Finnish National Youth Convention
21. - 22.11.2002

Final document

Prologue

This final document is brought together from the discussions held in the Finnish National Youth Convention. The six entities of the document are the result of the Youth Convention's workshop discussions. After the discussion the document has been considered by all members of the Youth Convention in a general assembly, during which additions could be made to the document in hand. All supported additions made during the Youth Convention have been included in this final document.

We wish to draw attention to three particular themes from the discussions of the convention.

1. The Youth Convention heartily approves the process of the Constitutional Treaty and recognises the importance of the clear structure and divisions of competence in the European Union. Decisions should be made on the level where it is best and most efficient. The aim is a functional union with some federalist features.

2. The European Union should co-operate also with continents besides Europe to encourage human rights world-wide as well as the understanding between cultures. The European identity must not be based on the opposition between European and non-European cultures.

3. The European Union should focus on projects through which the young interact and maintain contact with the minorities, and through which tolerance is advanced, encouraged and supported. The European Union should encourage its Member States to create also other educational projects in different levels with non-European countries and through them improve the intercultural understanding and world security.

The Finnish National Youth Convention deemed it necessary to return to these themes in a new assembly when the European Convention of the EU has made its final document public at the latest.

I A STUDYING AND PARTICIPATING EUROPE

THEME 1: YOUTH PARTICIPATION

The possibility to participate in the process of decision-making must be guaranteed to every EU citizen. This must include the possibility to choose one's level of participation. No-one ought to be made to participate. Participation always requires activity from the participant. Participation and involvement need an open, efficient communication and a sufficient amount of information.

Information

The aim of the information should be equality: special attention should be accorded to the most passive young people while elitist conversation should be avoided.

When informing the young, the following matters should be taken into account:
- the active, conscious young people are the best 'messengers' who can bring knowledge to others
- the young should be informed in their own language and concepts
- the issues are brought to the level of their everyday life through examples
- the illustrative introduction of the various possibilities for participation
- the use of varied channels / the varied use of channels

A program that focuses on informing the young on the European Union will be formed under the Youth Program of the EU. The program would fund the national, politically uncommitted youth organisations' publicity campaigns on the European Union. The campaigns would function on the principle of young to young: the young people would both plan and carry out the campaigns. The young could for instance visit schools to inform and discuss issues concerning Europe and European identity.

On the European Union level it is necessary to find out how the different democracy projects and teaching environments in the internet work in practice. The projects should be coordinated and the research material of their effects should be collected.

European education: the roles of the schools and teaching strategies

Schools must function as the arena for the basic information on the European Union. The EU education should be taken into account in the curricula of basic schools in all Member States. EU education should be included in all subjects, especially in history and in social studies. However, it is not necessary to make it a subject of its own. The benefit of having experts from outside of school should be made use of in teaching. The teachers have professional responsibility as the transmitters of knowledge.

EU must financially support the educational material directed to assist the teachers, and the development of teaching material.

Decision-making

The participation of the young demands realistic, concrete possibilities. The decision-making in matters concerning the young has to be taken to as low and personal level as possible, according to the subsidiary principle. The young must get their own representatives to the central institutions of decision-making, for example to the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. We propose, that a quota for the young would be fixed in the national delegations.

The European Union should support the organisation of the occasions such as the National Youth Convention. Such functions would allow the presentation of young peoples' opinions and demands. The demands must be conveyed forward and brought to open discussion via internet, for example.

However, the channels such as the Youth Convention and delegations are not sufficient, if the aim is to get all the young to influence. It is also necessary to support citizen influence directly linked to the everyday life, and create new means of assembling the young to concretely act for the construction of a better living environment.

THEME 2: STUDYING

We wish to ascertain the high level of the Finnish educational system and its being free of charge. Every citizen of EU is entitled to receive an education of high quality, funded by the society. Also other good practises in Finland, such as a free school meals, set a good example to the rest of Europe.

Participation in schools

The students should be given chances to make decisions about the matters important to them, which concern their schools. The students or the council of students must be given access to participate also in the election of the staff. The process of election has to be modified for example by beginning to use the system of trial lectures. In order to ascertain the adequate level of teaching, common standards to define the teachers' adequacy should be set.

In addition it was pointed out, that students from different age groups may participate in the decisions of school democracy on different levels, such as in the selection of teachers.

