Basic Values

 Basic Programme of European Democrat Students

1. Paper On Values 1.1. The Value of Values 1.1.1. The Human Being 1.1.2. Society 1.1.3. Family 1.1.4. The State 1.1.5. The Environment

2. Policy Areas A: Higher Education and Research 2.A.1. Merit 2.A.2. Social dimension 2.A.3. Mobility 2.A.4. Funding of HEIs 2.A.5. Student participation 2.A.6. University Business Relations 2.A.7. Employability 2.A.8. Quality Assurance/ Quality enhancement 2.A.9. ECTS 2.A.10. Qualification framework 2.A.11. Diploma supplement 2.A.12. Life Long Learning 2.A.13. Research 2.A.14. European perspective 2.A.15. Student Information B: Policies for Europe 2.B.1. Europe without borders 2.B.1.1. Visa regimes 2.B.2. Transition to Democracy 2.B.2.1. Moral and democratic transition in Europe 2.B.3. Economy 2.B.3.1. Tax Policy in the European Union 2.B.3.2. Public Debt 2.B.4. Energy Policy 2.B.4.1. Environment and sustainable development 2.B.4.2. Nuclear energy 2.B.5. Journalism and Press 2.B.5.1. Media censorship 2.B.6. External Relations of the European Union 2.B.6.1. Common Foreign and Security Policy 2.B.6.2. European Security and Defence Policy 2.B.6.3. The EU and NATO 2.B.6.4. The EU Counter-Terrorism Strategy 2.B.6.5. The European Union - Russian Federation Relations 2.B.6.6. European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) 2.B.6.7. The Enlargement Policy C: Human Rights 2.C.1. Freedom of Speech, Press and Expression of Opinions 2.C.2. Discrimination 2.C.3. Food security 2.C.4. Education 2.C.5. Human trafficking 2.C.6. Asylum 2.C.7. Immigration and intercultural relations in Europe 2.C.8. Democracy

1. Paper On Values

adopted at the 2003 Annual Meeting, Zadar - Croatia

1. The Value of Values [back to top]

1. We believe that political action must be based on firm values. A civilised society consists of a certain set of inviolable rights for its citizens and definite boundaries for the actions of the state and the use of power. As Europeans we find ourselves deeply rooted in the three cultural traditions on which the European Civilisation has been founded: the Hellenic philosophical heritage - along with its intellectual openness; the Roman Law - along with its sense of the rule of law; Christianity and Christian values.

2. Politics need good values in order to provide a moral guideline for political action. The purpose of this programme is to explore those values and their implications on certain policy areas.

1.1. The Human Being [back to top]

3. We believe that all individuals are equal before the law, irrespective of differences in gender, colour, race, nationality, religion, political conviction, sexual orientation social standing and regardless of disabilities. Thus we reject all kinds of collective or personal privileges before law.

4. Accordingly, we believe in all individuals‘ right to form and decide about their own lives, with respect to others. As a consequence, responsibility and toleration are fundamental for a civilised society.

5. Therefore, we attach supreme importance to personal freedoms and civil liberties. We believe in freedom of speech, freedom of information, freedom of association and freedom of worship. We believe in the protection of an individual‘s private life. We urge the free movement of people and goods and the exchange of opinions across frontiers. We also recognise private ownership and the rule of law to be basic institutions in a civilised society.

6. We support the European Convention on Human Rights and its inclusion in the European Constitutional Treaty. We believe that the rights and freedoms defined therein should be guaranteed by law in every state and protected by both national courts and the international community. We uphold the right of every citizen individually to seek redress for denials of these rights in the European Court for Human Rights and before the European Court of Justice.

1.2. Society [back to top]

7. Free individuals interact and co-operate within the framework of a free and open society with a respect for the principles of justice and responsibility. The society is an extension of the social nature of the Human beings.

8. The free Human society is as multifaceted and diverse as the human beings themselves. As such, we endorse the fact that society constitutes the framework for Mankind‘s search and realisation of social relations, wealth, security and self-fulfilment.

9. The process of a free society, in which all members interact and co-operate and at the same time pursue their own personal goals, is of a dynamic and complex nature. The social order which results is of Human origin but not of Human design and planning.

1.3. Family [back to top]

10. We recognise the family as a fundamental nucleus of society. The family has the primary responsibility for the important task of bringing up coming generations.

We therefore reject policies which deprive the family of its possibilities to perform this task, e.g. tax policies which create disincentives for families. We also reject attempts to replace the family in its fostering role, e.g. government control of upbringing and education.

1.4. The State [back to top]

11. The state is the ultimate upholder and protector of individual freedoms and civil liberties. Its primary tasks are to protect the life and property of its citizens and uphold the rule of law. The state, as the solitary user of legitimate force, is thus necessary for a civilised society.

12. We believe in democracy as an open and constantly developing political system, in which the interests of the individual and those of society at large are reconciled on the basis of the principles of freedom and equality. We believe in an open society, characterised by a constant competition and interaction between ideas and parties, by plurality of interests and the diffusion of power. Only this way can we ensure a future of freedom.

13. A democratic society must be based on the principles of pluralism. Among the essential features of such a system are a diversity of political parties open to all opinions, effective control of the executive actions of government by freely elected parliamentary assemblies, guarantees for free trade unions and for other social, political, cultural and religious organisations as well as the right not to join such organisations, a free press and an independent judiciary. The more pluralistic and open the society becomes, the stronger is the demand for the society to stand up against totalitarian opinions and to combat those beliefs within the frames of the open society. Totalitarian methods and violence must never be accepted as political means, and must be contained by the police and the legal institutions.

14. The democratic order needs to be regulated to provide liberty. This means that the civil liberties cannot be allowed to be abolished by democratic means. Constitutional regulations with protection of minority rights and rules for the decision making process is a basic prerequisite for a democratic society.

1.5. The Environment [back to top]

15. Man is a part of nature but also a species with a special role and responsibility. Man has throughout history transformed nature according to his changing needs and will most likely continue to do so. Since the consequences of environmental pollution do not stop at borders, international co-operation in this field is essential.

16. Nature as a major part of the world heritage has a special value independent from its market value. The conservation of natural landscapes, fauna and flora for future generations is an important task. The centre-right ideology is dealing with the environment issues without hypocrisy. The environment is an area where the centre-right offers long-term solutions.

17. We believe that the best guarantee for a responsible and sustainable use of nature and natural resources is use of instruments of free market economy, invention of improved, clean technologies and scientific development. Well defined legal property rights creates natural incentives to preserve and make use of natural resources in a responsible and efficient way. The opposite, undefined or collective ownership imposed by states, has proven to lead to wasted resources and damaged nature. Collective action shall however be called for when ownership or responsibility is diffused and impossible or unreasonably expensive to determine.

 

2. Policy Areas

adopted at the 2010 Winter University, Brussels - Belgium

A: Higher Education and Research

2.A.1. Merit
We consider that merit should be a central value in higher education because it is the best way to create a spirit of excellence and to bring competitiveness back into the european universities. Students should be encouraged towards excellence. In order to promote a merit-based higher education, the accomplishments of each individual student should be more recognized, be it in the form of monetary rewards, additional certificates or the possibility to publish his scientific work.

One such example could be a system as it is practiced in France or in Austrian to award scholarships to students who have excellent results be that at the end of university through any kind of substantial reward, e.g. a donation of an adequate amount of money.

