Students and EU officials brainstorm for a better Europe

One hundred students from 53 American and European universities gathered with high-level European Union (EU) officials at the Yale School of Management Feb. 5 and 6 for the second-annual European Student Conference to discuss the future of the European ideal.
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Kristalina Georgieva, the vice president of the European Commission, was among the dignitaries who spoke at the 2016 European Student Conference.

This article was written by Yale College student Johannes Behringer ‘18.

One hundred students from 53 American and European universities gathered with high-level European Union (EU) officials at the Yale School of Management Feb. 5 and 6 for the second-annual European Student Conference to discuss the future of the European ideal.

Across six workshops, participants produced 20 papers outlining policy proposals that touch upon growth and innovation through small and medium enterprises, asylum and immigration policy, the interplay of religion and secularism in the context of European identity, the process of building a Eurozone treasury, and the future of European defense and security.

“The conference allowed students to learn about the issues and debate with professors and decision-makers. But unlike many other conferences, at the end of the day, students produced a concrete result: a series of policy papers with policy suggestions worth considering,” said Nasos Abuel, ’16, executive director, with with Olga Karnas, ’16, of European Horizons, the Yale-based think-tank responsible for organizing the European Student Conference.

Among the distinguished policy-makers taking part in the debates were Kristalina Georgieva, the vice president of the European Commission; David O’Sullivan, the EU ambassador to the United States; Joao Vale de Almeida, the EU ambassador to the United Nations; Pierre Vimont, the former secretary general of the European External Action Service; Klaus Welle, the secretary general of the European Parliament\; Erhard Busek, the former vice-chancellor of Austria; and Georg Fischer, the EU visiting fellow at Yale. Eileen O’Connor, Yale’s vice president of communications, also participated in the conference debates. 

In a written statement, former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright commended European Horizons “for coming together to help forge a positive vision for the future of the European Union and its role in the world.”

“The work of European Horizons is more relevant than ever,” Albright added.

The policy papers offer a variety of ideas and proposals:

Economy: Papers called for establishing digital literacy classes for owners of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in order to enhance the potential of the European digital economy; measures allowing access to carbon financing for SMEs; and strategies for innovation clusters to develop around universities.

Immigration: There were proposals to create a supranational body at the EU-level that oversees border control, documentation, and the granting of legal status to refugees; establishing a multinational naval force that would have dual humanitarian and safety-focused objectives; launching programs aimed at enhancing capacity building; and establishing support networks among former migrants and newcomers.

European identity: Proposals suggested employing the U.N. Refugee Agency’s Integration Evaluation Tool in European member states in order to quantify the progress of immigrant integration across time; acknowledging Europe’s Christian heritage but also launching inter-religious dialogue in universities and local communities in order to foster tolerance and mutual respect; and supporting European Muslim organizations in order to combat radicalization through education and community programs.

Institutions: Proposed reforms to European institutions included plans for a Eurozone treasury with its own revenue that would serve as a fiscal transfer mechanism. The treasury would rely on four main policy tools: a stabilization transfer scheme; a mechanism for the oversight of national budgets; Eurobills and the Eurozone Investment Booster Instrument; and the appointment of a Eurozone minister of finance within the European Commission, at the level of vice-president or higher.

Defense: Papers argued for enhancing Europol’s intelligence capabilities; the use of qualified majority voting in the decision-making of the Common Security and Defense Policy; and smarter spending by European countries on military spending in order to enhance Europe’s military capabilities.

New to the conference was the Entrepreneurship Workshop, which challenged participants to develop four candidate business ideas that facilitate the integration of admitted immigrants into European societies and economies. Ultimately, the prize went to e-UBelong, a business idea that aims to build a digital platform that will link immigrants to employers based on skills matching and job vacancies.

“Having attended two European Student Conferences, I must say that I have been impressed not only by the energy of the students but also by the eagerness of policy makers to listen to their ideas,” said Alicia Tee ’16, director of this year’s European Student Conference.

European Horizons intends to build on the impact of the European Student Conference. Drawing on its chapters across 20 American universities, the think-tank leaders are planning a series of events and activities for the future.

Discussion circles will begin in chapters that will include European policy-makers, politicians, artists, and musicians, giving them access to students at American campuses and encouraging students to engage with important European public figures.

The spring issue of European Horizons’ academic journal, the Review of European & Transatlantic Affairs, will be published in the coming months and will feature a compendium of the policy papers crafted at the conference, accompanied by commentary from professors and policy-makers. European Horizons’ first “Policy Perspective,”on the rise of the far right in Europe, will be published in April, with an in-depth analysis of the reasons behind the success of the far right as well as suggested policy prescriptions for the EU and European governments. A spring forum is also being organized in Washington, D.C. in partnership with established think-tanks and the European Parliament; the forum will address issues concerning European security.

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