EYP Talk - Your voice on Europe's future. This is the online forum of the European Youth Parliament in the UK.

Forum conclusions

The EYP Talk forum ran from the 9th January to 26th February 2007. You can read a summary of the discussions in PDF form via the following link: EYPTalkConclusions [pdf, 56KB]

If you would like to comment on these conclusions, please use this discussion space, which will be open until 30th March.

XML feed

Discussion on Enlargement

Posted by Gary Titley on 04/04/2007 - 13:36

I enjoyed the high quality of the comments on enlargement. I was particularly struck by Matija's comment that enlargement is about more than a political or economic union. It is about shared aspirations and values.

We need therefore, to ensure that people are informed about more than just the technical requirements of membership and lift our eyes above the detail or the CAP or regard for regulation and remind ourselves about why the EU was set up in the first place.

To those who believe that the EU has to consolidate before enlarging I would first like to ask when do you find the right time to enlarge is? There is always an excuse not to do something in politics. We should make sure that as Shakespeare pointed out there is a tide in the affairs of man which must be taken at the flood.

more | login or register to post comments

We need to keep exploring

Posted by Caroline Lucas on 22/03/2007 - 11:36

Thanks to all those who posted comments on these important issues. I enjoyed taking part in the online forum, which is potentially a great initiative, although I'm concerned that we didn't get more people participating (did enough people know about it?). Young people have a huge contribution to make to politics, and engaging them in the political process is vitally important - we need to keep exploring new and innovative ways of doing so.

Thank you

Posted by Syed Kamall on 21/03/2007 - 16:23

Thanks to everyone who posted their views on these important and topical issues. I have enjoyed reading your comments. The European Union needs to change significantly if it is to be of any benefit to young people in the future, and so I urge you to continue to express your views to Europe's decision-makers of all levels.

Well done

Posted by Linda McAvan on 13/03/2007 - 15:11

Well done to the European Youth Parliament for organising such a successful forum. The number of participants and the quality of the contributions just goes to show, once again, how important the views of young people are. I hope this will be the first of many projects to engage young people online with the European Union.

Discussion on EU Enlargement

Posted by Vladimir Shopov on 13/03/2007 - 15:08

For me, the discussions very clearly brought out two central concerns of what happens next with the EU project. The first is the issue of post-enlargement adjustment. The other big issue is, of course, degree of further enlargement. How much difference can the Union take in? How far afield should it stretch without diluting the core of the project? Clearly, there is some anxiety here about globalization running loose, insufficient networks of supports, etc.

Such concerns, regardless of their degree of justification, must be taken seriously if the European project is to continue to develop with the support of the European citizens.

more | login or register to post comments

Looking forward

Posted by Catherine Stihler on 13/03/2007 - 14:54

The online forum is a fantastic way to get young people engaged in the political process. The high quality of the comments shows how switched on young people are. They are very politically aware but sometimes feel marginalised from the process. I look forward to the continuation of this forum and hope with the ever-expanding technology we can find more and more ways to communicate and interact with young people.