The time I talked politics with young people at the European Parliament (and received a condom among the goodies)

Последна актуализация вторник, 09/07/2024

A few months ago, when I applied to the Pool of Young Journalists in Europe, I thought it would be a great opportunity as an aspiring writer. Meeting young people from all across Europe, travelling and discovering areas of my continent with a mission, having a purpose to deepen European politics and practising my English. My ideas got concrete at the European Youth Week 2024, which took place on 12 April in the European Parliament in Brussels, as I found there what I was looking for.

The editorial staff of Eurodesk asked my Irish colleague Alannah and I to participate in the European Youth Week (EYW) to find stories to tell and elaborate a reportage for the European Youth Portal you’re reading right now. Excited as I was, I asked for a day off from my Italian job and I set off to Brussels. During my journey, I met Riccardo, an 18-year-old guy, Italian like me. He was going to the same event and we ended up confronting each other about policy decisions of our country and hopes for the future.

I arrived on Thursday, 11 May, the day before the EYW kick-off event, right on time to run to the restaurant, meet the rest of the Eurodesk youth delegation and eat with them. The delegation consisted of 30 youngsters. Next to me, at my table, was Victoria, a girl from Sweden. It was nice to talk with her about the pros and cons of Scandinavian life, as for 6 months I lived in a small Danish island for my European Solidarity Corps project.

Alannah and I, young journalists (photo taken by @riccardo_delellis)

Friday was the proper kick-off event day. I woke up early in the morning, at 6:30, to have a quick breakfast and reach Station Europe to be accredited. The first activity was the plenary opening session in the Hemicycle! We listened to the speeches of the authorities and then, to conclude the solemn moment, we had the pleasure to attend the music performance of the Greek saxophonist Dimitrios Paganias.

Dimitrios Paganias (European Union, 2024. Source: European Youth Portal)

One of the topics I was interested in knowing more about after the opening session  concerning those States that applied to become part of the Union. Teodora Panuş (the current president of the National Youth Council of Moldova) was the right person to ask at that moment, as Moldova was granted candidate status in June 2022. I met her in the context of a breakout session entitled ‘How are young political activists shaping the future of EU’, where she was one of the speakers. This session was organised by Aegee Europe (a big interdisciplinary student organisation) together with Y Vote (a campaign that helps young people to be well informed about the next elections).

A picture taken after the breakout session 

The speech of Teodora left me impressed. Her blend of tangible ‘on-the-ground’ experience, humour and wisdom was exceptional. After the end of the session, I decided to approach her and ask for a one-on-one interview.

“I started out of need – Teodora tells me – because I saw that my rights were not fully represented and I thought I could do more. I could ensure that, at least, my voice was heard. I thought that it might be a good opportunity to start to push and ask for more. The more we ask, the more we receive”.

Teodora Panuş, president of the National Youth Council of Moldova 

During her breakout session, I wrote in my notebook a sentence Teodora said: “If you don’t voice your point of view, it will not be represented by anyone else”. Then, Teodora mentioned the struggles she has to face as a citizen of an underrepresented area. “In general, being from Eastern Europe – Teodora continues – means to come from a background with our own pressures. Starting from shrinking democracy to constant political crisis. All of these aspects still affect young people. And, this is what we should keep in mind, it affects not just the youth from Eastern Europe, it affects the youth from all across Europe”. 

I brought home with me some teachings after having talked with her. I was impressed by a series of principles, which she expressed in a very practical way. “Prioritise yourself – for example, she says – because you cannot properly fight for the rights of young people if you are exhausted”. “And – she goes on – the moment you start to accept you’re not perfect, and you should never be perfect, life tends to become a bit easier”.

The most addressed topic at the EYW was, definitely, the upcoming EU elections (6-9 June 2024). “If you don’t vote – Teodora Panuş tells me at the end of our interview – you don’t get the right to complain”. Clear and straightforward. At this point, I thanked Teodora, and I went for lunch in the Hall Yehudi Menuhin.

After that, the activities resumed. I met the four ambassadors of Eryica, the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency. They hosted an interesting breakout session in collaboration with Eurodesk. The goal was to focus on the big picture of changing Europe, its governance and its decision-making process.

The young activists started the session by brainstorming with the audience on the ways people can make their voices heard. They continued explaining in detail which parties  were represented in the Parliament from 2019 to 2024, which political leanings they expressed and how many members each member state can elect.

As I was curious to hear more from these volunteers, I approached them to have a closer interview. Their names are Anaïs (20 years old, from Belgium), Hanna (20, Estonia), Sergi (19, Spain) and Alexandre (20, Belgium) and they’re all involved in the special project of Eryica called ‘EU inFORM - Walk the talk’. The main objective of this campaign is to inform young people in view of the European Elections in 2024.

Eryica ambassadors for the project “Walk the Talk”. From left to right: Anaïs, Hanna, Sergi and Alexandre

‘I discovered that many young people were not aware that in Belgium the right to vote was lowered to the age of 16. I found it interesting to participate in the process, in order to make them better prepared for the next elections”, Anaïs said.

“I started to be interested in politics when I attended a US model congress (a role-playing simulation of the United States Congress, editor’s note). There I experienced what it feels like to be a politician. Then I applied to get into this project because it looked like an interesting opportunity and a great challenge”, Hanna said.

“The most satisfying part of the job is when we talk with first time voters. We explain to them what the EU is about, how it does work and the importance of voting. Actually, sometimes they’re amazed about the system and excited to express their opinion, through voting, for the first time”, Alexander said.

All these ambassadors hope that in the next 10 years, the European Union can be more united and stronger and that there will be more room dedicated to youngsters, including in the Hemicycle. Sergi also pointed out that “At the moment, there are trends of Euroscepticism. Hopefully, they will be mitigated in the upcoming years. I also hope the future policies of the Union will show how important it is to stay united”.

At 18:00 the day I spent at the European Parliament came to an end. I left the palace with some friends I met there and all together, as hungry as we were, we walked across the city to find a pleasant food kiosk in the  and have our deserved dinner. 

Between Belgian fries and a beer, I found time to recollect the happenings of my short but intense stay in the capital of the European institutions.

From the EYW, among other goodies, I will concretely bring home: Eurodesk socks “Don’t let your vote get cold feet”, European Solidarity Corps mints “Making a change is refreshing” and… a Eurodesk condom “Choose wisely”.

Some of the goodies

Regarding the personal outcome of this unique experience, the kick-off event has given me a huge desire, stronger than before, to be part of the change in my country. I will continue my efforts starting with my local work. 

Moreover, I’m excited to continue practising my language skills, not just English, but also French. I would have loved to have spoken it in Brussels… 

Finally, I’ve learned the hard way that missing a flight connection is not a catastrophe. After all, wandering around Frankfurt with my suitcase for some hours was pretty cool in the end. 

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Young Journalists in Europe - Meet the author

Emanuele Gessi 
Emanuele, 23 years old, coming from Italy, in between quiet and chaos, reality and ideas. My hair and eyes are brown, my nose is straight and I have a bit of a beard. I like my khaki backpack, Bolaño and working in the open air.

This article reflects the views of the authors only. The European Commission and Eurodesk cannot be held responsible for it.