MAGAZINE European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

Read more at:

orangemagazine.eu youthmediadays.eu youthpress.org

2

Behind the scenes: Youth Media Days

European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

3

It is an unhappy relationship full of misunder-standings and unfulfilled desires. On one hand the gloom and doom scenario of a financial cri-sis that makes even the biggest optimists crum-ble and on the other hand the best educated youth we have seen in the European Union since its creation in the 1960´s. It is unrecorded if French minister Robert Schuman and German chancellor Konrad Adenauer were thinking about the current issues when they sat down and decided to have a united Europe. Chances are they were not. It is today’s leaders that have to solve today´s problems and they are far more complex than anyone would have ever imag-ined. Everyday we´re reading about financial burden and countries that were living far above their living standard. We hear about interest rates, spreads and the almighty markets that are dominating everyday life. We have made this abstract figure our god, giving it human attributes (“the markets reacted in an unsus-pected way”). But the markets are unkind and childish Greek gods, punishing those they do not consider worthy of their godly power. Yet we still give them our unlimited attention and nourish and cherish them in every which way possible instead of limiting their powers. A pos-sibility many consider as sacrilege. Yes, sacri-lege! Instead we impose rules and regulations to those closest to us, because we feel like this is

the way to soothe our gods best. Journalists play their role too: as compliant accomplices in the biggest gamble the world has ever seen. They do not ask the questions behind the pow-er relations of politics and finance, but rather take them as granted. Hiding behind their im-partiality, they do not ask why things are the way they are, but just take the current situation as granted. Instead of asking why Spain has a youth unemployment rate of over 53% as re-cently stated by their national statistic agency we rather concentrate on the fact that Spain has to limit their public spending. Instead of think-ing about the consequences of the imposed regulations of the unholy union, also known as Troika, to cut public servants in Greece, we ig-norant applaud them. Not realizing that greeks would simply have thousands of jobless people more on the streets. We have been divided, and the gap is getting bigger with every day. It is our duty as journalists to provide for an in-formed public. A public that knows who the people behind austerity measures are. A public that understands that it is their European col-leagues who are getting cut and not some face-less clerk. We are in a relationship without love and understanding. It is time to pull the string before we all hit the ground. We have a respon-sibility as journalists to point out a failing sys-tem when we see it. It is our political leaders duty to make the right decisions, when an in-formed public wants them to.

Editorial by Armand Feka

The crisis and us

4

11 Economic Crisis:

Roots and Consequences

16 When European

politics meet Eu-ropean reality

6 Those in

darkness: out-sourced

9 “The EU is some-thing Very Preci-

ous”

Summary

Those in darkness: outsourced ................................................................................................................................... 6 Can Robin Tax Hood save Europe? ........................................................................................................................... 8 “The EU is something Very Precious” ....................................................................................................................... 9 Why Brussels should keep an eye on secessionism ......................................................................................... 10 Economic Crisis: Roots and Consequences.......................................................................................................... 11 Twists and turns in the road to banking union ................................................................................................. 12 Why is European Union disintegrating?................................................................................................................ 13 How journalists relate the crisis from EU's headquarters .............................................................................. 14 From Europhilia to Europhobia?! ............................................................................................................................. 15 When European politics meet European reality ................................................................................................ 16 The crisis converted dull nobodies into VIP´s ..................................................................................................... 17 Social face of crisis .......................................................................................................................................................... 18 EU has no alternative? .................................................................................................................................................. 19 Baltic States uniting for all time biggest infrastructure project .................................................................. 20 Chaotic opportunities: a hungarian point of view ............................................................................................ 21 „Bosnia and Herzegovina on the rails of changes“ ........................................................................................... 22 Sustainable future’s future .......................................................................................................................................... 23 A remedy to Euro-scepticism? .................................................................................................................................. 24

Orange magazine Fresh. Vibrant. Creative. Orange Magazine provides journalistic education and supports young journalists by giving them room to explore media and current affairs. Writers and photographers from different countries with diverse backgrounds make this magazine unique. They create multi-faced magazines with new and interesting contents. Creating it means having an exciting time in an ever changing environment. Reading it means getting facts and opinions directly from young and innovative journalists.

European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

5

Imprint Publishers line: Orange Magazine European Youth Press, Rue de la Tourelle 23, BE-1040, Brussels, Belgium Editors in Chief: Armand Feka, Bettina Benzinger Layout: Charles-André Lother (www.lother.org) Editorial staff: Joan Faus Catasus, Gonzalo Peña Ascacíbar, Anniki Leppik, Martina Topinková, Skoczylas Natalia Ewa, Diego Arguedas Ortiz, Snežana Stojilković, Diana Asatryan, Andrzej Pukos, Ruzica Despotovska, Haris Devidovic, Johannes Uhl, Mathilde Meregretti, Louise Fahey, Tressia Boukhors, Anna Tervahartiala, Emilija Georgievska, Alžběta Vejvodová, Noémi Patai Photos: Charles-André Lother (1, 2, 10, 25, 26, profile pictures), Diana Iabrasu (3,9), Wolfgang Borrs (6,7), Matilde Mereghetti (8: profile picture), Bernard Rouffignac/Copyright: EP (8,18), Des-potovska (11), ArcCan/wikepedia (12), Ascacíbar - EPA (13), European Youth Press (14), Vojtěch Rejl (17), Siim Kallas (20), Noémi Patai (21), ECD official poster (24)