A higher education policy based on merit as one of its core values is the key to ensure sustainable economic growth and performance, and innovation in the future. Furthermore, it would lead to an increase in the quality of higher education provided and reward those students who have contributed their share to their University.

EDS believes that the promotion of merit in higher education will have a very positive impact on higher education and the economy in particular and on society at large.

Encouraging students to strive for their best results at university will affect the way how these students will perform in a job later on. They will, in the same way, try to obtain the best results they can for their company. Merit based higher education must therefore be a part in any coherent solution to fight against most issues concerning the entrance of students to the labour market.

Making people understand the importance of merit would represent a significant step forward in terms of people’s mindsets as graduates would then more easily make efforts and be willing to take chances.. For example, young people would less hesitate to become entrepreneurs and run their own company. So for all these reasons, EDS considers that promoting merit in universities would mean entering little by little a virtuous circle from which the whole society could benefit.

2.A.2. Social dimension
In the current debate on Higher education accessibility and completion there are two main arguments – Higher education and knowledge as a common good on the one hand and knowledge as a personal gain for individual benefit on the other hand. EDS believes that these two cannot be separated from each other and necessarily need to be properly balanced. The main goal of any social dimension policy must be to ensure the equity of opportunity to higher education, irrespective of the socio-economic background, but based upon the principles of merit and capacity.

After Prague ministerial meeting in 2001 the Prague communiqué mentions higher education as public good and public responsibility and introduces the social dimension into the process, especially concerning the influence of social dimension on the mobility of students. However it was only at the Bergen ministerial conference in 2005 that the social-dimension concept in Higher education was defined as “commitment to making quality higher education equally accessible to all, and stressed the need for appropriate conditions for students so that they can complete their studies without obstacles related to their social and economic background.” It is there that the Bologna process recognized the interconnectivity of social dimension of Higher education with other chapters of Higher education, such as mobility, accessibility, equality, employability etc.

Strongly believing in the importance of the equality of opportunity, EDS supports the ministers’ commitment to the social dimension of higher education and calls upon them to take measureable actions as foreseen in the Leuven Communiqué.

Convinced that Europe needs a fair and equitable regulation of access to higher education, EDS furthermore calls upon the national governments to strive for a harmonization of the national access policies in order to avoid undesired imbalances between countries.

EDS believes in the constituent part that the social dimension plays in Higher education and thus welcomes the inclusion of the social dimension into the bologna process. To ensure the competitiveness of its higher education system, Europe simply cannot afford to not exhaust its full potential by maintaining social barriers.

In order to achieve the goals the ministers responsible for higher education have committed themselves to, the introduction of zero interest rate student loans, guaranteed for by the governments, additionally to already existing grant systems, is necessary.

An additional measure to ensure the social dimension of higher education is easily accessible information concerning student support services, grants etc, as well as easily accessible and high quality informational systems for prospective students and young people. EDS furthermore calls upon HEIs to further promote a positive attitude towards higher education in general throughout all of society.

2.A.3. Mobility
We would like to encourage the Ministers of Higher Education and research of the EU to focus on areas of recognition and qualifications. It is of highest importance for student mobility that an education gains full recognition also when it is conducted in another EHEA country.

Barriers to mobility are issues on recognition and qualifications. The main obstacle for many students to study in other EU countries is the insecurity over whether degrees and courses from other countries will be valued and recognized.

We encourage the pursuit of easily readable and comparable degrees, which are essential for students' mobility and the competitiveness of the EHEA. The Leuven communiqué has set a 20% target of mobile students. We call upon all national governments and stakeholders to contribute their due share to reach the 20% by 2020. In order to achieve the goal the large number of barriers and obstacles to mobility existent at present need to be removed.

The most prominent ones are the following:

• lack of cooperation among universities & national governments in their respective fields
• nsufficient financial support for students
• insufficient funding for he HEIs in order to properly facilitate mobility & cooperation
• uncertainty and rigidity with recognition of courses & exams
• drop of quality of study programs when studying abroad in exchange programs
• diverse ECTS systems
• rigid curricula and no encouragement by academia
• lack of efficient & encouraging (i.e. simple) administrative structures
• low level of acceptance among employers, especially smaller businesses and public sector

We believe that increased student mobility can be obtained without university autonomy being in jeopardy. Standardizations leading to similar content and goals in all universities cannot be the aim of a multicultural Europe.
Instead, universities must be allowed to compete for foreign students, while a standard university evaluation is agreed upon to objectively assess university education quality around Europe. Continued international cooperation amongst quality assurance agencies is essential in this aim.
We appreciate the progress of the Joint degree programs as a step in the right direction and a possible model for how more university programs can function for EU students in the future.
We believe that the emphasis shall be to tear down the barriers between students of the EU. All across Europe there would be great gains from building bridges via student exchange programs. Providing incentives to students with the aim to induce them to apply to study abroad can be very beneficial where the interest to study abroad is low.

Therefore EDS proposes the following measures to be taken:

National governments shall provide HEIs with the necessary tools for enhancing cooperation, while safeguarding the HEIs autonomy. Furthermore EDS believes that HEIs play a crucial role in this process and need to fulfil their responsibility.

At present the financial support in place does not allow mobility at the desired rate of 20%. These funds shall enable students to study in any country of the EHEA and safeguard a decent standard of living. That requires an increase in the number of grants awarded as well as increase in the amount for the individual.

Furthermore we believe that there should be financial incentives for HEIs for an increase in cooperation with other HEIs. That would also allow HEIs to operate urgently needed efficient and encouraging administrative structures.
Procedures need to be put into place to maintain and increase quality of exchange programs. Particular attention needs to be paid to adequate treatment of exchange students.

As laid down in the Leuven Communiqué the so called “mobility windows” shall be implemented into curricula thereby adding flexibility to curricula and simplifying recognition procedures greatly.

Steps shall be taken to inform also smaller and medium enterprises of the advantages of mobile students. Especially the public sector needs to lead the way with good example and fully value the mobility. In particular students with degrees from other European countries generally need to be admitted to public service wherever possible.

2.A.4. Funding of HEIs
EDS assert that HE funding should not interfere with the scientific autonomy of Higher Education Institutions. And that higher education should be available to anyone regardless of economic situation.
Apart from state funding, higher education systems have to rely on certain other sources of income. We believe that the state is not to withdraw from its fundamental obligation to finance HE systems.

The amount provided by the state is to stay stable and assigned according to the individual successes of the students in terms of making their degrees. Other income possibilities might be tuition fees according to diverse criteria set herein: Moderate fees, agreement between HE institution and the student, funds dedicated to student affairs, supplement and not a replacement to the existing financing system. Depending on the HE cultures, moderate tuition fees allocated to student affairs can be an option if they are not misled and if they do not run counter the aims of the social dimension.

Alumni and companies from both the private and public sector are to play a role in providing intellectual and pecuniary enrichment as well. This can be achieved both by providing money and providing services (e.g. teaching staff, tutorials, workshops) and goods (materials, technical equipment) for the universities.

Regarding the efficiency of the funding system, an assessment of it is necessary to guarantee the quality. The amounts provided by potential tuition fees are strictly to be used for student and teaching purposes and not for any other business. In particular must the introduction of tuition fees not be used to cut the higher education budgets, but must be added to the other party of the budget. A review system shall be put into place to safeguard the proper usage of tuition fees.