The content of education

The basic teaching should still be shaped according to national laws. From the second degree onwards the education should be modified to make it more comparable, in order to facilitate mobility during post-graduate studies. The ECTS credit system of the third degree education should be applied in the whole European Union area. Also a system similar to this should be developed also for the second degree studies to make comparability possible. Simultaneously, the process of applying for the post-graduate studies should be synchronised in the Member States of the European Union.

In order to increase the students' mobility, a centre of information about the supply of education should be set up in the internet. In it should be found information about the academic degrees, the qualifications they give, the requirements and schedules for acceptance and about the costs of studying. The student should have access to knowledge on how much additional studies to the degree obtained abroad are required for competence in homeland.

On the other hand it was also pointed out that inside of EU a gradual transformation starting from the basic school to achieve a uniform system of education would be in order.

The knowledge of the national language of education is necessary for a successful learning and thus for the successful integration of minorities into the society. In the diplomas both theoretical and practical requirements should be met. Equal possibilities for practical training must be supported. At the same time it is necessary to increase flexibility in training in the schedules and means of applying. The responsibility to organise opportunities for training is on the educational establishments (two dissenting opinions). They need to be encouraged to cooperate with the companies. At the same time it should be confirmed that the basic research receives continual, independent funding from the society. The European Union has to financially support organisations, who provide e.g. opportunities for international practical training.

Mobility and studying

The European Union should direct additional resources to exchange-programmes and expand them to the second degree educational establishments. In the exchange-programmes equal possibilities of participation must be guaranteed for everyone. Also teachers' exchange-programmes should be supported and expanded. We suggest, that a system is drafted for schools, where they are given the possibility to benefit from visiting experts' lectures. The studying guidance of the educational establishments must be developed to respond to the challenges created by the increased options and international exchange. We thank the existing programme COMENIUS for its efficiency.

The European Union should support the second-degree educational establishments to develop a Europe-wide network and a system to assist less-well-to-do schools.

We insist, that within EU either a uniform logo is realised and added to national student cards or a uniform EU-student card is made, which would enable the student benefits, such as travelling discounts, for students in all EU states. The discounts would thereby be obtained according to the student status and not to the age, for example.

II SECURITY INSIDE AND OUTSIDE?

THEME 1: SOCIAL THREATS

Regional conflicts

In order to quiet down the prolonged, violent conflicts in different regions, the Union must support the amelioration of the social conditions in the conflict areas by carefully supervised economical support. The population in the support areas in question must be given the possibility to participate in the development of their living environment.

Minorities

- The position of national minorities must be guaranteed on local, national and European levels.
- Every EU state should have an impartial representative of minorities and the EU should have an agent attending to the interests of the minorities on the level of the Union.

Migration

When granting the permits of residence to the immigrants, their possibilities to find an employment and education should be evaluated, and their possible social problems stemming from differences in cultures should be taken into account. On the other hand, the according of permits must not depend solely on the assumed value of the person in question. Efficient cooperation is needed with the states of emigration and transition if the problem of illegal immigration is to be solved.

Development aid

- The European Union should coordinate the development cooperation of its Member States. The development cooperation projects should be implemented in cooperation with the local authorities and they should support entire sectors.
- The stress on the cooperation of immediate environment should be on the maintenance of the structures of the civil society and it should aim at a regionally balanced development. Kaliningrad as a special target.

Criminality and the drug traffic

- The judicial cooperation between police forces, customs and judicial authorities should be guaranteed by ameliorating communications and by unifying courses of action.
- No new judicial authorities should be created into the Union nor organise own police forces (1 dissenting opinion).
- Judicial cooperation should be carried out also with the areas outside of the Union and they should receive the information the Union has on diminishing criminality.
- The surveillance of borders should be intensified in cooperation with states outside of the Union's borders.
- In case of the expansion of the EU, special attention should be paid to the abolishment of the organized crime and corruption in state governance and elsewhere in the society. In addition, the connection between organized crime and piratism should be taken into account and brought to the consciousness of the citizens.
- EU should organise a campaign against drugs, in which the significance of drug traffic in organized crime is made clear.
- EU should create a united, negative policy against drug traffic.

THEME 2: MILITARY THREATS

Military means for crisis management

The crisis management troops of the EU should be developed in a way to enable the independent securing of peace and safety in Europe and in the immediate environment. These military means for crisis management could also be used in solving humanitarian crises.

The crisis management troops of the EU consist only of the national armies. The national armies and troops are a part of the common military means for crisis management in the Union and the states have the liberty and the duty to produce their own troops. In military crises the European Parliament must make the decision to ask the Member States for troops.