European Youth Press European Youth Press is an umbrella association of young jour-nalists in Europe. It involves more than 50,000 journalists work-ing for university magazines, Internet projects, radio and video productions, or are interns in editor-rooms, freelance journalists, journalism students or trainees. With print magazines or blogs, podcasts and v-casts, the association wants to give young media

makers from all over Europe the opportunity to cooperate directly with each other. Above all, the aim of all member associations and the umbrella structure is to inspire young people to deal with media and take an active part in society by fostering objective and independent journalism.

16 When European

politics meet Eu-ropean reality

24 A remedy to Eu-

ro-scepticism?

18 Social face of

crisis

6

Those in darkness: outsourced European Commission discusses plans to support food distribution – charities criticise schemes

by Johannes Uhl

It is an exceptionally sunny autumn afternoon as Lisa steps into the cosily equipped church hall in Fulham, southern London. For the 43 year old mother of four it is the third time to come here to the local food bank where volun-teers distribute donated food to those in need. “To go and ask for help is really hard. But in the end I can’t nourish my boys and I’m afraid the authorities take them away”, says Lisa.

According to a proposal currently discussed in the European Commission, helping people like Lisa should be supported by the EU. “The pro-posal would establish a fund that would help Member States to provide non-financial assis-

tance to the most deprived”, says the cabinet of social affairs commissioner László Andor. Profit-ing from a total budget of 2.5 billion Euros, na-tional authorities should back private organisa-tions in providing food and accommodation to people in need. According to European Com-mission figures there are 116 million people in the EU that are at risk of poverty or social exclu-sion. Over the complimentary cup of coffee Lisa recounts her story: “I was abused by my hus-band, so I had to find a new flat. I am out of work. Now, my landlord has increased the charges and the authorities have not yet acknowledged it. I can’t afford filling my fridge anymore”.

European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

7

Lisa is a typical example of food bank clients: “There has been an enormous rise in the prices for food and domestic fuel oil within the last years”, says Chris Mould, executive chairman of the UK-based charity Trussel Trust. Having paid all utility bills, people simply cannot afford food any more. The food banks struggle to fulfil the rising demand.

The rise of food banks

Lisa thus agrees with the European Commis-sion’s plans: “They do an amazing job at the food bank. They should get all the support they need.” Charity activists however asses the gen-eral concept more critically: “Relying on the work of the volunteers in food banks, the state withdraws from its responsibility”, says Ulrich, volunteer with the food bank in the German town of Westerburg. Chris Mould sees one ma-jor reason for the increased number of people relying on food banks in the rise of low-income employment. That is why European Parliament member Elisabeth Schroedter (Greens/European Free Alliance) is sceptical about the Commis-

sion’s proposal: “In the long run, the proposed 2.5bn Euros are well invested in structural changes against poverty in Europe, not in direct food distribution.” In spite of the criticism, Chris Mould is well aware of the advantages his project brings about: “We are strong advocates of the values of commitments to help each other in a local community.” Volunteer Ulrich adds: “Many peo-ple come to food bank also because it gives them social contacts. State activities tend to be far more anonymous and bureaucratic.” Meanwhile, Lisa’s bags are filled. The supplies

should suffice for the next week. Then she has

to come back to Fulham parish hall – if her ben-

efits have not yet been adapted.

8

Eleven European member states submitted re-quests last week to the European Commission on a proposal to introduce a tax on financial transactions (FTT), a 0.01% levy on all derivative trades carried out by investment banks and hedge funds. According to a press release from the European Council, the Commission will consider submit-ting the proposal for a council decision. The council decision could authorize enhanced co-operation, which would introduce cooperation on the tax just in the eleven countries involved so far, which are Germany, France, Austria, Por-tugal, Belgium, Slovenia, Greece, Spain, Estonia, Italy and Slovakia. Plans to implement a European-wide FTT were discussed at a meeting of EU finance ministers in Luxembourg in June, but failed to raise suffi-cient support for the proposal. The proposal has gained consensus among certain parties in the European parliament. “Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament believes that the financial transac-tion tax should be used to finance growth in Europe,” says Austrian MEP Jörg Leichtfried. “The Greens have long advocated an FTT both to help curb risky financial speculation and generate much-needed revenue from an under-taxed financial sector for pressured excheq-

uers,” explains German green MEP Sven Giegold, adding that his party hopes that finan-cial institutions located outside of the partici-pating states would also be obliged to pay the FTT if they traded securities originally issued within the EU. Opposition on the rise However, the proposal remains controversial. European Conservatives and reformists party’s press officer said that the party is not opposed to the transaction tax but they are opposed to the introduction of it at a European level. “We believe that the tax would be unfair towards UK, which would provide 70% of tax, if it is ap-proved at a European level” he said. “This could severely curtail trading activity,” said a broker based in London, who added that if the tax was approved in the UK, market participants would move transactions to Switzerland, Gibral-tar or Jersey. On 9 October the Council said that “a decision to authorize enchanced cooperation is taken by the Council as “as a last resort” once it has established that the objectives cannot be attained within a reasonable period by the EU as a whole, and provided that at least nine member states participate.”

by Matilde Mereghetti

Can Robin Tax Hood save Europe?