We have to face the fact that States cannot grant an increasing funding for Higher Education in the highest possible quality without private funding nowadays. Other funding ways are welcome when increasing the quality of both cultural and employability sides of Higher Education. Therefore, EDS is open to the development of private funds under the above mentioned conditions (Alumni, firms, foundations).

2.A.5. Student participation
Student participation in general is a necessary measure to have the students involved in the decision making process of their higher education institutions. Conducted in a transparent and reliable manner it can be a basic tool of participatory democracy teaching students as young voters the fundamental principles of a democratic statehood in which they are to take the decisions and to influence the future of their communities.

Nevertheless, we believe that student participation should be a continuation of responsible integration of students´ interests in the involved bodies. However, effective checks and balances need to be put in place, in order to guarantee the proper functioning, especially financial auditing.

No student organisation should claim to be the sole representative of the students in general, but is to take into consideration the inclusion of all the interests of all the students they represent.
Where there are student self-governments a proper transparency is to be guaranteed by the measures of accountability, open access to all information, all basic documents, budgets, statutes and the control of the operations and the democratic standards regarding elections and the conduction of the work of any student representative involved.

We believe that as student representatives devote their time, money and efforts on the common case they should be assisted with a certain flexibility when it comes to their personal study commitments. This however does not mean a liberation from the basic duties that all students have as the student representatives are the frontrunners and should be a model for the other students how to cope with the challenges of both being involved as representative and being a regular student with rights and obligations.

2.A.6. University Business Relations
Universities are based on both education and research, both of which cannot and shall not be entirely separated from the rest of society. Employability and entrepreneurship are significant issues for everyone.
EDS believes that each sector has its own individual purpose. However, co-operation is necessary to increase the efficiency and the capacity for innovation of both Universities and Business enterprises. At the same time the character of higher education institutions needs to be preserved, devoting time and resources to “academic" disciplines and traditions, which are not directly convertible into money making skills or patents. The EU Forum for University Business Dialogue, for example, contributes to a long overdue step: knowing each other.

Regarding the area of co-operation, the research community should be included into the process as a third partner, having natural ties to both University and Business, providing a bridge between the two.
If entrepreneurship becomes a part of common teaching, the association of business in teaching shall not be limited to this indispensable domain. Professional people working in the business world, dealing every day with specific areas are often able to give a precious insight into their fields as teachers. Culture, law or European affairs are examples of fields in which such professionals are already teaching regularly at Universities across Europe.

However, such action should not be restricted to “elite-universities” such as the French grandes ecoles.

Students could also benefit from an integrated business environment into their studies thanks to dual-education systems. Germany developed this model with SMEs and others for technical fields. University and Business can come together to create a range of possible dual-education programmes (Human resources, administration, marketing...).

Employability is not only a question of skills, but also one of networks. During global crisis, students entering the labour market are confronted with severe pressure at this stage. Each University should develop an efficient service section for providing students with a sufficient number of subject-relevant internships and job placements.

2.A.6. Employability
Employability is one of the key goals of Bologna reform process from the very beginning. The goal of employability of students is a marker of a quality education and competitive knowledge that allows individual to take an active role in society and accelerate the competitiveness of European economy as set in Lisbon agenda.

In general the employability is very much interlinked with other topics of Higher education – there are multiple factors that influence the ability of individual to be employed and to reach personal fulfilment such as quality assurance in HEIs, comparability and recognition of degrees, working system of national and EHEA qualification frameworks, mobility, inclusion of competencies, skills and knowledge gathered from non formal and informal sources etc.

We affirm that only a competitive and quality EHEA can provide enough of competencies, skills and knowledge to facilitate ever growing and changing needs of the job market. In this aspect we promote the Leuven ministerial conference's findings that »institutions need to be more responsive to employer’s needs and employers to better understand the educational perspective.”

We would also like to stress the problem of structural unemployment, low job security and somewhat long transitions in employment, especially in current hardened economic conditions that mostly affect the young workers or students just completing their studies. In this regards we call for better cooperation between HEIs, governments and employers to achieve better flexibility and security of future young employees. We call for government coordinated and funded programs, government mediation and creation of counselling structures on the governmental as much as on the level of each HEI. Alumni networks can be a great contribution to widen the social network and improve chances for employment also.

Much can be also done on the field of self employment and encouraging the entrepreneurship of students after completion of their studies. We ask the governments to put up adequate measures to facilitate formation of small and medium companies, help with investments into promising enterprises and ideas and offer sufficient information on funding trough European funds.

In the end we stress the importance of quality transmission of practical and usable knowledge to students, which means introducing of new study approaches as case studies, team work, project and output oriented learning, learning-by-doing, learning-by-working etc. On other hand we also call for better control over quality of teaching, higher adaptability of programs and higher mobility of professors and teaching staff. We believe that this kind of approach should be more focused on the stimulation of entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.

2.A.7. Quality Assurance/ Quality enhancement
The current situation of Quality Assurance has made some progress, however there remain many issues to be resolved. A European Higher Education Area (EHEA) composed of diverse systems of HE requires a properly functioning system of QA in order to become fully operational.

The aims of such a System are twofold. First the compliance with minimum standards needs to be assured. Second the EHEA must not limit itself to simply controlling minimum standards. Active Quality enhancement needs to be pursued to further improve Europe’s Higher Education Institutions and not least to meet the goals set out in the Lisbon-Strategy. Above all the EHEA needs to strive for excellence and constant advancement in each respective field.

Quality Assurance needs to be conducted in a way that serves to foster mutual trust between the various HEIs. Therefore the structure of HEIs should be tailored to foster transparency and accountability within the system. Furthermore independent evaluation needs to be carried out, leading to real consequences. The results of any such evaluation must be published and not be kept secret at any time.

In order to guarantee the accuracy of QA and to assure that the perspectives of all stakeholders of HEIs are taken into account, students should be involved at all stages of QA as equal partners.

The insurance of quality of any higher education system is the duty of the bodies governing the higher education systems in the favour of both the students in particular, as well as of the society in general. The attractiveness of the European Higher Educational Area is strongly interconnected with the need of continuous improvement and enhancement of the higher education institutions.

Today, we still face a lack of adequate data input to be able to measure objectively the quality in higher education institutions. For example, this could be: percentage of graduates, length of studies, percentage of mobility of students, employability, recognition, etc.

However, measuring the quality of teaching requires the involvement of students in order to be representative. And such a measuring should at least partially be output oriented in order to provide data that is objectively comparable. For this purpose EDS proposes to foster inter-University (or Inter-Institution) competitions and Europe wide uniform tests, similar to Moot Court Competitions between law schools and the Pisa test in high schools.

2.A.8. ECTS
European credit and transfer system is a standardization tool that provides comparability and transferability between different European Higher education systems. The idea behind ECTS to have common standards of calculating the amount of work needed to complete courses or exams is indeed one that deserves support. However, the fact that ECTS is not calculated in a uniform way gives reason for severe criticism. ECTS being the basic unit does not allow for any discrepancies in the mode of calculation from country to country. This puts the whole approach in jeopardy as HEIs then cannot rely on the comparability even if the amount of granted ECTS is the same.

Moreover, the calculation of ECTS for courses and exams at the individual HEIs in most cases is not conducted in a accurate manner as it is a very complex system that the institutions are not sufficiently trained in and do not receive appropriate assistance.

