What Europe do young people want?

USPA NEWS - What Europe do young people want? For the moment, this question remains unanswered despite the fact that, for almost a year, the European Parliament has been developing a campaign that, under the title 'The Terrace of Europe', seeks to bring European institutions closer to young people. More than asking what Europe they want, the European Parliament presents its proposals with a threefold objective: to encourage the participation of young people in European politics, fight against youth unemployment and develop in each country the productive sectors with the greatest economic, labor and Social.

Elections to the European Parliament will take place on May 26, 2019. In Spain they will coincide with local and regional elections. In all three cases, the participation of young people is scarce: less than 35% of young Europeans go to vote. And that, at a time when Europe is facing the challenge of the Brexit, when the Franco-German axis weakens and Italy seems to move away from the community discipline due to its nationalism in power, worries in Brussels. For this reason, almost a year ago the European Parliament in Strasbourg launched an initiative aimed at surveying young people to know their concerns and their future projects. 'The terrace of Europe' brings together MEPs and local youth in Spanish cities.

This week, the meeting was held in Logroño, capital of the wine region of Rioja, where the Spanish MEP of the Popular Group Esther Herranz, rapporteur for the reform project of the CAP (Community Agricultural Policy), and the Dutch MEP of the Liberal Group Jan Huitema explained to fifty young people the community projects for the rural world. Not in vain La Rioja is an agricultural region centered on wine, which suffers from the same problems as the rest of the Spanish regions: the depopulation of large areas, the aging of the rural population, the lack of relief on farms and a bureaucracy that hinders the continuity of the sector. "Changing the Law of Rural Leasing is the responsibility of the Government of Spain, but it is necessary to facilitate the access of young people to farms," said Esther Herranz.

"You can live on agriculture," added the Spanish MEP and was favorable to maintain direct aid to young farmers. However, Herranz said that the goal in Europe is that no country needs community aid. The popular spokesperson in the Commission for the Reform of the CAP advocated to facilitate the generational change in agricultural operations and stressed the benefits that agriculture and livestock generate for the environment.

After the closing of United States borders for the products of other countries and the import prohibition of Russia, the European Union looks for other markets and negotiates agreements with Asian countries. Developing countries are attractive partners for Europe. Its emerging markets represent opportunities for European products, said Esther Herranz. In the same sense, Jan Huitema manifested himself. With agricultural experience, the Dutch MEP stressed the need to find new markets and defended technology as a very valuable tool for the farmer.

The Community Agricultural Policy is of interest in La Rioja, but in Logroño the MEPs encouraged the young people to get closer to Europe, to interact with the EU institutions and to demonstrate at the polls when elections for the European Parliament will be held on May 26, 2019. Young people represent the future of Europe and their low participation worries in Strasbourg and Brussels. Motivating them is the challenge of the community institutions.