European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

9

“The EU is something Very Precious” Some thought it is a bad joke, others thought it is a political message. Some en-couraged and applauded, others criticized and hated: On Friday, Oct. 12, Norwegi-an Nobel Committee in Oslo awarded EU the Nobel Peace Prize for bringing de-mocracy and peace to the continent.

“A Slap on the Back” (CNN.com) is probably the best way to describe the reason behind award-ing EU. For EU, struggling through a three-year long crisis with less than optimistic future, this award served as an encouragement and a re-minder of the significant role it undertakes in maintaining peace and facilitating integration in the continent. Head of the Oslo Nobel Commit-tee Thorbjørn Jagland said, "We want to remind all Europeans about what we have achieved on this continent and that we should not let it start disintegrating again and getting nationalism and extremism [to] grow on this continent.” Jagland referred to the historical aspect of EU, emphasizing its significant role in establishing peace throughout 60 years of its existence. (for example the feud between Germany and France or during the conflicts in the Balkans). Despite Jagland’s standpoint, there is a lot of criticism to the news. Some say that the Committee should have awarded an individual rather than a “bureaucratic” organization. During his visit of the EYMD workshop, Raimund Löw of Austrian ORF, said that there has never been a rule on

whether the peace prize is awarded to an or-ganization, or an individual. “Bureaucratic or-ganization that is built to prevent countries to fight each other certainly deserves a Nobel Prize. I don’t understand why that should not be the case,” he added. Another common critique refers to the timing of the award: at the time, when there is high unemployment and crisis in some of the mem-ber states, the prize seems a joke. On the EYMD discussion panel, Chair of EP Employment and Social Affairs Committee Pervenche Beres said:“My understanding of the Nobel Prize is that for the first time the committee made a practical decision.” Opinion pieces and critiques pointed fingers at the crisis in Greece, at the riots in Spain, at the debts and unemployment rates in the EU, at the numerous unresolved issues and “dubious” en-largement projects (i.e. Turkey as a candidate). Given all this, headlines yelled “Is this a joke?” Critics wrote heartbreaking stories of individu-als, who, they argued persuasively, deserved the Peace Prize. Nevertheless, when some criticize and argue about the EU deserving or not the award, they should be reminded what the PEACE Prize actually stands for. And, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barosso puts it, something as “precious” as EU is defi-nitely worth keeping.

by Diana Asatryan

10

by Diego Argue Ortiz

Why Brussels should keep an eye on secessionism Regional secessionism might mean as much for the EU as for national governments

Lead by Scotland, Flanders, and Catalonia, sepa-ratist regions have sparked heated debates on whether hypothetical new States would inherit allegiance to Brussels. But few have spoken on why Europe needs them on board. Neither the European Union nor the separatist can afford a true divorce: Catalonia itself ac-counts for one fifth of Spain’s Gross Domestic Product, surpassing even Portugal’s economy, and Flanders represents 75% of Belgium’s GDP. Their strength comes from both production and consumption within their countries and across the continent through the common market. A separation with them outside the Community could prove disastrous for both the euro and the local markets of these areas. Not that these regions want to part on their own. Rather, secessionist movements propose a swift, blinking transition from their actual situa-tion into becoming a full member of the EU. Their economies are entangled to their coun-tries’ and the Community’s; leaving the Euro-zone would collapse life quality for their popu-

lation. Alex Salmond, the Scottish First Prime Minister, knows this and continuously assures Scots that dumping London does not mean leaving Brus-sels. Artur Mas, President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, follows a similar reasoning and pro-posed a referendum to ask Catalonian voters: “Do you want Catalonia to become a new Mem-ber State of the EU?” To become a Member State of the EU, a candi-date must comply with a set of conditions, which includes receiving the consent of all ex-isting members. This clausegives Belgium, the UK and Spain the upper-hand if separationon bad terms ever takes place. Although it is true the crumbling of Europe’s industrialized areas seems distant-polls sug-gesting Scots would rather stay in the UK, the Spanish constitution blocking the referendum Catalonia wants and Flanders still far down in Independence Boulevard- the EU should keep track of the project to avoid an escalation of the conflict on the fu- ture, or simply to keep

the Union united.

European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

11

Economic Crisis: Roots and Consequences

The term crisis usually refers to a complete col-

lapse. This happens on one specific level, mostly

on the economic, political or a social level. In

recent years, the term economic crisis is a no-

tion regularly mentioned in the headlines. De-

spite of being described as economic, it has

been spread at several different levels, occupy-

ing almost all spheres within the society. This

situation raises one question: What is the gen-

eral influence of the economic crisis?

