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Dear visitors,
welcome to the EDS Homepage. European Democrat Students was established by students from various European countries in the early sixties. The aim was to promote the exchange among students from different countries, with different political and cultural backgrounds. Quite early on, those founders of EDS realized that it often makes more sense to cooperate across borders and countries in order to fight for common aims, which were at that time primary the fight for human rights and against the antidemocratic attitudes of the socialistic regimes in big parts of Europe. These first steps led to the biggest political student organisation in Europe , nowadays representing about 400.000 students from more than 30 countries. Today EDS is officially associated with the European Peoples Party which makes it an important political player on European level.... full story |
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| On Wednesday, 24th September 2008, the Chairman of the European Democrat Students had the great opportunity to meet Gérard Bokanowski, the Secretary-General of the International Paneuropean Union.
Mr Bokanowski is Special Adviser to the President of the European Parliament and supports him with his high-level expertise. "The International Paneuropean Union and the European Democrat Students can profit a lot from each other", Uhlen stated at this meeting, "we are united in the fight against communism and oppression and stand up for a strong Europe in the world".
Paneuropa drives forward the ideas of the political integration of Europe regarding national and homeland security and technology and research. "The students and the young generation have to be at the forefront of the campaign for a united Europe as the guarantor for freedom and peace at our continent", Bokanowski pointed out, "I call on you to get involved in EDS and Paneuropa to fight for a better world." The Secretary-General of Paneuropa was glad to hear, that Uhlen appointed Andreas Perotti, the President of the Paneuropa Youth from Austria as Working Group Co-Chairman for the EDS-Working Group on Policies for Europe. "I know Andreas very well", Bokanowksi declared, "he is an excellent choice to strengthen the cooperation between our organisations and to be a valuable asset to EDS."
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This week Thomas Uhlen (Chairman of EDS) and Secretary General, Maja Mazurkiewicz, had the great honor to meet the President of the European Parliament, Prof. Dr. Hans-Gert Pöttering. 
Photos by courtesy of the European Parliament. | Pöttering and the European Democrat Students are bound by ties of cooperation for a long time already. The current President of the Parliament addressed EDS with a speech already at a reception in the European Parliament in 1980, short after he got elected member of the European Parliament at the first direct elections in 1979. Thomas Uhlen thanked Pöttering for his great commitment to the European integration and for his support for EDS. “We presented the Annual Report to the President”, said Maja Mazurkiewicz proudly “and he was very pleased about the activities of our organisation.” |
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From 9th to 11th September 2008, Thomas Uhlen, Chairman of the European Democrat Students, paid his first official visit to Sulina, Romania which is located in the Danube Delta, the second largest delta in Europe at the the Eastern border of the European Union. He was invited by the Student Organisation of the PD-L (OSPD-L) and its Chairman Sorin Moldovan. At his visit Uhlen was glad to announce that he will appoint Maria Lapadatu from Cluj to chair the EDS- Working Group on Human Rights.
OSPD-L is Full Member of EDS since 2008. Its mother party PD-L is Full Member of the European People’s Party.
Uhlen had the opportunity to take part in a panel about Higher Education politics in Europe. “We have to ensure, that the student flows in Europe are not just going from East to West, but also from West to East”, was Uhlen’s appeal to ensure that the “Freedom of Knowledge” is beneficial to all European countries. Especially those European countries which suffered under Communism and planned economy need university teachers, scientists and high-skilled workers who are following and supporting the way to a free market economy, welfare and democracy. EDS calls in its Strategy for the European elections for a doubling of the expenditure in education, research and innovation and an increase in the Research and Development intensity to at least 5% of GDP for the EU as a whole by 2015 to ensure that the potential of Europe’s universities is used to its best.
On Wednesday evening Uhlen furthermore addressed the Council of OSPD-L with a speech. He pointed out, that Romania has to actively follow its commitments to get fully integrated into the European Union. “The EU-Accession is like a medicine”, compared Uhlen, “you cannot stop taking it, as soon as the symptoms of anti-democracy and economic failure seem to disappear. You have to take it until you are actually healthy.” EDS promotes the principles of the rule of law. “You have the power”, Uhlen called upon the young politicians of OSPD-L, “to actively influence Romanian politics to the benefit of the people.” He thanked OSPD-L and its Chairman Sorin Moldovan again for the great cooperation and the invitation to the Summer University in the beautiful Danube Delta.
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