What do young people think about the European Union?
Some clearly support it, with surveys showing young people tend to vote for pro-European liberal and green parties. Others are more suspicious and have flocked to populist, far-right or far-left parties, or believe the system is somehow broken.
For many, EU decision-making can seem remote — especially if the issues you care about aren’t on the agenda. POLITICO asked eight of the European Parliament’s youngest members, some of whom are about to embark on their first term, how do you make the EU more relevant to young people?
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Be more transparent, listen
Kira Peter-Hansen, 21, is a Danish MEP from the Socialist People’s Party.
Politicians can make the European Union relevant to young people by letting them into the decision-making process and giving them a better sense of what it is they do. As an MEP, I will let people follow my day-to-day life on social media and tell them about the political battles taking place.
We also have to make sure that people who voted for a greener and more sustainable future feel heard in Brussels. Local and citizens’ initiatives are part of the solution and are helping to drive change, and I will continue to support the young citizens who have taken to the streets across the EU to demand climate action.
Fighting for a fast green transition should be the EU’s priority. We need a policy that makes big polluters pay first, leaves no one behind and gives security and opportunity to citizens, workers and communities. We also have to raise awareness — among citizens and decision-makers alike — about their carbon footprint and ensure they are well-informed about the implications of failing to tackle climate change.
This kind of direct, fact-based communication will help young Europeans see that the EU has an extremely important role to play in the battle to save our climate.
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Make the EU more democratic
Manon Aubry, 29, is a French MEP from France Unbowed.
Young people are particularly distant from European elections and politics. In France, around seven out of 10 young citizens do not vote for their European representatives. The main reason? Lack of influence and a lack of information about EU politics. Both stem from malfunctions within so-called European democracy that the EU should urgently address.
The EU is designed to be impervious to citizens’ influence. Although it brands itself as one of the world’s major democracies, it is led by an unelected Commission and its Parliament has no legislative initiative. The EU would be more relevant for young people if it were more democratic, with a right of initiative for the Parliament and reinforced control over the Commission.
Moreover, most EU decisions are made behind closed doors. The process should be more accessible for public scrutiny and political debates, including at the European Council, should be accessible to everyone. As citizens’ representatives, it is MEPs’ responsibility to ensure popular education on European politics and to be political whistleblowers for the wider public, just as it is their duty to take action on the issues people care about — such as climate change.
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Speak their language
Markéta Gregorová, 26, is a Czech MEP from the Pirate Party.
In the last parliamentary term, the average age of MEPs was 53. And while there’s no question that experience is highly important in politics, we can’t expect the previous generation to be able to address new challenges and keep up with the rapid pace of change without the input of young people.
The European Parliament needs to become more diverse and represent all segments of the population — and that includes young people. Why not invite YouTube influencers, such as PewDiePie, to the Parliament? They should be part of the conversation.
The EU hasn’t done nearly enough to address what’s worrying us. We need to talk about unemployment, or the fact the many young people can’t afford to buy an apartment, don’t have access to quality education and are deeply concerned about our government’s lack of action on climate change.
Let’s start by speaking about these issues — loudly — with young people and in their language.
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Champion the right issues
Magid Magid, 29, is a British MEP from the Green Party.
One of the greatest misconceptions among politicians today is that young people are just not that into politics.
Too many politicians think that the way to connect with the youth is by using their language, appearing on Instagram or Snapchat or — for the more savvy ones — hanging out with YouTube influencers. And sure, these things can make an impact. But if you look at the effect that Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist, has had these past few months, then you know that the best way to make young people interested in politics is to make what we do relevant to them.
I have three concrete proposals for the European Union.
Magid Magid has three proposals for the EU | Photo courtesy of Magid Magid
First, lower the legal voting age to 16. If you give young people the right to vote, they are more likely to take a lifelong interest in politics, develop a habit of voting and pay attention to what is going on around them because they will feel like they can do something about it.
Second, get serious about fighting climate change. In many ways the EU is already a leader on that front, but we could go so much further. For example, we could start a green bank that gives starter investment to transformative projects across the Continent.