Therefore, EDS demands the following:

• Unconditional unification of ECTS calculation throughout all Europe.
• Develop Europe wide detailed & clear practical guidelines on how to calculate ECTS.
• Active involvement of student representatives in the process of the calculation in order to reach accurate results as it is the workload for students that are reflected in ECTS.
• Creation of advisory expert bodies on ECTS calculation to assist HEIs.

2.A.9. Qualification framework
Qualifications, skills and competencies are various outputs of Higher education process, gathered throughout the learning process. They are different from study program to study program and from Higher education institution to another Higher education institution.

The Qualification framework as a term on other hand entered the Bologna reform process in Bergen and London ministerial conference as a tool of “comparability and transparency within the EHEA and facilitating the movement of learners within, as well as between, higher education systems. They should also help HEIs to develop modules and study programs based on learning outcomes and credits, and improve the recognition of qualifications as well as all forms of prior learning.” The idea was that each EHEA member state accepts their own national qualification network that would be “certified against the overarching Framework for Qualifications of the EHEA, by 2010.”

This EHEA Framework of qualifications would be also compatible with the European Commission’s European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning. With national qualification networks aligned into EHEA qualification network we will receive a powerful tool to recognition, mobility, comparability and transferability of learning outputs throughout all EHEA.

2.A.10. Diploma supplement
The diploma supplement (DS) is another tool to facilitate transparency, transferability and recognition of achieved competencies of students through studies. It is an integral part of Bologna reform process from the Bologna declaration onwards. Structure of DS was defined and specified and common criteria were accepted, bearing in mind that this structure has to be able to adapt to different HEI throughout Europe.

The European Commission gives the next definition - The Diploma Supplement (DS) is a document attached to a higher education diploma aiming at improving international ‘transparency’ and at facilitating the academic and professional recognition of qualifications (diplomas, degrees, certificates etc.). It is designed to provide a description of the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies that were successfully completed by the individual named on the original qualification to which this supplement is appended. It should be free from any value-judgements, equivalence statements or suggestions about recognition. It is a flexible non-prescriptive tool which is designed to save time, money and workload. It is capable of adaptation to local needs.

We believe that DS is a useful and important tool for students and needs to be further promoted in all EHEA states. The implementation of DS is however not without problems – some HEIs or EHEA states have still not implemented the DS towards the guidelines, students have to pay for DS, some EHEA states don’t even issue the DS yet. This shows that the obligation of some EHEA states or HEIs to introduce DS is not sufficient and would need more stimulation.

We also stress the importance of connection between national and European frameworks of qualifications with DS and possibility of further improving DS with some other possible chapters like qualifications from non formal and informal learning sources. This is however in a way against some of the basic goals of DS so it still has to be discussed on the decision-making level. Competencies, skills and knowledge from non formal and informal experience are becoming more and more important so it would be prudent to include them in the DS.

2.A.11. Life Long Learning
In general Lifelong Learning principle is a lifelong educational process constituted of three main processes – formal, non formal and informal education.

Formal education is as a learning process structured in terms of learning objectives, learning time, learning support and it is intentional; the participants get certificates and/or diplomas. On other hand non-formal and informal education processes are less structured and standardized. Non-formal education is also structured, based on learning objectives, learning time and specific learning support and it is intentional but it typically does not lead to certification, however in an increasing number of cases, certificates are delivered. Informal learning is however mainly learning by doing; it is typically not structured and not intentional and does not lead to certification.

All three above mentioned educational processes constitute life wide educational experience, skills and knowledge of an individual. EDS is strongly welcoming that European higher education decision-makers recognized the importance of the Life Long Learning (LLL) as it was mentioned in the Bologna Declaration, was given reference to in the Prague Declaration and finally was included in the Berlin Declaration as an independent chapter.

EDS as an organisation of students in higher education bodies realizes the need of LLL and therefore emphasizes that the LLL as an education that is not necessarily aligned to the life as a student forms a part of the Bologna Process. We believe that the fundament of a knowledge-based society is not only the elementary, secondary and higher education which applies modern pedagogical skills and which incorporates the knowledge and skills, but also the LLL which ensures a continuous advancement.

That´s why we stress the importance of the non-formal educational forms of the LLL to become an organic part of the comprehensive curriculum of the individual in the spirit of the recognition of prior learning and the European Credit Transfer System. We find it necessary to recognize the prior learning in the process of LLL, but the respective higher education direction should not be an obstacle to the availability of certain LLL programmes, by this creating the accessibility for everyone of the LLL.

In practice non-formal education, skills and competencies are still not adequately recognised and the value of such education is underestimated. Non-formal education should be included in national qualification frameworks and recognised in a formal way, should this be the individual’s wish.

We find it according to the statements above prevalent that the higher education institutions should be aware of the possibilities of certain LLL programmes and keep their former students informed via carrier offices or via their alumni networks.

Simultaneously we advice the actors of the labour market not to put obstacles on the LLL-demands of the employees, but to support them according to their possibilities. Furthermore we point out the responsibility of the national governments and the European Union as the creation of LLL programmes leads not only to a social balance, diverts many unemployed on the labour market, but is also an integral part of a sustainable and competitive Europe building on the knowledge-based society.

We call for establishing on-campus career guidance offices which can assist students in the transition from student to professional life. They could offer services such as help with application writing, determination of skills and interview simulations.

2.A.12. Research
The field of research is not directly covered by Bologna reform process. European research area (ERA) was introduces one year after the Bologna declaration in 2000. Since then it has become obvious that both EHEA and ERA are very much interconnected, interdependent and in certain cases need more general and inclusive approach to both fields.

European Commission defines the basic goals of ERA as it follows:

• Enable researchers to move and interact seamlessly, benefit from world-class infrastructures and work with excellent networks of research institutions;
• Share, teach, value and use knowledge effectively for social, business and policy purposes;
• Optimise and open European, national and regional research programmes in order to support the best research throughout Europe and coordinate these programmes to address major challenges together;
• Develop strong links with partners around the world so that Europe benefits from the worldwide progress of knowledge, contributes to global development and takes a leading role in international initiatives to solve global issues.

In practice on European level there are a couple of good practices in terms of cooperation of researchers, scientists and HEIs but a broader and more efficient cooperation tools still needs to be introduced. So far the ERA is still only an EU project and would need to be broadened over the borders of EU to at least the borders of EHEA states. This process is in some good practices already present.

We appreciate the good practices on European level that are results of aspirations for technological advancement, innovation like CERN, JET, and ITER and on some other even broader international level. European Union has also introduced the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) as a key promoter of “growth and capitalizing on the innovation capacity and capability of actors from higher education, research, business and entrepreneurship from the EU and beyond through the creation of highly integrated Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).”

We affirm the need for further cooperation between HEIs, EHEA states and research institutions (RI) in ERA. We also call for HEIs and RIs to encourage, promote and host leading researchers, scientists, and entrepreneurs on a regular level and offer students at least some practical experience in RIs. The mobility between both areas is of supreme importance, which calls for new structures for facilitation of mobility.

One of main obstacles for better cooperation is inadequate ICT technology and infrastructure. All basic scientific and research knowledge should be open and accessible to HEIs and other way around, key documents and research findings should be translated into at least English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Polish. All HEIs and RIs should have open and free access to Wi-Fi networks, libraries etc.

