Captains Log - 17.09.2008

As we know, talking about European Union can not be felt as an occasional matter, during this seminar we learnt that being involved as a citizen sometimes require that we sleep over some topics. It was from this point that our morning started today. After a bravely group reunion, we finalized and presented our campaigns to the election of the EU 2009. different groups had different aims and objectives with their own campaign. The campaign plan included everything from aims, objectives, strategy, design, budget... However we realized that having more quantitative and more conscious votes were main goal for most of the groups.

In the morning the first activity was presentation of our campaign for elections to European Parliament 2009 we prepared the day before. 4 groups had to present their plan for the political campaign.
How do you fit Hegel, volunteers, terrorism, sex, social consciousness, fair trade, and a hundred questions in the same context, within 90 minutes? Well, if you do not know then probably have missed one of the most interesting political discussions of youngsters within the EU. This strange mixture of term was the result of a few minutes brainstorming followed by 4 presentations. All you have to do is try to put 4 groups to answer 4 simple-but –no-simple questions:
1. What means Civil Society
2. What means participation in a civil society
3. What is the difference between “join in”, “take part”, “co-decide”
4. Which alternatives to classical participation do you know\ have
To this effect a lot of ideas have been shared. Opinions were at times close and at times very different. If you want to find out what happened, what was almost said, take a handful of your friends, divide them into 4 groups and ask them the same questions, and then discuss your findings. If I try to tell you what exactly was said it will be like describing the taste of “Heiligenstadt carrot pie”, instead, I am giving you the ingredients: enjoy the taste.

After the lunch (which was delicious ass usual :) we divided into 4 teams to make a research about best practice example for alternatives to classical participation. We were supposed to get hooked online thanx to generous donation of Marcus - 3 brand new and shiny internet access cards. One team got stuck with the hardwire internet PC next to Jügendhaus reception. The card provided one hour access. But the strict dictatorship of Marcus the Great gave us only lousy 45 minutes. Later that day we found out that almost in each team there were only 2 people actually doing the research. Others were just observers or sleepers. But the final outcome was surprisingly good.
Every presentation was different - two of them were text-like, other two used picture or video presentation of their research. These presentations showed us variety of possible ways how to influence the system. However we are sure there are much more possibilities.
The presentation of Youth in Action Programme that followed after the batteries-recharging coffee break showed us another bunch of ways to participate in civil society.
The night ended celebrating Vittorio`s birthday. Some people got ready for the party in the resident Spa centre - very nice.

16th of September
As usual, we started the day with an energizer, called “superstar”. In the seminar room we formed four groups, who received the task to interview the people of Heiligenstadt. We wanted to find out how they relate to the EU and how far away Brussels is, for them. The different research groups interviewed approximately fifty persons. The majority of the respondents are between 18 and 30. After the statistical analysis of the results, we came to the following conclusions:
1. Nobody knows exactly how many countries are member of the EU (the correct answer is 27).
2. 50% of the respondents plan to vote during the next elections for the European Parliament.
3. TV is the most important source of information about European issues.
4. Many people are positive about the EU in general. However, when we asked questions which relate to more concrete topics, it was not easy for the respondents to imagine the influence of the EU in their everyday life.

The exercise was very interesting. A group of young people from all over Europe had the possibility to interact with the inhabitants of a small town (which we would usually never meet in our lives). We think that this experience was interesting, both for us and for them.

The afternoon started with a presentation of some scary participation statistics for the 2004 European elections. From that the discussion on the reasons of such results began. It was very intense as very different opinions were presented. Some thought most of the blame was to be put on the members of the political elites, too discredited in the eyes of the people that should vote them. Also, the perceived distance of the European institutions was given as a reason for low participation. The discussion became very stimulating when it was underlined how more general aspects regarding individual political action should be taken into consideration beyond the reasons that in each election round caused a low participation.
This, in fact, brought the group to the next workshop: we were divided in four teams and we were asked to create a campaign template for the next elections. As guidelines the following structure was suggested:
1. To consider the starting point of our campaign, building up from the analysis we made in the discussion regarding the characteristics of the election body.
2. To build a strategy after defining the aims and objectives, the target group and the operational area, and to come up with some messages and claims.
3. To put in practice the previous points through examples of actions and projects
4. To outline a timetable together with an action plan
5. To design, also aesthetically, our campaign
6. Finally, to make a budget plan

The groups worked very hard to create a presentation that is going to take place tomorrow morning. In the meanwhile, a consideration that can be made is surely about how moving from abstract suggestions on how to win over abstention to practical tools to accomplish that can be difficult.


15th of September
The fifteenth of September was the outside day!!! We went to Erfurt European Center and to Weimar.
In the Erfurt European Center we first met the editor of the daily regional newspaper of Thüringen: TLZ. He showed us the journal, their books, its contents and also how European Union is present in it. The group was interested in how locals were feeling involved in the EU and in what measure the local media can make the make the bridge between Brussels and the regions. After some questions, we’ve realized that usually they don’t publish every news coming from the European agencies/correspondents. Indeed the most specific news, e.g., the 24 hours medical service for truck drivers, are the ones which get generally a space.
We also met the Director of the European Center of Erfurt who welcomed us. We felt some difficulties in the center because we couldn’t find information in English.
After that, we took the train to Weimar. We spent a very good time in such an important city, above all, for cultural reasons. Being in the Bauhaus museum was very special for many of us. Also the Liszt museum was a great program. Some of us also enjoyed the coffees of Goethe’s city, and others the shopping!
Even if it was a rainy, we enjoyed our day!