Soft approach:
EU must be active in the United Nations in the questions concerning global security. EU should form a uniform policy in the United Nations in the questions concerning foreign and security policies and the EU-states, which have representatives in the Security Council, follow this policy.

Radical approach:
EU must be active in the United Nations in the questions concerning global security, and in the long-term the EU should aim at obtaining a permanent membership in the Security Council of the United Nations, when the uniform foreign- and security policies are realized, and in case the EU obtains the status of a legal person.

The European Union must strive for real realisation of human rights in the organs of the UN, the Nato and the EU. It should also try to reject the use of these organisations in/for power political interests.

The EU states must ratify the treaty on the International War Criminal Court (the Treaty of Rome), and they may not make separate agreements on protection against charges with third parties. In addition to this, the EU must try to update the international agreements related to warfare, especially the Geneva Treaties of 1949 and 1977.

The EU and its immediate environment should together try to improve preparedness to prevent electric warfare in both civil and military sectors.

The Member States of the EU must not trade armament with states or regions, which are currently in war or which act in a comparable way.

The EU must not embark on arms race and get anti-ballistic missiles, but instead all the member countries must follow the spirit of the agreement on the ABMs.

The EU must not use resources for arms race but instead use them to fight against terrorism. In fighting against terrorism no fundamental rights, such as privacy of people living in the region of the EU, may be violated.
-> This is related to the suggestion for the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe, article 5 (the Constitutional Treaty for EU).

THEME 3: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

- The EU should be actively involved in monitoring the realisation of human rights, of civil rights and the political rights in the world. The active role of the EU should be supported and enhanced.

- The EU aims at the creation of united Foreign and Security policies while trying to clarify the role of the Union's representative in the external relations as the spokesman of the Union.

- The EU should actively integrate its immediate environment into its economic system in order to improve their economic development and stability.

- The EU must cooperate with other continents to promote the universal realisation of human rights and intercultural understanding.

- The EU should encourage its Member States to create educational systems of exchange with the Arab countries and thereby ameliorate mutual cultural understanding and security.

- The EU must not cooperate with organisations or parties which violate the fundamental rights, and the Union should also be reserved in its attitude towards political extremities. However, the EU should commit to being observant of the democratic will of the electorate.

- The EU must from its part promote the democratic development by generally acting according to the principle of transparency and by including the citizens into the process of decision-making already during the preparation of issues.

- The relations between the EU and Russia will get closer through the extension towards east, and not only the northern dimension but also the eastern dimension should be developed.

- When it obtains the status of a legal person, the EU should join the United Nations.

CONCLUSIONS ON ENTITY II

1.
- The EU functions actively in the UN in questions related to global security. The EU maintains a united policy in the foreign and security issues which are dealt with in the United Nations. The EU states represented in the Security Council follow these policies.

- The EU acts actively in the UN in questions related to global security, and in the long-term it will try to secure a permanent membership in the Security Council of the United Nations. This will become of present interest, when the common Foreign and Security Policy is realized and if the EU obtains legal personality.

2.
- The military means for crisis management in the EU must be developed in a way to enable their use in securing peace and safety in Europe as well as in its immediate environment independently of others. These means can also be used in solving humanitarian crisis.

- National armies and troops are a part of the joint forces of EU. The states have the liberty and the responsibility to train own troops. In the case of military crisis the European Parliament makes the decision of asking the Member States for the troops.

3.
- EU must cooperate with the other continents in order to promote the universal realisation of human rights and intercultural understanding.

- EU should encourage its Member States to create educational exchange programmes for instance with the Arab countries and thus ameliorate mutual cultural understanding and security.

III THE FOUNDATIONS, STRUCTURE AND FUTURE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

THEME 1: DREAM VISION OF EUROPE ON 2020

Europe must be capable to take the responsibility alone for its safety and, if necessary, act as a politically calming power in the world. However, the European Union should have both the backbone and the resources to interfere in the crisis, which take place in its immediate environment, especially when the human rights and the suverenity of nations are threatened.

The Constitutional Treaty for EU should include a radical reformation of the European Union's structures. The areas of competence as well as qualified majority enactments should be clearly defined. On the other hand, it is necessary to strictly follow the subsidiarity principle. This does not necessarily mean development towards a federal state. The founding of a new institution, the Congress of the Peoples of Europe, does not necessarily promote the subsidiarity principle in the European Union.

