The European Union is ambitiously working towards its climate goals set by the Paris Agreement of 2015 and further conferences under the umbrella of her European Green Deal, which has the goal of making Europe a climate neutral continent by 2050 at the latest point. This is a legally binding target thanks to the European Climate Law. But climate change is a worldwide problem which doesn't stop at the borders of our continent, so Europe can't fix this worldwide problem on her own, even if she can help come a long way. The European Union is the largest market in the world and holds great international power because of this. Furthermore, it has a highly educated and skilled population and already has great experience with development aid all over the world. Under the Global Gateway strategy, the EU is already investing millions into development aid. Climate is also a sector of the Global Gateway, so this could be expanded to reach even more of the world. Therefore, this idea calls upon the European Union to: - Draft more environmentally friendly legislation of which its impact would be felt all around the world thanks to it's dominant position as the world's largest market. - Use more of our skilled labour force and advanced private sector to help out with climate mitigation and climate adaption around the world. - Promote European green industries around the world. - Expand the climate arm of the Global Gateway strategy. - Create and promote a globally useful strategy like the European Green Deal to reach climate goals worldwide. As one of the world's most advanced, largest, richest and active players, the European Union can have a future as the international climate leader. As I believe that the future of Europe is green, and the future of green is Europe.

We have demographic issues within the Europe and we seek more labors - both white collars like doctors, IT engineer or teachers, but as well blue collars like plumber, construction workers or electricians. At the same time, people outside Europe what’s to make a change in their lives and start a new chapter in Europe due to socioeconomical issues. Let’s create a program where people can sign up to come to Europe, learn local language and needed profession in specific region. Let’s say a Palestinian woman from a camp in Lebanon seeks better future and she is ready to move to Sweden, learn Swedish language and get education to become a nurse. EU member state could have a controlled list of such candidates and allow such candidates come to the country under controlled circumstances to learn the language, learn the specific needed profession and fill the gap in the country. It can prevent waves of uncontrolled migration of people who seeks better future because now they could have a legal opportunity to do in in a human way. We already have so called “EU blue card” which could be extended!

The EU should work closely with organisations such as ASEAN, Mercosur, African Union, in order to promote the model of the EU abroad. By cooperating with these organisations of regional cooperation, the EU can promote human rights, business, the European way of life, etc. This would give the EU and its allies a new voice that can be independent from the USA or China but not against them. Such new found influence would be based on cooperation between countries represented by its organisations.

Volunteering is an incredible program created by the EU, which lets young people from different countries abroad and learn more about what they want to become or other subjects they are interested. The main issue with this program is that they are a one time opportunity. I believe that volunteering should be supported more by the EU. People who have finished a long term volunteering participate in a new one, dividing the actual volunteering proposals for a first time volunteer and an experienced volunteer. This way people will talk more about this program and present it to young people to know about it.

It is in the self-interest of national politicians to be separate and thus maximise their benefits. On the other hand, it is in the interest of EU citizens to be nationals of a federal state operating in a coordinated manner. It is necessary that the EU, as a federal state, cannot have its own foreign policy, army or nationality. There is a need for a single citizenship, army and foreign policy, as well as as much coordination as possible in the area of state-inhabitant relations. The introduction of a pivot language (e.g. English), which should be mandatory for all official procedures in addition to the languages of the member states, could be a means of coordination as much as possible: offices, police, public services, courts, etc. With the presence of a pivot language, an EU army would become a realistic option. The first step in this is to reform education, where it is necessary to provide students with the best possible efficiency in teaching the relay language. If this happens, it would be possible for a citizen coming from a corner of the EU to move almost without difficulty, both in employment and social terms, in the Member State to which he or she moved.

Europe is already a continent where people no matter their cultural background are welcome to live, study etc. Why don't we expand our cultural backgrounds to teach the rest of the world our values and what Europe really is? From Lapland to Siberia and from Mount Olympus to Mount Everest. Erasmus+ should be for all!

The European Union should implement a program of grants and other forms of support for universities and other research organizations operating in member states that focus on the development of artificial intelligence for sustainable development and global prosperity.

Youth-led initiatives platform: we need a platform for supporting and promoting youth-led initiatives that promote European values and goals, such as sustainability, democracy, and social justice, which can help young people feel empowered and engaged in shaping the future of the EU within EU and outside of the EU.

Today, public social media discourse takes place predominantly on platforms under the control of private profit-oriented corporations such as the Facebook parent company Meta, Twitter or ByteDance. When public institutions communicate through these channels, they bring these non-democratic actors to the brights of digital communication. At the same time, it forces citizens to consume advertising in order to obtain public information. Thirdly, it makes European communication channels dependent on US and Chinese companies. Public bodies should therefore help create sustainable European communication channels by using open protocols (Matrix, Activiy Pub) and their own digital infrastructure (in the sense of the Fediverse).

