR), Anna Chasiotaki (GR), Ionnis-Rafail Doukidis (GR), Danae Flevaraki (GR), Miltiadis Grigoriadis (GR), Nikolaos Papadopoulos (GR), Patrik Bruschek, Chairperson (AT), Dionysios Theodoropoulos, Chairperson (GR)


A. Deeply concerned by the inequalities between local and foreign economies created by unlimited protectionism,

B. Fully aware that monopolistic behaviour results in a lack of competitiveness and low quality of products,

C. Alarmed by the great differences among countries’ economies that permit developed states to dominate an international market in which less developed states struggle to adapt,

D. Noting with regret the exploitation of developing countries’ natural resources by developed countries;

1. Encourages member states to cooperate with the World Trade Organisation (WTO)1

in order to limit protectionism by:

a. harmonising their external trade policies,

b. enacting similar taxation laws during a test period;

2. Invites member states to follow a common strategy so as to improve competition by:

a. limiting taxes on small and medium enterprises (SME),

b. subsidising the expansion of SMEs;

1 The World Trade Organisation is a 159-member international organisation that intends to supervise

and liberalise international trade, founded in 1/1/1995.

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3. Calls for the regulation of trade systems and the promotion of international trade partnerships by:

a. setting low or zero taxes on developing countries’ exports,

b. funding the construction of infrastructure in developing countries;

4. Further requests that member states aid developing countries in the utilisation of their natural resources while respecting their sovereignty.

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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON SECURITY AND DEFENCE

On the question of: Towards a European standing army? In light of continuous cuts in European defense budgets and an ever-increasing dependence on US

military resources, how can the EU improve its military capabilities whilst respecting its Member States’ full competence in this area?

.

Submitted by: “Fani Douli, Nafsika Kapoula, Eirini Kotsiadou, Stelios Koulpakos, Maria Lavda, Antonis Litovoilis, Nikolaos Moschos, Paraskecas Mourvatis, Nikolaos Pertsilis, Ifigeneia Polizou, Spaneli Filareti, Terzidou Kalliopi, Aspa Georgakopoulou (GR), Tetiana Korniichuk (UK)”


A. Taking into consideration that, due to economic problems, most EU Member States are not able to fully contribute to the joint EU military purposes,

B. Deeply regretting the lack of military cooperation between European countries resulting in poor performance of the Eurocorps,

C. Noting with satisfaction the benefits gained by the European Union from the Berlin Plus Agreement with NATO,

D. Deeply alarmed by the major gap between the EU’s and the US’ military budgets, training operations, number of troops, and equipment,

E. Emphasizing that the formation of a powerful European standing army will

a. enhance the credibility of the EU in terms of peacekeeping and security on an international level,

b. facilitate the peacekeeping missions within and outside the European borders;

1. Promotes the creation of a European standing army while ensuring the independence

of the Member States national military powers;

2. Further supports the stricter implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) by setting penalties for countries who disrespect obligations;

3. Urges for the establishment of a European Institute for military development and technological research, equally funded by all Member States.

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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS I

During the 2009 European elections, just 29% of 18-24 year- olds voted and became the core group of abstention party. Which further steps should the

European Union take in order to reach a deeper involvement of youth in the next European elections?

Submitted by: Eirini Damianidou, Theodoros Hatzinikolaou, Dafni Karachaliou, Sofia Khader, Koufonikolas Kleovoulos, Triantafyllia Kouimakami, Sofia Magopoulou, Anna Mitsikoudi, Nikolaos Mploumas, Paraskevi Paparizou, Konstantina-Maria Rompesi, Euthumios Selidis, Pinelopi Spania, Maria Köpping (AT, Chairperson), Christos Papadogeorgopoulos (GR, Chairperson)


A. Alarmed by the lack of information indicated by a 2009 post-electoral survey1, which leads to misconceptions about the European electoral system,

B. Noting with regret that young people who are unaware of the significance of European politics perceive European elections as less significant than national ones,

C. Taking into account that the citizens of the Member States do not have a sufficiently developed European identity,

D. Deeply concerned by the fact that the decision-making process of EU institutions lacks transparency due to its complexity and the reduced accessibility to the legislation,

E. Bearing in mind that the voting process for the European Parliament elections vary across the Member States,

1 During this survey it emerged that only 44% of 18-24 year old citizens had all the information necessary to choose for whom to vote.

1. Requests that the European Parliament cooperates with national governments in order to provide information about political life in the EU, including institutions and the electoral process, through:

i. educational and cultural events fostering interactive learning,

ii. the improvement of already existing projects on the promotion of political awareness, especially in the educational system;

2. Invites the European Parliament to further enhance the concept of a European identity through exchange programmes as well as national and transnational debates;

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3. Calls upon all EU institutions to provide European citizens with a common internet platform with official documents and minutes of their discussions;

4. Urges the Member States to cooperate for the creation of an EU-wide electoral system, which will enable citizens to vote in person or through on-line voting or by casting an early ballot.

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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS (DROI)

“Our Democracy is self-destructing because it abused the right of freedom and equality, because it taught its citizens to consider rudeness as a right, breaking the law as freedom, audacity as equality, and anarchy as blissfulness”

Isocrates 436 BC – 338 BC

While far right parties are enhancing their presence in European parliaments, democratic principles are being questioned and human rights are violated. Should the EU support the democratic principles on which the union was built?

Submitted by: Olga Andreadou, Vagialena Drampa, Foteini Kalampalika, Anastasia Karamanlidou, Dafni-Anastasia Filippou, Alexandros Limpikis, Antonia Nerantzi, Vinicio Ntouvlis, Athanasios Papageorgiou, Rafail Papanousis, Maria Polichronidou, Hara Pouliou, Giorgos Smirlis, Giorgia Giani (GR, Chairperson), Joshua Giovanni Honeycutt (IT, Chairperson)


A. Acknowledging that far right parties are legally elected through legitimate voting procedures even though they often promote forms of extremism,

B. Fully believing that the future can easily become a repetition of the historical past, keeping in mind the totalitarian regimes of the previous century,

C. Alarmed by the large amount of attention far right parties receive from the media, potentially resulting in their political success,

D. Noting with regret that far right parties exploit the current political, social and economic crisis to increase their influence by exaggerating the negative aspects of the political climate,

E. Bearing in mind the European Convention on Human Rights, articles 2 – 10, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

F. Underlining that far right parties often express intolerant and discriminatory behaviour, such as xenophobia, islamophobia and racism;

1. Encourages the strengthening of the Member States' bonds through the further

implementation of programmes which promote cultural understanding, in consideration of the democratic values the EU was founded upon - Articles 6 and 8 of the Lisbon Treaty;

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2. Condemns the lack of objectivity and transparency in media production (e.g. news reports, reportages and media inquiries);

3. Underlines the importance of raising general awareness of the spectrum of ideologies and political principles among the youth by:

a. combining political and historical education;

b. promoting the development of critical thinking and political consciousness;

4. Supports the reduction of the Member States’ constitutional set prerequisites for the withdrawal of parliamentary immunity from all politicians who commit prosecutable antidemocratic actions.

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Resolution Booklet 28 NSC

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