2.A.13. European perspective
Quality, accessible, mobile, comparable and student friendly EHEA is also important to promote and encourage the students that come outside of EHEA for learning more than just key learning competencies but also witness the attractiveness of European ideals, values and democratic standards.

Bearing in mind that no learning process is without transference of values, ideals, role models, we call for all study programs to include a certain degree of lectures on European identity, democratic standards and values of peace, equality, solidarity, subsidiarity, free flow of people and capital etc.

We also stress that EHEA has to be open to students and professors from all over the world, especially from the developing countries, to accept and treat them as equal counterparts. We think that sufficient scholarships and adequate language, housing and other services have to be offered.

2.A.14. Student Information
Not only is it important that European students are well guided in their choice for university studies, but they should also be able to easily access ALL the information they need. In order to achieve such aim and thereby to reduce the very high rate of first year failure in universities, it is essential that all the information should be centrally available.

Large information centres should be implemented in strategic areas in order to cover the whole European Higher Education Area to reach as many young people as possible. In fact, the biggest problem prospective students’ face today is the multiplicity of possibilities they have for their studies. Only very few high school graduates have a clear idea of what they would like do later on, let alone do they have sufficient information at their hand on which to base their choice. Such information however must also include information on job prospects. When making such momentous decisions young people need to be made aware of all aspects of their choice, including unpleasant ones. Therefore EDS proposes that also business representatives are included in such endeavours.

Concerning the choice of what field of studies best corresponds to a person, one example can be found in the French system of “orientation active”, with which universities can give their opinion, judging by the students results and profile, on whether or not they think the students choice is a good one and whether or not he or she has a good chance to succeed. However, any such a statement, even if unfavourable, must not be disclosed to any other person but the student. Furthermore must such statements not be taken into consideration when deciding on a student’s formal application. The sole purpose is to provide guidance to the students.
Additionally these information centres should assist students and enterprises alike finding jobs and internships.


B: Policies for Europe

2.B.1. Europe without borders

2.B.1.1. Visa regimes
We, the European Democrat Students have always advocated an increase of mobility and exchange within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Therefore, acknowledging that jurisdiction over visa issuance lies within the competences of the respective countries, but bearing in mind that the London communiqué calls for closer cooperation between governments, we emphasize the need of visa facilitations for citizens from EHEA countries that at present still need visas for academic purposes within the countries of the European Union.

Pupils, students, post-graduate students, scientists, researchers and university professors are our main interest.

The processing of visa applications has to be accelerated by simplifying the requirements on documents supporting a visa application, exempt all groups mentioned above from visa fees, abolishing interviews and time-consuming and degrading bureaucratic practices, increasing the number and improving accessibility of consular offices.

We are strongly convinced that visa facilitation is a highly important part of a broad set of measures aimed at increased people-to-people contacts between the countries of the European Higher Education Area.

Furthermore, we are confident that the implementation of these measures will render the European perspective more tangible for countries outside the European Union and that they are a first step towards the establishment of a visa-free regime within the European Higher Education Area.

As the European Democrat Students we are convinced that the effective implementation of visa facilitations will make it possible to envisage a structured dialogue along the path set out by the Thessaloniki agenda towards a visa free travel regime for all members of the European Higher Education Area.


2.B.2. Transition to Democracy

2.B.2.1. Moral and democratic transition in Europe
The transition had three dimensions: a political, an economic and a moral one. Politically, the most post-communist countries in the Central and Eastern European region are fully functioning democracies. From the side of the economy, they all are well-working market economies. But from the moral perspective, some of these countries still face a post-communist nomenclature in plenty of countries that persists now for years. A real system change often did not happen as the half of the political actors neither did change nor dismissed their past.

We recognise the discontinuities in the transition and condemn any endeavour to misguide the voting public as this destroys the most elementary fabric of democracy: the credibility in politics. Political platforms and actors deeply rooted in the past of communism cannot be considered credible. We call any non-credible post-communist government to resign as they cannot be the legitimate representatives of the “people of the wind of change”.

Fully realising the necessities of young generations deeply rooted in the future of liberty rather than in the past of communism, the European Democrat Students congratulate those who have shown outstanding courage and took active part in the transition and helped to consolidate the young democracies. We strongly support democracy-fighters in the countries where people still do not live under democratic conditions and encourage a stronger economical, political and social integration of CEE countries into the European community.


2.B.3. Economy

2.B.3.1. Tax Policy in the European Union
European Democrat Students believe that the notion of appropriate tax policy has gained a lot of importance. Undeniably, tax policies may threaten property, which is a natural right of the individual. For that, we believe that the lesser bureaucracy in collecting taxes and the eventual reduction of tax evasion are not reasons strong enough to justify the overbearing of lower income families with a tax rate that can be beyond their possibilities.

Secondly, the almost total elimination of tax exemptions and allowances will mean a neglect of the individuality of the tax payer.

Thirdly, the lower amount of income may have a negative impact on the already dramatic birth rate in Europe. Also a low income may create more dependence on the welfare system.

We believe that an effort should made to create tax systems which are more transparent. Nevertheless, this cannot be done disregarding the individual needs of tax payers.

2.B.3.2. Public Debt
Facing the current world financial and economic crisis many European countries have launched economic recovery plans worth billions of euros. These tremendously increase public debt that is already at a high level in most countries. We, European Democrat Students, being firmly committed to basic principles of market economy, recognise the impacts of the economic and financial crisis. We reject any kind of populism and next-elections-driven policy-making and are deeply concerned with some actions and rhetoric of heads of states and governments of certain European countries. The creation of a transparent system that ensures being correctly informed at the European level about the budget situation in the member states is crucial to guarantee sustainable state finance and to reduce new public debt to the very necessary.

Shrinking and aging populations in many European countries can contribute to the problem of public debt. We wish to see mid- and long-term plans put in place and implemented, so that countries can reduce their public debt.

We, the European Democrat Students see the danger of creating a new bubble of government liabilities that may never be paid off. The burst of such a bubble would be an even bigger threat to the world, as we know it, than the current economic crisis. Additionally, we demand all European governments act to create concepts to pay off debts and urge them to impose stern legal obligations upon themselves to implement these concepts. Governments should see these measures as an absolute necessity to provide a sustainable economic policy for the younger generations.

Besides, we strongly condemn any form of economic nationalism and isolationism, governmental protectionism and uncoordinated populist bailout programmes. We have deepest disagreement with mistreatment of the migrant workers, moreover regarding labelling them as a security risk to be contrary to the European idea.


2.B.4. Energy Policy

Europe's citizens and companies need a secure supply of energy at affordable prices in order to maintain our standards of living. At the same time, the negative effects of energy use, particularly fossil fuels, on the environment must be reduced. That is why EDS strongly support the EU policies, which focuses on creating a competitive internal energy market offering quality service at low prices, on developing renewable energy sources, on reducing dependence on imported fuels, and on doing more with a lower consumption of energy with implementing the energy efficiency package.

In the last years we have witnessed that energy has become more often than ever before a tool for political pressure or even blackmailing. That is why the questions of energy security and energy supply sustainability are of a vital and extraordinary importance. The worldwide growing demand for energy together with the problems of continuing depletion of fossil fuel reserves is our major concern.