First, it exacerbates the division between the

different societies and nations. The countries

with less developed economies are unlikely to

accept the economic policies of the highly de-

veloped countries. For instance, on the Balkans

a lot of people are skeptical about the latest EU

policies and trends. Most of the non-EU mem-

bers Balkan countries strive to show themselves

as appropriate future EU members and those

that are already members like Bulgaria and Ro-

mania, try to show that they are equal and re-

spectable members, but on the other hand, due

to the lack of confidence in the EU and the ina-

bility to really comprehend the EU issues, the

ordinary people separate and form closed soci-

eties. These nations are overwhelmed with fears

and suspicion. Instead of focusing on the long-

term goals, those in this situation would prefer

the short-term goals, which seem to be most

tangible at that moment. This shortcoming wid-

ens the gap between the countries’ markets as

well. A market policy applicable for the EU mar-

ket is not likely to be the best one for a devel-

oping country, at that certain point of its devel-

o p m e n t .

Although just several points of the crisis were

mentioned, they have severely impaired all life

spheres. Eventually, what is important is to stay

focused on the solution, beneficial in the long

run, remaining as impartial and equally sup-

porting, as possible.

by Ruzica Despotovska

12

With a looming deadline and the International Mon-etary Fund breathing down its neck, the EU is in a race against time to come up with a clear framework for what its banking union is going to look like. And as disagreements between member states continue, it appears that the vicious cir-cle between banks and states is far from being squared. In September 2012, the Eu-ropean Commission out-lined its proposals for the establishment of a single supervisory mechanism (SSM) for banks in euro-countries. Once the SSM will be put into place, the European Stability Mecha-nism can begin to loan di-rectly to financial institu-tions. The most divisive of the Commission's proposals for the SSM has been the deci-sion to confer the European Central Bank (ECB) with su-pervisory responsibility for tasks relating to the finan-cial stability of all banks in the euro-area. Under the proposal, the ECB will take on the regulation of more than 6,000 banks, a task

which German Finance Min-ister Wolfgang Schäuble believes the ECB incapable of undertaking. The deadline of 1 January 2013 for the implementa-tion of the proposals has also given rise to concern. Many are questioning whether it is possible to build a framework in such a short period of time which will not only work, but also stand the test of time. Another contentious issue has been the position of non-euro area countries in the SSM. Under the Com-mission's proposal, non-Eurozone countries have the option to join the bank-ing union, but would be without voting rights in the ECB. There are fears of such countries becoming disad-vantaged as a result of such a structure. As the deadlock between member states continues, the January deadline looks all the more difficult to meet. However, there is hope that the mid-December summit of Euro-pean leaders will yield some results and unanimity between all 27 member states can be achieved.

by Louise Fahey

Twists and turns in the road to ban-king union As European leaders continue to disagree over a framework for its banking union, their January deadline is looming ever closer.

European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

13

The European Union was cre-ated to restore the peace in the continent after two World Wars, strengthen ties be-tween countries and boost the economic recovery. The growth and consolidation were showing prosperous re-sults but after the 70’s crisis the strategy changed. The conclusion was a bet for ne-oliberalism. In 1994 Hans Ti-etmeyer, Bundbesbank presi-dent in that year, met with the principal European lead-ers telling them that they had to obey the dictates of mar-kets. These words resume the rupture of nowadays. A clear example is what’s happening in Spain where the two principal political parties, constantly in opposi-tion, agreed and decided to modify the constitution with-out consulting the citizens to prioritize the pay of the debt above everything what pro-voked reducing services in essential basic rights like wealth or education. Worsen-ing the situation was the loss of autonomy when they ac-cepted something falsely proclaimed as a way to res-cue. Greece, Portugal and Ire-land are proof of this policy. People who haven’t been

chosen by anybody control the destiny of a lot of people with their decisions. Soon, Spain and Italy may be shar-ing Greece’s current situation. What happens when the Eu-ropean Central Bank is lend-ing money to the private banks with a percentage of 1% and these private banks lend money to the states for paying the debt with an in-terest of 4%, 5% or 6%? How can Union allow all these things? They will remove your house if you can’t pay it, but political and financial ex-cesses very often are left un-punished. It seems like it’s going in the direction on pri-vatizing the benefits and so-cializing the losses. As the population doesn’t

perceive equality, Europe is

going down because markets

are what prevail in a value

crisis where the union is dis-

appearing day after day.

When I entered the first day

into the Parlamentarium in

Brussels I could see a quote

painted in the wall: “Human

rights are non-negotiable”.

