Making Europe a better place

"National problems, European solutions: Is the EU grass still greener?". This was the title of the European Youth Media Days, 2013 organized in Brussels by the Euroepan Parliament last October.

120 journalist from all Europe gathered together to work on this topic in different teams. The result of the workshop is here. Also, Rebecca Bengtsson, main coordinator of the program describes the importance of these activities:

There are also many other Euroepan initiatives that promotes the unity among its member states and that helps to create a better Union. Antonis Christakis, Vice President of Youthnet in Greece explains what the European Citizens´ Initiative means to him:

Finally, Ioannis Darmis, Head of the Media Services and Monitoring Unit, EP gives an overview about the role of the journalists to create a Union of people in Europe:

Now, it is the moment of thinking ahead. Next step, the European Elections 2014: "Act, React, Impact".

A join project to promote an European Society

The European Youth Media Days (EYMD) 2013 started today in Brussels with the support of the European Parliament (EP) . These three workshop´s days gather 120 professional and student journalists from all Europe with the purpose of "reflecting questions that something we [EP] forget", said Ioannis Darmis, Head of media services and monitoring unit of the EP.

The first day impressions, as they explained in the introduction speech, are that there are not national problems that countries can solve on their own. Europe needs to work at a higher level of integration. Othamar Karas, Vice President of the European Parliament in charge of communication expressed this way, "We need to act together" and in this democratic process journalists are needed to influence the decisions to be taken.

The most important thing is to create a fair, independent and responsible media where journalists should represent a true reality because Europe is not only black and white, but very diverse. As Karas highligtthed, "We are all Europe" and it is all at the interest of the community.

The problem of coverage
Breaking stereotyes -The role of media in promoting an inclusive European society- was the title of the last panel discussion of the day. Here, the crucial point is to know when coverage goes right and when goes wrong. What is the main responsibility? has it anything to be with ethics? influencing society? to what extend do we have resposibility as a journalists?

Journalists should not talk only about one side of the discussion, they need to have the complete picture of the situation, show the diversity and create a honest relation with readers. Tell the story as it is and do not reinforce steroetypes.

Journalists are the only ones who can research for the truth, show it their audience and create a more integrated Europe.

"National Problems: European Solutions?

Next 15th to 17th of October, the European Youth Media along with the European Parliament host the European Youth Media Days 2013 (EYMD) under the title; "National Problems, European solutions? Is the EU´s grass still greener?"

My workshop there is called "#EU- European policies online, is the EU keeping up eith the present times?" We need to know and analyze how the EP is communicating, what´s the strategy behind and what are they doing to improve the conncetion with people.

I believe this topic has a lot in common with the globalization movemetn. The social media has given us the opportunity to share and being in touch with everybody in the globe without barriers and this is a positive thing. However, it is necessary to regulate the web somehow and its contents, giving people alternatives, in the way everybody will be prepresented. Pluralism on the social media is important. Also, reaching people through Internet.

I would like to mention here the anti-globalization movements that took place in Seattle in 1999. This movement grew in importance thanks to the social media.

Nowadays, along with the economic crisis, the uncertainty about if the EU is going forward towards a more political intregation, or backwards towards a more national independence (instead of interdependence) is an important questions itself. I believe in the European Union, but it is visible that its primiry ideas has been distorted. We cannot fail again as it happened in the Copenhagen Summit in 2009. We need to work together to get out of this situation, to fight back stronger than ever and this initiatives (as well as the European Initiative for Media Pluralism) help to reach an agreement. The EU needs to provide alternatives to youth Europeans to gather together and maybe to make real the idea of the United States of Europe.

What did people take from the 10th EMN Conference?

The two days at the 10^th EMN Conference in Stockholm were very intense and productive. However, since there were many simultaneous debates, attendants could not assist to all of them. Therefore, several opinions are given to show a summary to the whole conference, as well as to know which sessions were more interesting for the assistants and what they take from each of them.

First of all, it will be necessary to highlight the success of the two Jasmine workshops. The first session (25^th of June) under the title “Innovative Technology services provision” was about the European Code of Good Conduct for Microcredit Provision (CGC). This Code is “a pilot project developed in the aftermath of a Communication on microcredit adopted by the Commission in November 2007 and also feeds on work carried out previously on the regulation of microcredit in Europe,” as they described during the session.

“The adoption of the principles of the CGC will be very important in order to access the different European programs during the next 2014-2020 period,” described Karl Dayson, from the University of Salford and member of the Jasmine workshop in the debate, in the per-information details.

Neoklis Stamkos, entrepreneur from KEPA, a Business & Cultural Development Centre (a private company with headquarters in Thessaloniki, Greece), explained that he fulfill his objective during this session because “we met people that we wanted to meet.” They are trying to create an organization and they need help with the paperwork and advice and there was the place where they could find people who help them.

The second session (26^th of June) had as a theme “The European Progress Microfinance Facility Reloaded: How can it work for you?”. Progress Microfinance was an interactive session, involving representatives from the Commission and Evers&Jung and past- and future- beneficiaries of the European Progress Microfinance Facility (EPMF). Positive and negative feedback on the facility were discussed as well as ideas and collaboration between partners.

Here, Meagan Andrews, research assistant from ICF GHK international company, explained that “I thought it provided a lot of different perspectives on ways to overcome the unique challenges for the Microfinancing industry in Europe.” Also, other participant summarized the two workshops as “clear, understandable, excellent introduction and very good materials and panelist.”

In relation to other sessions, Emmanuel Moyart, programme coordinator of Microfinance ACP/EU, gives some feedback for the “Back to the future...the European microfinance in 2033?” session. He explained that “the question looked interesting but later was more entertainment than something useful.”

In- Out referéndums

Nowadays, there is a question about if belong to a Union or not, if belonging to a country or getting independence. Why is it all about? and Why now? 

In the UK the EU referéndum can be a double edge sword. Scotland wants to stay in the EU, so they may get a better change if the leave the UK and then apply to the EU membership. However, if they vote in 2014 to remain as apart of the UK, they may vote therefore to stay in the EU in 2017. David Cameron, Primer Minister of the UK, on the side of the Conservatives is playing with fire. 

But the same situation can be applied to Mr. Mas, President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Spain. They would like to get autonomy because they think they would be better as an independent state. Perhapps, but have they measure the consequences? Debt, EU membership, Spain vs Catalonia relationship, and so on. It is not an easy decision that can be taken fast, but quite the opposite it is necessary clear information of the situation, the difficulty to foreseen the unknown, and of course consensus and negotiations with the Central Government. 

The economic crisis is putting everything upside down. The EU today doesn not look as successfull as it did five years ago. Some territories want to have a referendum to leave it, and others to be a new state of it. What is it that? This "cherry-picking" is not viable today, and every member, country or territory must be solidary and work together to rearrange what one day it looked as a good idea. It is also necessary to protect national identities, what I think it is all about at the end. 

The "post-sovereign" world: The half-truths and the (crisis of the) Nation-States

II Part- Dissertation

Nationalism inside an existing country usually has two sides to the same story. This topic has several and contradictory interpretation of facts. This dissertation will analyse four aspects of the Spanish reality to make a clearer and more complete picture of the independence of Catalonia.

This sentiment has its foundation in a specific vision of Spanish history. Also, the divergence on the economic issue depends on how they look in the glass. The project will also address the problematic of the sociological aspects will be also explained. And especially, it will assess the importance of the role of the politicians and the interpretations of the events according to their vested interests.

Moreover, this dissertation will evaluate the role of the Nation-States in Europe in connection with independence movements. A wider perspective will be included with the examples of Scotland and Quebec.