AEUB 2015: Hopes, concerns, and proposals for Europe

Day 2

Friday 17 July was an opportunity to report back on the first working group discussions and continue our conversations throughout the day.

Our young ambassador from Italy read comments from Leoluca Orlando, Mayor of Palermo. Mr Orlando called for recognition of the right to international human mobility. In his Charter of International Human Mobility, Mr Orlando demands that ‘mobility must be recognized as an inalienable human right’. He argues that nobody makes the choice where they are born, but they have the choice to decide where they want to live and die. He underlines that EU has made great strives for this right. It must, however, expand beyond the Schengen Area. The full Charter can be downloaded as a PDF here. 

Each working group reported on key hopes, concerns and proposals that had emerged from their discussions the previous day. A key idea was that “ordinary citizens” should be involved in shaping Europe.  Several people also mentioned the role the media play in sustaining negative feelings between and within nations. This could be counteracted with positive media campaigns.

In the afternoon, some participants enjoyed a treasure hunt, exploring the history of Caux Palace and Caux’s connection with European history. Others attended a lecture on the 60^th anniversary of the Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations, which ended a long conflict between Denmark and Germany. Some of those who worked on the declarations were inspired by Caux. The end of the day was marked with a “Sharing our Cultures” event. Here, participants were invited to share something from their culture, be it food, music, poetry or national dress. It was a great evening of sharing and laughing, and exploring cultures.