The character of the Constitutional Treaty of Europe, which limits the public power and the unnecessary concentration of power should be recognised more clearly than today. The Union's court instances should also be given realistic possibilities to control these restrictions. Also the new research that concerns the functioning of political institutions should be taken into account when the decision-making of the Union is developed.

A part of the participants is for the centralisation of the Parliament's action in Strasbourg, because of the great symbolic status the city holds. Strasbourg is not a capital of any state, and the decentralisation of the institutions of the EU sets an example of the realisation of the basic values of the EU. In the time of modern communications, decentralisation does not pose a problem. That the 'sailing' of European Parliament between Brussels and Strasbourg is a negative thing, is agreed upon. However, a part of the representatives is for the centralisation of activity in Brussels.

Options for the future of EU:
1. In the year 2020, the EU will be a federal state, which decides on its own competence (the modifications are made in the institutions of the EU)
2. In the year 2020, the EU is a community similar to a federal state, which does not independently decide its own competence but is dependent on the decisions made on national level
3. In the year 2020, the EU is a union between states, in which the modifications are made in a regional or local level, for instance through referendums

THEME 2: UNION POLICIES IN THE EU - WHAT IS RELEVANT AND WHAT IS NOT

A1. Internal Market

The convention is of the opinion, that the definitions of the free movement should be clearly defined in order to guarantee the protection of law. The European democracy and freedom require the realisation of free mobility in all sections, and the obstacles for the mobility should be removed.

A2. Economic and Monetary Policy

A functional Economic and Monetary Policy within the EU requires more powerful coordination between the financial policies of the Member States.

In addition it was pointed out, that the European Central Bank should maintain a sufficient reserve of precious metal or such so that the single currency does not rely only on the political prestige.

A3. Policies in other specific areas

A new paragraph is to be added, where the 'youth policies' are recognised in Europe and which augments the youth participation in EU decision-making.

A5. Areas where the Union may take supporting action:

The 'youth' from the paragraph V is to be set as an independent, separate paragraph.

THEME 3: COMMENTS ON THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT CONSTITUTIONAL TREATY OF GISCARD D'ESTAING

We hope, that the future Constitutional Treaty will be as explicit as possible. The Youth Convention suggested a few changes to the structure of the Treaty. It was suggested, that the Title IV would be altogether removed, and that the articles 33, 34 and 36 within would be moved into the Title I, and the articles 35 and 37 to Title IV. Materializing democracy is a fundamental responsibility of the European Union. The Youth Convention deems it incomprehensible, that the materializing of democracy is put down as a separate title. The realisation of democracy should be a basic principle in the Union and penetrate its entire activity. It should be dealt with in connection with the objectives of the Union and, on the other hand, with the regulations concerning different institutions.

Title I

Article 1: We did not wish to change the name of the European Union. The present name is thought to best suit different languages, and in addition it was stated that as the European Union is very different from the United States, they should not be parallel in name. The following phrase will be added to the end of the second item: "---and where the decisions are made as near as possible to the citizen".
Article 2: To the values presented we wish to add "freedom".
Article 4: The Youth Convention salutes the approach adopted in the draft where the Union is given the status of a legal person. The Union should by using this status commit to the European Charter of Human Rights.

Title II

Article 5: The Youth Convention supports the fact that the Union citizenship is mentioned in the treaty and that a citizen of a Member State automatically is also a citizen of the Union. However, the term "dual citizenship" is unclear, and mentioning it in the treaty is not expedient. The term "overlapping citizenship" might be better/more appropriate.
It was also suggested in the workshop that the idea of a dual citizenship could be elaborated towards separate citizenships.

Article 6: The Charter of Fundamental Rights should be attached to the Constitutional Treaty in its entirety.

Title III

Articles 7-13:
The Youth Convention proposes, that the traditional system of pillars should be adapted to a new, radical structural reform. In our opinion the decisions ought to be made there, where it is the most sensible and efficient. The division of competence between different levels should be defined as unambiguously as possible.

Title IV

Articles 15-19:
The Youth Convention supported the bicameral parliament (following the model by the European Youth Convention). The second chamber should not be founded on the top of the present structures, but instead the present Council should be elaborated towards a second chamber (the senate). Until the system of senates is made functional, we wish that the chairmanship of the Council would continue to rotate between the Member States. We wish to improve the status of the Parliament, and the Parliament is wished to have an independent right of initiative (on the side of the Commission's right of initiative).