And lastly, the EU needs to become more democratic. As a start, let’s have European citizens elect the president of the European Commission. Beyond that, we should consider introducing participatory budgeting exercises and citizens’ assemblies to bring democracy to life for everyone.
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Invest in young people
Delara Burkhardt, 26, is a German MEP from the Social Democratic Party.
To address modern challenges credibly, the EU has to listen to its young people.
My generation grew up in a united Europe and believes in the importance of addressing common challenges — climate change, migration and tax evasion, to name just three — together. We want our voices to be heard.
The EU has to show it is more than just an economic union that looks out for the well-being of companies. My generation wants a Europe that cares for its citizens and invests in its youth. Europe should be a place of opportunity, where young people grow up in equal living conditions, where young interns don’t work for free, where there is more money for youth exchanges and education.
The EU needs to step up the plate and show that it takes the social and climate challenges of our times seriously.
To achieve this, we need a smarter, bigger EU budget that invests in youth and labor market policy initiatives, better infrastructure and innovation. We need to develop a social vision of Europe, and involve young people in the decision-making.
The EU needs to step up the plate and show that it takes the social and climate challenges of our times seriously. If Brussels can show it’s ready to do so, I am convinced that more young Europeans will relate to its mission and its core values.
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Worry about brain drain
Karlo Ressler, 29, is a Croatian MEP from the Croatian Democratic Union.
It’s actually rather simple: Listen to young people’s concerns and include them in policymaking.
Although the issues they care about differ by country, young people share three big worries: education, employment and the opportunity to live, work and raise a family in a comfortable environment.
Advances in technology, globalization and migration have accelerated the pace of social change, with disproportionate effects for young people. Changes in the dynamics of the labor market, for example, have led to the rise of temporary employment and inadequate salaries, meaning there is less job security and young people are unable to save for the future.
Part of addressing this will also involve tackling inequalities between regions and the grave consequences of brain drain and depopulation, which has affected a large part of Eastern and Southern Europe. Supporting affected communities through the EU’s cohesion policy will go a long way to reversing the large outflows of skilled labor — and show young people the EU can have a positive effect on their lives.
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Communicate more effectively
Luisa Porritt, 32, is a British MEP for the Liberal Democrats.
There is no doubt that young people benefit from European Union membership. Being able to live, love, work and study in 27 other EU countries is a privilege. It’s something I personally benefited from and recommend to other young people.
MEPs have a vital role to play in improving the way EU institutions communicate these benefits, but haven’t always done a good enough job of relaying all the good work the EU does to the public.
Many probably don’t know that young people aged 18 can apply to travel for free across 31 European countries. In 2018, MEPs voted for the “Interrail” scheme to be freely available to 30,000 young people living in the EU annually. Free mobile roaming within the EU is another great perk of membership — and one that saves young people money when they take holidays across the Continent.
After a 2018 European Parliament vote, the “Interrail” scheme is now freely available to 30,000 young people living in the EU | Jacques Demarthon/AFP via Getty Images
As a newly elected young British MEP, I’m committed to using every means possible to explain these benefits to Londoners, whether through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, email or online. To counteract Euroskepticism, it’s more important than ever that British MEPs be visible, accountable and give an accurate representation of what goes on in Brussels.
The same goes for politicians from across Europe. The EU is hugely beneficial to Europeans, whether young or old — we all need it sell it better.
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Take their concerns seriously
Terry Reintke, 32, is a German Green MEP.
Young people know what they want. In the weeks and months ahead of the European election, they came out in their thousands to demand the EU take action on climate change. It is now up to us to deliver. We have to convince them that we hear them and that we are committed to charting a course that will deliver the future they want to live in.
The EU should not be an abstract entity operating in Brussels and Strasbourg. It should be the origin of concrete solutions to the problems facing young people. In the context of climate policy this means that we have to increase our climate targets, put a price on carbon, phase out coal as soon as possible and massively increase our investment in renewable energy and energy saving, to name just a few steps.
At the same time, we need to ensure there is enough funding for youth policies across the EU. Young people want a more equal, more ecological, more open Europe. It’s in all of our interests to make that happen.