That is why we, the European Democrat Students, urge all decision-makers to live up to the responsibility towards the upcoming generations and to set up efficient instruments and institutions which will help to implement a meaningful long term energy policy in order to tackle the problems of foreign energy dependency. We consider the "Green Paper", issued on the 8th March 2006 by the European Commission to be a good start for spelling out options to achieve "sustainable, competitive and secure" energy supplies for Europe. A key aspect is to build a common external energy policy that would co-ordinate the relations with external suppliers such as Russian Federation and OPEC countries avoiding any kind of dependence.

We would like to draw attention to the fact, that a reasoned and coherent shift in the energy mix of Europe could guarantee a giant leap in the economic competiveness of the continent mid and long term and have a positive effect on the environment.

One of the major challenges Europe is facing today is the dependency on the import of energy sources. This is especially the case of gas as the European Union receives more than 40% of its import from Russian Federation, having member states in the Baltic and in Central and Eastern Europe with a gas import rate of 70-100%. Such a high degree unilateral dependency poses a political and economical threat to the security and sustainability of the energy supply of Europe.

That is why we, the European Democrat Students, welcome all projects which support the diversification of the energy supply and lower our dependency on one single supplier. We also welcome investments in Europe’s internal energy transport infrastructure that works toward developing a unified and interconnected pan-European energy transmission network in order to avoid the potentially critical consequences of supply shortages or blackouts on the economy and on society. We also advocate enhanced coordination and cooperation between Member States and the EU authorities. The aim should be to establish a Community framework linking the work of national authorities, as well as to use the available human and technological resources more efficiently by the means of information exchange and mutual learning.

Also, we, EDS, are deeply concerned about our common future, strongly encourage the immediate implementation of the the new Directive on renewable energy, which sets ambitious targets for all Member States, such that the EU will reach a 20% share of energy from renewable sources by 2020 and a 10% share of renewable energy specifically in the transport sector. It also improves the legal framework for promoting renewable electricity, requires national action plans that establish pathways for the development of renewable energy sources including bioenergy, creates cooperation mechanisms to help achieve the targets cost effectively and establishes the sustainability criteria for biofuels. The new Directive should be implemented by Member States by December 2010.

2.B.4.1. Environment and sustainable development
In our view nature was given to mankind, therefore the individual ought to respect the natural world through history. Individuals transformed nature to their changing needs and will most likely to do so in the future. We consider it to be our duty to protect and safeguard the natural environment in Europe and throughout the world. That is why we support protecting the environment by ensuring practicable, manageable and insurable environmental damage legislation.

We, the European Democrat Students, are convinced that sustained and ecologically sound development must be the concept at the heart of European environmental policy. Instead of fighting the symptoms, environmental policy should attack the causes.

We underline that business should operate in a framework in which it is held responsible for environmental damage it causes. Liability has to be well defined and a liability regime must be based on clear definitions, practicalities and consequences. Therefore, above all, the operators have to take preventive actions in the case of an imminent threat of damage and remedial actions at their own expense, when damage already occurred.

We also believe that those responsible for environmental damage have to pay the overall macroeconomic costs and are given incentives to avoid producing harmful emissions. Only if we take all this into account, the operators will take their responsibilities in this field equally seriously.

2.B.4.2. Nuclear energy
The nuclear sector produces one third of the electricity currently generated in the EU and plays a key role in environmental protection by reducing greenhouse gases as the largest single source of carbon-free and base-load electricity in Europe. Nuclear power is also enhancing the security and diversity of energy supply, as well as it raises Europe’s independence on fossil fuels. That is why we, European Democrat Students underline the importance of nuclear energy as the part of the EU’s energy mix. In the framework of globalisation and a strong economic competition, the European member states have to ensure that nuclear energy will be used as well in the future, because alternative energies are still not well developed.

Europe has the largest nuclear industry in the world, whereas high safety standards are achieved while promoting fuel and system innovation through research programmes. In order to preserve this unique asset, the EU needs to mobilise and strengthen its research and development resources, especially in the light of the worldwide increase of interest towards nuclear sector. Nuclear electricity can prosper in the single EU power market, as it is already competitive with electricity produced by burning fossil fuels. Policy is needed at the Member State and Community level to ensure that market rules encourage ‘a levelled playing field’ for competition. It is important that such arrangements do not put EU companies at a disadvantage when competing on local or world markets.

We would like to draw attention to the fact, that decisions are required on extension of the life of some plants or on new investments to meet expected demand and to replace ageing infrastructure. Taking into account the current EU energy mix, if the planned phase-out policy in some EU Member States is maintained, without extending plant lifetime and/or new construction, nuclear energy's share of electricity production will be significantly reduced.

Considering that it typically takes ten years to construct a new NPP, should the intention be to replace existing nuclear plants by new ones, decisions are required now, even if it were merely to maintain nuclear energy's current share of electricity production.

Considering the problematic issues such as long-term sustainability, safety of operation especially of old technology and safe management of waste, we would like to stress the importance of developing safer nuclear technology. Furthermore we support the commitment of the European Union to the research of nuclear fusion reactor.


2.B.5. Journalism and Press

2.B.5.1. Media censorship
Some countries in Europe instated a state controlled Internet censorship in legislation.

The reasons and the results are to be taken as questionable. First, the current system is technically crude. Second, according to an independent study anyone with average knowledge on how the Internet works can technically bypass these filters in less than a minute. Third, and foremost, the system has been proven to be misused by the authorities to censor entirely lawful material without any explanation given.

We are considering that no state should have the right to censor any media whatsoever, no matter of the reason. Besides we encourage the governments to give up any legislation giving the authorities rights to control a censorship system.


2.B.6. External Relations of the European Union

2.B.6.1. Common Foreign and Security Policy
The principle of a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) was laid down in the Maastricht Treaty of 1992. CSFS is a domain reserved to the EU governments, involving little input from the European Commission and European Parliament.

One of the most important challenges the EU faces is the formation of a comprehensive security policy. Although the cooperation in this field throughout the years has proved hard to be achieved, the Member States has always understood the necessity to act together in the field of foreign policy and defence. European Democrat Students strongly support the common foreign strategies built by such as Eastern Partnership.

With regard to internal and external security, European Democrat Students believe that EU should continue to implement policies that increase the level of security of its citizens. These policies however must be drafted deliberately respecting the civil rights and freedoms.

European Democrat Students suggest that further improvements should be made in, but not limited to, the following fields:

• Developing effective intelligence capabilities;
• Ensuring better cooperation amongst the national border units, particularly on the EU outer borders;
• Enhancing coordination of police forces through the European Police (EUROPOL) by adopting common training activities and facilitating information flow between the EUROPOL and civilian ESDP missions.

Concerning the democratic legitimacy of the CFSP institutional arrangements, the CFSP faces a democracy-effectiveness dilemma. Having twenty-seven Member States with a veto right around one table explains the necessity of holding informal meetings outside the formal forums. European Democrat Students, acknowledging the importance of informal negotiation and confidentiality, reckons that the European Council and the EU Council should conduct their affairs in a more transparent manner.

2.B.6.2. European Security and Defence Policy
The European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) is a major element of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and is the domain of EU policy covering defence and military aspects.

As the European Security Strategy (ESS), the first European joint security strategy, argues, in order to ensure security for Europe in a globalising world, multilateral cooperation within Europe and abroad is to be imperative, because no single nation is able to tackle today’s complex challenges.

