Flags of convenience facilitate illegal activities in the ocean, such as IUU fishing, human trafficking, pirating and low tax payments. The current registration processes and lack of history track on flags of convenience are not effective. Therefore, a directive should be drafted and implemented, obliging all European vessels to be registered in a centralized database, in order to keep a tracking history of all the flags registry. However, this database would not have the option of leaving any empty year field (similar to the rules applying to the planes' registration).

The issue of safety in schools and universities is a crucial aspect in the field of education, which does not receive nearly as much attention as it should. Considering the many factors that have the potential to disrupt the academic process and even have long-term effects on the people affected – ranging from natural disasters to acts of violence between students – it is very important to be knowledgable about the measures we can adopt in each situation in order to protect ourselves and others from harm, while creating a secure, pleasant and intellectually stimulating learning environment. Unfortunately, in many European countries, safety instruction in schools and universities is either completely absent, or treated as something optional, left at the discretion of each institution. Such a program should be made compulsory in all EU member states, with a standardized content covering all possible situations that students and teachers might encounter, preferably delivered through a mix of presentations and role playing.

We currently live in an unpredictable world, where existential challenges arise unstoppably. International relations are entering a new era of continuous competition and conflict, and a unipolar world is no longer in place. This gives rise to a multipolar world. Regional powers are trying to shift the balance of power in their favor. As a result, it is time for the EU to rise up to the real security challenges that arise in the region. The only way, in my opinion, to respond to the upcoming disputes is by solidifying the EU's foreign policy and hard power. A renewed CFSP and CSDP must give way to real defensive capabilities that will give the EU the power to respond to military challenges autonomously in the future. Moreover, it is time to take seriously the concept of a European army. Even though nation-states' interests will always be the number one priority of member-states, we can never achieve a supranational model of governance, or true European solidarity, without accomplishing consensus in the most important matter for all, security and defense.

Crosswalks should not be placed directly on roads - this puts pedestrians at risk of being hit by a car. Also cars have to stop if pedestrian wants to cross the road and again gain the crossing speed. This leads to higher exhaust pollution. If crosswalks would be underground or aboveground, then pedestrians would be much safer, and cars could run higher speed (like 70kmh instead of 50) polluting less CO2 and other toxic substances.

With the beginning of the war in Ukraine and the delivery of material, it has become evident how countries like Germany lacks equipment and preparedness to deal with an open conflict with a third country. Joint armed EU forces could help to respond more strongly to real threats to our security such as terrorism or the Russian threat. In addition, I believe that the appropriate regulations and the creation of solid institutions could boost these bodies by equipping them with the appropriate material for their ordinary actions. This will be a big step in the history of the European Union, but I believe that the European jewels that share this idea need to do everything possible to advance this idea as a reality.

There are people who intentionally or unintentionally create hate speech. While there are many people who are against hate speech and those who seek justice, we still need a global online platform to help. In one part of this platform, citizens will report all form of hate speech in this entirety; information will then be verified by a member of the central team and action should be taken by formal investigation in local or EU court. It could function as a way of sending a warning to offenders.

Watching global events unfold in 2021, it becomes clear that the European Union needs to stand together: it is important to be prepared for future threats and retain independence from non-EU nations. This could be achieved by establishing a common foreign policy that would help maintain peace on the continent. It could be seen as a key step to reach a status of a full political union.

A common foreign policy would allow the EU to display strength and determination when meeting nations on diplomatic missions. It would also help to improve external and internal efficiency; administrative costs for consulates or embassies could be cut and decisions could be made in a timely and effective manner.

Furthermore, it would help safeguard the interests of the EU and its citizens around the world, while continuously promoting peace and freedom.

Online registration and login processes should be facilitated by creating an EU Identity Server. This means that the public institutions of all member states will all have the option “login with EU”

With hate speech, low self-esteem, and misinformation circulating online, teenagers and adults must be aware of the risks online and ensure they can accept the risks before going online. Children and young people should be aware of how excessive screen time seriously impacts their psychological and emotional well-being. The solution to it could be:

• to create an evidence-based awareness campaign
• to introduce mandatory lessons within the school curriculum to raise awareness about screen time
• to enhance security of online activities: we need more verification when users create social media accounts to avoid lies about identity and age. All accounts creators should go through extensive checks. Even if the process is long and annoying, it comes down to protecting lives
• to limit the practice of online gaming. Video game apps should create a system where children under 13 years old have a limited online game by verification of age

Governments and other public bodies are taking advantage of the mass surveillance possibilities that the internet provides. Sometimes, in the name of better public security, governments breach personal data and violate citizens' right to privacy. The time has come for this situation to change.

