ELDR Focus Year

On a gathering of young candidates organised last Friday 22nd of April in Brussels, LYMEC and the European Liberal Democrats were represented by the young candidates Dewi van de Vyver (number 5 on the list of VLD, Belgium) and Alison Goldsworthy (number 2 on the list of the Liberal Democrats in Wales).

The event was organised in co-operation with the European Youth Forum (YFJ) that gathers more than ninety international youth organisations and national youth councils from all over Europe. The event presented the views of two young candidates from each European political family: liberals, conservatives, socialists and greens.

The liberal candidates strived for more federalism in the European Union, a closer Union to its citizens, a stonger Union in the world, more mobility programmes for young people to study around Europe and better and more efficient use of the EU financial resources.

Roger Albinyana i Saigí, President of LYMEC, and Aloys Rigaut, Treasurer of LYMEC, were present during the event, among many other young liberals living in Belgium.

The campaign "Youth decide 2004" was launched during the gathering of young candidates. This campaing is being promoted by the European Youth Forum (YFJ) and aims to encourage young people in Europe to vote on the next EP elections.

Furthermore, in November 2003 the Council of Members of the Youth Forum adopted a manifesto for the forthcoming European Parliament elections in 2004. The manifesto is addressed to the candidates and parties running for election.

In the manifesto, the Youth Forum invites all candidates and their parties to take part in a Europe-wide campaign under the motto “A promise to youth – a promise to keep” by:

• making a specific and verifiable pledge to young people in their country or region on how they will work in their interest once elected;

• to declare how they will respond to the demands in this manifesto once elected.

The manifesto contains several clear demands to the candidates and the next EP, such as:

- the establishment of a standing committee on Youth, education and sports, which should be chaired by a young MEP.

- to make sure that the next Commissioner in charge of youth, whose appointment will involve the European Parliament, defines a clear strategy on how to enhance youth participation at the European level.

- to work for a EU Youth programme (which will be discussed during the next term) which promotes a European framework for mobility of young people and their participation in civil society.

- to support, in the context of the legislation on the next generation of EU programmes, the establishment of a “Junior Erasmus” Action, i.e. the launching of a new mobility action scheme for secondary-level school students, which would allow them to spend 3-12 months in a school in another country.

- to ensure that the Commission, after consultation of civil society, and taking into account the Draft Constitution article I-46 on particpatory democracy, presents a revised proposal for a European NGO statute, which would facilitatie the cooperation of NGOs at European level and the building of European civil society.

The manifesto also underlines the importance of giving more space to young people within the political process and the policitical institutions: candidates under the age of 35 should be given strong support during the election campaign by the different parties as well as by the national and European bodies involved in informing the citizens. The European Parliament offices in the Member States and national authorities and parties should involve National Youth Councils, non-party political and party political youth organisations in the planning and implementation of their communication strategy. Young candidates should be fully involved in the efforts to inform and motivate young people in relation to the EP elections.