Security affairs have been the main motivation to establish the European integration process, and based on the principle of subsidiary, more focus should be given to the second pillar of the Maastricht treaty. We believe that the development of programs which guarantee more efficient and economical cooperation in the defence sector, but do not undermine the key sovereignty of the member states. The arms industry should be included in the European common market because open intra-Union cross-border cooperation would make the European defence more coherent and efficient.

European Democrat Students regard it essential that the cooperation between the ESDP and Justice and Home Affairs sector (JHA), is strengthen in order to enhance the full security potential of the EU.

2.B.6.3. The EU and NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is an alliance of 28 countries from North America and Europe whose main task is to ensure peace and security of its member countries. The mission of NATO is to protect the values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law that are inherent for all member states.

European Democrat Students comprehend that the European Union and NATO share common strategic interests and acknowledges the importance of transatlantic partnership. A close cooperation between NATO and EU, respecting neutrality as well as security commitments, is essential for optimization of resources in the field of defence and security.

Recognising that NATO structures are an important asset to a common European Security and Defence Policy to reach security goals more efficiently, European Democrat Students is in favour of the EU-NATO dialogue that enhances strategic cooperation avoiding duplication of effort and improving tactics to combat new security risks such as terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cyber-threats and failed States.

The European Union should carry on with the support for the international community and the people in Afghanistan, helping its citizens to rebuilt their country and bring stability to the whole region.

2.B.6.4. The EU Counter-Terrorism Strategy
We strongly condemn all terrorist attacks and other aggressive acts especially those that have occurred in the last years. We believe that there can be no excuse for any form of terrorism, the main aim of which is to disrupt the stability of free and democratic states. We call for an intensification of the existing co-operation between the European Union, the UN, NATO and other countries in to suppress terrorism by making efforts to stop the sale of weapons of mass destruction and of technology needed for their production to countries initiating or supporting terrorist activity and terrorist organizations. The struggle against terrorism and the prevention of terrorist acts should continue to constitute one of the main topics in the agenda of the most influential political actors.

In order to achieve this goal, European Democrat Students believe that the existing co-operation between the European Union, the United Nations, NATO and other countries identifying themselves with the fight against terrorism needs to be intensified; information exchange in this field needs to be strengthened and the control in the sector of weapons of mass destruction and of technologies required for their production must be increased. In order to achieve a better cooperation in the field of EU Counter-Terrorism, we, the European Democrat Students, demand all responsible European Institutions to develop a common pool of information exchange. This pool should contain all sensible information which is important for Counter-Terrorism measures. All involved intelligence agencies should have the possibility to have an access to this pool, in order to prevent potential terrorist attacks in the future.

European Democrat Students believe that the civil society should also play an active role in the fight against terrorism. Considering the nature of recent terrorist attacks, European Democrat Students acknowledge that terrorist actions are mainly symptoms of underlying problems, rather than their causes. It is essential to emphasise the importance of tolerance and respect and to firmly condemn all forms of violence as a means of imposing one’s political and ideological orientation.

In this regard, European Democrat Students find it necessary to increase inter-cultural and inter-religious awareness within the society, amongst other things, to keep in mind that a successful immigration policy is a key element in the fight against terrorism and to promote the integration of persons of different religious, political or ideological orientations in all societies.

2.B.6.5. The European Union - Russian Federation Relations
We, the European Student Democrats, recognise the nature of the Russian state and its unique historical background, acknowledge that most of the European States consider Russian Federation an important trade partner, and understand that building a lasting democracy takes both time and effort.

Nevertheless, we believe that the trade relations between the European Union and Russian Federation should not be driven politically but build on the market principles. In order to achieve this goal, a EU-Russian Federation framework within which the EU and Russian Federation may coexist and agree on common policies as equal partners and where the EU on its behalf can emerge as a unified entity with a single policy should be established.

We find it however necessary to express our disapproval with the Russian manoeuvres to use trade and energy policies as leverage when discussing issues of foreign or defence policy and to implement unfair trade protectionism measures that aim to prevent European products from getting into Russian market by applying questionable tolls.

We also strongly condemn that Russian Federation has not fully implemented the Istanbul commitments (the complete withdrawal of the Russian military forces from Georgia and Moldova), has withheld basic human rights of its minorities and has violated the rights of countries that are within the sphere of interest of Russian Federation. The Russian authorities should as well change an existing operating environment for NGOs, ensuring adequate opportunities for the participation of a civil society groups.

In order to promote the possibilities of democracy in Russian Federation, the EU should contribute by all means to both European and Russian organisations and programs aiming to further development of the democratic Russian Federation towards European standards.

2.B.6.6. European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)
The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) is the EU’s external policy oriented towards its closest neighbourhood, aiming to bring Europe and its neighbouring states closer to their mutual benefit. The ENP is designed to promote prosperity, stability and security in the Eastern and Southern neighbouring countries by offering a financial and/or technical assistance in exchange for the implementation of political and economical reforms agreed in the Action Plans.

European Democrat Students welcome introduction of the new frameworks strengthening the ENP (the Black Sea Synergy, the Union for the Mediterranean and the Eastern Partnership) because by more detailed approach the EU increases its capability to influence and accelerate the reform processes in the neighbouring states.

Acknowledging the progress on implementation of the ENP that have been made, European Democrat Students would like to see a further improvement in the implementation process of the ENP. To ensure that the changes in political, legal, socio-economic and security structures initiated by the ENP will be long lasting, European Democrat Students regard it necessary that the European Union:

• pushes more firmly towards implementation of reforms in the fields of democracy and human rights;
• supports exchange programs for young people, students, businessmen and NGO representatives for intensifying people-to-people contact;
• deals with frozen conflicts and persistent tensions, due to EU’s internal and external security;
• develops a more comprehensive anti-corruption mechanics that will monitor distribution and spending of the EU financial grants;
• facilitates participation of civil society in the implementation process.

2.B.6.7. The Enlargement Policy
The European Union, a multicultural community based on the values of democracy, principles of liberty, respect of human rights and the rule of law, represents a very strong and stable economic zone that has increased Europe’s prosperity and competitiveness. The Enlargement Policy of the European Union can be considered to be one of the most successful foreign policy tools since it has succeeded to disseminate the abovementioned values on the basis of voluntarily engagement rather than by direct enforcement.

Rights since its establishment, the Union has actively advocated the importance of peace, freedom, solidarity and tolerance across Europe by using the framework of the European integration process and sensibly managed enlargement process. Two main objectives of the ever-deepen integration are: to facilitate and to reinforce the intra-Union relations; and to disseminate the European values in the EU’s closest neighbourhood. As a result, today’s EU with 27 Member States is much safer, more prosperous and more influential than ever before.


C: Human Rights

European Democrat Students believe in freedom (of an individual, of expression, of press, movement, right (not) to marry...) as long as it does not harm anyone else. We are calling for the respect of human dignity and human rights according to the European Declaration of Human Rights. Therefore, we condemn death penalty, modern slavery, forced labour, children labour, child soldiers. We support democratic values, consider education as a right, are against any kind of discrimination (racial, sexual preferences, religious, gender...). We also believe that minorities should be respected because they represent an important feature of the social diversity in every country. We also call for the respect of private and family life. Finally, we stand against crimes, terrorism and all other forms of violence.