Governments shouldn't have access to our personal data under the pretext of protecting minors or fighting terrorism. After all, in most cases, the main victims of personal data breaches are common people, journalists, and activists, since “dangerous”

Content monitoring on social media has become an important element in guaranteeing citizens' safety online. During the COVID-19 pandemic, content monitoring technologies have been used to automatically identify posts discussing the virus or vaccines, encouraging readers to visit an official source to find out more about the topic.

Building on this experience, technology that automatically identifies the subjects of social media posts could be used to identify hate speech directed towards minorities.

Cybersecurity attacks are one of modern life's greatest threats and their consequences vary greatly by age, sex, and gender. Human trafficking, cyberbullying, disinformation campaigns, and identity theft are just a few examples of the dangers on the internet today. 

As the internet has become an essential part of our daily life, it is important to raise awareness and increase knowledge about online threats and vulnerabilities.

One effective solution to protect from such attacks is the integration of cyber education and basic programming courses into the school curriculum and awareness campaigns on disinformation throughout EU schools and universities. Another creative idea to embed digital literacy in the classroom is to honor and celebrate Digital Security Day in schools, and enhance learning via educational cartoons, especially for younger children.

Besides this, schools need to establish a new role: the digital teacher. The generation that has grown with new communication tools could be the best teacher about these technologies for a new generation that is still growing with and learning in the digital world.

Furthermore, there should also be free online course available in as many European languages as possible, which will focus on issues such as cybersecurity, data protection, digital privacy, and protection against disinformation. The most important is that this course should be taught in simple language in order to be understood by people of different ages and educational backgrounds. 

Citizens should be taught how to think critically and use the internet safely, so that we can reduce the likelihood of being harmed by potential cyber threats. In other words, let's make people digitally literate!

Within the Eastern Partnership, the EU should create a forum where young people from countries involved in frozen conflicts get together to brainstorm ways to create dialogue between societies. The initiative could for example bring together young people from countries like Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and young people from self-declared independent countries like Transnistria and South Ossetia.

Across the EU, there should be a common minimum level of penalties for various crimes. In general, criminal penalties should be increased, especially in the case of repeated offences.

National police forces are often guilty of discriminating against members of vulnerable groups and abusing their powers. A common European police force would treat people equally, thus ensuring that law enforcement authorities comply fully with anti-discrimination laws.

Electronic identification seems is an essential aspect of daily life in the digital world. Thus, the EU should develop a trusted and secure digital identity card for all European citizens.

Social media has lately been used in political processes and activities, including election campaigns, communication strategies, and even global conflicts. Nowadays, since social media platforms have the power to change the dynamics of political values, we should be very careful about getting social media accounts verified. In cases of accounts that are presented as official (marked by the "blue checkmark") but are in fact fake, EU institutions should appeal to social media companies to ask for the removal of verification or block of such accounts. 

One example could be the way Russia weaponized social media in Crimea and the EU's response. More specifically, since the EU does not recognise and continues to strongly condemn this violation of international law, it should accordingly prevent the verification of fake Russian accounts of the occupied territories. 

 

Internet giants, such as social media companies, should disclose their algorithms for transparency reasons. It is important that people are able to decide on the kind of content and information they receive. That way, instead of the growing aggressiveness that dominates now on the Internet, people may also become more open and tolerant.

The EU institutions should support the creation of a European social networking system, which will have virtual meeting platforms, social networks, and a search engine. It is important for European citizens to have a common official EU communication platform, as the latter can ensure cyber safety and data protection. 

The cookie consent notification or pop-up should become the responsibility of the browser and not of each website separately. Instead of websites having their own way of asking users' consent before deploying cookies, browsers should have an icon showing the cookies used. 