The Congress of the Peoples of Europe was not supported, because it was seen to add bureaucracy and because it was not thought to promote the subsidiarity principle. Instead, it is thought possible that a similar consultative institution could be founded in the Union. In this a clear part of representatives from the civil society and from its organisations are selected in addition to the politicians. The institution in question could assemble 1-2 times per year to decide upon the main future policies.

The chairman of the European Commission would function as the highest representative of the EU and represent the Union in international relations together with the Commissioner for international affairs. A separate president or a high representative in foreign policy then would not be needed.

The Convention recommends the increase of the use of codecision procedure in the legislation. However, increasing attention should be paid to the efficiency in the legislation in the future. The lengthening of the legislative processes will be prevented by increasing the amount of the qualified majority voting in the Council of Ministers.

It is not purposeful to increase the size of the Commission, and the Youth Convention supports the system of rotation, which includes all Member States. One possibility to secure the geographical representativeness of the reduced commission is to follow a model, where the EU would be divided into natural, great regions (e.g. Nordic Countries). These would always be granted a certain representation in the Commission. The Commission should enjoy the absolute confidence of the Parliament. In order to minimise the deficits in democracy, the Youth Convention supports the selection/nomination of the chairman of the Commission (the government) by the European Parliament (the House of Commons), and the election of commissioners by the Member States. In the future, the possibility of a transfer to the entirely political parliamentary government can be considered/investigated.

As the power of the Parliament increases, the Youth Convention recommends, that attention will be paid to the size of the parliament. On the other words, its growth is deemed detrimental to its operation and the reduction of its size may be recommendable.

Article 23: The membership of the Economic and Social Committee should be expanded in a way that the nomination of non-governmental organisations such as youth and social sector organisations would be possible.

Title VI

The Youth Convention suggested, that the Title VI should be altogether removed, and that the articles within, 33, 34 and 36 will be transferred to the Title I, and the articles 35 and 37 to the Title IV.

Title VII

Articles 38-40: The Parliament (the House of Commons) should have the control over the budget. When the Union is an independent actor and offers the citizens concrete services, it should have a right to collect taxes such as taxes on capital and energy, if this type of funding for these services seems necessary.

Title VIII

Article 41: The chairman of the European Commission would act as the highest representative of the EU and represent the Union in international relations in cooperation with the commissioner for international affairs.

Title IX

42. article: An article on association agreements should be created. These are used to form good relations to the neighbouring states and to give them the possibility to "partially integrate". Thereby it would be possible to balance the problems caused by the refusal of "the opt-outs" to the states wanting to become members. We hold that this type of associate membership promotes stability in the immediate environment of the Union.

Title X

45. article: Violations should be very exactly defined, and they would have to be extremely serious so that this article could be applied.

There was also support for a motion where this article was altogether removed.

46. article: It was thought that the registration of the possibility to withdraw could be seconded, because it clarifies the situation.

In addition it was motioned, that besides the addition that a separate state would have a possibility to withdraw, the possibility for a dissolvement of the Union by mutual consent of the Member States should also be recorded.

IV FINNISH? EUROPEAN?

THEME 1: COMMON VALUES

Until here, the discussion on values has for the most time concentrated on positive values. In order to render this discussion more straightforward we should also take into account those values, which have had negative consequences.

The European values are not quite the same thing than the values of the European Union. European identity is more complex than the Union leads us to believe at times. It can be discerned that the Union tries to dominate the definitions of it.

The European identity should not be enhanced by trying to oppose it to other cultural identities. In contrast, the "other" should be the mistakes in the history of Europe that we are trying to rid ourselves from. Nor should we talk about defending European values outside of Europe, but instead about informing others about the European values.

There are also mutual European values, such as democracy. A part of them is defined for instance in the Constitution for Europe. Often the European values are taken for granted and the discussion on these values has been little more than empty words and phraseology. In order to realise the values defined as common values, some increasingly concrete actions should be taken.

THEME 2: THE BORDERS OF IDENTITY IN THE EXPANDING EUROPE

Europe and the European Union are often treated as synonymies. It should be observed, when the question is the cultural and geographical, and when the economical and political Europe. The EU and its possibilities of expansion in the future should not and cannot be defined solely by geographical arguments. The European Union is formed on the basis of political will and fulfilment of certain criteria.

THEME 3: COMMON EUROPEAN IDENTITY

The common European identity cannot be artificially created in a moment: it forms if it does. A strong, European identity is not crucial in deepening of the European cooperation. The European identity is built on national identities different one from another. It does not exclude the national identity but instead may enhance it.