Croatia joins the EU, Turkey coming soon!

With a unanimous decision of the European Council, Croatia became the 28th member of the European Union!

On the 14th September, the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Turkey presented their applications to the European Council to become members of the European Union. After seven hours of heated debate in the Council and the European Parliament, lists of conditions for accession were formulated and communicated to the representatives of the two candidate countries. Afterwards, Croatia and Turkey talked with the Commission, in order to establish tentative accession treaties, which were then presented to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. The Croatian one was accepted unanimously, thanks to Zagreb’s commitment to the improvement of democratic institutions and guarantees on minority rights. However, the application of Turkey was put on hold because of insufficient progress concerning the recognition of the Armenian genocide, the rights of the Kurds and the separation of religion from the State. Nevertheless, an unexpected breakthrough was reached regarding the recognition of Cyprus as one State with two different nationalities.

In their closing speeches, both the president of the European Commission and the chairman of the Parliament reaffirmed the target of eventually welcoming Turkey as a full member of the Union. Finally, an unexpected guest speaker, Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, with his unique French accent and under constant applause, reminded everyone that politics in a simulation game is even funnier than in real life!

European Citizen Bloggers – Where are you?

Lisa opened an intens(iv)e day of work by introducing three important issues: European citizenship, European identity and Common values.
On European citizenship, at first we agreed that its fundamental elements are related to laws, rights and institutions. Then came the craftsmen’s work of “building the chair” with the four dimensions of European citizenship, i.e., politics, society, economics and culture. The guiding questions were:
1. Define these dimensions.
2. Discuss how well-developed citizenship is in each dimension?
3. How does AN ideal chair look like?
4. How can we achieve the development of each dimension?
(four photos)
• The cultural dimension group concluded that while finding a common historical ground is an easy task for Europeans the other aspects of this dimension (traditions, behaviors and common values) are much harder to define. One tool they considered important to develop the cultural dimension is education. School programs finalized to the promotion of our common ground rather than the differences, can be a very powerful instrument.
• The political dimension group agreed that this is the dimension that manages the other ones and that also makes the connection between them. How? Through institutions. The chair is supported by the economical and the political dimensions, connected to the social dimension (which is the seat), and the cultural dimension (which constitutes the back of the chair). For now, the cultural dimension is still in the process of integration. The group defined its priority to integrate cultures, to establish a foreign policy, more functional institutions and a reasonable constitution that respects cultural diversity.
• The social dimension group did not come to a conclusion, since they considered that it is hard to define a “social” dimension. They realized that there are many ways to look at the issue. However, it was clear that the social dimension is the most important, since it is the only “goal”, whereas the other dimensions are only “means” to achieve the social dimension.
• The economical dimension group identified the common market of goods, services and workpower, the common currency (euro), competition, regulations and common economical projects (ESA, …) as parts of this dimension. It was harder to define economical citizenship, but still the group suggested the opportunities to work and to install one’s enterprise abroad in Europe. On the present chair, the group considered that the economical dimension is by far the most developed, then the political, social and, the less developed, the cultural. About the future chair, they considered that the political, social and economical dimensions shall be in the same stage of development and the cultural is not a priority so that Europe shall not get homogenous cultures.

After lunch we had a great time with the “EU Competition”. We brought some fun during the “run for victory” and it tested the group knowledge on European Institutions.
We moved then to the final and the most intense part of the day. In the quest for Common Values that could define our European Identity, we started with sharing our own individual ones. We split at first in couples and tried to find some common personal values and to agree on the ones that EU should not miss. The workshop became harder and harder when couples joined in groups of four and then on groups of twelve. In the end of it we’ve realized the level of commitment that it was needed to achieve our list of values.

We have also identified some reference communities, e.g., family, city, country, European Union, and we’ve related them on a personal map. We realized that in a great number of the maps family and friends came first, then city, and after them country and European Europe. But we’ve also verified that some persons felt more related with their region and European Union rather than with their countries and cities.

Finally, we were sent to the town to take pictures of objects that according to our opinion were influenced by the European Union, so that we could feel the European presence. We were really successful in that!
Here they are:



A very lively discussion brought us to these conclusions:
1. Citizenship

Fairytale begins ...

Once upon a time princesses and princes from a lot of European kingdoms met to discuss whether they can one day be European kings and queens. The castle was in the middle of nowhere in Germany, in the Holy City, or what the locals called Heiligenstadt. The fairytale started on 11 September in the eight year of the third millennium when all royalties arrived on their iron horses…
The first day the royalties presented their titles and their kingdoms spread all over Europe. After a royal breakfast they played teambuilding games to get to know each other better . On colourful papyrus the princes and princesses then wrote their fears, expectations, hopes and contributions. A good fairy with a gentle smile and shining eyes showed the Holy City to the special guests and told them about a famous king that lived on these lands centuries ago – the Carrot king.
With the fall of the night the European royalties marched into the illuminated streets of Heiligenstadt to feast with German sausages and beer after a Friday of imposed vegetarianism.