Who would claim the oppo-

site?

by Gonzalo Peña Ascacíbar

Why is European Union disintegra-ting? The actual political trend is prioritize the markets than the citizens

14

How journalists relate the crisis from EU's headquarters Correspondents based in Brussels are the main information source for many citizens about European policy against the economic downturn

Foreign journalists based in Brussels play a cru-cial role in the current euro zone economic cri-sis. They have to quickly know what is new in the European Commission's (EC) and the coun-try members' policy towards the crisis, under-stand it and explain it to their readers, listeners or viewers. In fact, the main way citizens get in-formed about Europe's crusade against eco-nomic downturn is through the media. Thus, understanding or misunderstanding the current situation depends on the work of journalists, such as Matina Stevis, reporter of US-based The Wall Street Journal. “It is a very important mo-ment for being a journalist in Brussels. There are a lot of people who know things. We are surrounded by potential sources and other journalists that can help”, she says. Stevis considers that “media could do more to educate people” by relating news in a “more constructive way”. Bruno Waterfield, Britain's The Daily Telegraph's Brussels correspondent, has a very similar view. “Our goal is to turn the language of European authorities into our read-

ers’ and also to explain them the consequences of that news: who wins and who loses”, he ar-gues. However, getting to know information right and much more scoops are not easy tasks for re-porters in Brussels. “Institutions spend a lot of money in communication and to spread their message but it remains a very institutionalized message. To go beyond that is difficult”, consid-ers Laia Fores, correspondent for Spanish news-paper ARA and Telecinco news channel. “There are many speakers and press releases, appar-ently much access to information and they al-ways emphasize their transparency but at the moment of truth it is difficult to find the an-swers you seek, interviewing comissioners or finding confidential sources. To get the infor-mation you need to work for El País, the Finan-cial Times or Reuters. There is a lot of classism especially in the EC while the Parliament is more democratic informatively”, she adds, giv-ing insights into the media’s role in Europe's headquarters.

by Joan Faus Catasus

European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

15

From Europhilia to Euro-phobia?! How the euro-crisis affects the Balkans

The Balkan Peninsula, a geographically Europe-an area, but different from it in so many re-spects has always struggled to become part of the EU family. This long-term ‘wish’ is tightly connected to the people’s mental image of an aristocratic West, a safe-haven for their every-day worries and challenges. But recently this picture has started to fade away and lose its original, bright colours. Ever since the crisis started spreading like a virus, culminating with the situation in Greece, people started questioning themselves whether joining the EU is such a good idea. Recent polls have shown that the popularity of the Union is de-clining, as was the case with Croatia where even though slightly over two-thirds voted in favor of membership, only 43% turned out on the refer-endum in January. Similar figures can be found in neighbouring Serbia, where support for membership has gone down by some 20 percent to 50 percent in late 2011. Even in traditionally pro-EU countries such as Montenegro support has contracted down to 66 percent, while a similar drop of nearly 15 percent is observed in Macedonia. Despite what research shows, these very same governments work even harder on the issue of accession. Thus, Montenegro opened such talks on June 29, Serbia was upgraded to a candidate status and Kosovo achieved to get visa liberali-zation. This March, the Comissioner for Europe-an enlargement Stefan Fule launched a high level accession dialogue in Macedonia to aid the government in meeting the EU benchmarks.

Does this contradiction tell us that people don’t get their voices heard or they just don’t do any-thing about it? It may be a combination of the fear of becoming a future EU member and the prevailing apathy to change the current situa-tion. Either way, it comes down to seeing the EU crisis as safer than the everlasting Balkan reces-sion and getting away from the problems by fleeing from the home countries as the only ‘viable’ solution.

by Emilija Georgievska

16

Economic Crisis: Roots and Consequences When European politics meet European reality “The truth is a paradigm”, says Manfred Kohler, a lecturer of political sciences from the Univer-sity of Kent in Brussels. Kohler cites the French philosopher and social theorist Michel Foucault, explaining the idea of knowledge as a part of the fundamental power structure in society. As the EU struggles to find the right way of solving the economic crisis, the results are controlled and created in the discourses. “Power informs knowledge in discourse. What you as journalists can do is ravel and reveal these power relati-onships”, Kohler explains. According to him, the role of a journalist in this network thus is the creation of realities. The Power of Communicated Representati-ons Journalists strive for objectivity in a subjective world. ”The main function of journalism is infor-ming the people of the different sides and the power relations behind”, Kohler says. In times of European unity, there still is a need for a polari-zed and open political discussion: “What Euro-pean democracy should be about is conflict; the possibility for different opinions.” The Discourse of Crisis As democracy is the marketplace for politicians,

media representation cannot be separated from the political power structures. The German chancellor’s visit to Greece was met with hatred and brought thousands of people to the streets. The discourse of austerity represented by Ange-la Merkel does not fit with the demanded dis-course of growth. Even though journalism tries to cut its ties from political power relations, its connection with problem solving and creation cannot be under-mined. “Journalists are opinion makers”, Kohler explains and concludes: “No paradigm survives without support”. Power relations do not only restrict, but also create. The role of a journalist in the power structures of politics is not to form a monopoly of thought, Kohler says. A journalist is to think critically and allow polarization. “And to ask why?” As discussed in the first panel discussion of the EYMD, there is no such thing as an insti-tutional journalism. Critical thinking cannot be made an object nor a product, but a working method. It is impossible to separate journalism from the power structures markets, politics and cultures, but perhaps it is possible to combine the ethics and ideas of colleagues alike. “Knowledge is power” - the favorite aphorism of journalists. But knowledge is not the truth.

by Anna Tervahartiala

When European politics meet European reality “Knowledge is power” - the favorite aphorism of journalists. But knowledge is not the truth.