We should not talk about defending European values outside of Europe but instead about bringing out European values in a constructive spirit.

THEME 4: WHAT SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN CREATING A COMMON IDENTITY AND VALUES, SO THAT THE MINORITIES' RIGHTS AND CULTURES ARE NOT JEOPARDISED?

The local policies in the EU are livening up, which brings the minority issues on the surface even more than before. The EU should more actively promote a minority policy, which would secure the possibility for minority to maintain and develop its language and culture.

We underline the right of indigenous people such as the Sami to maintain and develop its language and culture. The EU must define the position and rights of minorities and render them to the level of Finnish constitutional regulations.

Information has an essentially important part in promoting tolerance. It should be targeted at the children and the young. Unknown things may cause fear and through it discrimination, racism and xenophobia.

The EU must invest in projects where the young would get to know the minorities. Through these projects the increase of tolerance is promoted, encouraged and supported. This would best be realized through meetings and other activity aiming at the exchange of experiences. This type of activity could include for example twin class and exchange student programmes. In this way the common sides of the minority culture and the dominant culture become familiar to both parties. The responsibility of the EU is to ensure that the minorities' children and young have the rights that belong to all children, to secure their possibility to receive an education equal to that of the children and young of the dominant culture, and to give them the opportunity to influence their future. Everybody should have an education in his own language.

A subject of tolerance, internationality and culture education should be taught at schools. In this subject one would get to know his culture as well as other cultures and minorities. The subject could be taught for one hour per week. The EU should monitor and coordinate the practice in the region of EU and first of all the EU could create this practice.

In order to secure the minorities' cultures, also financial support is needed in addition to increasing information.

In addition to this it was suggested, that the legislation would be harmonised in the EU states in that way that a relationship registered in one country would grant the same legal consequences in all countries.

The Sami as a indigenous people in the EU would have the right to maintain and develop their language and culture.

In addition to this it was remarked, that it is necessary to keep in mind that the national minorities often are formed when artificial borders have divided peoples' historical living areas. The people, who on the one side of the border is a minority, is often a majority on its other side. The existence of minorities has an enriching effect on the culture and their role as bridge-builders across national borders should be accentuated.

CONCLUSIONS ON THE ENTITY IV

The discussion on the values and identities must be brought from the political rhetorics to the level of everyday life.

The discussion on identities is abstract, and reaching the unanimity in the discussion is not easy. People tend to take values and identity personally and therefore the discussion on a common ground is not evident: a claim about Finnish identity is immediately confronted by three others, and there are no universal truths about the matter. In addition, the central terms such as value, identity, Europe and European Union must be separated one from another and a consensus on their meaning should be reached.

However, the discussion on the European identity and the European values is not futile, but on the contrary it has a central role in rendering the fathoming and accepting different identities easier in a multicultural and tolerant Europe.

In addition it was agreed on, that the identity of the European Union as a community of European people has not been taken into consideration in the contribution of this workshop. Great expectations are being directed at the development of the European Union. These expectations concern also the making up European identity, where the contribution of the Union will have a significant role. The European identity will be founded on the national identities. It will not exclude but instead make stronger the national identity. There are several types of identities, overlapping and coexisting, primary and secondary.

V EUROPE WORTH LIVING

Regional inequality must be recognised both inside Finland and the European Union. An European must be able to survive from day to day, also on the periphery of Europe. In practise this means securing daily basic services.

Every citizen of a EU Member State must be guaranteed an equal right to study, to receive a good quality health care and a rewarding job.

Everybody has a right to live. This includes a right to a living. This should be supported by freedom of mobility and a common labour policy. Special attention should be paid to the support for peripheries and special groups. In this manner also the diversity of Europe can be secured.

THEME 1: THE PREVENTION OF MARGINALIZATION

In many cases the marginalization occurs for structural reasons in the society. The Member States should in all ways aim at decreasing this. The focus should be in the prevention of marginalization.

The Member States must promote the participation and involvement of the EU citizens on a local level by offering them more opportunities to participate in the actual decision-making. The foundation of a youth council in every district, as well as of the discussion groups operating in working places and dealing with region's development, might be good ways to activate all people to participate. Understanding society and knowledge of Europe should be promoted, and the quality should be risen through means of education, and through an increasing social debate.

In the prevention of marginalization it is important to support the cooperation between parents, school and social officials. The cooperation of these parties would help to prevent the young and children from being out of reach of help.

