G.A. Leaflet

A Special Release from the Press Room

Committee Work Vol. I is completed.

It will be less than 48 hours after Jari's

official words of welcome that you

will again have the pleasure of

listening to his each and every syllable

during Opening Ceremony. In German

accuracy: somewhere about 43 and a

half hours 'sharp'.

This will be followed, as you know, by

General Assembly, a.k.a. GA. You will

be accustomed to GA as the final

highlight of a Session, but as this

Forum is extremely progressive, things

have been slightly changed. The slot at

the end of the session is now taken by

the Plenum and, after GA, there is the

same amount of time dedicated to

Committee Work II as before.

Still, General Assembly is strict. You

might intend trying to get into the

Hessian State Parliament wearing a

scuba-diving suit, but once you see the

building, you will feel a bit

inappropriately dressed. Should you

obey the recommend dress code you

might feel very royal indeed when you

pass the main entrance, as one of the

Organisers has even compared the

building to a renaissance residence.

It might also be a waste to use some of

what is actually very little time for

sleeping. Do admire the surroundings

but try to remain focussed. The

adjoining rooms might be beautiful as

well, but Organisers' experience says it

would not be worth missing the

debate. And, of course, while you are

more than welcome to text your non-

EYP friends about how great this

Forum is and how excited you are, GA

itself will not be the best opportunity.

Also, the organisers know how much

you love the European Anthem and

therefore it will be the only piece of

music performed at GA. Hopefully

you will not spoil this uniqueness with

any headphone-related incident.

Three more things left – We will get

lunch at the Wiesbaden Town Hall, so

there should not be a reason to eat

during GA. A special piece of advice

to the girls: take care for your nail

polish. You do not want to imagine

how disappointing even tiny flaws

may be when you gently lift the

microphone to the 'rock star' position.

Finally, speak; voice your opinion; and

enjoy.

Inspired by Sandra Stojanovicand Zeynep Ekinci, as rolemodels rather than badexamples, Leo Kaindlexamines what GeneralAssembly could and finallyshould not be misused for.

GA: Prove your Uniqueness

CULT IEuroscepticism is gaining ground across the EU. In Denmark, the xenophobic Danish People’ s Party has supported a center-right

minority government for almost 10 years. In Sweden, the nationalist, anti-European Sweden Democrats crossed the 4-percent threshold

to gain seats in the Riksdag parliament, and in Italy Umberto Bossi’ s xenophobic Lega Nord, or Northern League, is even part of the

government. Although the party is primarily active in the north of Italy, it is the third-strongest party on the national level. So after em-

phasising these facts, here comes the question: What about the European ideal? Is it falling down, is it already dead or does it yet

stand? Keeping all this in mind, what measures should Europe take? It is to this question that the Committee on Culture and Education

I has turned their attention for this Forum.

CULT IILack of integration in European countries has long been an issue. The problem is visible on many different levels such as culture, lan-

guage, society and politics. Although European governments and NGOs are already putting in a lot of effort in order to improve integ-

ration between different social groups, increasing levels of segregation still take place not only in neighbourhoods but even in schools.

The EU has not agreed any common and efficient European immigration policy, which is definitely needed. Most of these problems

rise from a lack of knowledge about different cultures, religions and languages which results in less respect and tolerance towards

people coming from different social backgrounds. There remain many steps to be taken in the fight against youth disintegration, partic-

ularly through improvements in the education systems and school policies across Member States, and CULT II's resolution promises to

lead the way.

DROIIt is not simply different kinds of people heading for shelter or even an EU member state's citizenship on which the Committee on Hu-

man Rights is working, but, rather, individuals: individual human beings arriving at the European borders, endowed with any conceiv-

able background and multiple motivations. The focus should and indeed does lay on those whose rights are most deprived, unable to

voice their request for humanity and justice. Europe is two-faced; the Schengen area enables its citizens and Blue Card owners to freely

move within its borders, but remains the Fortress Europe towards those wishing to penetrate it. Today, the typical countries of arrival

like Greece, Italy and Spain are overflowing with asylum seekers and illegal immigrants due to the Dublin regulations, whereas the

wealthier central European countries are blinded to their future dependency on immigration. Meanwhile, the newly created European

Asylum Support Organisation (EASO) has fresh potential to improve the situation, and the realisation of this potential shall be of key

concern to DROI.

EMPLYouth unemployment rates are on the rise all over Europe, for example in Spain where youth unemployment amounts to an alarming

44%. The essential nature of the topic has also been showcased to a shocking degree by the recent riots in Great Britain. But even more

important than the general youth unemployment is the unemployment of the young immigrants because they have to face even harder

conditions than their fellow citizens. In trying to find a solution, it is upon EMPL to consider the origins and reasons for these prob-

lems. In the countries of the European Union there is still a level of ignorance and intolerance and this leads to prejudice. This – plus

the certain language barrier – hinders the integration and eployment of immigrants. Moreover, the rise in immigration escalates the

problem. Another rather new aspect is the recession, which shortens the demand for workers. Measures have to be taken, and have to

be taken now, and we may look to EMPL's resolution for their proposed first steps to improve the situation of youth unemployment

among immigrants.

FEMMClearly different cultural and religious backgrounds can have a major effect on gender equality A very traditional interpretation of the

Koran, the holy writings of Islam, demands women wear the hajib, a head scarf, and restricts them in their choice of profession and in

public life. The Christian creed is also being utilised to force women into a particular role, with the radical Catholic Church encour-

aging women to return to focusing on the education of children, and detesting the use of contraceptive measures. Integrating into the

new country can be very difficult for immigrant and, in regard to gender equality, this creates additional obstacles for women to free

themselves from repression. However, it must be kept in mind that religious freedom is a fundamental right in Europe, and simply con-

demning a religion for the actions taken in its name will only make the situation worse. An open-minded discussion will be needed for

FEMM's resolution.

Topic OverviewsPresented by your Jounalists