María Núñez De Arenas-Aquí Europa
The countdown to the European Elections has begun and one of the great challenges of the European Union is to increase the participation of young people in the next elections in June 2024. For this reason, Jaume Duch, spokesperson and director general of Communication of the European Parliament, attended the CEU San Pablo University this Thursday to speak with its students about the importance of the EU in the daily lives of citizens, during the cycle ‘MOVE, it’s your EUrope’, organized by Europa Press.
The Aula Magna of the Moncloa Campus of the CEU San Pablo University opened its doors to receive Jaume Duch, spokesperson and general director of Communication of the European Parliament, in a debate table that included the participation of José María Beneyto, director of the Royal Institute of European Studies at the CEU San Pablo University and with Lorena Pérez, a student of the Master’s Degree in International Relations at this university.
The meeting, titled “Together we decide the future of Europe”, was moderated by Candelas Martín de Cabiedes, director of Business Development and Institutional Relations at Europa Press and was welcomed by Rosa Visiedo Claverol, rector of the university.
Spanish youth, “European but not European”
The event began with the projection of a video that showed the knowledge of youth about the upcoming European Elections and led the moderator to raise the idea that “young people do not reach everything that the EU does for them.”
For his part, Jaume Duch assured that the video “awakens self-criticism about the limits we have in terms of European communication and how we can reach citizens,” but that, despite this, “these young people are the most European generation,” even if they are not Europeanists.” In addition, the spokesperson raised the major milestones of the current legislature that affect all European citizens, such as the Migration and Asylum Pact, minimum wages or extraordinary work to get out of the major crises that the EU has faced in recent years. recent years: “any topic that concerns us today has a European aspect.”
The voice of the youth at this table was that of Lorena Pérez, who emphasized how distant young people perceive the European Union: “we young people have a lot of ignorance, even though we are pro-European. “We do not know or do not value what the EU gives us and we need to know how it affects us in our daily lives.”
José María Beneyto wanted to show the before and after of being part of the EU and the current benefits of students, something that he experienced firsthand when he went to study outside Spain: “before there was the peseta, you had to change the bills ; It took a day and a half to get to Germany, where you had to register at the Consulate and you did not have a residence permit. Furthermore, you were seen as someone who came from the south, perceived as a very distant place. This is now very different for you and it is thanks to the EU.”
The challenges of the EU in an “increasingly complicated” future
After looking to the past, the speakers turned their gaze to the future. Jaume Duch pointed out that “the world is going to be very complicated, much more than at the end of the 20th century,” and that “the challenges ahead are immense,” because “the environment, the economy and progress must go hand in hand.” of social policies.
The current geopolitical situation and the conflicts surrounding the EU mean that we must “defend our model of life” and what happens, according to Duch, will depend on the “result of the European and US elections.” For this reason, the spokesperson points out the importance of strategic autonomy to “protect ourselves and give citizens what they ask for without being aware of other territories.”
In this sense, José María Beneyto pointed out that “Europe is a privileged territory”, but considers “a little realism” necessary, given the conflicts surrounding the EU and Putin’s messages pointing out the “catastrophic effects of helping Ukraine” can mean, according to the professor, that this situation of privilege that we live in in the EU “can end.” For this reason, he considers voting essential, since it is the way to “cope” with this situation.
The role of the media in European information
Another of the key issues addressed at this meeting was the essential role of the media in bringing the work of the European Union closer to citizens. As Jaume Duch pointed out, around 60% of Spanish legislation comes from European directives. In addition, he also highlighted the EU’s efforts in Covid-19 vaccination: “there was no distinction by nationality, regardless of money, everyone had access to the Covid vaccine as European citizens.”
However, despite these milestones, Lorena Pérez warned that “The EU does, but does not arrive; “His work doesn’t make sense.” The young pro-European affirmed that “the way the media communicates makes the EU’s role distant”: “a clearer and closer language is necessary. If you have not studied the institutions, you do not understand what is happening.” For this reason, he considers that in issues as relevant as the Migration and Asylum Pact or the AI Law, the media must “ground that information” and explain “how they are going to be executed, how it will affect the national level or with what resources.” We will count at the local level.”
In this sense, Jaume Duch assured that the EU’s communication challenges involve continuing to transmit the work of the European institutions, despite the current context of political disaffection and anti-European campaigns, something that also affects the work of the media. and to the European Elections: “the destructive vote comes from ignorance and from proposals that appeal to emotions but that, taken to logic, cannot be carried out.”
For his part, José María Beneyto emphasized the need to address the issues that most concern citizens and that the EU must propose concrete measures in employment and housing, such as direct and fiscal aid.
The Director of Communication of the European Parliament was in charge of closing this meeting with the students of the CEU San Pablo University, whom he asked to promote in their environment everything that “has been discussed in this room today”, to make known the importance of the next European Elections in June 2024.