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.

It is important that the EU maintains its diplomatic and strategic indepence. Because as the war in Ukraine has progressed, it is my opinion that the EU has not maintained it. The EU has shamefully just followed the political agenda of the United States and has curbed its own interests. During the sabotage of Nord Stream, a strategic infrastructure for the entire EU, the Union did not react strongly enough, even though it was one of the most vital sources of energy for the EU. Rather than taking a neutral stance in the Ukrainian conflict, the EU is currently taking a position of co-belligerence that is very dangerous for the EU's interests. Everything has been done to separate us as far as possible from Russia, which has served only the interests of the United States and China. The EU should be able to act more independently from the interests of other countries – especially in a time of crisis like now.

One of the major dangers of spreading fake news is that they manipulate public opinion and lead to a distortion of reality. Social media hashtags or tags, for example, based on unreliable or false information often mislead people, since they affect their way of thinking. Fake news and tags have excessively been used as a tool in political conflicts, among others in the occupation of territories. More specifically, the hashtag #CrimeaIsRussia, which has been used as a tool of Russia's disinformation campaign, can be seen as a means of hybrid warfare. The problem is that if the above tag remains online for many years, the next generations that will click on it may form a false sense of reality about the political situation in the Crimean region.

As a next step, the EU must work on limiting fake and misleading social media tags and hashtags. It is necessary for Europe to find the appropriate tools in this direction in order to protect its values, the rule of law, and human rights. 

 

Security at the EU's borders is of course vital. In the Southern Mediterranean, in particular, the situation at the borders is unacceptably unstable.

However, migrants and asylum seekers are not the EU's enemy. They are simply desperate people trying to obtain a better life. Instead, more needs to be done to combat the success of smuggling mafias in the EU's southern neighbours.

This can be done through a strengthened diplomatic and military presence in these areas, but this will only go so far. Far better would be to incentivize migrants' entry into the EU through regular channels. The EU should make it easier for migrants to access member states through means other than smuggling.

The asylum process is currently long and opaque. It should be sped up and made more transparent. Access to legal migration could be improved by the creation of more migration centres in countries of origin, allowing migration pathways to begin without the need for dangerous irregular journeys.

Migrants should be able to apply for visas for the right to work, and to obtain housing and employment contracts from their countries of origin, and then move safely to the EU. Offering regular migration is the answer to heart-breaking images from the Mediterranean.

For those already in host countries, conditions while waiting for confirmation of asylum status should be optimized. The asylum process should also be made more accessible, less bureaucratic, and less intimidating. Any discrimination in these processes should be eliminated.

Mass migration creates chaos: Europe cannot accept everyone. The EU and its Member States have their own problems, and should fix these before attempting to mitigate the fallout of foreign disasters.

NGOs running humanitarian operations in the Mediterranean undermine efforts to reduce immigration. By rescuing smuggled migrants abandoned at sea, their activities break EU border policies and help smuggling mafias to continue their illegal activities. They thus act as smugglers themselves.

The EU should recognize this and treat them more harshly. Their boats should be confiscated or destroyed, to send a clear signal.

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.

At the moment, the EU depends on neighbouring regimes in Libya, Turkey, Morocco, and elsewhere to help in reducing flows of migrants towards Europe.

This is risky: It opens the EU up to blackmail by authoritarian regimes and may lead to abuses conducted against migrants. To avoid this, the EU should significantly strengthen its capacity to make common foreign policy. It should gain the ability to project its interests further, using soft power where necessary to reduce migration flows at the source.

New external crises require a deepening of common policymaking, and an emphasis on prevention in advance of the causes of migration, rather than an excessive security-focused response to migration once it has taken place. 

Irregular immigration across the Mediterranean poses a significant challenge to border control agencies, among them Frontex– the EU's border and coastguard agency. Recognising this, it may be beneficial to expand Frontex's staff. Satellite imaging of the Mediterranean may also help: satellites paired with sophisticated AI analysis of images could allow real-time alerts to be delivered to Frontex boats, helping them to find migrants' vessels and safely return them to their points of origin.

This would reduce irregular immigration, discourage migrants from undertaking the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean, and reduce smugglers' credibility.

There are many forms of transatlantic cooperation, but opportunities for young people as well as high school and university students need to be strengthened. Therefore, the EU should develop a mobility program that will enable American students to learn about the culture of different EU member states, the cultural diversity of nations and the institutional system.

To improve and strengthen ties between the EU and the US, a framework for educational exchange opportunities should be created. It would give young people from both the US and the EU a chance to experience a different way of life, through work or internship placements, abroad study programs or other cultural exchange activities.