European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

17

The crisis converted dull no-bodies into VIP´s

Economists – as a profession – were a totally dull profession before the financial crisis. How-ever, the crisis has changed this dramatically with economy and economics gaining im-portance among the general public. We can see it for example on the growing number of read-ers of economic parts of news websites or on the growing number of economic books which became famous. A recent book by two Czech economists, MarkétaŠichtařová and Vladimír Pikora, illus-trates this. When they wrote their first book concerning crisis and Czech pension reform they had problems finding a publisher. “When we came with our first book to the first publish-ing house they told us it was huge nonsense to publish books on the crisis,” Šichtařová de-scribed their experience. Their book “All is different” was finally pub-lished in November 2011 and its success was overwhelming. The first amount of copies was sold out during three days. Tens of thousands copies were sold till these days and the book written by to economists become bestseller.

“According to the statistics of one bookshops chain, the book is the second best sold. “All is different” attracts readers among the people for whom it was unimaginable before crisis. It is exactly the same with the other book by Šichtařová and Pikora named “Naked Truth” which is concerning euro crisis. “I have to tell you, that I have never bought any book. Last book which I have read was the book “Six Bullerby Children” in the primary school. Today I have bought the book “Naked Truth”. I have to tell you that within minutes I am already on page 60,”a reader tells. And what do Šichtařová and Pikora tell us about the crisis? The crisis can’t be seen only in a neg-ative way. A crisis should purify economy and if we try to prevent it, we would voluntarily live in a state of horror. There are many other examples, how economy and economists gain their importance in times of crisis. A new subject called financial literacy is entering basic schools. “We can see a shift in the way how general public perceives financial issues,” Josef Uchytil, manager of financial advi-sory company Partners explains.

by Alzbeta Vejvodova

18

His job is to move people from place to place – he is a driver. As an entrepreneur he also knows a lot of about how to save money. But he still doesn´t know how to pay his bills. Which are still growing unlike his salary. Bert Van Geele (name changed) has a tough time going through these times. “I’m wondering why prices are growing but earn-ings aren’t? And the funny thing is that my insur-ance was calculated for 2 years ahead. So I pay the same rate like 2 years ago, and still do not earn more than back then. Including the inflation it means that I really get less money”. Bert says it is a sad thing when people having their own in business are forced to quit them, adding that “it should bother governments that people are not able to help economy growing anymore.” “I’ll have to work for a boss now, which isn’t good, but better than sitting at home. Even if my job is about sitting all the time – at least I can use it to earn some money. When I was sitting at home I felt crisis.” Bert feels the pressure of fail-ing and says that he, “can not even file for bank-ruptcy for another year, because I earned to much. Another problem is that the trimester of calculating insurance began and he will have to pay them for a even longer amount of time. “So I don’t have enough money to be an independent driver, because of the crisis and I’ll still have to pay all insurance fees. And when his car is stay-ing at the garage it loses its value he says. “25 years ago, I could buy good car for around 12 000 Euros and still sell it for a pleasant resale price. Nowadays it is getting pretty hard even finding a buyer for any cars. People keep the money they have in their pockets. I can under-stand why.” Then while looking at the wall he says that he should put new pipes to heating be-fore winter. His old ones were broken.

by Andrzej Pukos

Social face of crisis We are getting used to the fact that the crisis has no face. The society suffering from it has no face either. It has no name. It has no face. But there are real people living in it. Real like the current crisis.

European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

19

EU has no alternative? Support for joining the EU in Serbia is declining

It seems that we are little bit tired of the same story that we hear every single day from politi-cians in Serbia: “The EU have no alternative”, “We will continue to follow European path” etc. According to the latest research only 47% of Serbs want Serbia to access to the EU, which is 12% less than last year! So, what is the prob-lem? First of all, there is the major problem with Ko-sovo. Serbia just doesn’t want to recognize an independent Kosovo, and certainly don’t agree with new preposition coming from EU politi-cians who are trying to push up in that way. The last statement of the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz was: “You can’t be-come member of EU if you don’t recognize in-dependence of Kosovo”. The reactions were very strong, and we have the feeling, for a long time, that EU blackmails us, and put in front of us new conditions over and over. The official Governments attitude is Kosovo is the part of Serbia, even if reality is completely different. We are aware that we can’t become a part of EU family in the next 10 or even more years, so, the future of the biggest European family is uncer-tain. Second, the fact that EU is going through very serious economic issues lead us to think that all possibilities are open right now, even the Euro-