Shared border control is extremely difficult. It is thus not surprising that the EU's joint border agency, Frontex, has significant room for improvement. Several ideas are proposed for improving its approach to border management:

• An observer from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) should be present in all Frontex activities, to ensure that migrants' rights are protected.
• Furthermore, FRA should conduct assessments of Frontex's humanitarian response quality, to be included in key subject reports.
• Frontex should be subject to the same transparency requirements as other EU agencies.
• The European Parliament and European Council should be given greater decision-making roles in Frontex's operations.

Legal protection from gender-based discrimination and violence should be stronger. Any incidents of discrimination should be reported to the authorities, and for example employers should be held accountable for discrimination in wages, assignment of responsibilities or hiring decisions. In criminal law, penalties for gender-based violence, including sexual violence, should also be more severe.

One thing we, as citizens, should keep in mind is to always check the reliability of the sender of a link or email, even if it is an individual or a company. There are a lot of incidents of hackers who make fake links, the so-called phishing links, in their attempt to steal social media passwords or bank login credentials. 

Nowadays, new kinds of data breaches are becoming more and more common in our digital world, as the use of online platforms has risen rapidly. Last year in Finland, a data breach at one psychotherapy centre led to the leak of 33,000 files of personal client information. This shocking incident led to high level discussions on cybersecurity and identity theft. 

It is extremely important that citizens' personal data is protected and encrypted, and that each company recognises their responsibility within this. The EU needs to find ways to protect online users from current and emerging online threats. 

More specifically, it is absolutely necessary for the EU to create legislation to protect online users from data theft. To achieve this, Europe should:

• encourage discussions on digital issues
• prioritise data resilience in upcoming agendas
• inform people about methods of data collection and how their data is used
• closely monitor regional and global trends in data protection
• raise awareness on how we as people can report social media crimes
• find alternative ways to report cybercrimes at a local and international level

Human trafficking for purposes including prostitution destroy people's lives. The punishments for human trafficking should be severe in order to reflect the harm caused by the actions. Law enforcement authorities should also strengthen their efforts to identify trafficking rings.

Under the Biden administration, it looks like greater cooperation between the US and the European Union is possible. This should be seen as a chance to strengthen the partnership between the two and to build deep cooperation. As Biden is a proponent of free trade, areas of cooperation should include financial cooperation. Another area should be climate action where the USA and the EU should set an example for others to follow.

In times of crisis and emergency, alliances and allies are more important than ever–this is why it's crucial to look beyond the borders of the Union, strengthen ties to the US and foster solidarity.

Environmental disasters and climate change impact the whole world. Many times, governments face major struggles caused by the destruction of the planet, such as climate-driven migration or natural disasters. In a comprehensive, systematic and specialised way, climate affairs must therefore be included in multilateral and bilateral security agendas, as well as into the runway of foreign policy-making.

A good way to make this work is by making the protection and restoration of the environment a non-negotiable condition when it comes to EU diplomacy. Expanding the green transition to the Eastern and Southern Partnership Programs (European Neighbourhood Policy) is also interesting for Europe's geopolitical security needs.

As the creation of a digital version of the Euro has been suggested, there are many risks lurking if we do not treat it with the seriousness it deserves. One of the main concerns deriving from the digital Euro concept is that there might be a total loss of consumer's privacy and the risk of misuse of their data. Moreover, the digital euro might be misused in order to monitor citizens and their purchases. 

In order to prevent the above, it is necessary for the EU either to make the digital Euro currency open source or to stop evaluating the suggestion and eventually introducing the Euro. Above all, we should not make the digital Euro a tool in the hands of authoritarian governments, with the help of which they will control populations, and in order to achieve this, the EU needs to make the currency's source code public and follow the best IT security techniques.  

As a complement to the Civil Protection Mechanism, the EU should start an Emergency Unit specifically for climate related issues that can be deployed in any Member State that most needs it. For example, it would have been useful for the recent flooding episodes in Germany to provide emergency care to our citizens.

This unit is inspired by Spain's Military Emergency Unit (UME) and should have greater autonomy than the already existing European Civil Protection Mechanism.

The European Union should pay close attention to conflicts involving its Member States. The Cyprus conflict could serve as one example. In general though, the Union should become more active in local conflicts to make sure the Member States' interests are supported and protected alongside the values of the EU.