Political organisations in Europe • Politics of Europe By Comments Disabled

European Youth Parliament

The European Youth Parliament is a politically unbound non-profit organization , which encourages European youth to actively engage in citizenship and cultural understanding. It involves 50,000 youngsters from all around Europe and has around 5,000 active members in the different countries. It was established in 1987 in Fontainebleau , France .

History

The European Youth Parliament was founded by Bettina Carr-Allinson, initially as a school project at the Lycée François-I in Fontainebleau , to the south of Paris . [1] International Sessions were held, starting in 1988, about a year after the idea took place.

It was developed in 1991 in Witney , Oxfordshire , in 1991, and was legally recognized as European Youth Parliament International Ltd. , a subsidiary of a charity created in 1992 for this purpose, the Fontainebleau Youth Foundation . The organization experienced an enduring growth for the next decade, its network counting and increasing numbers of National Committees. The National Committees extend beyond the scope of countries within the European Union and try to encompass all European countries.

In the years 2001 to 2004, the EYP encountered various problems of financial nature. On November 4, 2004, however, the European Youth Parliament was reborn to a mutual agreement between representatives of the EYP’s Board of National Committees, alumni and the Heinz-Schwarzkopf Foundation . The EYP’s status since then has been a program of the Schwarzkopf-Stiftung Junges Europa , and is hosted in Berlin , Germany .

The actual activities of the EYP never faltered during this period.

Since 2004, the EYP has introduced several reforms in its institutions and further enlarged its activities.

Management

At the international level, the EYP is an international board, the Governing Body . The Governing Body has six members elected by the National Committees and by the alumni of past sessions. A representative of the Heinz-Schwarzkopf Foundation is also a member. The board is largely responsible for the assurance of the International Sessions but also takes responsibility for the overall direction of the organization and the long-term sustainability and protection of the organization. The day-to-day business of the organization is managed by a hired manager at the International Office in Berlin. Philipp J. Scharffwas the manager from 2004 to 2008, Jan Phillip Beck (DE) from 2008 until 2011 and Vasaramäki City (FI) from 2011 until 2013. Krista Lagus (FI) has been Executive Director of the EYP since 2013. Since 30 January 2017, Krista Lagus is on maternity leave. Lukas Fendel (DE) is taking over the role of Executive Director for the time of her leave.

At the national level, the National Committees are free to choose how to manage themselves, though the form of management must comply with basic democratic principles. It is the responsibility of the National Committees to organize and fund their own national sessions (more about them below). International Sessions can receive more funding from EYP at the international level. Sessions are usually funded through sponsorship from various organizations or corporations. Each session must be economically independent.

Sessions

EYP organizes three international nine-day sessions each year. They are organized in different countries and all European countries are invited to join, not just members of the EU . Each country’s national committee selects a delegation to participate in each session, the size of the delegation depends on the country and how long has its National Committee has been part of EYP. The delegations are then spread out in different committees, each committee with a particular topic. This ensures a strong cultural diversity in the committee and serves as a strong incentive to socialize and make friends with people from the committee.

Each international session starts with a two-day Teambuilding part, in which delegates get acquainted with each other and start improving the group dynamics of the committee. The delegates play different games which are meant to bring back the delegates from an initial shyness to a comfortable, open atmosphere optimal for efficient Committee work.

This is followed by Committee Work. During this time, the European Commission discusses the issue of political issues. A member of the European Parliament or some other expert to answer questions and quickly discuss the topic with the Committee.

The sessions with a General Assembly, in which the committee resolutions are considered, and approved (or if the resolution is found unacceptable, not approved). The European Parliament, for the consideration of MEPs. General Assembly is usually held in such honorary or prestigious location, as the host country’s Houses of Parliament or the main hall of the City Council.

Additionally National Committees of EYP organizes Several national and regional sessions every year. National sessions are to be selected for the international upcoming sessions. These sessions are shorter, longer normally, and do not invite members of the European Parliament to the committees. Regional sessions are of varying length, from 3 to 7 or 8 days, and in essence imitate international sessions. They have, however, a more constrained budget and less formal than international sessions. For both national and regional sessions, resolutions are sent to the European Parliament.