Getting to know determined young people in Europe and working together for a better future will make sure that transatlantic cooperation will remain sustainable in the future as well.The program should therefore be open to high school and college students from North America. It could for example include a program where participants live with a host family in a member state.

Studying in the US is costly, and not everybody is able to afford the experience. To increase accessibility, some of the existing Erasmus funding could be repurposed to support European students undertaking exchange in the US.

As a block, the Union should deepen its ties with developing countries. Through investments, the funding of schools and institutions promoting education, young people would benefit from increased quality of life, and the global standing of the European Union would simultaneously be raised. It would allow young students to learn about the core values of the EU – such as democracy, gender equality, and respect for human rights – and possibly make it easier for them to continue their professional journey in Member States of the Union.

In order to spread the EU experience and best practices in the sphere of education, culture, youth and sports, it would be relevant to establish EU youth hubs in Eastern Partnership countries. It would be beneficial for the youth of these countries to have places where they can meet the EU representatives, learn about best practices in the education, culture and sports and to implement initiatives under the auspices of such a platform.

There should be further enhancement of Erasmus+ in a more holistic, inclusive manner, for example through more consideration of financial backgrounds.

There should be more opportunities for EU students to study and work abroad as well as an after-Erasmus+ short documentation for every participants, so that the exchange of culture and experiences will be available for all. Erasmus exchanges are at the heart of the EU's norm-setting soft power and should be upgraded as such.

Furthermore, better funded scholarships should be made available, especially for those from Eastern Partnership countries. There should also be more opportunities for exchanges between EU countries and countries which are part of the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine).

Such could for example be "regional exchange trips" during which young people get to visit one another to make the connection between the regions more vivid and promote cultural exchange.

The EU must promote the Union's values among all students of school-going age.

Instead of focusing excessively on highly specialized subjects such as math and history, students should be given a practical education with emphasis on the challenges of today's world.

Students should learn about:

• Democracy and participation: Young people do not participate in civic life as much as older citizens and are overly reliant on the work of previous generations when it comes to e.g. human rights.
• Politics: It is important for young people to have more information about politics, so that in the future they can make free choices based on knowledge of the different existing ideologies.
• Arts and culture: Art is typically undervalued. Arts and culture must play a leading role in teaching so that students discover the magical world of creation.
• Volunteering: Children should learn about both giving and receiving, especially when there are others who need it more than some do.
• Love and respect: The planet needs every young person to unite and fight climate change, pollution, human rights violations etc.

Europe seems to rely solely on imports of raw materials and products from countries like China and the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted this dependence and brought Europe to the following challenge: how could the EU cut reliance on other countries for these materials? 

In view of the above, the EU should fund actors to set up European social networking companies, whose products and software would be used in electronic devices, including smartphones and computers. Finland and Hungary, for instance, would be good examples of countries where the European production of mobile phones could start.

The EU should create a compulsory, transnational program that all young people who, once they turn eighteen, could participate in and that could be linked to social service schemes and local community development projects. It would only be a truly transnational program though if it allows citizens to move to other countries to e.g. participate in workcamps or voluntary services. That way, young people could meet one another, build life-long friendships, but also increase awareness of civic duty, European identity and solidarity. The program could thereby build on existing programs such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps.

Member States sometimes send their ready-to-recycle plastic to non-European countries. The European Union must ensure that this doesn't happen. European citizens should take responsibility for their lifestyle choices and close the circle by themselves.

Given the width of the consequences of global warming, it is paramount that the European Union increases the number of joint actions with the Eastern Partnership countries. This can help both institutions put into practice more calculated programs that will eventually speed up the green transition. Additionally, this will make it easier for informative campaigns to reach a greater number of people across the world.

The EU is too dependent on foreign countries when it comes to medicine, medical equipments and related supplies. In order to become more independent, local chains of supply should be strengthened and subsidised. Also, the EU has to be aware of the possibility of an emergency for which it could for example prepare by creating local emergency back-up supplies.

In order to treat food according to sustainability standards, we have to create less food waste: Food that can still be consumed should never be thrown away.

One way to do so would be to redistribute it: Companies should never have to throw away food if they become unable to sell it as prices decrease. Instead, measures have to be taken to redistribute it and transport it to where it can still be consumed.

Cooperating with partners in Asia and Africa is essential for the EU. By investing in these partnerships, the EU will not only gain stronger partners, but also become less dependent on others such as North America on which we currently depend too strongly.

One solution to reduce the consumption of red meat in Europe may be a campaign to replace traditional cattle with ostrich, a red meat almost indistinguishable from beef, but more environmentally friendly to produce. Along the lines of this, we need to invest more in lab-grown meat alternatives.

However, regardless of how much consumption habits might change, it is also paramount to end the outsourcing of meat production to non-European countries such as Brazil in order to protect essential ecosystems like the Amazon.