pean Union falling apart soon. So, who can guarantee that the EU will exist in 10 years? Is there enough strength and will for the EU to preserve? There are still hard memories on the NATO campaign in 1999 and the feeling that some members of the EU are enemies of Serbia. Different sources say that Serbia will have a dif-ficult future with them involved. Third and finally, is the way the media is report-

ing on the current issues. It’s obviously that

journalists just don’t dig deep enough when

they cover topics about EU. There are newspa-

pers only transferring the statements of politi-

cians, and additionally just pointing out the cri-

sis in Spain, Portugal and Italy, rarely explaining

things properly. There is lack of media initiative

for research. Objective observers can conclude

from our newspapers that the EU is an unjust

organization, with unequal countries. Having a

strict German nation on one hand, and on the

other hand victims of wrong politics, such as

Greece. In front of the reader’s eyes is always

the same picture of debts, protests, high rate of

unemployment and corruption. So, who wants

to be a member of that kind of EU? Well, I

guess Serbia doesn’t.

by Snezana Stojikovic

20

This year’s topic of European Youth Media Days – Divided we stand? – describes well the current situation of European infrastructure, which still needs much bigger investments than European Union, along with the member countries, can offer. The Baltic States enthusiastically await the out-come of the negotiations, because it deter-mines the destiny of the biggest infrastructure project in their history – high speed railway Rail Baltic, connecting Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with Western Europe – with a cost of over 4 bil-l i o n € . F u n d a m e n t a l q u e s t i o n Although the idea of high speed railway was born in the Baltic counties almost 20 years ago, the ball is in the hands of Europe. It has been always clear that countries on their own are powerless to create a project like this, and it can only happen with a maximum co financing from European Union side. Despite of the budget ar-guments, mister Siim Kallas, Vice President of the European Commisson, stays optimistic. „None of the Member States argue that con-necting Baltic countries with the rest of the Eu-

rope is a fundamental question,” says mister Kallas. Baltic States are a periphery in the mean-ing of Europe because of their historic back-ground, and connecting them with European metropolis will significantly enliven the area.

R i d i c u l o u s l y l o w i n v e s t m e n t s

Mister Kallas explains that it can be done under

Connecting Europe Facility programme, with

total budget of 50 billion euros before the cuts,

which is way less than European infrastructure

needs. He gives an example that European

Commission agreed to give 4,5 trillion euros of

governmental help for financial institutions in

2008-2011. “This number is 4 times as high as

European Union’s budget for seven years. Com-

pared to this, the investments into infrastruc-

ture are ridiculously low, if we consider that

building infrastructure raises employment for

long years and economical activity will raise at

least 30-40 percents.” Until the fairytale comes

true, we still need to have a 4 hour bus trip

from Tallinn to Riga, while Brussels-Paris route

with a similar distance takes only 1,5 hours by

train.

by Anniki Leppik

Baltic States uniting for all time biggest infrastructure project Ongoing negotiations on the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework of Euro-pean Union will most likely end with a budget cut, which threatens to put some es-sential infrastructure development projects on a hold for next 7 years.

European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

21

Chaotic opportunities: a hungarian point of view

I’m walking on the third floor of the European Parliament, and marveling upon the great chance we are granted as hungarians as a member of the Union. Only in rare cases we really take the opportunities to discover other European countries. It’s not that we don’t care about them. It’s that we simply think we are not able to seize the possibilities. Many people don´t see them as chances, but rather as a burden. It is also very hard to adapt to a new culture and the language that usually follows it. One of the biggest hungarian magazines was complaining about language problems, and the rejected demand of the European Ombudsman, Nikiforos Diamandouros concerning the translation of languages. However, it seems like the European Union would like to hear our voice. There are already institutions and organisations providing this opportunity, like „Your Voice in Europe”. You just need to learn English first. But do we want Europe to hear our voice? I can only talk about my own experiences. The press is usually full of coverage about the European Union. You normally read about the crisis, and the reconciliation on national laws.

They aren’t the happiest topics, so – subconsciously - you develop a gap, distancing yourself from Euroean issues. Could you define it as europhobia? The ideas behind it are like that of the the hungarian press, but I wouldn’t call it europhobia. We are just sceptical aboutthe EU. We are notinterested in it: because we don’t know how interesting it is. However, we all love Erasmus. If we see good examples, we might be more enthusiastic. It’s a pity that I can’t name any other programs like this, but I don’t think it’s just a typical hungarian problem. Last week, a British girl said to me that she had never heard about the single market. And once someone tried to find out how we can actually profit from these opportunities we are given, he gets just more confused because of the sudden information flood. We are in a need of concret information, a good

map, otherwise we will get lost in the maze of

the EU’s opportunities. Just like I got lost in the

huge building of the parliament when I was

wondering about this issues.

by Noémi Patai

22

„Bosnia and Herzegovina on the rails of changes“ Transition from socialism to democracy is a difficult path