In the region of the European Union, the formation of a new kind of local activity, which would cross the generations and national borders, should be supported. In every rural district there should be at least one centralised place in which work for children, young, elderly and families can be done while promoting community spirit and combining them as a functional, social unity. By this shared responsibility model the marginalization can be prevented and the already marginalised people can be returned to the community as active players.

All the public premises of the European Union should be free for special groups. Also the availability of private premises, such as apartments, should be supported.

Every student in the EU should receive an equal allowance for his studies. Limitations for additional income and other artificial limitations should be removed.

Funds for education should be increased in order to render possible the increase in the amount of staff and the diminishing the sizes of classes. Flexibility and complexity of education should be developed further without neglecting the essential things such as literacy. This is essential for the prevention of marginalization. For example, several 15-year-olds on the ninth grade are not yet mature and independent enough to make decisions about further studies or to move away to study. For this reason a tenth grade should be set up if possible in all localities, and it should be accessible to everyone who wishes to attend it. Today this option is absent in many rural districts even though it is needed. The tenth grade would offer time to mature and it would offer something to do for many, who otherwise become passive after finishing the comprehensive school.

It was furthermore suggested that the pupils in primary school must be granted the possibility to go to school near by. The small primary schools must be given special care and attention.

Attention must be given also to the young in other critical moments of live. The network of apprenticeship contract, support for students, and different means for learning at work should be developed in the European level.

Besides the projects, the European Union should support also the structures which aim at diminishing inequality that stems from prejudice and fear. By supporting cooperation networks it would be possible to concentrate on integrating the special groups into the society in an equal way.

The European Union has to support equality and social welfare also outside of its borders.

THEME 2: EMPLOYMENT

Everybody has a right to live. This includes a right to a living. It should be supported by free movement and a common labour policy. In Europe the concept of a work has changed: the EU must recognise the value of the work in the third sector also financially, for example in the care of a member of immediate family.

The labour policy has to be unified through cooperation between the Union's Member States, for example by spreading and taking advantage of good practices such as the experiences from workshops and different job creation projects.

Everybody should receive the same salary for the same job independently of his sex, ethnic background or other factor irrelevant in the quality of work.

Job creation for the handicapped and disabled must be comprehensively supported in the EU.

The support for job creation should be planned in such way that it encourages the forming of contacts in working life. The systems of support should be simplified and united in the whole Union. Also the teenagers' opportunities for traineeships should be increasingly supported.

The possibilities for the young to get into permanent job contracts should be supported, since they help to stay motivated and they bring stability to the planning of life. A meaningful job is an important part of a functional labour policy.

The future deficit of labour in the public sector should be dealt with already.

Telework should be supported, especially in the decentralised living areas of the EU. The Member States should encourage the companies to get employees in peripheries of the EU.

The internal movement in the Schengen area is a positive factor both socially and economically. The free movement of the employees is an important resource in the EU.

THEME 3: HEALTH POLICY

Every citizen in the EU has a right to have a good quality public health care. As the population ages and the disparity in income increases, a special attention should be paid to the problem. A good quality health care must be offered to everyone independently of their place of residence and background, for instance for the students in their localities of studying.

The goal should be a common, European intoxicant strategy, which is based on the individual's autonomy while taking the social health care and the importance of prevention into account. A special importance in the strategy should be put on the preventive work against drugs. For the sake of the present, contradictory situation, we demand that the European Convention focuses on this problem and presents the preventive solutions.

Furthermore, it was agreed that the intoxicant abuse is a sickness, not a crime. A care for customers from their point of view should be advanced with different options, not punishing the sick person. The preventive intoxicant education and the minimisation of disadvantages contribute to a sustainable intoxicant policy.

The focus in health care has to be in a preventive treatment, for example on a school health care and on an efficient system of social security. A special attention should be paid to the mental health care. The financial responsibility for the health care should be transferred to a national level.

VI GOING GLOBAL

We did not wish to embark on a separate discussion on the concept of globalisation, but we accepted the general view on the complexity and diversity.

We wish to stress that this does not aim at representing the opinion of all the Finnish young.