2.C.1. Freedom of Speech, Press and Expression of Opinions
Firstly, EDS are deeply concerned of any violation of freedom of press, the freedom of speech and the freedom to express one’s own opinions. We see them as some of the most important attainments of modern European civilisation; some of the main preconditions and, at the same time, crucial characteristics of functioning democracies. In this sense, they have to be defended by the European governments in a more urgent and uncompromising way. For instance, we realise that Europe will not be free and fully united as long as the killing and harassment of journalists and oppositions hasn’t been stopped in all European countries, including all member states of the Council of Europe and others.

We are regretting that the universal human rights mentioned above are more and more undermined by some European states, even in the EU, under the premises of war against terrorism and we are affirming that the protection of journalistic sources is the indispensable condition for an effective and independent journalism and therefore for the functioning of democracies.

Moreover, we also need to defend religious freedom, to reject any religious motivation for violence. Therefore, we strongly condemn political and religious leaders, who allowed religiously motivated violence to run rampant for their own domestic purpose but also the compliancy of European leaders who did not defend freedom of speech.

In the same trend, EDS call for a dialog between member states of the European Union in order to create a political consensus and a united stand towards extremism. An effort to reach mutual understanding and respect through education has to be made. We do believe that the only means of keeping peace in the world for generations to come is to bring people from different cultures together and tutor them how to communicate under peaceful circumstances without judging or condemning the other’s right to be different.

2.C.2. Discrimination
EDS want to encourage the shift towards gender equality and to denounce any kind of discrimination among people. We will fight against racism, intolerance and xenophobia and reject any personal/collective privilege before law. Gender policies, discrimination concerning health, age, handicap, country, nation, religion, opinion, job, etc…will be rejected. We also believe that minorities while respecting their duties and the majority, can’t be set aside and multiculturalism must be promoted.

2.C.3. Food security
We consider the right to food as essential for human dignity. Consequently, we believe that if this issue is not timely dealt with, a bigger humanitarian crisis could follow. Therefore we support increase founding in renewable energy sources.. Additionally, we call for food distribution policies which facilitate the access for local producers in developing regions. We also want to encourage developing countries to develop this agricultural sector and at the same time call for the elimination of the trade barriers or measures of equivalent effects.

2.C.4. Education
As a student organization, we support the goal of universal primary level education. Right to education means for us accessible and compulsory elementary education school. Our particular concern is the impact of the lack of decent education on already marginalized groups, often more vulnerable to other types of human rights violations and often facing even poorer prospect for their future. Indeed, we are sure that education is essential for integration and prevention from human rights violations.

2.C.5. Human trafficking
Another of our concern is human trafficking. EDS support the efforts of the countries, international organisations and other actors to suppress human trafficking and to regulate its collateral phenomenon of illegal immigration, making the problem more complex and even more challenging.

We support the international initiatives to improve the supervision and regulation of these areas such as campaigns to make people aware of the problem.

The EDS therefore urge European institutions, namely the EU Commission and Parliament, to promote awareness about the reality that fellow EU citizens and human beings are experiencing. The EDS also support the idea to create a European Anti-Trafficking Network that would facilitate cooperation, exchange of information and monitoring between countries. We urge the EU to closely cooperate with other international institutions and neighbouring countries in combating this crisis.

2.C.6. Asylum
Asylum policy in the EU is a real challenge. EDS urge EU countries to approve the proposal and determine host country without delays. We call upon establishing EU-wide ‘minimal common denominator’ for defining ‘danger countries’ and ‘dangerous circumstances’¹. It should be a subject to subsidiarity for lessening criteria and therefore we suggest the introduction of additional capacity of EASO in redirecting applicants whose pleas do not fit the ‘minimal common denominator’ to countries most likely to grant them right to asylum. We insist on tight cooperation between EASO, UNHCR, European Commission and the governments of the EU countries. Finally, we persist in demand for decision-making and application-evaluating processes to be driven by best interests of asylum seekers.

2.C.7. Immigration and intercultural relations in Europe
The sustainable solution to the irregular immigration situation lies in addressing the problem at source, by helping the countries of origin to improve their economic, social and political situation, by means of better cooperation between them and the EU.

EDS call for more effective border patrols, particularly in the region of southern Mediterranean and upon all interested parties, principally the Member State Governments. We strongly encourage the establishment of a holistic educational campaign to help European citizens understand better the complexity of this phenomenon, towards combating racial hatred, xenophobia and intolerance, hence promoting mutual understanding and unity within diversity.

EDS condemn violence, physical or psychological, because of its capacity to transform society from a framework of security to an arena where fear, intimidation and harassment, disrespect to private property and disruption of the rule of law. We call for the need for reconciliation, public dialogue and exchange of opinions aiming at strengthening cohesion in Europe’s multicultural societies, underlining the need for tolerance and personal responsibility. We call for not only the individual’s rights and freedoms, but also the individual’s obligations and responsibilities against other individuals at large.

Consequently, EDS stress the recognition of human right defenders contribution to the struggle against human rights violations. We give credit to the importance and legitimacy of their invaluable contribution in the advancement of the peaceful promotion and protection of human rights worldwide work as well as the need for their better protection.

In order to achieve this, we support the enhancement of the external policy of the European Union in the field of human rights by implementing the Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders and strengthening the role entrusted to EU Missions in monitoring, reporting and assessing of de iure and de facto measures undertaken by states to protect human rights defenders. Moreover, we call for a closer co-ordination of the activities between the EU, the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, linking them with United Nations mechanisms for protection, especially the activities of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.

2.C.8. Democracy
EDS also deeply believe in democratic values within Europe but also beyond its borders. It does not mean an imposition of our occidental values but rather to ensure respect of pluralism, public debate,… Any political system has to respect free elections, judicial independence, governance, separation of powers,… EDS will also support initiatives of democratisation around the world.

Therefore, we urge the EU to open dialogue and do its own efforts that these human rights will be respected in Europe and beyond its borders.



¹On merits of the Case C-465/07 of the European Court of Justice from 17 February 2009 EU.


Reservations:

CDS - Belgium
CDS would like to have a reservation for the entire part on media.
The following part in the BD will not apply to CDS:

Journalism and Press
Media censorship

Some countries in Europe instated a state controlled Internet censorship in legislation.
The reasons and the results are to be taken as questionable. First, the current system is technically crude. Second, according to an independent study anyone with average knowledge on how the Internet works can technically bypass these filters in less than a minute. Third, and foremost, the system has been proven to be misused by the authorities to censor entirely lawful material without any explanation given.
We are considering that no state should have the right to censor any media whatsoever, no matter of the reason. Besides we encourage the governments to give up any legislation giving the authorities rights to control a censorship system.

Maarten Marechal


KLiKS – Serbia, HAZ – Croatia
On behalf of KLiKS Serbia and HAZ Croatia, we hereby file an official reservation on the Section A, chapter Funding of HEIs of the EDS' Basic Document adopted on February 27th in Brussels. The official reservation concerns the Chapter as a whole and these two organisations do not consider it legally binding, while fully respecting and supporting the remainder of the document and its content.

Due to significance of the Basic Document as a whole and irreconcilable differences in opinions and approaches presented in the above-mentioned chapter, reservations on specificities would leave a hollow entry, therefore we opt for a full reservation.

On behalf of KLiKS Serbia and HAZ Croatia
Ivan Delibašić and Matija Magerl