We cannot start this story without mentioning ex-Yugoslavia. The country, founded in the times of World War II, consisted of six republics. Its political system was socialism... and people there lived happily for almost 50 years. Then the war came. Most of the people recognize Bosnia and Herzegovina only by war, which unfortunately is true. Nowdays there is no more socialism, but there are leftovers. Older generations still act the same way as they did back then. A lot of businesses still are managed the way they were managed before, especially in a public and administrative sectors. A report of the World Bank for 2011 says that Bosnia is spending 13,1% of its GDP for the public sector. In 2006, it was 11,1. Corruption is blooming, nepotism is a common tool and the most relevant parameter for employment. Many experts argue that this is the reason why 73% of young people want to leave the country. The conclusion is that this is not strange, not at all. How is that? Well, even the smallest change on a state level, means a lot and needs time to pass trough society. Capitalism and democracy „struck“ Bosnia and Herzegovina like a thunder. Never and nowhere can not be - today we accept it, tomorrow we implement it. It is always a process, especially when the changes are so big and serious, especially when when they represent two opposit sides.. The EU is trying to help Bosnia and Herzegovina to join, by installing offices of certain institutions, such as the European Comission and the Council. Now it is on Bosnia and Herzegovina to make it easier by rejuvenating its leaders, accepting changes and overcoming the past.

by Haris Devidovic

European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

23

“What hope after Rio+20” - three speakers, three opinions and possible scenarios for a bet-ter future. The meeting, taking place this week Wednesday, is part of a campaign aimed to promote ecological justice. Its aim is to em-power individuals and organizations to under-stand and promote a more ecologically respon-sible lifestyle trough a variety of tools and ac-tions. Peter Pavlovic from the Conference of European Churches pointed out the decreasing tendency of new agreements on the authority levels, whi-le the problem in itself is not discussed on the level of the people. As other obstacles he named the lack of a clear understanding of the green economy and the fact that due to a new rationalism many things are thought to be im-possible. For Lloyd Russel-Moyle from the European Y-outh Forum the meeting represented a ray of

hope as it moved beyond GDP measurements. That way it is possible to get a step aside from the capitalism-based society. This can lead to a change of perception about resources and about people’s role as civil society. Recent eco-nomical struggle makes deep cuts and changes of patterns difficult, but also inevitable. Rob van der Meer from Heidelbergcement gave an interesting, yet unexpected, insight into what business thinks about pro-ecological solutions. He suggested sectored unions between indust-ries for developing more green technologies. As the main obstacle for green economy he named the business model, which drives the economi-cal decisions, which in turn have a great impact on the current situation. This is also the busi-ness model that has driven us to the point of the economical crisis. Thus it demands for deep changes in the way we perceive the market, social status, buyer’s habits, and so on.

by Natalia Skoczylas

Sustainable future’s future

24

“Our common will is to build a concrete Eu-rope, closer to citizen's expectations, stronger for education and employment,” said Jean-Jack Queyranne, President of the French Rhone-Alpes Region. In a period of Europhobia, public opinion tends to criticise the lack of local im-pact and concrete achievements of Europe. Looking at the local scale, Euro regions could be a powerful tool to take up new challenges. The emergence of crossborder territories European integration has strengthened cross-border coopera-tion and the emergence of crossborder terri-tories- including Euro regions, Eu-ro districts or working commu-nities, which are changing the per-ception and per-meability of na-tional borders. According to the catalogue of cross-border re-gions, over 130 euro regions have been formed since the foundation of the first euro region in 1958. According to Charles Ricq, a euro region is a transfrontier institution, establishing trans-frontier relations between regional authori-ties,with the approval of central government. As an example, the Alps-Mediterranean Region includes three Italian regions and two French regions since 2007. It has, among others, sup-ported the Lyon-Turin tunnel and developed a new border-tourism strategy between the

French Alps, the Aosta Valley and the Provence. “The main purpose of the Euro regional cooper-ation is to enhance the voices of EU- regions to the European institutions and to better defend their interests to influence major policies of the EU,” advocates Mathieu Cuip, MEP Assistant and Policy Advisor on European Fields for Marseilles Urban District, in France. The main success of the Alps-Mediterrannean Region is certainly the transport cooperation: “Since 2004 French and Italian regional trains

circulate on both sides of the bor-der allowing new mobility and new jobs opportuni-ties to thousands of EU citizens” told Mathieu Cuip. A crossborder strategy to be coordinated “Where interre-gional coopera-tion exists, it runs smoothly” com-ments MEP Jean-Claude Gauzès.

But regional cooperation depends obviously on the determination of regional leaders. If many Euroregions decided to open a permanent mis-sion to the European Union in Brussels, in order to be closer to the institutions, the EU does not tend to any coordination of crossborder territo-ries yet. Moreover, the national Constitution of some states such as Finland, Italy or Sweden, does not allow sub-national entities to create crossborder public law entities with local and regional authorities from other states.

by Tressia Boukhors

A remedy to Euro-scepticism? The Euro region strategy as a tool to gather territory challenges in a time of crisis and budget restriction

European Youth Media Days Brussels October 2012

25

Behind the scenes: The Print Workshop

Read more at:

orangemagazine.eu youthmediadays.eu youthpress.org