We suggest, that the European Union will in the future have the facility to realise the following matters, which we have divided in four themes:
A) philosophical values, B) trade issues, C) environmental challenges and D) the global vs. local governance

THEME 1: PHILOSOPHICAL VALUES

1) The human rights must be secured: the European Union must follow the treaties by the UN and the European Council on the human rights
2) The EU and its Member States should respect the cultural diversity and enhance the position of a global education for internationality among other things by including it in curricula
3) The EU should support genuine integration - the immigrants should be given the right on their culture and the keys to the "society of their new homeland"
4) The EU should globally fight against poverty
5) The nature and the environment are absolute values: one should respect that and take responsibility for one's actions
6) The role of the International Criminal Court should be enhanced

THEME 2: TRADE ISSUES

1) the human rights and fundamental rights should be granted also in free trade -> the EU should monitor the realisation of them (= fair free trade)
2) the plans of action of Johannesburg have to be realized (e.g. allowing the developing countries the access to markets and the gradual removal of export subsidies)
3) the EU / the public power should influence the commercial system with such subsidies, other means to influence and regulations as to make possible the realisation of the fair free trade values agreed on together.
4) the EU must ensure that the Member States and the candidate states meet the conditions of fair free trade
5) the developing countries should be supported in their path towards democracy
6) the good governance should be seen as a prerequisite for the fair free trade
7) as the world trade coordinators, the UN and the WTO should be improved while bearing the advantages of developing countries in mind
8) the EU should create a common system of environmental tax and thus actively aim at encouraging the European community and the whole world towards the sustainable development

THEME 3: ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES

1) the global warming, the preservation of biodiversity, energy solutions, clean water, the future of provinces, the tolerance of the globe and changes in consuming and producing habits are central challenges to the environment
2) the EU should grant a tax exemption on ecological cars
3) the EU should put an end to the use of carbon
4) the EU should allow resources for the research for new and renewable sources of energy and for their development, introduction and information
5) the EU should encourage the effective use of energy
6) the EU should use taxation as a means of guidance: tax more severely those who pollute more and similarly lighten the tax burden for those who pollute less
7) the EU should encourage to saving energy and to informing about it (two dissenting opinions)
In addition it was suggested, that the EU should encourage to effective use of energy and to saving energy for example by considerably increasing the energy evaluations in the buildings of public administration
8) the biodiversity must be preserved, but also the utilisation of nature should be taken into account
9) the EU should follow the international environmental agreements it has ratified
10) the principle of "the polluter pays" must be followed
11) the EU must invest on environmental education and on the training of attitudes
12) the EU should give technical assistance and support and environmental education to the developing countries
13) the EU should make the punishments for environmental violations considerably more severe and expand them to concern also communities / companies
14) the EU should pressure its Member States and the fellow states to follow the regulations on the environment
15) the EU should be a global pioneer in environmental issues

THEME 4: GOVERNANCE ON GLOBAL AND LOCAL LEVELS

1) the decision-making should be brought close to the citizen, as far as possible
2) the securing of fundamental rights should be ensured on a global level and their local realisation should be actively ensured
3) the transparency of development cooperation has to be ensured, the use of funds should be announced
4) the goal is to reduce bureaucracy
5) good governance, respect for human rights and democracy should be prerequisites for receiving loans and for the possible excuse of them
6) excuses of different degrees are materialised on a case-by-case basis
* the interest rates of developing countries should be frozen
* the interest rates of developing countries should be excused
* the loans of developing countries should be excused
7) the EU Member States must increase the development aid to 0,7 % of the GNP as recommended by the UN (one dissenting opinion)

ADDITIONS TO THE ENTITY VI

The additions which were supported during the workshop discussions:

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In the use of forests in Europe, the forestry that is respectful of nature should be encouraged while nevertheless preserving the economical uses and productivity. Economical incentives should be applied in order to preserve biodiversity nonetheless bearing in mind the natural areas, especially in the state areas.

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The trade war against developing countries must end and they must be given aid towards welfare, democracy and the open society which respects human rights.

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By setting emissions fees and damage compensations for all polluters in respect to the relative harm caused, the environmental protection is made profitable and efficient, and the spirit of enterprise is applied in the prevention of environmental problems.

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The emissions under quota restrictions are sold by auction, which causes the automatical targeting of emission deductions in the cheapest targets and the polluters to pay a just price.

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The European Union should strive for the prevention of tax competition. The tax on capital should be unified.

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The EU should strive for the abolishment of the tax havens.

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The functioning of the European Court of Human Rights should be actively enhanced. The national courts of law should better take notice of the agreements on the human rights and constitutionality for example by supporting the functioning of the national Constitutional Law Courts.

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The EU should realise the values and the fundamental rights also outside of its regain.