European Young Leaders (EYL40): Warsaw seminar

How cities are leading the way forward on European cooperation

By acting at the local level to solve economic, social, and environmental issues, cities can bypass national political discord to create partnerships full of opportunities that accelerate action on issues affecting the daily lives of citizens across Europe. Cities are also teaming up, creating coalitions and sharing knowledge and innovative solutions to the greatest challenges facing Europeans. From climate change to migration, these strategic partnerships are rooted in substantial projects and initiatives that reflect cities’ ambitions, priorities and interests, giving them an increasingly prominent role in multilateral cooperation at the European level.
Where can cities have the greatest impact in bridging the gap between the EU and its citizens? Can European solidarity be reinvigorated at a city level? Does inter-city cooperation offer a more effective alternative to regional and international cooperation?

Short conversations with Young Leaders on issues that matter to them, to gain expertise from this useful network. 

— 12.00 – 12.30

— 12.30 – 13.00

PARALLEL I: CYBERSECURITY

A concern for European citizens and companies?

Cyberterrorism is fast-becoming one of the main concerns of European citizens. The shift from small-scale cyber-attacks to large-scale attacks on civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, power plants and financial services has heightened the public awareness of the vulnerability of data systems, leading to increased concern about the collection and handling of personal data, and the lack of transparency and accountability of companies and governments in the cybersphere. With much of its digital and technological infrastructure in the hands of private companies, how can Europe get ahead in ensuring that public data and resources are protected from cyber-attacks? Which areas of cyber-security should fall under the mandate of national and EU institutions, and which are the responsibility of individual citizens?

PARALLEL II: OCEANS

The plastics paradox: a dilemma for consumers

The velocity of the consumption of plastic as a cheap, disposable commodity has been exacerbated by the rise of consumer-facing digital platforms which facilitate high-speed ‘click-to-buy’ purchases with round-the-clock delivery. In parallel, citizens and nation states are convinced of the need to tackle environmental damage caused and climate change linked to human activity. Supermarkets and small retail outlets are pressured to reduce and recycle  plastic waste whilst simultaneously feeding mass consumption. Meanwhile, oceans have become dumping grounds for all manner of plastic waste, which has now become such a blight on ecosystems that plastics are now found in the deepest and furthest reaches of the marine environment.

Increasingly an antidote to the breakdown of relationship and trust between citizens and governments is to trial different forms of citizens’ participation, engagement and direct democracy. Across the world and in Europe there are examples where citizens are being engaged in co-deciding budgets, urban planning, healthcare standards and even a constitution. While it’s still early to tell it appears that this can have a revitalising effect on the relationship and provide greater confidence and trust among citizens about how they are governed but more importantly to have a stake in how their livelihoods develop and to play a part in improving how this takes place.

Key questions:
1/ Do you think your vote matters?
2/ Do you believe your political representatives will follow through their promises?
3/ Would you want to be involved in decision making at local, national and European level?

Based on these questions, the session will aim to identify 3 key recommendations for ways to improve the direct participation of citizens in European democracies based on the input of local Warsaw citizens, the European Young leaders and the voices and views of citizens across Europe through their engagement on the Debating Europe platform. These recommendations will also be translated into a series of live, pan-European debates on direct democracy and shared with EU decision makers in the lead up to the 2019 European elections.

This session is organised in partnership with:
Office of the Mayor of the City of Warsaw, Office of the Polish Ombudsman, Casimir Pulaski Foundation

Short conversations with Young Leaders on issues that matter to them, to gain expertise from this useful network. 

— 10.00 – 10.30

— 10.30 – 11.00

Reflecting on the past to protect Europe’s future

Marian Turski is a Polish-Jewish historian and journalist. Having survived the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and two death marches in 1945, Turski has become an important personality of the Jewish community in Poland and for the memory of the Holocaust. Turski and his family were deported to the Auschwitz killing center in 1944, where his father and most likely his brother were murdered upon arrival. He was later transferred to the Buchenwald concentration camp, and was liberated at Theresienstadt after surviving a death march from Buchenwald. Since then he has had a distinguished career as a journalist, heading the historical section of the Polityka weekly since 1958 and has been involved in the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews Project since its beginning.