International Sessions
  • 1st International Session in Fontainebleau , France, 1988
  • 2nd International Session in Fontainebleau , France, 1989
  • 3rd International Session in Thessaloniki , Greece, 1989
  • 4th International Session in Fontainebleau , France, 1990
  • 5th International Session in Lisbon , Portugal, 1990
  • 6th International Session in Kronberg , Germany, 1990
  • 7th International Session in Prague , Czech Republic, 1991
  • 8th International Session in Barcelona , Spain, 1991
  • 9th International Session in Oxford , United Kingdom, 1992
  • 10th International Session in Strasbourg , France, 1992
  • 11th International Session in Ghent , Belgium, 1992
  • 12th International Session in Budapest , Hungary, 1993
  • 13th International Session in Luxembourg , Luxembourg, 1993
  • 14th International Session in Fontainebleau , France, 1993
  • 15th International Session in Berlin , Germany, 1994
  • 16th International Session in Brussels , Belgium, 1994
  • 17th International Session in Holstebro , Denmark, 1994
  • 18th International Session in Gothenburg , Sweden, 1995
  • 19th International Session in Dublin , Ireland, 1995
  • 20th International Session in Milan , Italy, 1995
  • 21st International Session in Helsinki , Finland, 1996
  • 22nd International Session in Munich , Germany, 1996
  • 23rd International Session in Nicosia , Cyprus, 1996
  • 24th International Session in Thessaloniki , Greece, 1997
  • 25th International Session in Barcelona , Spain, 1997
  • 26th International Session in Edinburgh , United Kingdom, 1997
  • 27th International Session in Granada , Spain, 1998
  • 28th International Session in Brussels , Belgium, 1998
  • 29th International Session in Vienna , Austria, 1998
  • 30th International Session in Rome , Italy, 1999
  • 31st International Session in Weimar , Germany, 1999
  • 32nd International Session in Hämeenlinna , Finland, 1999
  • 33rd International Session in Athens , Greece, 2000
  • 34th International Session in Bern , Switzerland, 2000
  • 35th International Session in Oxford , United Kingdom, 2000
  • 36th International Session in Stockholm , Sweden, 2001
  • 37th International Session in Dubrovnik , Croatia, 2001
  • 38th International Session in Porto , Portugal, 2001
  • 39th International Session in Riga , Latvia, 2002
  • 40th International Session in Ghent , Belgium, 2002
  • 41st International Session in Turin , Italy, 2002
  • 42nd International Session in Prague , Czech Republic, 2003
  • 43rd International Session in Dublin , Ireland, 2003
  • 44th International Session in Tallinn , Estonia, 2003
  • 45th International Session in Durham , United Kingdom, 2004
  • 46th International Session in Tábor , Czech Republic, 2004
  • 47th International Session in Berlin , Germany, 2004
  • 48th International Session in Stavanger , Norway, Spring 2005
  • 49th International Session in Basel , Switzerland, Summer 2005
  • 50th International Session in Bari , Italy, Autumn 2005
  • 51st International Session in Paris , France, Spring 2006
  • 52nd International Session in Ventspils – Riga , Latvia, Summer 2006
  • 53rd International Session in Kiev , Ukraine, Autumn 2006
  • 54th International Session in Potsdam , Germany, Spring 2007
  • 55th International Session in Białystok , Poland, Summer 2007
  • 56th International Session in Dublin , Ireland, Autumn 2007
  • 57th International Session in Prague , Czech Republic Spring 2008
  • 58th International Session in Liverpool , United Kingdom, Summer 2008
  • 59th International Session in Rennes , France, Autumn 2008
  • 60th International Session in Stockholm , Sweden, Spring 2009
  • 61st International Session in Leuven , Belgium, Summer 2009
  • 62nd International Session in Helsinki , Finland, Autumn 2009
  • 63rd International Session in Tromsø , Norway, Spring 2010
  • 64th International Session in Frankfurt , Germany, Summer 2010
  • 65th International Session in Lviv , Ukraine, Autumn 2010
  • Extraordinary International Session in Lillehammer , Norway, Winter 2010
  • 66th International Session in Athens , Greece, Spring 2011
  • 67th International Session in Grenoble , France, Summer 2011
  • 68th International Session in Zagreb , Croatia, Autumn 2011
  • 69th International Session in Istanbul , Turkey, Spring 2012
  • 70th International Session in Tallinn , Estonia, Summer 2012
  • 71st International Session in Amsterdam , The Netherlands, Autumn 2012
  • 72nd International Session in Munich , Germany, Spring 2013
  • 73rd International Session in Zurich , Switzerland, Summer 2013
  • 74th International Session in Tbilisi , Georgia, Autumn 2013
  • 75th International Session in Riga , Latvia, Spring 2014
  • 76th International Session in Barcelona , Spain, Summer 2014
  • 77th International Session in Kiev , Ukraine, Autumn 2014 (canceled for political instability)
  • 78th International Session in Izmir , Turkey, Spring 2015
  • 79th International Session in Tampere , Finland, Summer 2015
  • 80th International Session in Leipzig , Germany, Autumn 2015
  • 81st International Session in Dublin , Ireland and Belfast , United Kingdom, Spring 2016
  • 82nd International Session in Rennes , France, Summer 2016
  • 83rd International Session in Laax , Switzerland, Autumn 2016
  • 84th International Session in Trondheim , Norway, Spring 2017
  • 85th International Session in Brno , Czech Republic, Summer 2017
  • 86th International Session in Tbilisi , Georgia, Autumn 2017

Future sessions will include:

  • 87th International Session in Vilnius , Lithuania, Summer 2018
  • 88th International Session in Rotterdam , The Netherlands, Autumn 2018
  • 89th International Session in Yerevan , Armenia, Spring 2019
  • 90th International Session in Valencia , Spain, Summer 2019

External links

  • European Youth Parliament – official website

References

  1. Jump up^ “Introduction | Amsterdam 2012 – European Youth Parliament (EYP)” . Amsterdam2012.eu . Retrieved 2016-01-22 .
  2. Jump up^ [1] ArchivedMay 4, 2014, at theWayback Machine.