Please do take a look at the final European Action Plan “New Energy for Europe”, as adopted in 2011, here.

“It is very good to see you are already dealing with these big topics” said Ms. Gerhards, Member of the Cabinet of European Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger, when she met the delegation on the morning of the 14th. She discussed the ideas presented by the youngsters in the Action Plan and gave the group valuable insights into the work of the Commission. Ms. Gerhards was also able to bring in her expertise on new and renewable energy resources in discussing the ideas presented by the delegation. She urged them to get to know the EU’s work even better via the Commission’s internship scheme: “We need young people who have not given up their idealism – or their enthusiasm!” she stressed at the end of a lively and open discussion.

In the afternoon the international youth delegation met with a group of past and future patron MEPs of Young Ideas for Europe for a debate in the European Parliament. Kinga Göncz MEP (from Hungary), Katarina Nevedalova MEP (from Slovakia) and Nadja Hirsch MEP (from Germany) all discussed the European Action Plan with the youngsters, building on their previous debates during the project weeks which they attended as patrons and getting to know the project as patrons of future project weeks.

The discussion focused on the differences between Member States and the implications for the ideas contained in the European Action Plan. These differences were ones the youngsters themselves also experienced in their work compiling the Action Plan. Kinga Göncz was keen to applaud their work: “I want to congratulate you – this is an excellent document” she said.

The next European Action Plan will be put together following the Young Ideas for Europe project which will take place in the autumn. We very much look forward to involving more youngsters from more countries in the project weeks, and hope that Julia, a Swedish member of the international youth delegation, they too will find it a positive experience: Young Ideas for Europe is a once-in-the-liftetime opportunity for youngsters to speak to powerful European politicians at eye level - and to bring in new ideas about the future of Europe.”

Addtionally, we are delighted that Cittadinanzattiva in Italy - as one of our experienced partners - takes over the project's implemetation in Greece. This brings the tally of countries to 24, and we are thrilled to be working with partners in all of the countries to broaden the scope of young people the programme will reach.  

The Austrian Centre for Citizenship Education in Schools is the central education service institution for citizenship education in schools. The centre helps teachers to bring citizenship and human rights education into the classroom, serves as an information platform and advisory centre, develops new materials for the classroom on a regular basis, plays a part in the European and Austrian discussions on citizenship education, has an influential role in teacher training and organizes events for students. 

For more information: http://www.politik-lernen.at/site/english

The organisation Envision based in the UK provides hands-on support for young people in schools and colleges on issues relating to citizenship education, sustainable development and the local community, i.e. Active Citizenship Workshops for higher education institutions and INSET days for teachers.  Envision also works with businesses and community partners to support young people in building their employability skills and confidence. Envision‘s programmes seek to provide individuals with a powerful and rewarding experience of making a positive difference.

For more information: http://www.envision.org.uk/

JEF  (Young European Federalists) is a supranational, politically pluralist youth NGO with about 30,000 members in over 30 European countries. The goal of JEF is the creation of a democratic European federation as a guarantee for peace and a more free, just and democratic society. JEF fosters European citizenship, works for the widening and deepening of the EU and aims at bringing Europe closer to the citizens.

For more information:

JEF Europe: http://www.jef.eu/

JEF Netherlands: http://www.jef-netherlands.eu/   

JEF Finland: http://eurooppanuoret.fi/  

JEF Malta: www.facebook.com/jefmalta

Partners Foundations for Local Development is a Romanian non-governmental organisation since 1994. Its mission is to enhance the democratic processes of governance and support the local development, to strengthen the civil society, to promote a new culture of change and conflict management in Romania and worldwide through Capacity Building activities targeting Public Administration and NGOs representatives in order to be more effective, efficient and accountable, as well as to work better together.

For more information: http://www.fpdl.ro/

With Young Ideas for Europe’s expansion in round 3 from 18 into all 27 Member States of the EU, the project’s partner network has grown substantially. Giving partners an opportunity to get to know each other personally and to network were therefore also an important part of the two days.

Following welcoming words by Christian Hänel, deputy Head of Dept. International Relations Western Europe, America, Turkey, Japan, India of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, new project partners received an introduction into the project and their role and responsibilities. Experienced partners meanwhile learned what is new in Young Ideas for Europe 3.0 compared to previous rounds and were able to reflect on their experiences implementing the project weeks so-far.

Peer learning was at the heart of the partner meeting. Interactive training sessions offered new and old partners an opportunity to exchange their tips and tricks and to gather suggestions for making the project an even greater success.

As one of our Swedish partners remarked “there seemed to be an instant connection – something that brought us all together”. We look forward to building on that connection as we work together in the future!

As their representatives, ten German YIFE youth delegates first delivered and presented the European Action Plan 2011 to the Hungarian envoy to Germany, Mr. Zsolt Bóta, representing the Hungarian Presidency of the European Council. They met with him at an meeting on June 9th, 2011 in the Hungarian Embassy in Berlin.

 "The report is extremely well put together. It contains a lot of prudent considerations and wise ideas," Mr. Bóta said, after discussing the Action Plan as well as the EU position on energy and climate change with the students.  

And youth delegate Lena (17) from Hamburg said after the meeting: „I am deeply impressed with the diversity of perspectives and opinions. Two aspects dawn on me very deeply: European policy is a quite complex policy field, but a very fascinating one at the same time. I am very keen on continuing the discussion we’ve started about Europe’s future not only with other young people throughout Europe, but also with politicians."

Young Ideas for Europe and its Action Plan 2011 will be presented and discussed with several political representatives in the upcoming weeks. The next highlight will be the meeting of the YIFE youth delegation with the Commissioner for Energy, Mr. Günther Oettinger, in Brussels on 14th of July, 2011.

Click here for the European Action Plan 2011

Working together across boundaries of language and geography, about 240 students developed and dicussed their ideas of how to shape Europe‘s energy policy. The result: 12 innovative and diverse political manifestos from Germany, Sweden, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Estonia and the Czech Republic. The  youngsters‘ strong commitment and enthusiasm proves once more that young people wants to have a voice in the future of Europe.

Yet, Young Ideas for Europe not only offers the opportunity to evolve ideas for Europe from a national perspectiv but foremostly to derive common European ideas. In the upcoming weeks, twenty youth delegates work together to develop the European Action Plan based on the objectives and measures that they and their peers developed during their project weeks and that they have found particularly important.

The Youth Delegation will then meet the Commissioner for Energy, Mr. Günther Oettinger, in Brussels to present and discuss their final European Action Plan on July 14, 2011. Prior to this event, the German delegates will hand-over the final Action Plan in an event to be held in the Hungarian Embassy on 9th of June in Berlin. That way, the Young Ideas for Europe youth delegation will let decision-makers know the wishes and ideas of the next generation.

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Besides implementing the project on a wider scale, the next round will also see strengthening links to EU politics, with two hand-over events at EU level attended by an international group of young people and more direct links with national and local government during the debates at the end of each project week by attendance of national representatives.

All in all the Young Ideas for Europe 3.0 will run from January 2011 until July 2012.

Students from the Victor Klemperer Kolleg delivered the Action Plan, which included the input of 1000 Young Ideas for Europe participants from 18 European countries. The students discussed the various recommendations with the Ambassador, which ranged from affordable renewable energy to limiting the use of electricity per capita. The Ambassador was impressed with the students' engagement in climate protection and energy policy through Young Ideas for Europe: "We need you as citizens for Europe, Europe needs projects like these!"